cair-net Digest of: get.701_800
Topics (messages 701 through 800):
CAIR-NET: Evangelical Leaders Condemn Anti-Islam Statements
701 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Seek Removal of U.S. Official in Iraq
702 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Colo. Bill on Muslim Students Fails to Pass
703 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Vandals Attack Central Calif. Mosque
704 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: U.S. Team Finds No WMD
705 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Condemn Riyadh Bombings
706 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Islam - Fastest Growing Religion in Canada
707 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Has U.S. Become Judeo-Christian-Islamic?
708 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Reports of Terror Crimes Inflated
709 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Ann Coulter on 'Muslim Free' Air Travel
710 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Steven Emerson Files for Dismissal of Defamation Suit
711 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: N.C. Physician Denied Re-Entry Over Technicality
712 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Nev. Rep Asked to Drop Islamophobe from Fundraiser
713 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Ariz. Sikh Shot, Penn. Iraqi Teen Assaulted
714 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Jews, Muslims Explore Similarities in Faiths
715 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Child Beaten in Pennsylvania
716 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Cal Thomas Echoes Nazi Propaganda
717 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Christians, Muslims Push Dialogue
718 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Speaking Out on Talk Radio
719 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Daniel Pipes, Peacemaker?
720 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Parental Abduction Case Dropped
721 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Community Service is Subject of New Muslim Ad
722 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Publishes Congressional Guide
723 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Allege Customs Intrusions
724 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CA Town Hall Focuses on Hate-Crime Prevention
725 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: N.C. Muslim Physician Granted New Visa
726 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Ohio District Rejects Proselytization of Muslim Students
727 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR-St. Louis Offers FBI Islamic Awareness Training
728 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Teen Honored for Community Service
729 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: $80 Million Suit Filed Against CBS, 'Terrorist Hunter'
730 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Civil Liberties Concerns Galvanize U.S. Muslim Groups
731 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Anti-Muslim Publication Distributed on Calif. Campus
732 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CNBC Drops Offensive Promo
733 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Group to Air Satellite Talk Show
734 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Ashcroft's Attitude Problem
735 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Woman Wins VA Party Primary
736 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: TSA Issues 'No-Fly List' Clearance Policy
737 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Was CBS Suckered By 'Anonymous'?
738 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Ashcroft Pushing Patriot II/Fla. Bomb Plot Sentencing
739 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Va. Muslims Raise a Voice in Area Politics
740 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Names of 9/11 Detainees Can Remain Secret
741 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Financial Institutions Blacklist Muslims
742 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Justice Dept. Prohibits Racial Profiling
743 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Ohio Muslims Meet with FBI to Discuss Concerns
744 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Florida Muslims Relieved by Sentencing of Terrorist
745 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Patriot Act Sparks New Legislation
746 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Children's Book Fills Void for Muslim Youth
747 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Group Holds Meijer Rally, Hailing Win on Leaflets
748 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Mass. Man Thought to be Muslim Kidnapped, Stabbed
749 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Unraveled Charges Show Peril of Secret Evidence
750 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Attends DOJ Seminar/Workers Win Right to Hijab
751 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Vandalism Reported at Houston Mosque
752 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Illinois Muslim Files Suit Over Harassment
753 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Arabs Seen as New Villains of Hollywood
754 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Army Corps OKs Iowa Muslim Youth Camp
755 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Complying With Law Could Lead to Deportation
756 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Support Anti-Hate Resolution Stuck in Congress
757 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Dialogue Series Links Muslims, Non-Muslims
758 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: American Muslims Condemn Mosque Bombing
759 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: A Mission of Mercy for Ali
760 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR-St. Louis to Hold Radio Training Seminar
761 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: N.C. Muslims Respond to Protests with Interfaith Event
762 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Targeted by Anti-Terror Business Policies
763 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR-Cincinnati Hosts Town Hall Meeting with FBI
764 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: 3 Juveniles Arraigned for Assault on Calif. Muslim
765 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: N.C. Muslims Plan for Mosque Protests
766 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Skewed Justice for Muslims
767 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Report on U.S. Muslim Civil Rights to be Released
768 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Blaze Guts New Jersey Mosque
769 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Anti-Muslim Incidents Up 15 Percent in Past Year
770 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Rabih Haddad Deported
771 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: 2 Pakistanis Shot Near DC, Friends Suspect Bias Motive
772 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: EEOC Says Muslim Pilot Fired Due to Religion
773 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Action Alert - Senate to Meet on Pipes Nomination
774 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: National Call-In Day on Daniel Pipes Nomination
775 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims and the American Dream
776 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Call Today on Pipes Nomination/Patriot Act Rights Violations
777 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FBI Looks into MD Murders/Patriot Act Abuses Called
"Disturbing'
778 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Does Daniel Pipes Want to Destroy Mecca?
779 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Interfaith Coalition Reacts to Meeting on Pipes Nomination
780 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Senators Criticize Daniel Pipes in Committee Meeting
781 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Pipes is No Peacemaker/CAIR Library Project
782 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Cross Burned at Maryland Islamic School
783 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Reward Offered in Maryland Cross-Burning Case
784 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Nevada Muslims Win Jail Prayer Battle
785 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Daniel Pipes Compares 'Islamic People' to 'Nazis'
786 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: St. Louis Muslims Partner with Habitat for Humanity
787 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Latino Muslims Find Common Roots
788 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Joins First Legal Challenge to Patriot Act
789 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR-CAN Call for Inquiry into Arar Disclosure
790 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Jewish Groups Oppose Daniel Pipes Nomination
791 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: 'Major Developments' in MD Mosque Cross-Burning
792 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Two Teens Arrested in Mosque Cross Burning Case
793 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Incitement Watch/CAIR-CAN Library Project/Family Buried
794 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Condemn Attack on Sikh Family in New York
795 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Jakarta Bombing Called "Senseless Act of Terror"
796 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Support S.1507 - Records Privacy Act
797 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Detroit Muslims to Hold Forum on Recent Murder
798 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Japanese Americans Can Feel Muslims' Pain
799 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: TX Muslim Family Denied Shelter Over Bible Class
800 by: CAIR
---------------------------------
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
BREAKING NEWS - 5/7/2003
"Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful
preaching;
and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy
Lord
knoweth best who have strayed from His Path and who receive guidance."
(Quran, 16:125)
-----
EVANGELICAL LEADERS CONDEMN STATEMENTS
RACHEL ZOLL, Associated Press, 5/7/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-evangelicals-muslims,0,5674544.story
WASHINGTON (AP) - In an unusual public rebuke, leading evangelical
Christians condemned derogatory statements about Islam by the Rev.
Franklin
Graham and others among their fellow religious conservatives.
The evangelicals meeting Wednesday said the derisive comments
endangered
Christian missionaries in the Muslim world, strained already tense
interfaith relations and fed the perception in the Mideast and beyond
that
the war on terrorism is a Christian crusade against Islam.
"We must temper our speech," said the Rev. Ted Haggard, president of
the
National Association of Evangelicals, which represents more than 43,000
congregations and helped organize the meeting. "There has to be a way
to do
good works without raising alarms."
Paul Marshall, senior fellow at the Center for Religious Freedom, a
human
rights group, said anti-Islam comments serve only to antagonize people.
"Exactly what is to be achieved by that except boosting the ego of who
said
it?" he asked…
Hodan Hassan, a spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
which is among Graham's harshest critics, said she was encouraged by
Wednesday's meeting. About 50 representatives of evangelical churches,
schools and mission groups attended.
"We can understand theological differences but what's important is that
the
dialogue is one of respect, not demonization," Hassan said…
To repair the damage to relations with Muslims, the evangelical group
and
the Institute on Religion and Democracy, a conservative Christian
organization, are drafting guidelines to begin interfaith dialogue with
Islamic leaders. While Muslim leaders have been meeting regularly with
liberal Protestants, no such national dialogue has taken place with
evangelical Christians.
Evangelicals at the meeting acknowledged they have an arduous task
ahead to
overcome grievances among members of both faiths…
Evangelicals also will not participate in interfaith talks that require
them to play down their beliefs - a concession they believe liberal
Christians have wrongly made to befriend Muslims. And for some
conservative
Christians, Islam has replaced communism as the "modern-day equivalent
of
the evil empire," said Rich Cizik, a spokesman for the National
Association
of Evangelicals.
Haggard suggested holding a meeting with Falwell, Robertson and other
high-profile evangelicals to explain the damage their comments have
caused.
-----
CONTACT: Ms. Hodan Hassan, 202-439-1441, E-MAIL: hhassan@cair-net.org;
Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-MAIL: cair@cair-net.org
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT # 380
MUSLIMS SEEK REMOVAL OF U.S. OFFICIAL IN IRAQ
Hiring administrator says guiding Arabs like ‘herding cats’
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/8/03) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today called on the Bush administration to remove an
American official supervising the hiring of translators in Iraq because
of
offensive anti-Arab remarks he made to an Independent Television News
(ITN)
reporter.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
quoted an
ITN report broadcast yesterday on PBS’s NewsHour in which a hiring
administrator, after slamming the door in the face of an Iraqi
applicant,
said: “Guiding these local Arabs around is like herding cats...herding
cats
into closets…except the cats don’t complain as much.”
GO TO: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newshour_index.html (Click on
“realaudio” under “The New Iraq”) or
http://audio.pbs.org:8080/ramgen/newshour/expansion/2003/05/07/baghdad.rm?altplay=baghdad.rm
(The quote comes at 5:15 into the report, which begins at 4:28).
“If our goal is to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people and
present
a positive image of America, this is the wrong person for the job. He
should be removed and replaced with someone who does not harbor bigoted
views toward the population,” said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
“Americans sent to work in Iraq should be sensitive to the plight of a
traumatized population and aware of the religion and culture of the
community they are serving,” Awad added.
CAIR is America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group. It is
headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices
nationwide
and in Canada. Since its founding in 1994, CAIR has defended the civil
and
religious rights of all Americans.
- END -
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
Contact President Bush to request the dismissal of the official and the
implementation of cultural and religious sensitivity training for
Americans
working in Iraq.
White House Phone Numbers:
COMMENTS: 202-456-1111
SWITCHBOARD: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
White House E-Mail Addresses:
President George W. Bush: president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Richard Cheney: vice.president@whitehouse.gov COPY TO:
cair@cair-net.org
Mailing Address:
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
--- CLIP AND MAIL/FAX/E-MAIL ---
YES, I would like to support CAIR's important work by donating
$___________. Enclosed is my check, payable to CAIR.
Name:
Address:
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TEL:
FAX:
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Payment: ___Check ___VISA ___MasterCard ___Discover ___Money Order
Credit
Card Number: Exp. Date: Name as on Card:
Signature: ________________________________________________
SEND TO: CAIR, 453 New Jersey Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
FAX: 202-488-0833 E-MAIL: membership@cair-net.org
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS 5/8/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: FOUR CHARACTERISTICS
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5854 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* COLO. BILL ON MUSLIM STUDENTS FAILS TO PASS
* HOSTILITY TOWARD U.S. TROOPS IS RUNNING HIGH IN BAGHDAD (USA Today)
- Clerics' Group Emerges As Shadow Rule in Iraq (Boston Globe)
- Burned Iraqi Girl Brought To Michigan (AP)
- Islam and Democracy Compatible (Christian Science Monitor)
* GROUPS SAY CIVIL LIBERTIES UNDER FIRE FROM PATRIOT ACT (Scripps
Howard)
* MUSLIM DETAILS BIAS COMPLAINT (Star Telegram)
* NO DISCUSSION OF SETTLEMENTS, DIPLOMATS SAY (Forward)
- Bush to Join Sharon in Israel Celebration (Washington Post)
* TOP EVANGELICALS CRITICAL OF COLLEAGUES OVER ISLAM (NY Times)
* PIPES UNJUSTLY MALIGNS MUSLIMS (Regina Leader Post)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: FOUR CHARACTERISTICS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If you have (these)
four
characteristics, whatever worldly advantage passes you by does not
matter
to you: keeping a trust, speaking the truth, a good character, and
moderation in (eating)."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1370
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5854 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5854 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Take
part in this first-of-its-kind campaign by sponsoring an 18-item
"library
package." Our goal is to send accurate and objective information about
Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
TO SPONSOR A LIBRARY PACKAGE, GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
OR CALL: 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
GOOD NEWS ALERT: COLO. BILL ON MUSLIM STUDENTS FAILS TO PASS
The proposed legislation that required state-sponsored institutions of
higher learning to verify the visa status of foreign students from
countries with links to "Islamic terrorism” died last night on the
floor of
the Colorado State Assembly.
“We would like to thank all those responded to CAIR’s action alert and
contacted the Colorado State Assembly to voice their opposition to the
bill. Legislation that singles out people based on their national or
religious affiliation betrays American traditions of fairness and
equality
under the law,” said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
“We would like to thank members of the Colorado Muslim community who
lobbied and testified against the bill, in particular, Seeme Hasan and
Abu
Umar Al Mubaraq.” Awad added
ACTION REQUESTED: Send a thank you note to the Speaker of the House and
members of the House Education Committee for their efforts:
LOLA SPRADLEY
Speaker of the House
Phone: 303-866-2346
Fax: 303-866-2598
E-Mail: spradley@fone.net, donna.acierno@state.co.us
STATE HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE:
Representative Spence (303)866-2935 or nancyspence@qwest.net
Representative Lee (303)866-2939 or don.lee.house@state.co.us
Representative Hefley (303)866-2924
Representative Merrifield (303)866-2932 or
michael.merrifield.house@state.co.us
Representative Paccione (303)866-2917 or
angie.paccione.house@state.co.us
Representative Pommer (303)866-2780 or jack.pommer.house@state.co.us
Representative Rose (303)866-2955 or ray.rose.house@state.co.us
Representative Vigil (303)866-2964 or val.vigil.house@state.co.us
Representative White (303)866-2949 or al.white.house@state.co.us
Representative S. Williams (303)866-2919
suzanne.williams.house@state.co.us
Representative T. Williams (303)866-2929
COPY ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO: cair@cair-net.org
-----
HOSTILITY TOWARD U.S. TROOPS IS RUNNING HIGH IN BAGHDAD
Paul Wiseman and Vivienne Walt, USA Today, 5/8/03
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030507/5135486s.htm
BAGHDAD - Iraqis say they view the U.S. military occupation with
suspicion,
anger and frustration. Many even say life was in some ways better under
the
regime of Saddam Hussein: The streets, they say, were safer, jobs more
secure, food more plentiful and electricity and water supplies
reliable.
The U.S. military -- and the civilian administration led for now by
retired
lieutenant general Jay Garner -- have barely begun to fill the vacuum
left
by the collapse of Saddam's government. U.S. troops have been reluctant
to
get dragged into civil affairs and local disputes. Garner's
administration
hasn't made much of an impact yet. A new Iraqi government seems a
distant
dream. As a result, many Iraqis feel they are adrift, their destination
uncertain and their future bleak...
In interviews, Baghdad residents say they regard the U.S. officials
here as
remote. The Americans -- military and civilian alike -- are barracked
behind barbed wire inside Saddam's Republican Palace. About one mile
inside
the vast presidential compound, the Americans sleep on camp beds behind
the
palace's gold-plated doors.
With Garner's operation inaccessible to almost all Iraqis, most people
see
only the military side of the U.S. occupation. Dozens have tales of
being
shouted at by nervous young soldiers at checkpoints in a language they
don't understand. A soldier pointing a gun at residents whom he
suspects of
either looting or perhaps planning an attack is a common sight...
SEE ALSO:
CLERICS' GROUP EMERGES AS SHADOW RULE IN IRAQ
Elizabeth Neuffer, Boston Globe, 5/7/03
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/127/nation/Clerics_group_emerges_as_shadow_rule_in_Iraq%2B.shtml
AJAF, Iraq - In theory, the United States and its occupying forces are
in
charge of Iraq until it emerges from the shadow of its repressive past.
But
in practice in the holy city of Najaf - and countless other communities
across Iraq -- the Shi'ite religious leadership of al Hawza al Ilmiya
is
running the show.
Electric lights gleam in Najaf, spiritual base of the Hawza, when much
of
Baghdad is still dark, largely because Hawza clerics called staff back
to
work weeks ago. Firefighters, paid for by the Hawza, keep their trucks
ready. Traffic cops, summoned by the religious leaders, keep the steady
flow of donkey carts and rickety automobiles under control.
Part Islamic religious school, part grass-roots organization, the Hawza
has
moved into the power vacuum left by the collapse of Saddam Hussein's
regime, becoming a shadow government among Iraq's Shi'ites that the
United
States will have to deal with as it works toward an interim government.
“The Hawza's opinion will determine whether the Americans are accepted
or
rejected,” said Mohammed Selman Khagani, a 64-year-old Muslim imam who
heads the Al Khagani mosque in Najaf. “No doubt about it.”...
---
BURNED IRAQI GIRL BROUGHT TO MICHIGAN
Associated Press, 5/8/03
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - A 15-year-old Iraqi girl who was severely burned
during
coalition bombing was brought to the United States for treatment in an
effort that started with a train conductor who saw her on television.
Hannan Shihab, who arrived in Michigan on Tuesday, is believed to be
the
first Iraqi child injured during the war to receive care at a U.S.
hospital, according to the University of Michigan and the office of a
congressman who helped get her here.
She was listed in stable condition after she was examined Wednesday at
the
university hospitals' burn center, said Dr. Paul Taheri, the center's
division chief.
Hannan was injured after a kerosene lamp near her bed overturned during
a
bombing raid in March...
---
ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY - NOT AN IMPOSSIBLE MARRIAGE
Steven Martinovich, Christian Science Monitor, 5/8/03
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0508/p18s01-bogn.html
With the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, the United States has begun
the
daunting task of bringing democracy to a nation that has not known
freedom.
The consensus among many experts is that the Arab world and democracy
are
incompatible. Islam, the argument goes, breeds a submissive attitude -
not
only to Allah but also to political and religious leaders as well -
that
makes Muslims inherently incapable of participating in the rough-and-
tumble world of electoral politics and of respecting the rights of
minorities who follow a different religious or cultural path.
In "After Jihad," Noah Feldman, a New York University law professor
with a
doctorate in Islamic Thought from Oxford, builds a compelling and
persuasive case that this consensus is misinformed...
Unlike most academics, Feldman now has the opportunity to put his
theories
into practice. He was recently named head of the constitutional team
with
the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq. It
will
be the team's responsibility to oversee and advise on drafting the
constitution for a new democratic order...
Feldman's optimism that Islam and democracy are a natural fit is based
on
his belief that they are both mobile ideas, philosophies that are
easily
understood in different cultures and carry universal truths, with
similar
basic elements. Both Islam and democracy hold that all humans are equal
and
that we have certain responsibilities to society. At its core, each
treats
human beings with respect and asks that we treat others the same way...
-----
GROUPS SAY CIVIL LIBERTIES UNDER FIRE FROM PATRIOT ACT
Bill Straub, Scripps Howard, 5/7/03
http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=CIVILLIBERTIES-05-07-03&cat=WW
Jason Halperin and a friend were enjoying dinner at an Indian
restaurant
off Times Square in New York on March 20 when five policemen, guns
drawn
and wearing bulletproof vests, stormed in and ordered patrons and
employees
to gather in the rear of the building.
The police, Halperin said, pointed their guns "indiscriminately" at the
frightened diners and workers and proceeded to kick down doors to
closets
and bathrooms, "their fingers glued to their triggers."
Eventually, he said, 10 other law enforcement officials wearing suits
entered the now-secured restaurant, some identifying themselves as
members
of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
"I explained that we were just eating dinner and asked why we were
being
held," Halperin said. "I was told by the INS agent that we would be
released once they had confirmation that we had no outstanding warrants
and
our immigration status was okayed."
Despite the customers' protests, Halperin said, an agent insisted they
had
the authority to detain them indefinitely. He quoted the agent as
saying,
"You are being held under the Patriot Act, following suspicion under a
homeland security investigation."
Indeed, Halperin said he later learned, the federal government has the
power under the law, passed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist
incidents, to
hold individuals without a warrant...
Incidents like the one involving Halperin - subsequently released
without
charge - are attracting attention from organizations and defenders of
civil
liberties who feel the Patriot Act is quickly eroding individual rights
and
freedoms...
-----
MUSLIM DETAILS BIAS COMPLAINT
Bryon Okada and Darren Barbee, Fort Worth Star Telegram
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/local/5813604.htm
Wajahat Sayeed of Plano believes he was singled out by American
Airlines
because of his dark skin and beard, which he keeps full for religious
reasons. Sayeed was escorted off American Flight 1048 at Dallas/Fort
Worth
Airport in October, and searched and humiliated, he alleged in a
complaint
that motivated the U.S. Department of Transportation to pursue the
nation's
first racial and religion bias case against an airline about two weeks
ago.
"I couldn't just sit back and not do anything about it," said Sayeed,
who
will not benefit financially from the complaint...
Sayeed is one of 10 people, many of them U.S. citizens, who are the
basis
of the Transportation Department's complaint. Attempts to contact
another
complainant from Grand Prairie were unsuccessful.
In October, a crew member told Sayeed, who is from India and is not a
U.S.
citizen, that he was being searched because he had made a passenger on
the
plane nervous, he said. Sayeed said he was asleep when he was asked to
leave the plane.
"They do not have, in my assessment, a blanket authority to
discriminate
and violate my civil rights," said Sayeed, a former executive director
of
the Muslim Legal Fund of America...
-----
NO DISCUSSION OF SETTLEMENTS, DIPLOMATS SAY
Ori Nir, Forward, 5/9/03
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.05.09/news2.html
WASHINGTON Despite the road map's requirement of Israeli steps toward
a
settlement construction freeze, Israel and the United States have not
held
any detailed discussions of the steps that would be involved in such a
move, senior Israeli diplomatic sources said. American administration
sources confirmed the Israeli account...
However, according to the Israeli diplomatic sources, Washington and
Jerusalem have quietly agreed that a freeze on settlement activity will
come only toward the end of the first phase of the road map. It will
thus
come not as an immediate response to Palestinian anti-terrorism
measures,
but after a prolonged period of calm and after most first-phase
requirements from the Palestinians have been fulfilled...
The American-Israeli interpretation of the road map's timing is
receiving a
chilly response from European and Arab diplomats whose countries have
been
closely involved in shaping the plan. "This is controversial, and it's
not
the way we understand it," said an Arab diplomat in Washington. "We
were
told that a settlement freeze would be a reciprocal step Israel will
take
gradually in the course of the first phase."...
Sharon's tourism minister, Benny Elon, was in Washington this week to
lobby
members of Congress against the plan, despite strong disapproval from
Sharon himself...
Elon met mainly with Evangelical Christian leaders, both in Washington
and
in the Bible Belt, on a tour that was ostensibly meant to advance
tourism
to Israel but seemed to focus mainly on rallying Christian
conservatives to
oppose the road map. Elon offered his American interlocutors an
"alternative peace plan," which includes dissolving the P.A., making
Jordan
a de-facto Palestinian state, formally annexing the West Bank and Gaza
to
Israel and "completing the exchange of populations that began in 1948."
Elon is Israel's most prominent supporter of the policy known as
"transfer," or encouraging Palestinians to move en masse from the West
Bank
and Gaza...
SEE ALSO:
RELIABLE SOURCES
Lloyd Grove, Washington Post, 5/8/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17760-2003May5.html
President Bush is expected to join Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
--
as well as headliners Jerry Seinfeld, Tony Bennett and Norah Jones --
at
the May 19 "Israel at 55" rally marking the beleaguered Jewish state's
anniversary at MCI Center. This will be the first time for Bush to
stand
alongside the polarizing Sharon at such a celebratory event.
Israeli Embassy spokesman Mark Regev told us the joint appearance is
simply
a demonstration of an age-old friendship between two nations, but James
Zogby of the Arab American Institute worried: "Given the perception
that we
are the military occupiers of Baghdad and that we have contributed to
what's happening to the Palestinians, this is not the best of times for
our
country in the Middle East. If the president is celebrating with Ariel
Sharon, that will be followed closely in the Arab world, and that's a
precarious position for the president to be in."...
-----
TOP EVANGELICALS CRITICAL OF COLLEAGUES OVER ISLAM
Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 5/8/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/08/national/08CHRI.html
WASHINGTON, May 7 Evangelical leaders meeting here today denounced as
"dangerous" and "unhelpful" the anti-Islam remarks made in the last
year by
leaders in their own movement and proposed new guidelines for churches
to
follow in relating to Muslims.
At the same time, the religious leaders reaffirmed their commitment to
proselytizing, and they accused mainline Protestants and groups like
the
World Council of Churches of holding "naïve" dialogue sessions with
Muslims
that minimized theological and political differences...
Responding to the criticism in a telephone interview, Dr. Robert Edgar,
general secretary of the National Council of Churches, which represents
mainline Protestants and Orthodox denominations and frequently engages
in
dialogue with Muslims, said that he agreed that each faith must not
dilute
its own distinctions.
But Dr. Edgar said: "We disagree that you can't have dialogue unless
you
talk about Jesus. My belief is that dialogue is best built on
relationships. People have to get to know each other, to trust each
other,
to like each other, and in some cases to even love each other before
real
learning and listening takes place."
-----
MUSLIMS UNJUSTLY MALIGNED
Kashif Ahmed, Regina Leader-Post, 5/8/03
http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/letters/story.asp?id=CED68C0F-3CB7-4309-AE47-2D4AE89BBDDB
George Jonas's commentary "Liberals true to instincts" in the April 23
issue of the Leader-Post raised an extremely important recent issue --
the
nomination of the notorious pro-Israeli commentator, Daniel Pipes, to
the
U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP).
Jonas reiterates the smears initiated by Pipes against those Muslims
who
have criticized the nomination as "apologists for militancy", referring
to
one North American Muslim group, the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR). Such defamations made against progressive Muslims should not be
left unchallenged...
Pipes' speech to the American Jewish Congress convention in the fall of
2001 answers this question. Pipes went on the record as saying, "The
increased stature, and affluence, and enfranchisement of American
Muslims
will present true dangers to American Jews."
Stature, affluence, and enfranchisement. These descriptions have
nothing to
with extremist Muslims or militancy. They have all to do with
pro-Israeli
advocates becoming concerned with the challenges they face from an
increasingly visible Muslim political voice. CAIR has been one of these
visible voices in Canada and the U.S., urging Muslims to contribute to
and
involve themselves in the societies in which they live. There is no
militancy here.
Pro-Israeli personalities like Pipes and Jonas want to see the
marginalization of active Muslims in North America, viewing them as a
threat to their political influence. What is the best method?
Wrongfully
malign prominent moderate Islamic institutions, despite the fact that
these
Muslim groups have condemned extremist Muslims as a threat to democracy
and
peaceful coexistence...
Someone this biased is not concerned with peace: he is concerned with
his
own obsessions and his own extremist agenda…
Ahmed is communications director of Muslims for Peace & Justice (MPJ)
Saskatchewan
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS 5/9/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: KINDNESS TO MOTHERS
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5856 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* VANDALS ATTACK CENTRAL CALIFORNIA MOSQUE
* PEACE INSTITUTE SUDDENLY AT CENTER OF CONTROVERSY (LA Times)
* CONYERS SEEKS DISMISSAL OF U.S. OFFICIAL IN IRAQ
* BILL PUSHES RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ON JOB (Chicago Tribune)
* DRIVING WHILE IMMIGRANT (Nation)
* ISRAEL RESTRICTS GAZA ACCESS (BBC)
* A LEAP OF FAITH FOR THE MUSLIM WORLD'S INVESTORS (Financial Times)
* CHINESE CALLIGRAPHER HIGHLIGHTS ISLAMIC INFLUENCE (Washington Times)
* RESOURCES: HARVARD REPORT ON POST 9/11 CIVIL RIGHTS
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: KINDNESS TO MOTHERS
A man asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "To whom should I
show kindness?" The Prophet replied: "Your mother, next your mother,
next
your mother, and then your father..."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2438
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5856 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5856 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Take
part in this first-of-its-kind campaign by sponsoring an 18-item
"library
package." Our goal is to send accurate and objective information about
Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
TO SPONSOR A LIBRARY PACKAGE, GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
OR CALL: 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
VANDALS ATTACK CENTRAL CALIFORNIA MOSQUE
Incident one of several attacks against area religious centers
(LOS ANGELES, 5/9/03) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
Southern
California (CAIR-LA) today reports that vandals attacked a mosque in
San
Luis Obispo, Calif. The attack on the Islamic center, which occurred on
Monday, comes on the heel of several other attacks against houses of
worship in Los Angeles County, including two synagogues, a Presbyterian
church and a Baha'i community center.
A representative of the Islamic Society of the Central Coast reported
to
CAIR-LA that pieces of glass were scattered across the prayer hall
after
vandals smashed the front door of the center. The attack apparently
occurred Monday evening and was noticed when worshipers came to the
mosque
that night. The incident was reported immediately to the San Luis
Obispo
Police Department, located across from the Islamic center.
CAIR-LA has learned that the police are investigating the incident as a
possible hate crime.
"The Muslim community stands in solidarity with the Jewish, Christian
and
Baha'i communities whose houses of worship have also been recently
targeted. Acts of hatred against any religious or ethnic group have no
place in our community. We hope that the perpetrators of the attacks
will
be swiftly brought to justice," said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam
Ayloush.
CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group. It is
headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices
nationwide
and in Canada. Since its founding in 1994, CAIR has defended the civil
and
religious rights of all Americans.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-LA.: Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847, E-MAIL: sabiha@cair.com
or
Hisham Assal, President of the Islamic Society of the Central Coast,
805-489-7937.
-----
PEACE INSTITUTE SUDDENLY AT CENTER OF CONTROVERSY
Johanna Neuman, Los Angeles Times, 5/9/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pipes9may09,1,287795
WASHINGTON - President Bush has nominated to the institute's board
Daniel
Pipes, a neoconservative Middle East scholar whose writings and sound
bites
have inflamed Muslim leaders. The nomination has sparked a new war
between
hawks and doves, complete with charges of Muslim-baiting and whispers
of
Jewish influence...
Pipes, 53, son of Soviet scholar Richard Pipes, has been outspoken
about
Muslims. In his work, which includes 11 books, numerous journal and
newspaper articles and a variety of television appearances, Pipes has
compared Islam with fascism. He has urged more security profiling of
Muslims and has argued that the increased Muslim populations in the
United
States, France, Holland and elsewhere around the world are a danger to
Jews.
He also started Campus Watch, which describes itself as a "review and
critique" of professors specializing in Middle Eastern studies, to
monitor
academic work for alleged pro-Arab bias.
The Council of American-Islamic Relations calls Pipes "the premier
anti-Muslim attack dog since 9/11." Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the
council, said the nomination is disturbing in light of Bush's visit to
a
mosque in the days after Sept. 11 to preach religious tolerance. "It
sends
an enormous message of insensitivity to Muslims," Hooper said. The
council
is lobbying Capitol Hill to kill the nomination...
Holly J. Burkhalter, advocacy director for Physicians for Human Rights,
has
been on the board since 2000. A Clinton appointee, she said she had not
previously spoken out on Pipes' nomination, believing that his
political
leanings were not an issue...
Her concern, she said, is that Pipes is "well-known for having made a
career of imposing a different kind of litmus test, an ideological
purity
movement." Bringing that kind of tactic to the Institute of Peace, she
said, could have "a chilling effect" on scholarship.
-----
CONYERS SENDS LETTER REQUESTING DISMISSAL OF U.S. OFFICIAL IN IRAQ
The following is a letter sent yesterday by Congressman John Conyers
(D-MI)
to President Bush requesting the dismissal of an American official in
Iraq
for comments the official made on British television:
Dear Mr. President:
I was shocked to hear the recent comments made by Sam Nuckolls, the
American official supervising the hiring of translators in
Iraq. Specifically, I was stunned to hear the official slam the door
on an
Iraqi applicant and mockingly remark, "Guiding these local Arabs around
is
like herding cats . . . herding cats into closets . . . except the cats
don't complain as much."
Granted, the situation in Iraq is a difficult one for Americans who are
working hard to help rebuild the Iraqi infrastructure. But there is
absolutely no excuse for the kind of arrogant and bigoted treatment
exhibited by Mr. Nuckolls toward well-meaning Iraqis who only want to
find
employment and work with the U.S. to improve their nation.
As such, I am calling on you to immediately remove Mr. Nuckolls from
his
position and offer an apology to the Iraqi people whom he has treated
so
callously.
Sincerely,
John Conyers, Jr.
Ranking Member
ACTION REQUESTED: Send letters of appreciation to
john.conyers@mail.house.gov
-----
BILL PUSHES RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ON JOB
Kevin Eckstrom, Chicago Tribune, 5/9/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0305090269may09,1,7381326.story
WASHINGTON - An unusually broad coalition of religious groups is
pushing a
bill that would protect religious expression in the workplace, but
civil
liberties groups are concerned the bill could be used to increase
on-the-job proselytizing.
The Workplace Religious Freedom Act, introduced recently by Sen. Rick
Santorum, (R-Pa.), and Sen. John Kerry, (D-Mass.), would force
employers to
"reasonably accommodate" employees who want to wear religious articles
or
take time off for worship services.
Current law mandates that employers allow such expression as long as it
does not impose an "undue hardship" on the company. Supporters,
however,
say a 1977 Supreme Court ruling gutted the law and has not protected
employees' rights...
Religious groups, including Seventh-day Adventists, Muslims, Southern
Baptists, the National Council of Churches and others, say religious
minorities are especially vulnerable to discrimination...
The new bill would define "undue hardship" as something that imposes
"significant difficulty or expense" on the employer or that would keep
an
employee from carrying out the "essential functions" of the job...
-----
DRIVING WHILE IMMIGRANT
David Cole, Nation, 5/9/03
www.thenation.com
Emboldened by the "success" of its preventive war in Iraq, the Bush
Administration appears to be expanding its preventive law-enforcement
strategy at home. The centerpiece of that strategy is the use of minor
infractions as pretexts to lock up suspects on whom the government
lacks
sufficient evidence to accuse them of more serious crimes. Immigration
law
violations have been the pretext of choice.
The Justice Department has invoked every immigration charge under the
sun--including the failure to file a notice of change of address within
ten
days of moving--to detain and interrogate "suspected terrorists,"
virtually
none of whom have turned out to have anything to do with terrorism. Now
Attorney General John Ashcroft seeks to extend that strategy
nationwide,
ultimately giving every police officer, from a rural county sheriff to
a
state police traffic cop, the same pretextual tools. This development
should sound alarm bells, for it is likely to undermine criminal law
enforcement, affecting the safety of us all...
-----
ISRAEL RESTRICTS GAZA ACCESS
BBC, 5/9/03
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/3013473.stm
Foreigners and Israeli civilians entering the Gaza Strip will have to
sign
waiver forms absolving the army of responsibility if they're killed or
injured in military operations.
The form requires all foreigners, including United Nations relief
workers,
to acknowledge they are entering an unsafe area.
They must also declare that they are not peace activists.
The move comes after the deaths of a number of foreign journalists and
human rights activists in Israel, particularly those from the
International
Solidarity Movement whose volunteers work as human shields in the
Palestinian territories.
Soon after the new measures came into force, four foreign peace
activists
belonging to the movement were detained...
-----
A LEAP OF FAITH FOR THE MUSLIM WORLD'S INVESTORS
Farhan Bokhari, Financial Times, 5/9/03
www.ft.com
Huge losses in the world's stock markets are creating difficult choices
for
Islamic communities. As equities plunge, many investors are looking to
other products such as futures and options. But while the Islamic faith
allows the trading of equities, more complex types of securities -
common
in the rest of the world - are forbidden.
The increasingly pressing need to find a way round the problem has led
to
the creation of the first Islamic hedge fund. The fund, the creation of
a
bank in Saudi Arabia, is expected to be launched during the next few
months.
Nevertheless, for financial institutions and investors in Islamic
countries, the transition to hedge fund investing could be a difficult
one.
Hedge funds include practices that are likely to be closely scrutinised
by
Islamic scholars.
Islamic law bans investment in what it considers vices, such as
businesses
dealing in pork, alcohol or gambling, as well as fixed- interest
payments,
which it defines as usury.
But, more fundamentally for hedge funds, the concept of short-selling
may
clash with rules that forbid Muslims from dealing in an asset whose
ownership has not been transferred to them formally. Derivatives, such
as
futures and options based on speculating on the movements of equities,
may
also fall foul of Islamic laws...
Nevertheless, analysts point to the financial sector in Malaysia as an
example of how Islam can be compatible with investments. The Kuala
Lumpur
stock exchange offers equity products that are acceptable to Islamic
law...
-----
CALLIGRAPHER SCRIPTS SUCCESS WITH ARABIC STYLES
Erling Hoh, Washington Times, 5/9/03
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20030509-90538086.htm
Seated in his spartan office at the Institute of Islamic Theology in
the
southern part of Beijing, Mr. Chen, the institute's retired librarian,
is
not one to dwell on aesthetic dialectics of Chinese and Arabic
calligraphy...
When Islam spread to China 1,000 years ago, Chinese Muslims began using
the
traditional brush and ink to copy the Koran. The oldest handwritten
copy of
the Koran in China dates to 1318. In time, an original form of Arabic
calligraphy with distinct Chinese characteristics, known as Sini,
evolved.
Following in the footstep of such famous Chinese Arabic calligraphers
as
Huababa, a Qing dynasty scholar from the province of Henan, Mr. Chen
took
up Arabic calligraphy as a student at Institute of Islamic Theology in
the
1950s.
During Mao Tse-tung's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, however,
Islam
was virtually forbidden and Arabic calligraphy was denounced as part of
the
"four olds."
After China reopened its doors in the late 1970s, the country's Muslims
were allowed to practice their religion and re-establish ties with the
Islamic world. Mr. Chen made his first hajj to Mecca in 1989...
Chen Jinhui is now busy investigating a cultural diffusion in the other
direction: the history of Arabic calligraphy in China.
"It is very difficult research. I want to fill in all the blanks," Mr.
Chen
said. For encouragement, he has only to recall a saying of the prophet
Muhammad:
"Seek wisdom, even if it be in China."
-----
RESOURCES: HARVARD REPORT ON CIVIL RIGHTS OF MUSLIMS, ARABS, AND SOUTH
ASIANS
The report by Harvard University's Civil Rights Project, "One Nation
Indivisible, under God, with Liberty and Justice for All: Civil Rights
for
Arabs, Muslims, and South Asians", is available at:
http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/articles/civilrights_gary.php
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS 5/12/2003
HEADLINES:
* VERSE OF THE DAY: WORK TO INSPIRE
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5865 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* CAIR OFFICIAL URGES MUSLIMS COUNTER MISINFORMATION (Journal Sentinel)
* U.S. TEAM FINDS NO WMD (Independent)
- American to Advise Iraq on New Constitution (NY Times)
- Muslim TV Network in the Making (Wired)
- Muslims Have Not Been Silent About Terrorism (Post Gazette)
- Two Views on Islam and the West (Montreal Gazette)
* PIPES NOMINATION A SLAP IN THE FACE FOR MUSLIMS (SF Chronicle)
* PATRIOT ACT DISTURBS CIVIL LIBERTARIANS (Sun Sentinel)
* GOD'S MERCY IS REFLECTED IN A MOTHER'S LOVE (Columbus Dispatch)
* IRANIAN JEW ACCUSED OF RELIGIOUS ARSONS (JTA)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: WORK TO INSPIRE
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, Verse 1
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5856 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5856 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Take
part in this first-of-its-kind campaign by sponsoring an 18-item
"library
package." Our goal is to send accurate and objective information about
Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
TO SPONSOR A LIBRARY PACKAGE, GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
OR CALL: 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
MUSLIMS URGED TO COUNTER MISINFORMATION ABOUT FAITH
Tom Heinen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/9/03
http://www.jsonline.com/lifestyle/religion/may03/139698.asp
The head of the nation's best known Islamic advocacy group told about
1,000
Muslims in Milwaukee Friday that they needed to counter widespread
misconceptions by supporting an effort to get accurate books and videos
about their faith in every public library in the United States.
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, said Islam is truly the subject of the day since the
terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The religion is talked about in the news
media
and everywhere from bedrooms to classrooms.
"No other faith is being discussed, examined and studied the way Islam
is,"
Awad said in his sermon at the 1 p.m. prayer session at the mosque of
the
Islamic Society of Milwaukee, 4707 S. 13th St.
Also, no other faith is being monitored and investigated the way Islam
is,
he added.
Islam's greatest challenge in the United States is ignorance, he said.
There are misconceptions, misrepresentations and attacks. Many of the
books
and news reports that have been produced about Islam since 9-11 are
inaccurate, he said...
American society is very open-minded, literate and scientific, he said.
If
Muslims provide information and reach out from the isolation of their
homes
and mosques, they will leave a mark on society.
In a reference to concerns about the American Patriot Act and other
legislation eroding civil liberties, Awad said it is Muslims' turn to
do
for society what African-Americans did in the 1960s. Just as
African-Americans helped counter racial discrimination, Muslims must
help
counter efforts that would diminish the civil liberties of non-Muslims
and
Muslims alike...
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM TV NETWORK IN THE MAKING
Kari Dean, Wired, 5/10/03
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,58773,00.html
When Mohamed Alaoui's 4-year-old twins grow up, he wants them to see
themselves on television. Well, maybe not themselves, exactly, but
people
who look like them -- everyday American Muslims who have nothing to do
with
terrorism.
"The only thing you really see about my culture is very negative," said
Alaoui, a native of Morocco who lives in Arlington, Texas. "I don't
want my
kids to think that every person in the Muslim religion is a terrorist."
About 6 million to 8 million Muslims currently reside in the United
States,
yet pop culture images of them are scant beyond the nightly news
reports
chronicling the war on terrorism and Hollywood portrayals of Islamic
extremists blowing up buses in Brooklyn. There isn't a single recurring
Muslim character, for example, on a sitcom or drama.
Alaoui and some 1,500 other American Muslims like him are eager to
change
that -- so eager that they're willing to pay $10 a month for a
fledgling
cable television network that doesn't even exist yet.
Mo Hassan, a New York banker and ex-Procter & Gamble marketer, and Omar
Amanat, founder of the Tradescape Internet brokerage, are betting that
many
more people will to do the same. The founders of the new Bridges TV
network
hope that by delivering 10,000 "pre-subscribers" they will convince
major
cable companies to take on the first nationwide English-language Muslim
television channel in the United States by the summer of 2004.
Hassan and Amanat say they plan to offer programming that resonates
with
the real-life experiences of moderate American Muslims.
"American Muslim life is, for the most part, quite similar to
mainstream
American life," said Hassan. "But for an American-born Muslim kid
growing
up in America, there are virtually no realistic portrayals of Muslims
in
dramas, sitcoms, soap operas or talk shows."...
-----
US WEAPONS TEAM ENDS ITS SEARCH WITH NO DISCOVERY
Andrew Buncombe, Independent, 5/12/03
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=405395
The team searching for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq is ending
its
operation without having found proof that Saddam Hussein had stocks of
chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
It investigated numerous sites identified by US intelligence as those
likely to harbour weapons of mass destruction (WMD) but has now all but
accepted that it is unlikely to find any weapons. Operations are being
wound up and a scaled-down unit called the Iraq Survey Group will take
over.
The leader of the US Army's 75th Exploitation Task Force, Colonel
Richard
McPhee, said his team of biologists, chemists, computer experts and
documents specialists arrived in Iraq believing the intelligence
community's warning that Saddam had given "release authority" to those
in
charge of a chemical arsenal.
"We didn't have all those people in protective suits for nothing," he
told
The Washington Post. "[But if they planned to use those weapons] there
had
to have been something to use and we haven't found it. Books will be
written on that in the intelligence community for a long time."...
SEE ALSO:
AMERICAN WILL ADVISE IRAQIS ON WRITING NEW CONSTITUTION
Jennifer Lee, New York Times, 5/11/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/international/worldspecial/11FELD.html
WASHINGTON - As the news of Iraq's new constitutional adviser trickled
out,
some specialists in Islamic studies were scratching their heads. E-mail
queries bounced back and forth. Who is Noah Feldman? Had anyone heard
of him?
Legal experts were also somewhat taken aback. Professor Feldman is
widely
considered a promising constitutional law scholar, but by no means an
established one.
On its face, it is surprising that the Office for Reconstruction and
Humanitarian Assistance set up for Iraq would put a 32-year-old
assistant
law professor in the critical role of advising the Iraqis in writing
their
Constitution.
For one, Professor Feldman is finishing up his second year of teaching
--
at New York University Law School, where he is immensely popular with
the
students. His politics seem somewhat liberal in an administration known
to
vet scientists to sit on advisory committees.
But as people blink and begin to focus their eyes, a consensus is
emerging
that liberal or conservative, fresh-faced or gray-haired, Professor
Feldman
was the obvious choice.
"A lot of appointments to very sensitive jobs leave you amused or
intrigued
or indifferent," said Akbar Ahmed, a leading Islamic scholar from
American
University in Washington. "But here we had, for once, the right man for
the
job."...
---
MUSLIMS HAVE NOT BEEN SILENT ABOUT TERRORISM
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/11/03
http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/letters/20030511lets0511p1.asp
(scroll to bottom)
The April 27 letter "The True Outrage," claiming that American Muslims
have
been "silent" in the face of terrorism, exemplifies how extremists like
evangelist Franklin Graham are tearing our nation apart.
After the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, there was a resounding cry of
outrage
and condemnation from Muslim communities both here and abroad. Islamic
authorities from all facets of society (political, religious and
educational), all across the globe spoke out against the tragic loss of
almost 3,000 innocents. Their message to the world was clear: this was
not
Islam.
Among the political voices raised against the 9/11 attacks were: the
League
of Arab States, President Muhammad Khatami of Iran, Jamaat-e-Islami
(the
Islamic Party) in both Pakistan and Bangladesh, the head of the
directorate
of religious affairs of Turkey as well as the Organization of Islamic
Conference of Foreign Ministers, which donated $5 million to the
victims of
the 9/11 attacks.
Religious and educational leaders also joined the chorus, with voices
including the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, the chief mufti of Saudi
Arabia,
the Council of Senior Religious Scholars in Saudi Arabia and the
Islamic
Research Academy in Cairo, Egypt.
Here, in the United States, every major American Muslim organization
(such
as the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Islamic Society of
North
America and the Muslim Student Association) has categorically condemned
the
attacks. Locally, the Islamic Council of Pittsburgh held a press
conference
on Sept. 14, 2001, to express outrage and condemnation of the horrific
acts
of 9/11. On Sept. 11, 2002, local mosques had open houses inviting all
to
remember the victims of terror all over the world.
The Muslim global response to the attacks of Sept. 11 has been
single-voiced and clear. It's amazing how extremist rhetoric can blind
some
of us to concrete facts.
DALIA MOGAHED
Outreach Program Director
Islamic Center of Pittsburgh
---
TRANSCENDING THE DIVISIONS BETWEEN THE ISLAMIC WORLD AND THE WEST
Riad Saloojee, Montreal Gazette, 5/10/03
http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=ff4c6f6f-38dd-4803-8642-c864eba6c912
Bernard Lewis and Noah Feldman grapple with the post-9/11 divide
between
the Muslim and Western worlds.
They offer disparate perspectives. For Lewis, rapprochement lies in
ending
anti-Western hostility within the Muslim world, while Feldman looks
beyond
detente to the possibility of a synthesis of Islam and democracy that
would
also facilitate relations between the Western and Islamic countries.
Lewis, professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University, is
considered one of the foremost authorities and historians of the Middle
East.
Two seminal questions, he asserts, arose after 9/11: Why do they hate
us?
And are Islam and the West doomed to coexist only as enemies? His
latest,
The Crisis of Islam, traces a pithy chronological journey from Islam's
inception to the present in an effort to answer both.
Although Lewis's narrative weaves remarkably seamlessly through
history,
politics and religion, the book is clumsy scholarship. Its conclusions
are
a host of unsatisfying tautologies - they hate us, he argues
essentially,
because of an irrational hate of everything Western - that tend to be
rooted in reductionist generalizations...
Noah Feldman's After Jihad considers whether, and how, Islam and
democracy
are compatible. Eschewing any black-and-white oppositional discourse
between the East and West, Feldman concludes that the present time is
ripe
with momentum for such a synthesis...
The Islamic ethos, asserts Feldman, places great emphasis on a
discourse of
justice, rule of law, public consultation and accountability. In
addition
to these animating constants, Muslim society is profoundly
heterogeneous.
The potential variants of Islamic democracy are, therefore,
multifarious:
everything from religion being merely a state religion (as in England)
to
more religiously endowed governance...
Riad Saloojee is the executive director of the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations-Canada, based in Ottawa.
-----
PIPES NOMINATION A SLAP IN THE FACE FOR ISLAM
Helal Omeira and Arsalan Iftikhar, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/11/03
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/05/11/ED303758.DTL
Set aside the fact that Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham
and
the man who said that Islam was "an evil and wicked religion," was the
clergyman invited to deliver the Good Friday homily at the Pentagon.
Forget
that shortly after Sept. 11, President Bush gloriously stated that
Americans were on a "crusade" in the war on terror. The most recent
mystification to come from Pennsylvania Avenue is the nomination of
Daniel
Pipes to the board of the United States Institute of Peace, a
governmental
think tank.
Pipes has always had a troubling bigotry toward Arabs and Muslims. As
early
as 1983, an otherwise positive Washington Post book review noted that
Pipes
displays "a disturbing hostility to contemporary Muslims. . . them."
Pipes,
said the reviewer, "is swayed by the writings of anti-Muslim writers"
and
the book "is marred by inconsistencies and evidence of hostility."
Peter Rodgers, a former Australian ambassador to Israel, echoes a
similar
review of Pipes' work. In the mid-'90s, Rodgers was quoted in the
Weekly
Standard saying, sarcastically, that he wishes he "could be a
polemicist
[like Pipes]; then I'd never have to worry about accuracy and balance,
about passing off egregious nonsense as alarming statement of fact,
about
repetition and self-contradiction. I, too, could trumpet mediocre
fictions
as insightful prophecies."...
In a time when we need open and lucid dialogue to help instill peace
within
humanity, President Bush's nomination of Pipes does nothing to further
that
dialogue. Pipes' record categorically proves that his ignorant and
inflammatory rhetoric does not deserve to be even loosely affiliated
with
an organization associated with the word "peace."
Helal Omeira is executive director of the Northern California chapter
of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Arsalan Iftikhar serves as
Midwest communications director for CAIR.
-----
PATRIOT ACT, INITIATIVES DISTURB CIVIL LIBERTARIANS; BROWARD DECREE
URGES
`RESPECT'
Tanya Weinberg, South Florida Sun Sentinel, 5/11/03
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-spatriot11may11.story
As a naturalized U.S. citizen, Ahmed Koko thought that he would be
protected by the Constitution, like any other American.
For the most part he maintained that belief in the months after the
Sept.
11 attacks, as he juggled college studies with his security guard job
--even as he found himself treated like a potential terrorist at the
airport, at work and at home.
But when federal agents visited his Pompano Beach home for what he said
was
the seventh time, Koko, 31, felt as if his rights had evaporated.
This time agents didn't come to ask if he was a terrorist, if he knew
Osama
bin Laden, or what he could tell them about local Islamic leaders and
others from the mosques he attends. Although it was not Moroccan native
Koko the agents sought -- but an Iraqi neighbor for one of thousands of
war-related interviews -- Koko landed in jail for the night.
Koko's story stirred gasps last week during a town-hall meeting at
Florida
International University, where civil libertarians decried the federal
government's tactics in the war on terrorism. As part of national
awareness-building efforts groups such as the American Civil Liberties
Union, the American Library Association and the Council on American
Islamic
Relations urged people to fight federal initiatives and legislation
they
consider part of an ongoing assault on civil rights...
-----
GOD'S MERCY IS REFLECTED IN A MOTHER'S LOVE
Asma Mobin-Uddin, Columbus Dispatch, 5/9/03
www.dispatch.com
My newborn son lies nestled against my shoulder. I hear and feel his
soft,
gentle breaths as he sleeps, oblivious to the rest of the world. Warm,
dry,
fed and snuggled in the gentle cocoon of my arms, he rests peacefully.
As I
gaze at him, I am overwhelmed by feelings of love, tenderness and mercy
for
him.
As a pediatrician, I have always felt personally affected by my
patients
and their families. After I had children of my own, however, my heart
awoke
to a whole new awareness of what mercy meant...
A mother's love and compassion for her child is one of the strongest,
purest forms of mercy we experience. Islamic teachings build on this
experience to help us understand the love and mercy of God.
Prophet Muhammad once pointed out a mother caring for her child and
asked
his companions if they could imagine her ever throwing the child into a
fire. After they emphatically said they could not, he taught them that
God
has more love and mercy for his servants than that mother has for her
child.
The Arabic word for womb, rahim, is derived from rahma, which means
mercy,
love, compassion and kindness. From the same root comes one of God's
titles: Rahman, the All-Merciful, possessor of all-embracing, perfect
mercy
and compassion. The word describing a mother's tenderness and love for
her
offspring is used in its superlative form to describe the mercy of
God...
Asma Mobin-Uddin is a Columbus pediatrician and serves as vice
president of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Ohio Chapter.
-----
LEADERS SHOCKED AFTER IRANIAN JEW ARRESTED FOR SERIES OF RELIGIOUS
ARSONS
Tom Tugend, JTA, 5/11/03
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Iranian+Jew+nabbed+in+L%2EA%2E+arsons&intcategoryid=5
LOS ANGELES Leaders of the Iranian Jewish community say they are
disturbed
that a member of their community is believed to have been responsible
for a
string of arson attacks that targeted religious institutions, including
synagogues.
At the same time, however, they expressed relief that the attacks
apparently were not motivated by anti-Semitism.
Farshid Tehrani, 40, was arrested early last Friday by police, who had
been
tracking him for a day after receiving a tip linking him to the five
arson
incidents in Encino.
During three successive days last week, incendiary devices, described
by
some as Molotov cocktails, were hurled at the Bahai Faith Community
Center,
the Iranian Synagogue, Da'at Torah Educational Center and Valley Beth
Shalom, one of the leading Conservative congregations in the Los
Angeles area.
About 10 days earlier, a similar attack on the First Presbyterian
Church of
Encino caused $75,000 to $100,000 in damage, according to the Los
Angeles
Times. Damage at the other locations was relatively minor, and there
were
no injuries.
Sam Kermanian, secretary general of the Iranian American Jewish
Federation,
told JTA that his community, as "one of the targets of these attacks,
had
been extremely concerned that they were hate- or terrorism-related."
But relief over the arrest was mingled "with deep shock at the
possibility
that the perpetrator might be someone from our community.
"This obviously cannot be the work of a healthy mind," he added...
-----
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-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/13/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE GREATEST DECEPTION
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5867 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* AMERICAN MUSLIMS CONDEMN RIYADH BOMBINGS
* AS SURVEILLANCE POWERS GROW ACCOUNTABILITY LANGUISHES (USA Today)
* TRUST ON TRIAL (Austin American Statesman)
* MUSLIMS TO HOLD VOTER REGISTRATION PICNIC (Atlanta Journal
Constitution)
* MINN. RESIDENTS PROTEST PROPOSED MUSLIM SLAUGHTERHOUSE (Star Tribune)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE GREATEST DECEPTION
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The greatest deception
of
all deceptions is to lie to your brother when he believes all that you
say."
Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 395
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5867 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5867 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Take
part in this first-of-its-kind campaign by sponsoring an 18-item
"library
package." Our goal is to send accurate and objective information about
Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
TO SPONSOR A LIBRARY PACKAGE, GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
OR CALL: 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
AMERICAN MUSLIMS CONDEMN RIYADH BOMBINGS
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/13/03) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), a Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group,
today
condemned the Monday bombing attacks on three housing compounds in
Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia. The attacks are estimated to have left dozens of people
dead
and many more injured.
In a statement, CAIR said:
"We condemn this vicious attack on civilians. No cause is served by the
willful targeting of innocent people and there is certainly no
justification for these crimes.
"We offer our condolences to the families of the victims and pray for
the
recovery of those injured in the explosions."
"We join with the international community in calling for the swift
apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators."
-----
AS SURVEILLANCE POWERS GROW ACCOUNTABILITY LANGUISHES
USA Today, 5/13/03
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=679&ncid=742&e=1&u=/usatoday/20030512/cm_usatoday/5148357
When Congress broadened the federal government's police powers in the
wake
of 9/11, critics worried that the new authority might weaken
civil-liberties protections. So Congress settled on a win-win
compromise:
grant the expanded powers to seize records and conduct secret searches,
but
make them temporary.
That way, the federal government got the authority it needed to fight
terrorism, while the public got until 2005 to judge whether authorities
used their new tools wisely.
In practice, though, the government isn't holding up its end of the
bargain. The Justice Department has refused to cooperate with attempts
by
members of the Senate and House Judiciary committees to assess some of
the
law's most controversial provisions. Among them, federal agents'
expanded
authority to secretly seize individuals' library and bookstore records
and
conduct surveillance of their Internet and e-mail activities.
Yet, as if to reward a recalcitrant Justice Department, the Senate last
week voted to further expand the government's police powers. It acted
in
spite of the department's continued refusal to provide a public
assessment
of how it has wielded its extraordinary authority since 9/11. By
failing to
press for disclosure of the department's activities, lawmakers are
exempting the nation's chief law enforcers from the accountability
system
specifically set up to protect Americans against abuses...
SEE ALSO:
TRUST ON TRIAL
Bob Keefe, Austin American Statesman, 5/11/03
http://www.statesman.com/insight/content/auto/epaper/editions/sunday/insight_1.html
PORTLAND, ORE. - Since Sept. 11, 2001, the federal government has
arrested
dozens of suspected terrorists - some publicly on specific charges,
some in
secret without disclosing why.
But no case is quite like that of Maher "Mike" Hawash.
On the morning of March 20, authorities screeched into the parking lot
of
Intel Corp.'s campus in the Portland suburb of Hillsboro, where Hawash
was
working as a contractor, surrounded him with guns drawn and hauled him
off
to jail. They later descended on his home, where they confiscated
computer
records and financial documents.
Hawash was held in a federal penitentiary for more than 40 days without
being charged and with little outside contact until May 2. That's when
he
was finally indicted on charges he conspired to join al Qaeda and the
Taliban and fight against the U.S. Army in Afghanistan along with six
others from Portland.
While Hawash sat behind bars, hundreds of protesters rallied here and
elsewhere, calling his detention an example of how the civil rights of
Americans -- especially Arab Americans -- are under assault...
"With the government's assumption that there are these 'sleeper cells'
everywhere, there is serious damage being done in terms of the
perception
by non-Muslim Americans of their neighbors who happen to be Muslim,"
said
Hodan Hassan, spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations
in
Washington, D.C...
"We're not asking that this guy be given a free ride just because we
like
him," McGeady said.
"But the key thing is that just because he's an Arab American, just
because
he had a scraggly beard when he was arrested, that doesn't make him
guilty," he said. "He deserves to be treated just like any rich white
guy
is treated in this country."
-----
MUSLIMS INVITED TO ATTEND PICNIC, REGISTER TO VOTE
Rick Badie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/13/03
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/0503/13muslims.html
Fazal Khan was planning a voter registration drive for Muslims around
the
time U.S.-led coalition forces were gearing up for Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
Anti-Muslim sentiments festered in the country. Metro Atlanta was
spared
any major backlash, but Khan postponed the event anyway.
"Not knowing what to expect was one of the major problems," said Khan,
co-founder of GrassRoots Effort, a nonprofit organization that tries to
build relationships between Muslims in America and the wider
community...
Now the war is over, and the voter registration drive is back on track,
set
for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Buford Dam Park on Lake Lanier. Metro
Atlanta's Muslim communities are invited to a community picnic that's
serving up the chance for eligible immigrants to register.
"The big emphasis is trying to get more participation in the local
community in the electoral process," said Yusof Burke, media
coordinator
for the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an
Islamic advocacy group that plans to take part in the event.
"Most of the immigrant community is underrepresented in the process,"
said
Burke, whose national office wants to register more than 100,000 Muslim
voters. "They aren't registered, and don't have much interest. We have
Somalis, Bosnians, Pakistanis and others organized in their own
communities. We need to spread to the broader Muslim and non-Muslim
communities. That's what we are trying to change."...
-----
RESIDENTS PROTEST PROPOSED MUSLIM SLAUGHTERHOUSE IN RICE COUNTY
Paul Levy, Minnesota Star Tribune, 5/13/03
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3879444.html
A proposal to build Minnesota's first Muslim meat-processing plant is
drawing protest from Rice County residents who fear it could damage the
environment, lower property values and increase traffic to their rural
area.
But those may not be the only issues that will bring opponents to a
County
Board meeting tonight in Faribault, according to the lawyer for Ali
Giarushi, who has proposed the plant. Attorney Caren Schurhammer said
she
believes that one factor driving the protest is that the proposed
business
would be a Muslim meat-packing plant.
If built, it will use the halal slaughtering process -- a religious
ritual
similar to the kosher process used by observant Jews.
The process, which involves cutting the carotid arteries in the
animal's
neck, is defined as "humane" by Minnesota law, although some in Rice
County
remain skeptical.
The plant is expected to attract between 40 and 100 vehicles a day
carrying
members of the Twin Cities' Muslim community to rustic-residential
Webster
Township, which is along Interstate Hwy. 35 near Northfield.
"It's what they don't say publicly that's been obscene," said
Schurhammer.
At public hearings she and Giarushi have attended, the lawyer said,
"Everyone has been careful to tiptoe around the fact that this is a
Muslim
meatpacking plant."...
The intensity of the reaction has surprised some onlookers.
"We have 250 slaughter plants in the state and I don't know of one that
has
had to go through what this guy has," said Kevin Elfering, director of
Dairy, Food and Meat Inspection for the state Department of
Agriculture...
-----
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-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS 5/14/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: DOING GOOD FOR PARENTS AFTER THEIR DEATH
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5867 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* CAIR SOUTH CAROLINA TO HOLD FIRST BANQUET
* ISLAM THRIVES IN QUEBEC (Montreal Gazette)
- Muslims Outnumber Jews in Canada (Globe and Mail)
* BUSH SHOULD PRESS SHARON (LA Times)
- Toll on Palestinians Goes Beyond Violence (Journal
Constitution)
- Benny Elon's Long, Strange Trip (Salon.com)
- Aipac Reaches Out To Black Caucus (JTA)
* VICTORY IN IRAQ SHOWS SIGNS OF UNRAVELING (LA Times)
- New Iraqi TV Complains Of U.S. Censorship (Reuters)
* ALASKA REP WANTS CHANGES IN PATRIOT ACT (AP)
* KAZAKH GROUP EXPERIENCES U.S. DIVERSITY (Washington File)
* FEMALE MUSLIM COMEDIAN TAKES STAGE (SF Chronicle)
* NATIVE DEEN'S MUSLIM RAP (In the Mainstream)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: DOING GOOD FOR PARENTS AFTER THEIR DEATH
When a person asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) whether he
can
do any good for his parents after their death, he said: "Yes, you can
pray
for them, ask forgiveness for them, fulfill their obligations by
honoring
their friends, and maintain family ties that would not exist but for
them."
Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 35
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5867 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5867 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Take
part in this first-of-its-kind campaign by sponsoring an 18-item
"library
package." Our goal is to send accurate and objective information about
Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
TO SPONSOR A LIBRARY PACKAGE, GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
OR CALL: 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
CAIR SOUTH CAROLINA TO HOLD FIRST BANQUET
WHAT: South Carolina's first official chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will hold a grand opening banquet.
CAIR
Executive Director Nihad Awad and Director of Operations Khalid Iqbal
will
discuss the obligation of Muslims to participate in public affairs,
CAIR's
achievements and future goals for the organization. In addition, local
attorney Larry Needles will give a speech on INS and immigration laws.
WHEN: Saturday, May 15 at 5 P.M.
WHERE: 2800 Ashland Road, Columbia, SC
CONTACT: Sabrina Kidwai at 803-238-1511
NOTE: The Saturday seminars will take place at Islamic Academy of
Columbia,
located at 501 N. Lucas Street, from Noon to 3 p.m.
-----
ISLAM THRIVES IN QUEBEC
Harvey Shepard, Montreal Gazette, 5/14/03
http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=1B462F18-5D85-4165-A7FC-0891E0C90EAB
Islam has become the No. 1 non-Christian faith in Quebec, as in Canada
as a
whole.
Swollen by immigration from south Asia, north Africa and the Middle
East,
the number of Quebec Muslims increased by almost 11/2 times in the 10
years
between 1991 and 2001.
This pushed them past Jewish Quebecers.
Salaam Elmenyawi, chairperson of the Muslim Council of Montreal, said
he
hopes the Muslim growth will help defuse East-West polarization.
"Now Islam is going to be a Western religion and we look forward to
making
a positive contribution," said Elmenyawi, a chaplain at Concordia
University.
"We hope that this will help to bring the world closer together."
Data from the 2001 Canadian census made public by Statistics Canada
yesterday show that the 108,620 Muslims in Quebec were up by 141.8 per
cent
from a decade earlier...
Bashir Hussain, chairperson of the Montreal Chapter of the Council of
Muslim Communities in Canada, can remember when there were only a
handful
of Muslims in Montreal in the early 1960s. "Now we have about 30
mosques
and places of prayer, and it's still not enough," he said...
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIMS OUTNUMBER JEWS IN CANADA
Gloria Galloway, Toronto Globe and Mail, 5/14/03
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030513.usaid0514/BNStory/National/
Canadian census figures show for the first time that Muslims outnumber
Jews a demographic that could ultimately affect this country's
position
toward the protracted Middle East conflict.
When the 1991 census was taken, about 25 per cent more people said they
were Jewish than Muslim. But immigration from predominantly Muslim
countries has reversed that dynamic.
Figures from the 2001 Canadian census released yesterday by Statistics
Canada show that the number of people claiming to be of Muslim faith
increased by 128.9 per cent to 579,640 in the decade beginning in 1991,
making Islam the fastest growing religion in Canada. Two years ago,
Muslims
made up 2 per cent of this country's population.
The number of Jews also increased during that period, but only by 3.7
per
cent to 329,995. And the proportion they represent of the total
Canadian
population declined to 1.1 per cent from 1.2 per cent.
While Canada has, in recent years, tried to maintain an evenhanded
response
to the Mideast crisis, Israel's supporters in Canada's Jewish community
have sometimes argued that remaining neutral means siding with
Palestinian
terrorists. But the growing influence of the Muslim faith may reinforce
Canada's desire for neutrality.
"I would have to say with a caution that, yes, of course it is going to
have an effect because politicians respond, of course to votes," said
John
Carson, a professor of Canadian foreign policy at the University of
Toronto...
-----
BUSH SHOULD PRESS SHARON
Los Angeles Times, 5/14/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-israel14may14,1,3041431.story?coll=la%2Dnews%2Dcomment%2Deditorials
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell is trying to put a good face on his
trip
to the Middle East, which was intended to strengthen support for a
"road
map" to peace drawn up by the U.S., the United Nations, the European
Union
and Russia. But Powell couldn't disguise the roadblock he hit in
Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's refusal to endorse the latest plan to end
the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unless President Bush tells Sharon that
he
must cooperate, particularly by agreeing that settlements must be
dismantled, Powell will be crippled.
This trip is in some ways a replay of Powell's unsatisfying Mideast
trip in
April 2002. Then, Powell sought to revive the peace process, but Israel
refused to withdraw troops from West Bank cities it had invaded several
weeks earlier, stating that troops were needed to prevent further
Palestinian suicide bombings. Bush said nothing...
If Sharon is unwilling to state explicitly that he backs the plan, he
will
be far less constrained to execute its provisions. Sharon is testing
not
the Palestinians but Bush's commitment to the peace process. If he
doesn't
receive a phone call from Bush saying that his scheduled visit to the
White
House is off unless he embraces the road map, Sharon will feel free to
hunker down and avoid painful negotiations.
Powell is doing himself no favors by trying to turn the crumbs that
Sharon
is offering the Palestinians into a banquet. Unless he persuades Bush
to
intervene, Powell risks becoming irrelevant while the region descends
into
even more bloodshed.
SEE ALSO:
TOLL ON PALESTINIANS GOES BEYOND VIOLENCE
Shelia M. Poole, Atlanta Journal Constitution, 5/14/03
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/atlanta_world/0503/14care.html
The almost daily roster of those killed in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, on both sides, is a deadly reminder of the toll inflicted by
the
violence.
But CARE, the Atlanta-based aid organization, is just as deeply
concerned
about the humanitarian crisis among Palestinians that rarely garners
the
headlines.
"Not much is known about how the conflict has affected people in
nonviolent
ways," said Earl Wall, director of CARE's West Bank-Gaza office, who
was in
Atlanta this week to meet with his colleagues at headquarters. "A lot
more
harm is being done to a lot more people due to disruptions in social
services and education."
He said the effect has been "devastating" among Palestinians,
particularly
women, children and the elderly --- the most vulnerable segments of
society.
The situation has been "worsened by the fact that the economy is in
such a
terrible state," Wall said. Unemployment, for example, is a staggering
70
percent in the Gaza Strip and 50 percent in the West Bank.
Israeli incursions into the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, border
closures,
curfews and checkpoints are choking the area's economy. Residents are
not
able to work or get food. Students can't get to school. And farmers
can't
get their products to market...
---
BENNY ELON'S LONG, STRANGE TRIP
Claire Tristram, Salon.com, 5/14/03
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/05/14/elon_visit/index_np.html
WASHINGTON - Benny Elon, Israel's minister of tourism, has a handshake
as
soft as butter. He is built like Santa. His voice is so gentle that you
need to lean forward to catch everything he says. It is tough to
reconcile
the man with his reputation as one of the least tractable and most
radically right of Israel's political leaders. He travels with two
armed
bodyguards and starts visibly at loud noises. His caution is
understandable: Elon, who is also a rabbi, assumed leadership of
Israel's
Moledet Party in 2001 after the previous leader, Moledet founder
Rechavam
Zeevi, was assassinated. He and his party are committed to an Israel
that
stretches from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River, an outcome that
Elon
believes is both promised by God and made inevitable by realpolitik. It
hinges, however, on a radical and polarizing notion -- that
Palestinians
can and should be "transferred" out of Israel...
Elon found sympathetic listeners in the United States, both on Capitol
Hill, where he met tirelessly with U.S. senators and representatives of
both parties and in the evangelical Christian community, where he has
gained the support of lobbying groups such as the Christian Coalition
and
Gary Bauer's American Values. While the official purpose of Elon's
visit
last week was to promote Israeli tourism, he also found time to discuss
his
comparatively radical solution to the Palestinian question...
---
AFTER CONTROVERSIAL ELECTION BATTLES AIPAC REACHES OUT TO BLACK CAUCUS
Eli Kintisch, JTA, 5/14/03
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=AIPAC+reaches+out+to+black+legislators&intcategoryid=3
WASHINGTON As it gears up for a struggle over the "road map" toward
Israeli-Palestinian peace, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
is
making special overtures toward the Congressional Black Caucus, a group
with which it has had rough relations in the recent past.
As part of its annual Washington convention, the pro-Israel lobby
honored
the caucus chair, Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), and the rest of the caucus
at a
special dinner March 30, attended by roughly 1,000 AIPAC donors from
around
the country.
Then, on April 24 in New York, AIPAC's executive director, Howard Kohr,
joined other Jewish community leaders for a lunch with rap mogul
Russell
Simmons, who has tried to promote better relations between the caucus
and
the Jewish community.
With Congress focused on domestic affairs, it may be too early to judge
how
effective AIPAC's efforts have been to improve support from the black
caucus on Middle East-related resolutions and initiatives...
"For most black members of Congress, the Middle East is not high on
their
agenda," said David Bositis, an expert on black politics at the
Washington-based Joint Center for Economic and Political Studies. But
"many
of their supporters see the Palestinians as getting a raw deal" under
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon...
-----
VICTORY IN IRAQ SHOWS SIGNS OF UNRAVELING
James P. Pinkerton, Los Angeles Times, 5/14/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-pink14may14,1,5759425.story?coll=la%2Dnews%2Dcomment%2Dopinions
Is President Bush's victory in Iraq coming undone like a cheap cowboy
boot?
Let's look at some of the unraveling stitches.
First, there's the situation on the ground in Iraq. After a series of
attacks on GIs, the American "peacekeepers" adopted the same modus
operandi
they used in Bosnia: Forces have been under orders to travel as little
as
possible. It's especially critical to avoid casualties now, as body
bags
might upstage the administration's declare-victory-and-let's-cut-taxes
blitz. Of course, the problem is that not much policing -- let alone
nation-building -- gets done.
Yet in the Muslim world, to ignore a problem is not to make it go away.
The
Times reported Tuesday that Afghan President Hamid Karzai, in despair
over
his inability to control provincial warlords, is considering asking
Washington to crush his rivals. "We need to take serious steps or this
government is doomed to fail," said one Karzai aide. During a year and
a
half of U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, Americans have never stopped
operations against the Taliban, but it would be a huge escalation if
Americans started fighting Afghans on behalf of "our" Afghans.
Second, there's the mysterious matter of the weapons of mass
destruction. A
headline in USA Today said it all: "U.S. begins to downplay hunt for
banned
weapons." The article notes the "before" and "after" quotes of top Bush
people. Before the war: chapter-and-verse specifics about the location
of
Saddam Hussein's WMDs. After: vague calls for patience...
SEE ALSO:
NEW IRAQI TV COMPLAINS OF U.S. CENSORSHIP
Saul Hudson, Reuters, 5/14/03
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2733916
BAGHDAD - The U.S.-sponsored Iraqi television news station complained
of
American censorship before its first broadcast Tuesday, including
attempts
to stop it airing passages from the Koran, the Muslim holy book.
If the network overcomes last-minute transmitter glitches, a country
fed on
a diet of state propaganda could see the start of what is being
trumpeted
as a new broadcasting era.
Deprived of any locally produced television since U.S. troops ousted
president Saddam Hussein, Baghdad residents with electricity will be
able
to see the Iraqi flag on their screens, hear the national anthem and
watch
a three-minute address from Jay Garner, the No. 2 in the U.S.-led
civilian
administration.
But the Iraqi Media Network has postponed plans to air a half-hour live
news program because of disputes over editorial control.
"As journalists we will not submit to censorship," said Dan North, a
Canadian documentary maker advising Iraqis at the station, which plans
two
hours of programming a night for viewers in Baghdad.
"This whole idea was about starting the genesis of an open media so we
will
not accept an outside source scrutinizing what we produce."
The charges of censorship could reaffirm for many Iraqis the perception
that Washington is not allowing them a free hand in building democratic
institutions...
-----
REP. YOUNG WANTS CHANGES IN PATRIOT ACT
Associated Press, 5/14/03
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/051403/sta_legpatriotact.shtml
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Don Young wants to start making amends for a
vote he
cast in a moment of anger 18 months ago. He is looking to dismantle
parts
of the USA Patriot Act, which he and most other members of Congress
approved in the weeks following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The Alaska Republican said he probably would co-sponsor a bill that
would
make it harder once again for federal law enforcement agencies to see
library and bookstore patron records.
"I think the Patriot Act was not really thought out," Young said. "I'm
very
concerned that, in our desire for security and our enthusiasm for
pursuing
supposedly terrorists, that sometimes we might be on the verge of
giving up
the freedoms which we're trying to protect."
The bill Young said he may co-sponsor was introduced by Rep. Bernie
Sanders, a Vermont independent with whom Young rarely agrees.
"I think he's right in this issue. I don't think it's anybody's
business
what I'm reading in the library," Young said.
Sanders' bill would block judges on the government's foreign
surveillance
court from giving federal law enforcement officers warrants to search
library and bookstore records for "personally identifiable information
concerning a patron."...
The Alaska House on Monday approved a resolution asking the federal
government to fix parts of the Patriot Act that may infringe on civil
liberties. The resolution also tells state agencies they should not
help
the federal government with investigations that could violate people's
rights unless they have reason to suspect criminal activity...
-----
RELIGIOUS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS EXPERIENCE U.S. DIVERSITY
Phyllis McIntosh, Washington File, 5/12/03
http://usinfo.state.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latest&f=03051207.tlt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml
Twenty religious and community leaders from the former Soviet republic
of
Kazakhstan -- an area struggling to reconnect with its pre-Soviet
Muslim
traditions -- recently had an opportunity to see how people of
different
faiths and ethnic backgrounds coexist peacefully in the
United States.
Their visit was organized around the theme "Islam in a Religiously
Diverse
U.S.". The visit was sponsored by the Community Connections Program of
the
Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
This program, which promotes mutual understanding through personal and
professional communication, brings some 1,500 people from Eurasia to
the
United States every year for home-based visits and practical
professional
exchanges.
The visiting Kazakhs included imams and other mosque officials,
educators,
a newspaper publisher, and a director of a religious studies center.
During
their three-week stay, they lived with families in the Washington, D.C.
area and Philadelphia. They visited Christian churches and Jewish
synagogues, in addition to Islamic centers, and met with such
organizations
as the Institute of Peace, Interfaith Alliance, Council on
American-Islamic
Relations, and the Muslim
Students Association of Georgetown University...
-----
FUNNY, SHAZIA MIRZA LOOKS MUSLIM . . .
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/14/03
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/05/14/DD306495.DTL&type=entertainment
At first, it's a bit shocking to see Shazia Mirza onstage in hijab, the
head scarf that pious Muslim women wear to cover their hair. Isn't
Mirza
supposed to be a stand-up comic? Isn't Mirza - a smart (and
smart-alecky)
27-year-old Londoner with a master's degree in biochemistry - supposed
to
be a liberated woman?
Mirza, whose parents are from Pakistan, is adamant (in a funny way)
that
her appearance is simply reflective of her religious ethos and that
there
are no contradictions between this ethos, her modern sensibilities and
her
proven ability to make people laugh.
"I totally believe in my religion," says Mirza, who is making her U.S.
comic debut Saturday night at the "Funny Girlz" event in San Francisco.
"I
think if I were a practicing Muslim and a stripper, then there would be
a
problem. But there isn't a problem with me being a practicing Muslim
and a
stand-up comic."
Promoters often bill Mirza as "the world's only female Muslim comic" --
a
title that guarantees an audience for her biting, deadpan observations
that
frequently refer to the Muslim world and her day-to-day life...
"The image people have of Muslim women that cover their hair is they're
oppressed and have a hard life," she says. "It confuses people that I
wear
it and am funny. It breaks down stereotypes."...
-----
NATIVE DEEN'S MUSLIM RAP
Phyllis McIntosh, Into the Maintstream, 5/14/03
http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/muslimlife/rap.htm
The sound is the familiar street rap so popular with American
teenagers.
But the message is decidedly more upbeat than the dark themes of drugs
and
violence that permeate most rap. Consider the words from a song called
"Intentions:"
"My intentions cannot bring the reward, when they're out of line. So I
pray
to Allah to help me, to do everything for him only."
Known as Muslim rap, this new musical phenomenon strikes a chord
especially
with African-Americans who make up about a third of all Muslims in the
United States. The group behind the sound is Native Deen, three black
men
in the Washington, D.C., area who grew up as
devout Muslims and want to use their talents to inspire other young
people
to keep the faith amid the pressures and temptations of modern life.
All three -- Joshua Salaam, 28, Naeem Muhammad, and Abdul-Malik Ahmad,
both
26 -- are married and fathers of young children. When not making music,
Salaam manages the civil rights division of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Muhammad works for an
information
technology company, and Ahmad designs web sites and teaches martial
arts.
As Native Deen, they perform at Islamic conferences, fundraisers,
weddings,
and holiday gatherings - any place, they say, "where wholesome Islamic
entertainment is needed." They shun clubs, bars, and discos, or any
venue
where Islamic prohibitions against alcohol, dancing, and many forms of
music are violated. Most of their songs deal with growing up Muslim in
America, remembering to make morning prayers and practice the faith
without
getting too caught up in
material possessions and "the TV shows and the music videos." A few
numbers
simply exhort listeners to avoid drugs, or sex, or cheating in school
with
no specific mention of religion...
SEE ALSO:
Native Deen's website at www.nativedeen.com
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/15/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: BACKBITING
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5867 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* HAS U.S. BECOME JUDEO-CHRISTIAN-ISLAMIC? (Newhouse)
- Islam Growing Rapidly in US Suburbs (AP)
* MUSLIM LEADERS SAY ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY COMPATIBLE
* PEACE INSTITUTE NOMINEE OPPOSES 'ROAD MAP' TO PEACE (Forward)
- USIP Nominee to Speak Against "Road Map" (IsraelNN)
- Sharon: Settlements Not on Agenda (Haaretz)
- Editorial: Sharon and Settlements (Washington Times)
- DC Israel Gala Canceled Due to Poor Ticket Sales?
* FBI MEETS SUSPICION IN RECRUITING MUSLIMS (Newhouse)
- A Terror Tracking System by Any Other Name (Time)
- Court Puts a Vulnerable Group at Risk (Newsday)
- Suit on Denial of Immigrants' Appeals (Mercury News)
- Editorial: The Guantánamo Scandal (New York Times)
* AMERICAN MUSLIM KILLED IN RIYADH BOMBINGS (Washington Post)
* BUSH OFFICIALS CHANGE TUNE ON IRAQI WEAPONS (Reuters)
- Straw Retreats on Finding Banned Weapons (Guardian)
* RUSSIA ALLOWS MUSLIM SCARVES IN ID PICTURES
* MUSLIMS IN THE US: DEMOGRAPHY, BELIEFS, INSTITUTIONS
* KAPTUR BILL SAFEGUARDS CIVIL LIBERTIES FOR ALL
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: BACKBITING
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Backbiting (is) talking
about your brother in a manner that he does not like." He was then
asked:
"What if I actually find (that failing) in my brother?" The Prophet
replied: "If (that failing) is actually found (in him), you were
backbiting, and if it is not, that is slander."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1183
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5867 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5867 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Take
part in this first-of-its-kind campaign by sponsoring an 18-item
"library
package." Our goal is to send accurate and objective information about
Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
TO SPONSOR A LIBRARY PACKAGE, GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
OR CALL: 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
HAS THE UNITED STATES BECOME JUDEO-CHRISTIAN-ISLAMIC?
MARK O'KEEFE, Newhouse News Service, 5/14/03
http://www.newhouse.com
Leading Muslim organizations say it's time for Americans to stop using
the
phrase "Judeo-Christian" when describing the values and character that
define the United States.
Better choices, they say, are "Judeo-Christian-Islamic" or "Abrahamic,"
referring to Abraham, the patriarch held in common by the monotheistic
big
three religions.
The new language should be used "in all venues where we normally talk
about
Judeo-Christian values, starting with the media, academia, statements
by
politicians and comments made in churches, synagogues and other
places,"
said Agha Saeed, founder and chairman of the American Muslim Alliance,
a
political group headquartered in Fremont, Calif.
Other national Muslim groups supporting a change include the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, the Muslim American Society and the
American
Muslim Council.
The budding movement is largely unformed, and religion watchers
question
whether it will succeed. Still, the call for new terms shows that words
carry huge symbolic importance for Muslims trying to find their role in
America after Sept. 11 and the Iraq war.
"These are not just let's-make-you-feel-good words," Saeed said. "These
are
words that define how we're related to each other."
Others take offense, arguing that to alter the phrase "Judeo-Christian"
is
political correctness and revisionist history at its worst.
"A lot of the ideas that underpin civil liberties come from
Judeo-Christian
theology," said the Rev. Ted Haggard of Colorado Springs, Colo.,
president
of the National Association of Evangelicals. "What the Islamic
community
needs to make are positive contributions to culture and society so we
can
include them."
Michael Cromartie, vice president of the Washington-based Ethics and
Public
Policy Center, said a "Judeo-Christian understanding of things like
freedom
of conscience and liberty" are embodied in the Constitution. "No
offense
intended," he said, "but Muslims weren't a part of that, even though
they're part of the discussion now."
The conflict illustrates the power of words, especially those touching
on
religion, national history and identity...
The movement to drop or change the phrase has some non-Muslim support,
including the head of the National Council of Churches.
The Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the council, which represents
36
Christian denominations, said he prefers "Abrahamic" to
"Judeo-Christian-Islamic" because it "rolls off the tongue a little
easier."
"The more inclusive we can be, the more committed we are to the
founding
fathers and mothers who struggled with the issue of respect for each
other's religious faiths," Edgar said.
There are other arguments for change, among them these:
Numbers. The U.S. Muslim population is growing. Estimates are disputed
but
range as high as 7 million. This compares to an estimated 5 million
Jews…
Commonality. Even though many people emphasize the differences, Islam
has
similarities with Christianity and Judaism.
"We believe in heaven and hell, in doing good deeds, in following the
Ten
Commandments," said Hannah Hawk, a spokesperson for the Houston Muslim
Public Affairs Council. "Islamic values are not only compatible with
American values, they're almost identical. I personally believe the
most
Islamic country in the world is America, where we believe in freedom of
religion, freedom of the press and equality of all."
Diplomacy. When President Bush mentions "churches and synagogues," he's
quick to add "mosques," but many Islamic nations still perceive the
United
States as a Christian country bent on dominating Muslims in a
modern-day
crusade. An inclusive change of language could alter that view, said
Zahid
Bukhari, director of Muslims in the American Public Square at
Washington's
Georgetown University…
History. Some assert that African Muslims were among the slaves brought
to
America, as dramatized in Alex Haley's "Roots," a 1976 novel with a
Muslim
main character, Kunta Kinte. In addition, some argue that Islamic ideas
helped shape the European West, which produced the values cherished by
the
Constitution's framers.
"What we call Western culture is in fact based on Muslim Middle East
culture, but the average American doesn't know that," said Sharifa
Alkhateeb, president of the Washington-based Muslim Education
Council...
Osama Siblani, an influential voice among American Muslims and
publisher of
the Arab-American News in Dearborn, Mich., takes an even broader view.
"I believe we should call this the United States of America, made up of
Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Jews and others," said
Siblani. "This stuff about language has to stop. We are all just
Americans."
SEE ALSO:
ISLAM GROWING RAPIDLY IN U.S. SUBURBS
WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press, 5/15/03
SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Just off one of the busiest highways in this
rapidly growing suburb sits the new face of Islam in America.
The Islamic Society of Central Jersey's mosque is tucked in amid the
pine
trees and flowering pink dogwoods along the booming high-tech corridor
leading into Princeton. Next door, huge concrete water main pipes lie
on
the side of the road, ready to be installed as part of a new housing
development.
The mosque's expansive parking lots fill up with mini-vans and SUVs,
disgorging parents and kids hurrying inside for worship between work
and
classes.
Scenes like this are playing out across the United States as Muslim
communities spread out from the cities to the suburbs. Definitive
statistics are hard to come by, but some Muslim leaders and
sociologists,
backed by anecdotal evidence, say the fastest growth of mosques is
occurring in the suburbs. That was also the conclusion of a 2001
nationwide
study of mosques by the Council on American Islamic Relations.
"This is more and more where Muslims are living," said Ishan Bagby, a
professor at the University of Kentucky who conducted the study.
As was the case with waves of European, Asian and Latino immigrants in
past
decades, Muslim immigrants settled in the cities. As they established
businesses and prospered, they, or more commonly, their children, moved
to
the suburbs.
"The Muslims are following the exact same pattern," Bagby said.
Out of 800 mosques surveyed, Bagby found that 77 percent of those in
suburban locations saw their congregations grow by 10 percent or more
from
1999 to 2000, the most recent statistics available, while only 53
percent
of urban mosques saw similar growth over that same period. The Council
plans a second study in 2005…
This urban-suburban contrast is beginning to draw the attention of
religious scholars and academics studying the rapid growth of Islam in
America. Professor Sulayman Nyang, chairman of African studies at
Howard
University in Washington, D.C., noted several principal differences
between
urban and suburban mosques.
He said the inner-city mosques tend to be predominantly
African-American,
more inward-looking and focused more intently on addressing
neighborhood
concerns like poverty, drug abuse and employment, while those in the
suburbs are more likely to be populated by immigrant Muslims from the
Middle East or south Asia, with a keener interest in world affairs,
particularly conditions in their countries of origin…
-----
LEADERS EMPHASIZE COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY
Kathryn Schmidt, Washington File Special Correspondent, 5/14/03
http://usinfo.state.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latest&f=03051401.nlt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml
WASHINGTON - Three prominent American Muslim leaders said in a May 13
program that in order to bridge the widening gap between America and
the
Muslim world, Muslims must understand the compatibility between Islam
and
democracy.
During the conflict prevention and resolution program sponsored by
Search
for Common Ground, a Washington-based non-government organization
(NGO),
the Muslim American speakers described the progress being made in the
region and pointed to challenges in bridging the gap between the U.S.
and
the Muslim world...
Nihad Awad, co-founder and executive director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), says his group has done its part to
bridge the gap by conducting an information campaign in the United
States.
"The chief challenge is ignorance, not malice or hostility," Awad said.
By
providing educational information to schools, law enforcement
organizations, employers and other groups, CAIR hopes to prevent
discrimination and cut through stereotypes.
Awad said that in the past nine years his group has succeeded in
getting
the Muslim community engaged with the broader American society, but
this
success is being threatened after 9/11.
"There is a feeling in the Muslim community that they are under siege
since
9/11," Awad said. "What happens to Muslims in America determines the
perception of the U.S. by Muslims abroad..."
-----
PEACE INSTITUTE NOMINEE OPPOSES 'ROAD MAP' TO PEACE
PIPES DREAM OF A ROAD MAP
Leonard Fein, Forward, 5/16/03
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.05.16/oped5.html
On the face of it, the nomination of Daniel Pipes by President Bush to
be
one of the 15 directors of the United States Institute of Peace seems
weird. The nomination, which now awaits confirmation by the Senate, has
quite predictably outraged Arab Americans, who see Pipes as their
enemy.
But though it is curious that Bush would gratuitously provoke the
Arab-American community, the more serious question is why the president
would select a vigorous enemy of the "road map" - indeed, of any
negotiation between Israel and the Palestinians - as his choice for any
high office.
Here is the president, in a March 14 Rose Garden speech: "America is
committed, and I am personally committed, to implementing our road map
toward peace."
And here is Pipes, in the February issue of Commentary: "Then there is
the
road map, which asks the Palestinians to undertake a temporary
reduction in
violence, in return for which they will gain a state...And while
ultimately
it is up to the Palestinians to liberate themselves from the demons of
their own irredentism, others, especially Israelis and Americans, can
indeed help - by holding firm against the seductive appeal of road maps
that lead exactly in the wrong direction."
And Pipes again, more broadly, in the February 25, 2002, issue of the
New
York Post: "Diplomacy rarely ends conflicts. Hardly a single major
interstate conflict has concluded due to some one's clever schema. The
idea
that a 'peace process' can take the place of the dirty work of war is a
conceit."
Odd, no? Is Bush playing both ends against the middle, waiting to see
whether Secretary of State Colin Powell develops any traction regarding
the
road map? Or is the president being duplicitous, endorsing the peace
plan
to placate British Prime Minister Tony Blair and, in lesser measure,
the
State Department, fully expecting that the road map will fail - and
prepared, if by some chance it does not, to find a way to scuttle it?
Pipes, for his part, voted for duplicity in the March 4 issue of the
New
York Post: "The road map is for show, not true policy, and U.S.
endorsement
of a Palestinian state remains remote..."
SEE ALSO:
PEACE INSTITUTE NOMINEE TO SPEAK AGAINST "ROAD MAP"
Summit of Christians and Jewish Zionist Convenes in Washington May
17-18
IsraelNN.com, 5/14/03
http://www.arutzsheva.org/news.php3?id=43351
The Interfaith Zionist Leadership Summit - a broad-based conference of
Jewish and Christian Zionists - will convene at the Omni Shoreham Hotel
in
Washington, DC, May 17-18.
Sponsored by Zionist House (Boston-based, founded in the late 1940s)
with
the National Unity Coalition for Israel, the Summit's co-sponsors
include
the Zionist Organization of America, Americans for a Safe Israel, the
Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), Christians
Israel
Public Action Campaign, The Apostolic Congress, Christian Coalition of
America and the International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem.
The summit will be addressed by such distinguished authorities -
concerned
for both Israel's future and America's national interests -- as former
Ambassador Alan Keyes, Janet Parshall, Gary Bauer, JINSA President Tom
Neumann, Middle East expert Daniel Pipes, American Enterprise Institute
scholar Michael Ledeen, Christian Coalition of America President
Roberta
Combs and Joe Farah, editor of WorldNetdaily.com...
Panel discussions will cover such timely issues as: The Road Map for an
Imposed Settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, -- Islam and
Terrorism -- A Palestinian State, U.S. Security and Israel's Future --
Media Ignorance and Bias in Coverage of the Middle East -- Confronting
Anti-Zionism and Anti-Semitism on the College Campus -- The Occupied
Territories and Other Canards -- and Forging a Jewish-Christian
Alliance
for Israel...
---
PM: SETTLEMENTS NOT ON AGENDA
Aluf Benn, Haaretz, 5/15/03
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=292910
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday told The Jerusalem Post that the
settlements issue "is not something today that anyone is dealing with,"
as
he rejected reports about U.S. pressure regarding the settlements...
Noting that no American administration has ever supported settlements,
Sharon added that every Israeli government has conducted settlement
activity in one form or another.
He said his statements to Haaretz last month, indicating readiness to
evacuate the settlements of Shiloh and Beit El in a peace agreement,
were
misunderstood...
Referring to his upcoming meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister
Mahmoud
Abbas, Sharon said he will not negotiate under fire.
Meanwhile, Sharon's chief of staff Dov Weisglass went to Washington
yesterday to prepare the groundwork for Sharon's meeting next week with
President George W. Bush. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on
Sunday during his visit here that Bush will speak "openly, directly,
and
frankly about the settlement activity" with Sharon.
In another development, the EU's Foreign Police Coordinator Javier
Solana
canceled a visit to Israel after Sharon's office declared he would not
be
able to meet with Sharon because of Solana's contacts with PA Chairman
Yasser Arafat.
---
SHARON AND SETTLEMENTS
Washington Times, 5/15/03
http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20030515-308540.htm
In excerpts of an interview with the Jerusalem Post published
yesterday,
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon staked out what appeared to be a new,
tougher
stance on maintaining Israeli settlements in the West Bank if a peace
agreement can be reached with Palestinians. "If you ask me whether in
Beit
El there will not be Jews," said Mr. Sharon, "no, Jews will live
there."
Mr. Sharon was also asked if Jews would continue to live in Beit El and
Shilo - currently locations with small settlements - in the event of a
peace agreement. The prime minister replied: "Do you see a possibility
of
Jews living under Arab sovereignty, I'm asking you, do you see that
possibility?"
Mr. Sharon sounded very different from the man who told the newspaper
Haaretz last month that "Look, we are talking about the cradle of the
Jewish people. Our whole history is bound up with these places.
Bethlehem,
Shiloh, Beit El. And I know we will have to part with some of these
places..."
Whatever his intention, Mr. Sharon's reported comments (the entire Post
interview is scheduled for publication tomorrow) suggest that Israel
has no
intention of negotiating over the future of settlements. Worse still,
Mr.
Sharon's seeming reversal of his position could be used as a pretext by
Palestinians to drag their feet on critical matters like ending
terrorism.
If Mr. Sharon doesn't clarify his position on settlements before he
arrives
in this country, President Bush should insist that he publicly do so
when
he gets here.
-----
DC ISRAEL GALA CANCELED DUE TO POOR TICKET SALES?
Explanations Differ for Gala Snafu: Was it Sharon or Poor Ticket Sales
Mathew E. Berger, JTA, 5/14/03
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Why+was+Israel+gala+nixed%3F&intcategoryid=3
WASHINGTON - A gala concert for Israel's 55th birthday has been
postponed,
just one week before it was to take place - and no one seems to agree
why.
Organizers maintain that the concert was delayed from May 19 until
December
because of a request from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office,
not
because of poor ticket sales.
But officials in the Israeli Embassy in Washington say they are not
aware
of any request from Jerusalem or from Daniel Ayalon, Israel's
ambassador to
Washington, to cancel the program.
Organizers say the event at Washington's MCI Center, which had been in
the
works for months, was postponed Tuesday because of the sensitive nature
of
Sharon's meeting the following day with President Bush...
But other sources familiar with the situation say the concert was
cancelled
because of low ticket sales.
"The embassy may have told them not to do it because it would have been
embarrassing," one source familiar with the discussions said. "They
couldn't have cancelled the event without the embassy approving."
Organizers refused to comment Wednesday, and have repeatedly refused to
release information on ticket sales...
-----
FBI MEETS SUSPICION IN RECRUITING MUSLIMS, ARAB-AMERICANS
Chuck McCutcheon, Newhouse News Service, 5/14/03
http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/mccutcheon051403.html
When an FBI agent urged Ronnie Amen to consider joining the bureau two
decades ago, the Lebanese-American sheriff's deputy in Wayne County,
Mich.,
didn't take the offer seriously.
"I thought, we were to do what -- spy on our cousins?" recalled Amen,
who
is now secretary of the Arab-American Law Enforcement Association.
The FBI still is encountering this kind of skepticism from
Arab-Americans
and Muslims at a time when the bureau needs them more than ever. The
FBI is
intensely recruiting Arab-Americans and Arabic speakers to demonstrate
the
bureau's commitment to diversity and to help target surveillance on
terrorist activities without spying on innocent citizens.
The CIA, which also has been looking for linguists and other
Arab-American
professionals, has launched its own outreach effort.
But despite what leaders of Arab-American and Muslim communities
describe
as a sincere effort on the recruiters' part, suspicion and mistrust
linger.
Some Arab-Americans cite a pattern of what they believe is unfair
surveillance and harassment of Muslims and Arab-Americans dating from
before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Since the 2001 attacks, they
say,
the FBI's enhanced monitoring powers under the USA Patriot Act have
only
inflamed fears...
In an effort to assist the FBI and other agencies, the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, a Washington civil rights group, published
a
"Law Enforcement Official's Guide to the Muslim Community" earlier this
month to explain Islamic beliefs and practices.
The guide says Muslim community organizations encourage their members
to
join law enforcement, but many remain reluctant to do so. It notes that
some Arab immigrants are from countries where police enforced
repressive
regimes, while others believe the agencies tolerate an anti-Muslim
bias.
Agencies "can increase the chance of recruitment in the Muslim
community by
dispelling such fears and exhibiting utmost fairness at all times," the
guide says.
SEE ALSO:
A TERROR TRACKING SYSTEM BY ANY OTHER NAME
Timothy J. Burger, Time, 5/14/03
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,451925,00.html
After attacks from civil liberties advocates on the left and the right,
the
Pentagon is planning to change a controversial system now being
developed
to hunt terrorists plotting attacks on the U.S. Change its name,
anyway.
In a report to Congress expected May 20 and now being circulated to top
Defense Department brass for comment, the Total Information Awareness
program headed by controversial ex-Navy Admiral John Poindexter is
slated
to be re-named with the more narrowly-focused moniker Terrorist
Information
Awareness, sources in and outside the Pentagon tell TIME. Pentagon
spokespeople declined comment on the plan or on what, if any,
substantive
changes might accompany a possible name-change.
In a recent congressional hearing, Tony Tether, head of the Pentagon
agency
that houses the program, said TIA would be operated with the
expectation
that "the American public and their elected officials must have
confidence
that their liberties will not be violated before they would accept this
kind of technology."
Critics have said the program, as described by Poindexter at various
points
since its inception, could promote Big Brother-like government snooping
on
ordinary Americans as much as on terror suspects...
Poindexter has been controversial for his role in the Reagan
administration
Iran-Contra scandal, which led to a 1990 conviction for providing false
information to Congress, though that verdict was ultimately overturned
in
1992.
---
THE COURT PUTS A VULNERABLE GROUP AT RISK
David Cole, Newsday, 5/15/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpcol153284706may15,0,1366985.story
Sixty-seven years ago, the Supreme Court reviewed a case involving a
confession coerced by torture from a black defendant in Mississippi.
The deputy sheriff who presided over the interrogation admitted that
the
defendant had been whipped, "but not too much for a Negro." The Supreme
Court rejected that reasoning and held that the due process prohibition
on
coerced confessions applies equally to all detainees.
On April 29, the Supreme Court resurrected a due process double
standard,
ruling that incarcerating people without any individualized showing of
need
was not too much for an alien. By a 5-4 vote, the court for the first
time
upheld a law authorizing the preventive detention of individuals on a
categorical basis. It did so by insisting that the constitutional
guarantee
of due process means something different for a noncitizen than for a
citizen, thus reneging on its own statement 50 years earlier that the
due
process clause does not "acknowledge any distinction between citizens
and
resident aliens."
The court's decision is especially dangerous in view of the Bush
administration's approach to the war on terrorism. While many have
argued
that the increased vulnerability that we all feel in the wake of Sept.
11,
2001, justifies some recalibration of the balance between liberty and
security, the government has for the most part not asked the citizenry
to
make that difficult choice, but instead has offered to sacrifice the
liberties of foreign nationals - especially Arab and Muslim foreign
nationals - for the security of the rest of us. That's an easy
political
choice, as foreign nationals cannot vote. But precisely for that
reason, it
is the court's obligation to resist such double standards. Yet last
week's
decision openly endorses double standards discriminating against a
vulnerable population...
-----
SUIT CHALLENGES UNEXPLAINED DENIALS OF IMMIGRANTS' APPEALS
Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, Mercury News, 5/15/03
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5866169.htm
California's federal appeals court will hear arguments today about
whether
a U.S. Justice Department board can continue to deny appeals of
deportation
orders for immigrants without any legal explanation.
The hearing, which includes a Bay Area case, centers on an issue that
has
arisen in other federal appeals courts, with the Justice Department's
power
being upheld each time. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals,
which
covers the western United States and hears more immigration cases than
any
other, has historically favored civil rights more than other
jurisdictions,
and an adverse ruling here could set up a potential showdown in the
U.S.
Supreme Court.
Though unexplained denials have been used for four years, they play an
increasing role in the post-Sept. 11 Justice Department, which believes
quicker appeals decisions help fight terrorism.
But the practice doesn't affect just suspected terrorists. It affects
asylum-seekers fleeing persecution, green-card holders who have
committed
certain drug crimes and the hundreds of Muslim men detained and
deported
after the Sept. 11 attacks for visa violations. It includes the 275
Korean
immigrants who were given phony green cards by a longtime San Jose
immigration official who took bribes from the Koreans' immigration
consultants.
The hearing today in Pasadena stems from Attorney General John
Ashcroft's
efforts to lighten a backlog of appeals before the Board of Immigration
Appeals, often the last refuge for those seeking asylum...
---
The Guantánamo Scandal
New York Times, 5/15/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/15/opinion/15THU4.html
For a year and a half, the United States has held hundreds of people
captured during the war in Afghanistan as prisoners in Guantánamo Bay
without access to family, lawyers or any semblance of due process.
Another
small group was shipped home recently, and there are reports that
military
trials for some prisoners may start soon. But that does not alter the
fact
that the detentions insult some of our most cherished ideals and harm
our
national interest...
No doubt some of the prisoners are members or leaders of Al Qaeda. Some
may
have been in the Taliban; some may have done terrible things. Many were
probably just caught up in the tribal chaos of Afghanistan. Whoever
they
are, their treatment should be a demonstration of America's commitment
to
justice, not the blot on its honor that Guantánamo has become. The
Guantánamo prisoners need immediate access to their governments,
families
and lawyers and deserve some tribunal in which to contest their
confinement. They deserve real, open justice without further delays or
excuses.
-----
AMERICAN MUSLIM KILLED IN RIYADH BOMBINGS
WORK, FAMILY, FAITH NEEDS DREW BOMB VICTIMS TO RIYADH
Amy Goldstein, Washington Post, 5/15/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57004-2003May14.html
Obadiah Y. Abdullah had converted to Islam. And 11 years into a
military
career, the Army sergeant was drawn to the recruiting pitch of a
defense
contractor, Vinnell Corp., offering him a lucrative job in Saudi
Arabia,
where he could fulfill the Muslim obligation to make a pilgrimage to
Mecca.
So last July, Abdullah, a fire control specialist, left behind his wife
and
daughter in Colorado Springs and moved into a guarded compound in
Riyadh to
help train the Saudi National Guard. In January, he completed the Haj
to Mecca.
"He was amazed at...the diversity of all the people there," his wife,
Sharon, recalled yesterday of his e-mailed accounts of the pilgrimage.
"It
was peaceful, and it was so many people from different backgrounds
worshipping together. He was proud of it."
Five months later, Abdullah this week was caught in a darker aspect of
Middle Eastern life: the violent animosity of terrorists toward the
Western
presence in Saudi Arabia. He was one of eight Americans killed in
coordinated car bombings inside three gated compounds in the capital
city
by extremists U.S. officials believe belonged to al Qaeda...
-----
BUSH OFFICIALS CHANGE TUNE ON IRAQI WEAPONS
Reuters, 5/14/03
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-iraq-usa-weapons.html
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has changed its tune on Iraqi
weapons
of mass destruction, the reason it went to war there. Instead of
looking
for vast stocks of banned materials, it is now pinning its hopes on
finding
documentary evidence.
The change in rhetoric, apparently designed in part to dampen public
expectations, has unfolded gradually in the past month as special U.S.
military teams have found little to justify the administration's claim
that
Iraq was concealing vast stocks of chemical and biological agents and
was
actively working on a covert nuclear weapons program.
``The administration seems to be hoping that inconvenient facts will
disappear from the public discourse. It's happening to a large
degree,''
said Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies, a liberal
think-tank which opposed the war.
Few politicians have raised the issue, not wishing to question a
popular
military victory. However, California Rep. Jane Harman, ranking
Democrat on
the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said last week she
was
concerned...
President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, told
Reuters
on Monday that Washington was sending a new team to Iraq to scour for
evidence.
The new team will be ``more expert'' at following the paper trail and
other
intelligence. She said Iraq appeared to have had a virtually
``inspections
proof'' system of concealing chemical and biological weapons by
developing
chemicals and agents that could be used for more than one purpose, but
that
could be put together as weapons at the last minute.
She said U.S. officials never expected that ``we were going to open
garages
and find'' weapons of mass destruction...
SEE ALSO:
STRAW RETREATS ON FINDING BANNED WEAPONS
Nicholas Watts, Guardian, 5/15/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,956262,00.html
Britain back-tracked on the contentious issue of Iraqi weapons of mass
destruction yesterday when the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, was
forced to
concede that hard evidence might never be uncovered.
He said it was "not crucially important" to find them, because the
evidence
of Iraqi wrongdoing was overwhelming.
He dismissed the significance of the failure to find banned weapons on
the
grounds that Hans Blix, the chief UN weapons inspector, had uncovered a
"phenomenal amount of evidence" before the war.
This included 10,000 litres of anthrax, which would only part fill a
petrol
tanker.
"Whether or not we are able to find one third of one petrol tanker in a
country twice the size of France remains to be seen," he told Radio 4's
Today programme.
"We did not go to war on a contingent basis. We went to war on the
basis of
the evidence which was fully available to the international community."
His comment, seized on by critics of the war, was a dramatic retreat
from a
claim by ministers last year that Saddam Hussein could launch a
chemical or
biological attack within 45 minutes...
Similar back-tracking is apparent in Washington where the national
security
adviser, Condoleezza Rice, said last week that the US was pinning its
hope
on finding incriminating documents rather than actual weapons.
-----
RUSSIA RULES MUSLIM WOMEN CAN WEAR SCARVES IN ID PICTURES
Agence France Presse, 5/15/03
MOSCOW -The Russian Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Muslim women can
follow Muslim tradition and keep on their headdress on identification
pictures, Russian news agency Interfax reported.
The case started off when the Russian interior ministry refused to
accept
the identification pictures in which 10 women from the central Russian
Republic of Tatarstan were wearing scarves to cover their heads.
The women filed a complaint against the ministry claiming they had to
follow the religious code laid down in the Koran of covering their
bodies
save face and hands when in public.
At the time the complaint was filed, Tatarstan maintained a local
ruling
from April 2002 that outlawed wearing scarves in identification
pictures --
a ruling supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The case was dismissed in the Supreme Court on civil affairs in March,
then
taken to the court of appeals, which spoke out in favor of the women.
Of the 5,5 million inhabitants of Tatarstan, 51 percent are Muslim,
though
it is not common among Tatar women to wear a headdress.
-----
DIVISION OF THE U.S. STUDIES HOSTS CONFERENCE ON AMERICAN MUSLIMS
WHAT: The Division of United States Studies at the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars is hosting a conference titled,
"Muslims
in the United States: Demography, Beliefs, Institutions." The
conference
is free, but the limited seating is on a first-come, first-served
basis.
Registration is required.
WHEN: Wednesday, June 18, from 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 1300
Pennsylvania
Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20004-3027, 6th floor auditorium
CONTACT: Susan Nugent at usstudies@wwic.si.edu or 202-691-4147
-----
PRESS RELEASE - May 15, 2003
Contact: Newsha Moraveji 202-225-4146
KAPTUR BILL SAFEGUARDS CIVIL LIBERTIES FOR ALL
H. Res. 234 Seeks to Protect Against Religious, Ethnic Persecution
Washington, DC - Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur today joined Congressman
Darrell Issa (R-CA) to introduce legislation in the House of
Representatives condemning violence and bigotry against Arab Americans,
Muslim Americans, South Asian Americans and Sikh Americans. Kaptur's
bill
also calls upon law enforcement authorities to aid on the prevention
and
prosecution of hate crimes wherever they occur.
"Bias-motivated or hate crimes have become a painful extension of the
anxieties experienced in times of domestic and international discord.
Our
bill encourages all Americans to stand together against violence,
particularly that which is targeted at Americans on the basis of their
appearance, or ideological or religious beliefs," said Kaptur…
Hate crimes against Muslims, Arabs, South Asians and Sikhs has risen
dramatically since the September 11 attacks on the U.S. Since the
start of
the war in Iraq, these biased attacks have spiked. The FBI reports
that
the number of anti-Muslim incidents rose 1600% from 2000 to 2001,
largely
due to post-9/11 backlash. Immediately following 9/11, Kaptur enlisted
the
support of the Toledo Bar Association in providing legal representation
to
all local residents experiencing racial backlash.
A version of H. Res. 234 has also been introduced in the Senate by
Richard
Durbin (D-IL), John Sununu (R-NH), and Russ Feingold (D-WI). The
Issa-Kaptur bill has been referred to the House Committee on the
Judiciary.
-30-
Representing Ohio's 9th District - Lucas, Ottawa, Erie, Lorain Counties
United States House of Representatives -- Washington, DC 20515
www.house.gov/kaptur
-----
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-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/16/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE GOLDEN RULE
* REPORTS OF TERROR CRIMES INFLATED (Philadelphia Inquirer)
* CA MUSLIMS SUPPORT RESOLUTION ON COBLE'S REMARKS
* CAIR-FL SPONSOR ABRAHAMIC TRIALOGUE
- CAIR-MD Hold Fundraising Dinner
- CAIR-SC Seminars and Banquet
* LOCAL COMMUNITIES REFUSE TO ENFORCE PATRIOT ACT (Fox News)
* IRAQIS ACCUSE UK, US TROOPS OF TORTURE (Reuters)
- Questions Linger About Iraqi Battle and Cluster Bombs (AP)
* ADDITIONAL US AID FOR PALESTINIANS DRAWS FIRE (CNSNews.com)
- More than Half of Israelis Opposed to Arab Rights (Haaretz)
* CONFERENCE - CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY
* MUSLIM CONFERENCE IN OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE GOLDEN RULE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "None of you will have
faith
until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith 12
-----
REPORTS OF TERROR CRIMES INFLATED
By Mark Fazlollah, Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/15/03
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/5862945.htm
In the first two months of this year, the Justice Department filed
charges
against 56 people, labeling all the cases as "terrorism."
But a Philadelphia Inquirer investigation has found that at least 41 of
them had nothing to do with terrorism -- a point that prosecutors of
the
cases themselves acknowledge.
Among the cases:
* Twenty-eight Latinos charged with working illegally at the airport in
Austin, Texas, most of them using phony Social Security numbers.
* Eight Puerto Ricans charged with trespassing on Navy property on the
island of Vieques, long a site of civil protests of ordnance testing.
* A Middle Eastern man indicted in Detroit for allegedly passing bad
checks
who has the same name as a Hezbollah leader.
* A Middle Eastern college student charged in Trenton, N.J., with
paying a
stand-in to take his college English-proficiency tests. He received a
one-month jail sentence after pleading guilty…
-----
CALIF. MUSLIMS SUPPORT RESOLUTION ON COBLE'S STATEMENTS
(ANAHEIM, CA - 5/16/2003) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations -
California (CAIR-CA) today expressed support for the Asian, Pacific
Islander (API) community in its backing of a resolution by the
California
Assembly (AJR 30) condemning remarks by Congressman Howard Coble (R-NC)
that seemed to justify the internment of Japanese-Americans during
World
War II.
The resolution urges Coble to apologize and encourages him to "resign
from
the chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland
Security of the Judiciary Committee of the United States House of
Representatives."
SEE:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/ajr_30_bill_20030507_amended_asm.html
"Congressman Coble's comments, and is continued inability to grasp the
injustice of the internment, reflect a deep ignorance of the negative
impact of ethnic profiling and stereotyping," said CAIR-Sacramento
representative Rashid Ahmad.
CAIR-CA has called on the Muslim community to contact their State
Assembly
members and Senators to support the resolution.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Sacramento: Rashid Ahmad (916) 803-7224, E-MAIL:
sacval@cair.com
-----
FLORIDA MUSLIMS SPONSOR ABRAHAMIC TRIALOGUE
(TAMPA, FL, 5/16/2003) - The Florida office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL), in cooperation with the Florida
Council of Churches, Florida Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of America and Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church of Tampa,
will
sponsor an interfaith seminar designed to foster respect and
understanding
among Americans of all faiths.
"Abraham, God's peace and blessings be upon him, is a link between
monotheistic faiths. As children of Abraham, Jews, Christians and
Muslims
have a responsibility to foster interfaith understanding. This event
represents the best of America - freedom, justice, tolerance, and
co-existence," said CAIR-FL Executive Director Altaf Ali.
WHAT: A CONVERSATION AMONG THE ABRAHAMIC FAITHS: "RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE
AND
LIBERTY IN THE FACE OF TERRORISM"
WHEN: May 25, 2003, 3-5 PM
WHERE: Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 304 Druid Hills Road,
Tampa, FL
NOTE: This event is free and open to the public. Limited Seating.
-END-
CONTACT: Mr. Altaf Ali, CAIR-FL, 954-298-8214, E-MAIL:
altaf@cair-florida.org; Ahmed Bedier TEL: 813-731-9506 - EMAIL
abedier@cair-florida.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MD HOLDS FUNDRAISING DINNER
CAIR Maryland will host its first Fundraising Banquet on May 31, 2003,
at
Bohrer Park Community Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland. CAIR National
Executive Director Nihad Awad will be the keynote speaker.
For information and tickets please contact:
Ayman Nassar - (443) 538-4121
Aslam Ahamed - (240) 498-4795
Seyed Rizwan - (240) 401-4550
Sister Farhana Motala - (301) 926-6028
Sister Farha Mowlana - (240) 602-1683
E-mail: info@cairmd.org
Website: http://www.cairmd.org
Tickets: $55/$85 per couple R.S.V.P by May, 20, 2003
Limited babysitting available with prior notice.
---
CAIR-SC SEMINARS AND BANQUET
Muslims meet to spread understanding of their faith
CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS, The State (Columbia, SC), 5/16/03
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/living/5870030.htm
This week begins a busy time for Columbia-area and S.C. Muslims.
Two area groups - one new, the other more established - are hoping to
increase awareness of Muslim beliefs, culture and concerns.
The first official S.C. chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, will hold seminars and a banquet Saturday to build support
for
the organization.
CAIR is the nation's largest Islamic civil liberties group, with
headquarters in Washington, D.C., and 16 regional offices nationwide
and in
Canada.
From noon to 3 p.m., CAIR will hold seminars at Seven Oaks Elementary
School, 2800 Ashland Road. The seminars, focusing on CAIR's objectives
and
how to encourage Muslims to participate in the political process, will
be
open to Muslims from the Midlands.
A banquet will be at 5 p.m., featuring speakers Nihad Awad, CAIR's
national
executive director, and Khalid Iqbal, director of operations. Local
lawyer
Larry Needles will speak on immigration laws.
"We hope that the presence of national figures like these speakers will
help energize Muslims in the Columbia area," said Minhaj Arastu,
chairman
of the Columbia CAIR chapter. "We want to increase Muslim involvement
in
the community, and increase understanding between Muslims and
non-Muslims."
The banquet is open to the public. Admission is $8. Call (803)
750-1236.
-----
LOCAL COMMUNITIES REFUSE TO ENFORCE PATRIOT ACT
Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, Fox News, 5/15/03
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,86915,00.html
WASHINGTON - In a rare occurrence, conservative watchdogs are siding
with
liberal groups who say that several provisions of the anti-terror USA
Patriot Act (search) are cause for concern by Americans seeking to
protect
their basic rights.
"We must balance at all times the fact that national security is
important,
but freedom is essential," said Phil Kent, president of the
conservative
Southeastern Legal Foundation (search), which has taken issue with
expanded
federal surveillance powers granted under the law.
Kent and others are applauding local efforts to try to ward off
provisions
of the Patriot Act. As of this week, the state of Hawaii as well as 104
cities and counties across the country have passed resolutions
protesting
federal law enforcement measures in the USA Patriot Act…
Civil liberties activists say a number of measures contained in the act
encroach upon individual rights. Specifically, they point to powers by
the
FBI to monitor e-mail and Internet chat rooms, political and religious
gatherings, library records, financial transactions and consumer buying
habits.
Moreover, concerns are growing about the authority of the FBI to obtain
secret search and seizure warrants against U.S. citizens suspected of
having terrorist ties under the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act.
The FISA court was set up in 1979 in order to grant the FBI search and
seizure warrants in foreign intelligence gathering cases. But since the
threshold to obtain such warrants was lower than probable cause
standards
in regular courts, FISA did not apply to domestic criminal cases.
However, the Patriot Act expanded the use of FISA to domestic
surveillance
as long as national security plays a "significant" role in the case.
Just last week, the Senate built on that by approving a bill to allow
the
FISA court to pursue foreign individuals suspected of, but with no
clear
ties to, terrorists groups...
-----
IRAQIS ACCUSE UK, US TROOPS OF TORTURE - AMNESTY
Sinead O'Hanlon, Reuters, 5/16/03
LONDON (Reuters) - Iraqi civilians and soldiers have accused British
and
U.S. troops of torturing them for information during the war in Iraq,
human
rights lobby group Amnesty International said Friday.
Amnesty researcher Said Boumedouha said the group was still collecting
witness statements and had not corroborated the statements, nor raised
the
matter with British or U.S. authorities on any level.
No immediate comment was available from either Britain's Ministry of
Defense nor U.S. authorities.
Boumedouha said Amnesty had so far interviewed about 20 people who said
they were tortured -- mostly by beatings but at least one by electric
shock
-- after being detained as prisoners of war. Some civilians were held
as
suspected Iraqi militia fighters.
"They are a mixture of civilians and soldiers ... The torture some
people
have mentioned is mostly beatings," Boumedouha said at a news briefing
in
London about the Amnesty mission in Iraq.
"We interviewed one person who was beaten up for a whole night, who was
bleeding but they wouldn't even give him water."
Boumedouha said the allegations were being taken seriously and that his
initial gut reaction was that they were true…
SEE ALSO:
QUESTIONS LINGER ABOUT HILLAH BATTLE THAT LEFT HUNDREDS OF CIVILIAN
CASUALTIES
Associated Press, 5/15/03
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap05-15-101828.asp?reg=MIDEAST
HILLAH, Iraq, May 15 - A month after U.S. cluster munitions fell in a
deadly shower on Hillah's teeming slums as U.S. forces drove toward
victory
in Baghdad, 55 miles to the north, the most telling evidence may lie in
the
crowded, fly-infested wards of the city hospital, where the toll of
dead
and wounded still mounts.
At least 250 Iraqis were killed and more than 500 wounded during 17
days of
fighting in the area, most of them civilians and many the victims of
cluster munitions, according to hospital medical staff. Leftover
bomblets
still kill or maim hapless civilians daily, they said.
As the pieces of the story of what happened in Hillah in late March and
early April begin to fall together, gaps and uncertainties remain,
including the question of whether Iraqi troops were still in Nadr,
Amira
and other Hillah-area districts when they were attacked…
Human Rights Watch on April 25 accused the Pentagon of a ''whitewash,''
of
minimizing in its public statements the deadly effect of cluster
munitions
on Iraqi civilians by discussing only aerial bombs and not artillery
shells, which the group says caused most civilian casualties from
cluster
munitions in Iraq…
-----
ADDITIONAL US AID FOR PALESTINIANS DRAWS FIRE
Lawrence Morahan, CNSNews.com, 5/16/03
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200305\CUL20030516b.html
(CNSNews.com) - The announcement by Secretary of State Colin Powell of
an
additional $50 million in aid to Palestinian agencies is drawing fire
from
foreign policy experts who say the money likely will be used to fund
anti-American and anti-Israeli activities.
Even if the State Department tries to keep the money out of the hands
of
the Palestinian Authority, as officials have stated, it could free up
resources to support other controversial projects, said Gary Bauer,
president of American Values.
"I do not understand why one penny of any American taxpayer's money
should
be going in to disputed Palestinian areas when in those areas - in the
schools and on state-controlled TV and newspapers - children are still
being taught to hate Jews, hate Christians and that Allah will only be
satisfied if Christians and Jews are killed," Bauer said…
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
said the increased aid to the Palestinians is a paltry sum compared to
the
billions of dollars of official aid the United States has been giving
to
Israel for decades.
"It just points to the imbalance in the American foreign policy
regarding
the Middle East, and this is at the core of all of our problems in the
Middle East - our complete slavish devotion to one side in the conflict
and
our complete disregard for the suffering of civilians on the other
side,"
Hooper said.
"It's really tragic, and it harms American interests in that region and
around the world. The only people who benefit are the lobbyists for the
state of Israel in the United States," he said.
SEE ALSO:
MORE THAN HALF OF ISRAELIS OPPOSED TO ARAB RIGHTS
SURVEY: ISRAEL YET TO GRASP CONCEPT OF DEMOCRACY
Mazal Mualem, Haaretz, 5/16/03
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=293813
More than half the Jewish population of Israel - 53 percent - is
opposed to
full equal rights for Israeli Arabs, according to a survey conducted
last
month by the Israel Democracy Institute.
The general conclusion of the survey, which is dubbed the "Israeli
Democracy Survey" and will be conducted every year, is that Israel is
basically a democracy in form more than in substance, and that it has
yet
to internalize fully the concept of democracy…
Concerning discrimination against minorities, Israel scored 3 on a
scale of
0-4, and thus belongs to the bottom third of the 28 countries covered
in
the survey. In human rights violations, Israel (including the
territories)
also scores very high, leading the list together with South Africa…
-----
CONFERENCE - CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY
SUBJECT: Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy holds its 4th
annual
conference on "Why Democracy and Why Now," May 16-17.Highlights: -- 7
p.m.
- William Burns, assistant secretary of state, Near Eastern Affairs,
State
Department, keynote
LOCATION: Wyndham Washington Hotel, 1400 M Street NW, Washington, D.C.
--
May 16, 2003
CONTACT: 202-772-2022,
http://www.islam-democracy.org/fourth_annual_conference_program.asp
-----
MUSLIM CONFERENCE IN OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS
WHAT: "Islam: Enduring Values for Daily Life"
WHEN: May 23-25, 2003
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) will hold its Central Zone
annual conference on May 23-25, 2003 at the Overland Park Convention
Center
(119th and Lamar). The theme for the conference is, "Islam: Enduring
Values
for Daily Life".
The conference will feature prominent speakers from around the world
including the Kansas City area. Amongst the local speakers are: Mary
Cohen,
regional representative for US Secretary of Education; George Noonan,
Chancellor of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph; and Dr. Bob Hill,
Senior Minister of the Community Christian Church in Kansas City,
Missouri .
The public is welcome to attend the three day conference for
$30/person.
The Saturday evening banquet's ticket price is an additional
$30/person.
The Saturday and Sunday lunch seminars are $15/person. To make your
reservations, contact the ISNA planning office at: Phone: 816-965-5555
or
E-mail: isna_kc@yahoo.com. More information about the speakers and the
conference, please go to our website at www.isnakc.com.
-----
TO BECOME A CAIR MEMBER, GO TO:
https://www.cair-net.org/asp/membership.asp
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/18/2003
HEADLINES:
* INCITEMENT WATCH: ANN COULTER ON 'MUSLIM-FREE' AIR TRAVEL
* AMERICA: 'CRUCIBLE FOR ISLAM' (Kansas City Star)
* PATRIOT ACT II: IT COULD HAPPEN HERE (Los Angeles Times)
- We're from the government... (Creative Loafing)
- Calif. Town Rebels Against Patriot Act (AP)
* BUSINESS BLACKLISTS (Mother Jones)
* MOSQUE OPENS DOORS, MINDS (Express-Times)
- Visualizing Islam's Hajj (Daily Hampshire Gazette)
* JORDANIAN RELEASED PENDING HEARING (Reuters)
* TROOPS 'VANDALISE' ANCIENT CITY OF UR (Observer)
* THE MAN BEHIND 'TOTAL WAR' IN THE MIDEAST (SF Chronicle)
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: ANN COULTER ON 'MUSLIM-FREE' AIR TRAVEL
The Guardian, 5/17/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,957670,00.html
Sharing a table at a New York bar with Coulter, watching the heads
turn,
you're seized by the urge to test her. Is she for real? Is she making
this
stuff up, like a comedian doing a shtick? How far will she go? "What if
the
free market offered Muslim-free air travel?" I venture, by way of bait.
Would that be a smart move? "This is my idea," she says brightly,
competitive as a child. "I'm way ahead of you. I think airlines ought
to
start advertising: 'We have the most civil rights lawsuits brought
against
us by Arabs.' "
And how would Muslims travel? "They could use flying carpets," she
says, a
grinning picture of charm…
-----
AMERICA: 'CRUCIBLE FOR ISLAM'
BILL TAMMEUS, Kansas City Star, 5/18/03
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/5877654.htm
"America has become the crucible for Islam," says Johari Abdul-Malik,
an
imam (leader) at this mosque. "The crucible is a thing into which you
put
some elements and then you place it in the fire so you remove all of
the
impurities, leaving just the pure essence."
When Pakistani, Saudi, Egyptian or Indonesian Muslims come to America,
Abdul-Malik says, they bring with them habits and practices - such as
dress, food and family dynamics - that are cultural but not necessarily
Islamic. In the United States, as Muslims from some 80 countries
literally
rub shoulders at daily prayer, many of those cultural add-ons get
discarded.
"If people are looking for the Islamic reformation," Abdul-Malik says,
"it's happening in America, but we're missing it because we're living
through it" and are too involved to see the big picture.
That is the fascinating context in which American Muslims find
themselves
as they become the subject of growing interest - and, in some cases,
worry
- to non-Muslim citizens after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Muslims in America are still struggling to cope with the awkward, often
uncomfortable, experience of feeling called to defend their ancient
religion because it was the faith the terrorists cited to justify their
evil actions. Since then, American Muslims have experienced an odd
mixture
of prejudice and friendship, ethnic profiling and healthy curiosity…
-----
PATRIOT ACT II: IT COULD HAPPEN HERE
Laila Al-Marayati, Los Angeles Times, 5/18/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-op-almarayati18may18,1,4945468.story
Laila Al-Marayati is a physician and spokeswoman for the Muslim,
Women's
League based in Los Angeles.
"Can they take you out of prison here and send you somewhere else to
get
tortured?" he asked.
I am usually honest with my children. But not this time. I had recently
read that U.S. officials had admitted to sending detainees abroad to
countries with regimes that have no qualms about using torture to get
people to cooperate. This was not information my son needed to hear.
"Absolutely not!" I assured him. "Why are you so worried about this?"
"Well, what if they make a mistake and you get taken to jail even
though
you didn't do anything wrong? I mean, what if they sent you to jail
just
for being Muslim? Everyone thinks Muslims are terrorists and bad
people."
His fear of arbitrary arrest and torture disturbed me, especially since
this is the reality for some Muslims here and many more abroad who have
been incarcerated as suspects in the "war on terrorism…"
I don't have the heart to tell my boys that, if pending legislation
passes,
our security as Muslims living in America -- even as citizens by birth
--
will be at risk, or that my son's questions might foretell his own
future.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department prepared a draft proposal to
revise the USA Patriot Act, a post-Sept. 11 law that greatly expanded
the
ability of law enforcers to track suspected terrorists. If the Domestic
Security Enhancement Act of 2003 outlined in the memo (known widely as
Patriot II) is ultimately passed by Congress, the government would, in
the
name of fighting terrorism, be granted sweeping new surveillance
powers,
more leeway to detain citizens indefinitely without charge and the
ability
to present secret evidence against those accused of supporting
terrorism.
The death penalty would be expanded to include certain terror-related
crimes. The government would also have the authority to strip Americans
of
their citizenship for providing support to an organization deemed a
"terrorist group," a term that is broadly and vaguely defined…
SEE ALSO:
WE'RE FROM THE GOVERNMENT...AND WE'RE HERE TO TAKE AWAY YOUR FREEDOM --
FOREVER
JOHN SUGG, Creative Loafing, 5/14/03
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2003-05-14/fishwrapper.html
Now on the launching pad is something dubbed Patriot II or Son of
Patriot.
A collection of proposals that hadn't been intended for public
consumption
-- until too late for citizens to react -- it was leaked and initially
made
public by journalist Bill Moyers and the Center for Public Integrity.
It
would:
-- Put in jeopardy the most basic right of Americans, citizenship. The
draft provides that any citizen, native-born or naturalized, who
supports
even the lawful activities of a group the government deems "terrorist"
could be stripped of citizenship. There would be no judicial review.
-- Non-citizens -- including those stripped of citizenship -- could be
deported for a wide variety of reasons, including some as vague as
being a
"threat" to the nation's economic interest. So, if you protested
corporate
crime or Halliburton cronyism, adios.
-- Suspected terrorists (which with Bush, means political threats)
could be
detained indefinitely and would have no way to get their case heard.
The
government wouldn't have to prove guilt. It wouldn't even have to offer
any
evidence beyond, "We say so, so shut up."
-- Secret arrests -- a favorite tactic of the Gestapo, the KGB, Fidel
Castro, Saddam Hussein and other totalitarian regimes -- would become
legal. What, you haven't seen Mr. Smith for a few days? Ssshhh, or
they'll
come and get you, too.
-- You don't want people to read your e-mail, so you encrypt it? You
could
be a criminal.
-- That sacred American tradition -- the right to sue if you're wronged
--
would be history under Patriot II. The government and federal agents
would
be "immunized," no matter how hideous their abuse of constitutional
rights.
-- Finally, the government's grab at information about you -- including
your DNA -- would be elevated to a status unheard of in a democracy.
You
will be watched. The government -- without judicial oversight or the
knowledge of those targeted -- could secretly go after your bank and
credit
reports, and phone records.
In short, say farewell to the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth
amendments to the Constitution.
None of this will make us safer. It will merely make us unfree.
---
CALIF. TOWN REBELS AGAINST PATRIOT ACT
MICHELLE LOCKE, Associated Press, 5/17/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-patriot-act-resistance,0,5001854.story
ARCATA, Calif. -- More than 100 cities and one state have passed
resolutions condemning the USA Patriot Act, saying it gives the federal
government too much snooping power. But in this liberal fold of
Northern
California's Redwood Curtain, a simple denouncement just doesn't go far
enough.
To cooperate with the act, the City Council says, is criminal.
Starting this month, a new city ordinance would impose a fine of $57 on
any
city department head who voluntarily complies with investigations or
arrests under the aegis of the Patriot Act, the anti-terrorism bill
passed
after Sept. 11.
Arcata's law is mostly symbolic, since federal law trumps any local
ordinance. Still, the notion of civic disobedience is drawing plenty of
attention…
-----
BUSINESS BLACKLISTS
Michael Scherer, Mother Jones, May/June 2003 Issue
http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/2003/19/ma_377_01.html
Muhammad Ali's name is a problem. Early this year, the New York-born
Muslim
went to his local Western Union in Brooklyn to wire $80 for schoolbooks
to
a friend in Connecticut. Thirty minutes later, Ali received a phone
call
from the company's offices in Missouri. His order had been blocked, he
was
informed, because his name had turned up on a government list of known
terrorists. Ali, whose name is as common among Muslims as "John Smith"
is
among Mormons, protested, but to no avail. "They told me I couldn't
even
get a refund until they got a valid photo ID and proof of my country of
birth," Ali recalls, still angry at being singled out. "It was name
profiling."
Such profiling has become common since September 11, as the federal
government increasingly requires private businesses to do the work of
law
enforcement. Banks have long faced steep fines and even prison time for
those responsible if they do business with anyone on a list of
suspected
terrorists, money launderers, and narcotraffickers maintained by the
U.S.
Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC). But two weeks after
the
terrorist attacks, President Bush issued an executive order extending
those
sanctions to all businesses, and the administration began adding the
names
of hundreds of suspected terrorists to the OFAC list. In addition, the
USA
Patriot Act, passed in October 2001, mandates that financial
institutions
maintain programs to check every new customer against OFAC's online
database, which now contains 10,000 names and aliases, and federal
officials are currently drafting rules that would require customer
screening at casinos, insurance companies, car dealerships, travel
agencies, pawnbrokers, and gem dealers. "The fact is, private companies
are
becoming agents of the government -- and they are doing this with
almost no
guidance," says Khurrum Wahid, a New York attorney representing Ali…
As more companies check names, some Arab Americans have changed the way
they do business, avoiding transactions like money orders. "A lot of
people
have cut back on activities that are not illegal at all," says Mohammed
Abdrabboh, an immigration lawyer in Dearborn, Michigan, who had a
Western
Union transfer of his own delayed because of a mistaken name match...
-----
MOSQUE OPENS DOORS, MINDS
JOHN A. ZUKOWSKI, Express-Times, 5/18/03
http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1053248694229780.xml
S. WHITEHALL TWP. -- In the past few weeks, news from Iraq brought
images
of mass graves containing the bones of Shiite Muslims who opposed
Saddam
Hussein.
"What the world is finding out about now is something we've known for
years," Habebba Amed of Allentown said Saturday.
This weekend, local residents learned more about the oppression that
led to
those graves, and about Islam in general.
The education was part of the opening of the $2.1 million Al Ahad
Islamic
Center.
Started by a handful of immigrants from East Africa in the 1970s --
some of
whom fled Idi Amin's brutal regime in Uganda --membership in recent
years
outgrew their Chew Street location in Allentown.
The 300 members are now worshipping in a 16,000-square-foot mosque on
Ridgeview Drive off Route 309.
Although the official opening is at 2:30 p.m. today, many of the
mosque's
members gave tours and answered questions during an open house
Saturday.
Some visitors came from local churches. Some had friends or co-workers
who
are Muslims. Others wanted to find out more about Islam.
"There's a lot of prejudice and misinformation out there," said
Jacqueline
McMullen of Chalfont, Bucks County. "I'm blown away at the difference
between the stereotypes and how things really are…"
SEE ALSO:
VISUALIZING ISLAM'S HAJJ
NICOLE SEQUINO, Daily Hampshire Gazette, 5/16/03
http://www.gazettenet.com/05162003/schools/5912.htm
Friday, May 16, 2003 -- EASTHAMPTON - While Williston Northampton
School
students did not travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, they did
circumambulate
the Ka'aba this week. That is, metaphorically speaking.
Chaplain Randolph R. Purinton's comparative religion class was learning
about the Five Pillars of Islam, including the hajj, or pilgrimage to
Mecca
and the Ka'aba, Islam's most sacred shrine.
Purinton, who retires this year after 19 years at Williston, said
students
take his comparative literature class to fulfill their religious
requirement. He also teaches philosophy, ethics, the Holocaust and
Bible as
literature classes as electives.
This was the first year Purinton had incorporated the Islamic ritual
into
his introductory religion class, partly due to recent world events.
"It's a gesture of the school's cultural diversity and values," said
Purinton, also head of the religion and philosophy department. "The
more
experiential learning in the world, the less mystery there is regarding
other cultures and the less inclined we are to judge others
negatively…"
Students said they enjoyed reading religious texts and learning about
world
cultures.
"It felt really good to be open-minded about this," said sophomore
Chris
Bowles, 16. "We probably wouldn't have known about this otherwise."
-----
JORDANIAN RELEASED PENDING HEARING
Reuters, 5/17/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1214-2003May16.html
DENVER, May 17 -- A U.S. immigration judge today ordered the release of
a
Jordanian woman who says that if she is deported her family will stone
her
to death because they believe she committed adultery, an immigration
official said.
Nina Pruneda, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, said a judge ordered 21-year-old Alissar Rawashdeh to be
released pending a deportation hearing…
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations
in
Washington, said he was not aware of the particular case, but said
honor
killings are not part of Islamic law.
"It's a cultural practice carried out in many parts of the world,
Islamic
and non-Islamic. They are not approved by Islam," he said.
-----
TROOPS 'VANDALISE' ANCIENT CITY OF UR
Ed Vulliamy, The Observer, 5/18/03
http://www.observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,958429,00.html
One of the greatest wonders of civilisation, and probably the world's
most
ancient structure - the Sumerian city of Ur in southern Iraq - has been
vandalised by American soldiers and airmen, according to aid workers in
the
area.
They claim that US forces have spray-painted the remains with graffiti
and
stolen kiln-baked bricks made millennia ago. As a result, the US
military
has put the archaeological treasure, which dates back 6,000 years,
off-limits to its own troops. Any violations will be punishable in
military
courts.
Land immediately adjacent to Ur has been chosen by the Pentagon for a
sprawling airfield and military base. Access is highly selective,
screened
and subject to military escorts, which - even if agreed - need to be
arranged days or weeks in advance and carefully skirt the areas of
reported
damage.
There has been no official response to the allegations of vandalism -
reported to The Observer by aid workers and one concerned US officer…
There are reports that walls have been damaged by spray-painted
graffiti,
mostly patriotic or other slogans, and regimental mottos. One graffiti
reads: 'SEMPER FE' - Always Faithful - the motto of the Marines, who
stormed through this region on their way to Baghdad, and form a
contingent
at the base.
Other reports by groups who cannot be named for fear of losing access
to
medical patients being treated on the base say there has been
widespread
stealing of clay bricks baked to build and restore the structures at
Ur.
The Army Public Affairs office at Ur refused to speak to The Observer.
-----
THE MAN BEHIND 'TOTAL WAR' IN THE MIDEAST
William O. Beeman, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/14/03
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/05/14/ED116756.DTL
Most Americans have never heard of Michael Ledeen, but if the United
States
ends up in an extended shooting war throughout the Middle East, it will
be
largely due to his inspiration…
Ledeen's ideas are repeated daily by such figures as Vice President
Dick
Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Defense Secretary
Paul
Wolfowitz. His views virtually define the stark departure from American
foreign policy philosophy that existed before the tragedy of Sept. 11.
He
basically believes that violence in the service of the spread of
democracy
is America's manifest destiny. Consequently, he has become the
philosophical legitimizer of the American occupation of Iraq.
Now Ledeen is calling for regime change beyond Iraq. In an address
entitled
"Time to Focus on Iran -- The Mother of Modern Terrorism," for the
policy
forum of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs on April
30, he
declared, "The time for diplomacy is at an end; it is time for a free
Iran,
free Syria and free Lebanon…"
Ledeen has become the driving philosophical force behind the
neoconservative movement and the military actions it has spawned. His
1996
book, "Freedom Betrayed; How the United States Led a Global Democratic
Revolution, Won the Cold War and Walked Away," reveals the basic
neoconservative obsession: The United States never "won" the Cold War;
the
Soviet Union collapsed of its own weight without a shot being fired.
Had
the United States truly won, democratic institutions would be sprouting
everywhere the threat of communism had been rife.
Iraq, Iran and Syria are the first and foremost nations where this
should
happen, according to Ledeen. The process by which this should be
achieved
is a violent one, termed "total war."
"Total war not only destroys the enemy's military forces, but also
brings
the enemy society to an extremely personal point of decision, so that
they
are willing to accept a reversal of the cultural trends," Ledeen
writes.
"The sparing of civilian lives cannot be the total war's first
priority…The
purpose of total war is to permanently force your will onto another
people…"
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/19/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: OPPRESSION PUNISHED BY GOD
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5867 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* STEVEN EMERSON FILES FOR DISMISSAL OF DEFAMATION SUIT
* FBI TRIES TO WIN MUSLIM 'HEARTS AND MINDS' (Newsday)
- Employee Sues Over INS `Demotion' (Miami Herald)
* WASH. MUSLIM RECOGNIZED FOR SHARING FAITH (KC Journal)
- Tensions Rise Between Florida Jews, Muslims (PB Post)
* ZIONIST MEETING BRANDS 'ROAD MAP' AS HERESY (Wash. Times)
* PLANS TO KEEP POSTWAR IRAQ FAULTED (Wash. Post)
- Iraq Nuclear and Oilfield Chaos Confront US Rulers (Reuters)
- Looting Derailing U.S. Plan to Restore Iraq (NY Times)
- This is No Way to Run an Occupation (Telegraph)
- Postwar Chaos: Bush's Undoing? (LA Times)
- Shiites March in Baghdad Against U.S. (AP)
- Iraq War was Not for Religious Efforts (Tribune Eagle)
- Muslim Kids in Virginia Call Kids in Iraq
* COUNTY MAY JOIN PATRIOT ACT FOES (Herald-Sun)
- Patriot Act Meets With Resistance (Kansas City Star)
* 'GUANTANAMO BAY PRISONERS HAVE GONE CRAZY' (AFP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: OPPRESSION PUNISHED BY GOD
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "There are no sins more
fit
to (be punished) by God...than oppression and severing ties of
relationship."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2299
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5867 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5867 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Take
part in this first-of-its-kind campaign by sponsoring an 18-item
"library
package." Our goal is to send accurate and objective information about
Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
TO SPONSOR A LIBRARY PACKAGE, GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
OR CALL: 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
STEVEN EMERSON FILES FOR DISMISSAL OF DEFAMATION SUIT
(WASHINGTON, DC, 5/19/03) - Self-styled "terrorism expert" Steven
Emerson
has filed for dismissal of a multi-million-dollar defamation suit
against a
Florida newspaper and its senior editor. The "notice of voluntary
dismissal" (Case No. 00-03739) filed in the Circuit Court in and for
Hillsborough County, Fla., states: "Plaintiff Steven Emerson…herewith
serves notice of his dismissal of this action, without prejudice,
against
defendants John Sugg and The Weekly Planet, Inc."
"This lawsuit did not have any merit, and I believe it was filed in bad
faith to deter us and others from telling the truth about Emerson. I
think
that 'pseudo-journalist' is a perfect description for Steven Emerson,"
said
Sugg, currently senior editor of Creative Loafing in Atlanta, Ga.
Sugg added: "We reported the truth. In four years of litigation,
Emerson
has been unwilling or unable to come up with any evidence that what we
reported was false. Now that we were close to forcing him to back up
his
claims, he has run away."
Emerson's lawsuit alleged that Sugg, then senior editor of Florida's
Weekly
Planet newspaper, "maliciously and repeatedly published false and
defamatory utterances" in an "ongoing campaign to undermine Emerson's
credibility and damage his professional and personal reputation."
Emerson
sought one million dollars in actual damages and ten million dollars in
punitive damages on each of three causes of action.
The complaint centered on allegations reported by Sugg that two
Associated
Press reporters said Emerson gave them a document on terrorism
supposedly
from FBI files:
"One reporter thought he'd seen the material before, and in checking
found
a paper Emerson had supplied earlier containing his own unsupported
allegations. The two documents were almost identical, except that
Emerson's
authorship was deleted from the one purported to be from the FBI. 'It
was
really his work,' one reporter says. 'He sold it to us trying to make
it
look like a really interesting FBI document.'" (Weekly Planet, May
1998)
In that same article, Sugg quoted AP reporter Richard Cole saying: "'We
were not really clear on the origin of his [Emerson's] material.'
Because
of that, Cole recalls, much of Emerson's information was sliced from
the
series." (Cole was the lead writer of a 1997 AP series on terrorism.)
The lawsuit also disputed allegations that Emerson gave false
information
to a Senate subcommittee during testimony in 1998. In an article
headlined
"Ties to Spies?" Sugg wrote:
"In a missive submitted to a U.S. Senate subcommittee in February,
Emerson
stated that a federal lawman and other authorities in 1995 told him
'radical Islamic fundamentalists had been assigned to carry out an
assassination of me. An actual hit team had been dispatched...' Emerson
claimed the authorities said he could probably 'get permission to enter
the
Witness Security Program'
"After I sent Emerson's document to the Justice Department's Terrorism
and
Violent Crimes Section, this on-the-record response was made by
spokesman
John Russell on May 5.
"'You pushed the right button asking about your friend Steve Emerson,'
Russell said. 'We've never given any thought to putting him in the
witness
protection program.' Is there any truth to the allegation of an
assassination team? 'No, none at all,' Russell responded."
In documents filed with the court, Emerson said he was "notified by
U.S.
government officials in 1995 of a death threat against him."
Emerson is best known for his controversial 1994 PBS production "Jihad
in
America." Muslims say he has a long history of defamatory and
inaccurate
attacks on the Islamic community in this country.
- END -
CONTACT: John Sugg, Senior Editor, Creative Loafing, Atlanta, Georgia
TEL: 404-688-5623, ext. 1043, E-MAIL: john.sugg@cln.com
-----
FBI AFTER 'HEARTS AND MINDS'
Ron Howell, Newsday, 5/19/03
http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-nymosq193292371may19,0,708040.story
Dread of the early morning knock on the door by federal officials
looking
for deportable immigrants has wreaked havoc on the Pakistani community
in
New York, leaders said Friday.
In the aftermath of the World Trade Center attack, hundreds of
immigrants
have been deported, often for minor violations, federal immigration
officials said. Hundreds more have fled to a more hospitable
environment in
Canada, spokesmen for the local community say.
At an unusual meeting Friday in Brooklyn, Pakistani New Yorkers got a
chance to confront representatives of the agency that ordered much of
the
feared morning door-knocking.
The meeting with five FBI agents, held at the Makki mosque on Coney
Island
Avenue, was called so that "in the future they [Pakistanis] will not be
afraid when they hear the name of FBI," said Asghar Choudhri, a
Pakistani
community leader and an event organizer.
FBI agents have said that, for their part, they are trying to win the
hearts and minds of Muslim immigrants so that the immigrants will
report
suspected acts of terrorism to the agency...
SEE ALSO:
EMPLOYEE SUES OVER INS `DEMOTION'
Karl Ross, Miami Herald, 5/19/03
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/5892633.htm
An immigration employee in South Florida has sued U.S. Attorney General
John Ashcroft, alleging that he was ousted from his supervisory
position
because he is of Middle Eastern descent.
Simon Abi Nader served from 1992 to 2002 as area port director for
operations at Port Everglades for the Immigration and Naturalization
Service, the now defunct agency that Ashcroft oversaw as head of the
Department of Justice. This past March, the INS was folded into the new
Department of Homeland Security.
In his lawsuit, filed April 25, Nader alleges that he was the target of
an
internal smear campaign by the INS' then-acting Florida district
director,
Jack Bulger, and others in the agency to falsely depict him as an
''Arab
terrorist.'' Nader, who was born in Lebanon, is a U.S. citizen and
worked
for the INS since 1980.
Bulger could not be reached for comment. Ana Santiago, a spokeswoman
for
Homeland Security, said she had no immediate statement...
-----
LOCAL LEADER RECOGNIZED FOR SHARING ISLAMIC FAITH
Chris Winters, King County Journal, 5/18/03
http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/131638
Against a background of war and terrorism, Jawad Khaki stepped into the
spotlight.
Already a leader in an Eastside Shi'ite Muslim community, Khaki felt
the
need to educate people of other faiths about the peaceful side of
Islam.
``I think it's important in our current times,'' he said, ``to reach
out to
our neighbors and colleagues to understand who we are and also to
understand who they are.''
In recognition of his efforts, Khaki will travel to New York on
Thursday to
receive the Walter Cronkite Faith & Freedom Award from the Interfaith
Alliance Foundation. The award recognizes people of faith who stand up
for
religious freedom and the healing and constructive force of faith and
religion in American life.
Khaki, 44, was nominated for the award by Cantor David Serkin-Poole of
Temple B'Nai Torah in Bellevue.
``He really gave a voice and a presence that we were not hearing,''
Serkin-Poole said. ``All we were hearing was the radical extreme view
of
people like bin Laden. That's certainly not like the majority of
Muslims...''
SEE ALSO:
TENSIONS MOUNT BETWEEN SOUTH FLORIDA JEWS AND MUSLIMS
Mary McLachlin, Palm Beach Post, 5/17/03
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/sunday/news_e36c9faa6388a07700eb.html
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Ages-old tensions between Jews and Muslims,
nurtured through centuries and heightened by the horror of 9/11, have
found
a new focal point in South Florida: the leaders of a Boca Raton Islamic
group and their plan to build a new mosque and community center.
A freelance Jewish activist from Tamarac named Joe Kaufman is waging a
vocal and Internet crusade against the Islamic Center of Boca Raton's
effort to build a 27,000-square-foot mosque, school and activity center
near Florida Atlantic University, where many of its members work and
study.
He worries about plots being hatched.
"It's a possibility," Kaufman said, "and frankly, I would rather not
take
that chance. If they build that mosque, we really don't know what would
be
going on behind those walls."
Kaufman and others are wary because the center has hosted fund-raising
speakers who were later accused of promoting terrorist organizations,
and
its Web site has carried anti-Jewish writings and links to sites with
access to terrorist groups. The writings and links were removed after
protests.
Islamic center officials deny allegations of anti-Semitism and any
connections to terrorism; they say they want only to live in peace and
practice their religion without fear or interference...
Backing the Islamic center is the Florida chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic relations (CAIR), a major Islamic civil rights group
which
also maintains files and Web sites devoted to protecting Muslims and
promoting Islam.
In the aftershock of 9/11, it quickly became clear that the discord
fracturing the Middle East had spread poisonous roots deep into this
country perhaps nowhere more acutely than in South Florida, home to
600,000
Jews and a fast-growing Muslim community estimated at more than
75,000...
-----
ZIONIST MEETING BRANDS 'ROAD MAP' AS HERESY
Julia Duin, Washington Times, 5/19/03
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20030518-114058-5626r.htm
A Washington conference of Christian and Jewish Zionists yesterday
heard
attacks on the U.S. "road map" for peace in the Middle East as a breach
of
a 4,000-year-old covenant between God and Israel.
"The land of Israel was originally owned by God," said Gary Bauer,
president of American Values and a Republican presidential contender in
2000. "Since He was the owner, only He could give it away. And He gave
it
to the Jewish people."
Terrorists, he said, "don't understand why Israel and the United States
are
joined at the heart."
Called the "Interfaith Zionist Leadership Summit," the conference
attracted
to the Omni Shoreham Hotel about 1,000 participants, who debated how
evangelical Christians could best unite with Jews to support Israel.
A three-page statement was adopted, to be delivered to President Bush
this
week, demanding Palestinian concessions before Israel is asked to
return to
its pre-1967 borders, which would turn over the West Bank and Gaza
Strip to
the Palestinian Authority.
Calling the peace proposal "a Satanic road map," Earl Cox, executive
producer and host of Front Page Jerusalem, a radio program, asked, "Do
any
of you believe [Palestinian leader] Yasser Arafat will embrace
traditional
family values? There will be a mosque on all the holy sites. How can
anyone
who's a Jew or a Christian support such a proposal?..."
-----
PLANS TO KEEP POSTWAR IRAQ FAULTED
Peter Slevin and Vernon Loeb, Washington Post, 5/19/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7784-2003May18.html
BAGHDAD - A month before the war began in Iraq, senior Bush
administration
officials said their plan for winning the peace was built upon the
swift
provision of basic services that would "immediately" make the Iraqi
people
feel they were better off than they had been under the government of
Saddam
Hussein.
Five weeks after the war ended, the administration is still struggling
to
accomplish that goal. It has failed to establish law and order on the
streets and has achieved only mixed results in restoring electricity,
water, sanitation and other essential needs.
In interviews here and in Washington, and in testimony on Capitol Hill,
military officers, other administration officials and defense experts
said
the Pentagon ignored lessons from a decade of peacekeeping operations
in
Haiti, Somalia, the Balkans and Afghanistan.
It also badly underestimated the potential for looting and lawlessness
after the collapse of the Iraqi government, lacking forces capable of
securing the streets of Baghdad in the transition from combat to
postwar
reconstruction.
Only in the past week did administration officials begin to acknowledge
publicly these miscalculations. They described continued lawlessness as
a
serious problem in Baghdad and called for more U.S. forces on the
ground to
quell a wave of violence that has kept American officials from assuring
the
Iraqi people that order would soon be restored.
"This was a war plan," said a senior official in the Pentagon's Office
of
Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Baghdad. "It was not a
law
enforcement plan..."
SEE ALSO:
IRAQ NUCLEAR AND OILFIELD CHAOS CONFRONT US RULERS
Nadim Ladki, Reuters, 5/19/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10838-2003May19.html
BAGHDAD - Lawlessness in oilfields and a warning of a possible nuclear
emergency reared up to confront Iraq's U.S. administration as thousands
of
Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad on Monday to demand their own
government.
The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency said it was alarmed by almost daily
reports of looting and destruction at nuclear sites, warning that the
theft
of radioactive material posed a security threat and a danger to health.
Oil officials said the looting and lack of security were also hampering
efforts to restore oil output, vital for the devastated country's
economic
recovery after the U.S.-led war to oust Saddam Hussein's government...
While many Iraqis are relieved Saddam has gone, they are horrified by
the
breakdown of law and order and basic services.
U.S. troops backed by tanks, armoured vehicles and helicopters raided
the
Mansur neighbourhood of central Baghdad on Monday as part of a
crackdown on
crime and looting...
"In some areas (security) is getting worse rather than better. What we
anticipate on production may not be attainable if the security
situation
makes repairs impossible," the official said.
---
LOOTING IS DERAILING DETAILED U.S. PLAN TO RESTORE IRAQ
Eric Schmitt and David E. Sanger, New York Times, 5/19/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/19/international/worldspecial/19POLI.html
WASHINGTON - Long before President Bush ordered the attack against
Iraq,
the White House and the Pentagon drew up a plan for rebuilding and
running
the country after the war that was nearly as meticulous as the battle
plan.
But over the past two to three weeks, the wheels have threatened to
come
off their vehicle for establishing the peace.
The looting, lawlessness and violence that planners thought would mar
only
the first few weeks has proved more widespread and enduring than Mr.
Bush
and his aides expected and is threatening to undermine the American
plan.
Five weeks after Baghdad fell, Mr. Bush finds himself exactly where he
did
not want to be: forced to impose control with a larger number of troops
and
to delay the start of efforts to turn power over to Iraqis.
The message that reached the White House from two recent meetings with
potential Iraqi leaders, officials say, was that it would be foolish to
start experimenting with democracy without making people feel secure
enough
to go back to work or school, and without giving them back at least the
basic services they received during Saddam Hussein's brutal rule...
Another senior administration official said the White House was
surprised
to learn how badly broken Iraq's prewar infrastructure was. "From the
outside it looked like Baghdad was a city that works," the official
said.
"It isn't."
---
THIS IS NO WAY TO RUN AN OCCUPATION
Con Coughlin, Telegraph, 5/18/03
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/05/18/wirq118.xml
The Iraqi businessman gives a conspiratorial chuckle and picks up the
telephone. "Now, my friend, I will show you what is really going on
with
the family of Saddam Hussein." He consults a piece of paper handed to
him
by one of his aides, and dials a number in Damascus. After a few rings,
a
man's voice answers.
It is Fatiq al-Majid, one of Saddam's nephews who, until a few weeks
ago,
had been a commanding officer in Saddam's Special Security Organisation
at
the Republican Palace in Baghdad, the regime's Praetorian Guard. Majid,
who
is also the brother-in-law of Qusay, Saddam's younger son and heir
apparent, had, it transpired, just arrived to seek refuge in the Syrian
capital...
Unlike Ali Hassan al-Majid, his notorious uncle and the man known as
"Chemical Ali" because of his predilection for using mustard gas
against
his own people, Fatiq al-Majid's name does not appear on the Pentagon's
"pack of cards" list of Iraq's most wanted criminals. But as a leading
member of the younger generation of Saddam's extended family, Majid is
certainly someone whom ordinary Iraqis would like to see brought to
account
for the excesses of Saddam's regime.
He is also someone who might be able to shed some light on the question
of
what has become of Saddam himself. It was a question I urged the Iraqi
businessman to put to his contact at the other end of the line.
"So, Fatiq, what can you tell me about your uncle? And where is your
aunt?"
he inquired.
Majid tried to play dumb. "Which uncle do you mean?" he asked...
---
POSTWAR CHAOS: BUSH'S UNDOING?
Kevin Phillips, LA Times, 5/18/03
http://www.latimes.com/la-op-phillips18may18,0,3007446.story
WASHINGTON - It's too early to suggest that peace in Iraq has already
set
some of the snares for President Bush that caught his father in
1991-92,
although not having killed or captured Saddam Hussein could get
politically
hairy as the 2004 presidential season opens.
It's also too early to say that the end of hostilities in the Persian
Gulf
is leaving Bush exposed to new hazards, as the end of hostilities in
Vietnam did to Richard Nixon in 1973 or the peace negotiations in
Europe
did to Woodrow Wilson in 1919.
Still, it's already possible to see Middle East circumstances falling
into
an old and unnerving pattern: victory on the battlefield metamorphosing
into unexpected embarrassments in the diplomatic and geopolitical
aftermath. There's a good reason. Wars typically unleash new forces,
alignments and confusions that begin to emerge only as the shooting
part of
the conflict tails off.
That's happening again in 2003. The problems already visible -
revitalized
Islamic terrorism, eroded U.S. alliances and credibility, the false
premises of going to war and the ungovernability of Iraq - may not
develop
quickly enough or harshly enough to defeat Bush in 2004. They could
cost
him his place in history, though...
---
SHIITES MARCH IN BAGHDAD AGAINST U.S.
Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press, 5/19/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2693244,00.html
BAGHDAD - Thousands of Shiite Muslims marched peacefully through the
capital Monday to protest the American occupation of Iraq and reject
what
they feared would be a U.S.-installed puppet government.
Small groups of U.S. infantrymen, including snipers on nearby rooftops,
watched the rally but did not intervene. Several dozen Shiite
organizers
armed with AK-47 assault rifles patrolled the area. They, too, were
left
alone by the Americans.
Up to 10,000 people gathered in front of a Sunni Muslim mosque in
Baghdad's
northern district of Azimiyah, then marched across a bridge on the
Tigris
River to the nearby Kadhamiya quarter, home to one of the holiest
Shiite
shrines in Iraq.
It appeared to be the largest protest against the U.S. occupation since
the
war ended.
``What we are calling for is an interim government that represents all
segments of Iraqi society,'' said Ali Salman, an activist...
The crowd chanted ``No Shiites and no Sunnis, just Islamic unity,''
sang
religious songs, and carried banners reading ``No to the foreign
administration,'' and ``We want honest Iraqis, not their thieves...''
---
IRAQ WAR WAS NOT FOR RELIGIOUS EFFORTS
Nate Breen, Tribune-Eagle, 5/19/03
http://www.wyomingnews.com/
Returning from a trip on April 6 I picked up a copy of that day's New
York
Times and read many articles related to the operations taking place in
Iraq.
Generally the stories were pretty much the same. Reports from the
battle
fronts, casualties, etc. But there was one story that begged the reader
to
look at the war successes with a jaundiced eye.
The story reported that certain evangelical Christian leaders were
overjoyed with the fall of Saddam Hussein because the collapse of that
regime would give them the opportunity to begin missionary work in
Iraq.
Don't get me wrong, in general I have no problems with evangelicals
spreading their word, but I am alarmed that people like Franklin
Graham,
Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson viewed this war as an exploitive
opportunity to spread their form of Protestant Christianity. Their
jubilance flies in the face of the President's numerous messages since
Sept. 11, 2001 that our war was against terrorist and not Islam.
These evangelical leaders for the past two years have made outrageous
and
venomous attacks on Islam and the Prophet Mohammed. Their diatribes may
be
forgotten here, but I can assure you that they are repeated and
remembered
in every Arab-Muslim media publication...
If our goal in Iraq is to help establish a modern liberal democracy
replete
with the recognition of acceptance of ethnic and religious diversity,
then
it time for the President and all Americans to demand that the
evangelists
back-off and truly respect others...
If American Democracy is the model we want for the world, we must walk
that
walk in a manner consistent with the values proclaimed in the
Declaration
of Independence and the Constitution.
---
PRESS RELEASE
MUSLIM AMERICAN KIDS TO MAKE PHONE CONNECTION WITH KIDS IN IRAQ
HERNDON, VA - Muslim American children at Al Fatih Academy in Herndon,
Virginia will connect by phone with schoolchildren in Baghdad, Iraq
this
coming Wednesday, May 21st at 9:00 am EST. Arabic translators will be
on
hand to facilitate the conversation.
The two groups of kids have been eager to talk together ever since the
American children sent their Iraqi counterparts over a hundred and
fifty
hand-made cards with traditional Muslim greetings of "salaam" (which
means
"peace").
The cards were made in conjunction with a relief kit drive led by Al
Fatih
Academy 2nd and 3rd graders under the campaign name "Muslim Kids Giving
Salaam (Peace)." As an interfaith effort, the kid's campaign
contributed to
a larger Mennonite Central Committee relief kit shipment, which was
recently delivered to Iraq.
Wednesday's phone call between the American Muslim and Iraqi school
children will give them a unique opportunity to learn about each other
directly, as equals.
"When we heard that the school director in Iraq wanted to arrange for
the
kids to talk with each other, we were delighted," says Afeefa Syeed,
Director of Al Fatih Academy. "This is a chance for the kids to hear
each
other's voices and relate as 'real people,' not just as faraway relief
donors and recipients. We hope this phone conversation makes a strong
kid-to-kid connection."
"Muslim Kids Giving Salaam (Peace)," originally intended to engage Al
Fatih
Academy students in learning about the situation in Iraq, quickly
became a
national campaign with contributions and cards pouring in from all over
the
United States. Kids everywhere continue to want information about what
is
going on in Iraq...
CONTACTS: Afeefa Syeed 703-437-9382, Deirdre Ritchie, 703-323-6234
Al Fatih Academy
www.alfatih.org
730 Jackson Street
Herndon, Virginia, 20170
703-437-9382
-----
COUNTY MAY JOIN PATRIOT ACT FOES
By Beth Velliquette, Herald-Sun, 5/18/03
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-353644.html
HILLSBOROUGH -- The Orange County Board of Commissioners appears ready
to
join a group of other towns and counties across the nation in passing a
resolution to protest portions of the USA Patriot Act.
Many people are worried the act, enacted in October 2001 in response to
the
Sept. 11 attacks, infringes on the civil rights guaranteed by the U.S.
Constitution. Nearly 100 county and town governments have passed
resolutions asking federal lawmakers to repeal parts of the act they
claim
violate rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution.
"The [USA] Patriot Act is a very dangerous act for the civil rights of
America, and it needs to be relooked at and revisited," said Margaret
Brown, chair of the Board of Commissioners. "Absolutely, I'm voting for
the
resolution. I've pulled it out to make this a special one, so it would
have
greater impact, so we can send it on to our elected officials."
The USA Patriot Act, which is officially called the Uniting and
Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to
Intercept
and Obstruct Terrorism Act, expanded the federal government's ability
to
investigate potential terrorists and terrorist organizations.
Brown hopes that the movement against portions of the USA Patriot Act
will
expand across the state and nation, and that elected officials who
approved
the bill when it was passed in 2001 will go back and reconsider what
they
voted for and work to repeal parts of it.
"It's specifically for [Congressman] David Price," Brown said. "David
needs
to know that local government is taking a very close look at what he
voted
for the last time."
Reached for comment on Sunday afternoon, Price said he has some
concerns
about the legislation himself, and about the "rumored Son of Patriot
Act..."
If the Board of Commissioners passes the resolution, Price said he
would
read it and consider what the board is asking him to do...
SEE ALSO
FEDERAL PATRIOT ACT MEETS WITH GRASS-ROOTS RESISTANCE
Rick Montgomery, Kansas City Star, 5/19/03
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/news/5892079.htm
They took a stand a month ago in North Pole, Alaska.
"Be it resolved," stated a resolution unanimously passed by leaders in
the
town of 1,500, "that the North Pole City Council requests members of
the
U.S. Congress to immediately re-examine the U.S. Patriot Act."
Similar stands have been made in recent months by more than 100 city
councils and county boards across the country, all challenging the
federal
government's expanded powers to investigate people who might be
connected
to terror.
From Broward County, Fla., to Yolo County, Calif., in Minneapolis,
Massachusetts and Missoula, Mont., the war on domestic terrorism is
meeting
pockets of grass-roots resistance.
Much to the delight of the American Civil Liberties Union,
municipalities
are drafting resolutions affirming the right of innocent residents to
be
left alone.
Libraries are shredding documents to prevent federal agents from
snooping
into the reading habits of patrons.
And on a separate terrorism-related front, medical professionals by the
thousands are refusing smallpox vaccines. President Bush in December
set a
goal of vaccinating 500,000 health-care volunteers nationwide in the
first
round of inoculations, but only 35,000 have obliged.
So far, the Bush administration's anti-terror initiatives have met
little
resistance in the courts. Federal judges generally have upheld the
powers
of the federal government as spelled out in the USA Patriot Act, which
won
Congress' overwhelming support in the weeks after the attacks of Sept.
11,
2001...
-----
GUANTANAMO BAY PRISONERS HAVE GONE CRAZY, SAYS RELEASED PAKISTANI
Agence France-Presse, 5/19/03
ALLADHAND DHERAY, PAKISTAN - A Pakistani released from the United
States'
secretive prison on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba said Monday that most of the
600-plus prisoners still held there on suspicion of al-Qaeda links had
become mentally disturbed.
"The majority of prisoners in Camp X-Ray are not even familiar with the
name al-Qaeda," Shah Muhammad, 23, said in his home village of
Alladhand
Dheray in Dir district, some 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from the border
with Afghanistan in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.
"Most of them are in a critical condition mentally and have become
mentally
deranged."
Muhammad was released earlier this month from Camp X-Ray, the US naval
base
prison in Cuba, with two other Pakistanis, Jehan Wali and Sahibzada
Usman
Ali, and handed over to Pakistani authorities on May 8. He returned to
his
home on Friday...
A former baker, Muhammad was one of an estimated 6,000 Pakistanis who
followed the urgings of firebrand preachers and flowed over the border
into
Afghanistan to defend the Taliban against the United States-led
military
onslaught in October 2001.
He said he was captured in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i- Sharif
by
the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance in November 2001 and was handed over
to
US troops, who flew them to Guantanamo Bay after first sensorily
depriving
them...
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #380
N.C. MUSLIM PHYSICIAN DENIED RE-ENTRY OVER TECHNICALITY
Community members urged to contact elected officials
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/20/03) - CAIR today issued a travel advisory for
Muslim visa-holders working in the United States, warning that minor
violations of immigrations procedures could result in denial of
re-entry
following trips abroad. That advisory was issued after a Pakistani
physician working in North Carolina was denied re-entry at Washington
Dulles International Airport because he failed to abide by a
little-known
registration policy.
According to that policy, anyone who went through the
recently-completed
Special Registration program must provide notice of departure from and
re-entry into the United States. The policy states: "Nonimmigrants who
must
follow these special procedures will also have to use specially
designated
ports when they leave the country and report in person to an
immigration
officer at the port on their departure date."
SEE: http://www.bcis.gov/graphics/shared/lawenfor/specialreg/index.htm
http://www.bcis.gov/graphics/shared/lawenfor/specialreg/BLISTOFP.pdf
Relatives of Dr. Shahid Mahmood, a family practitioner working in an
underserved area of North Carolina for more than four years, say he and
his
family (including an American-born child) were forced to return to
Pakistan
May 11 after coming back from a two-week trip to that country. Mahmood
was
denied re-entry despite the fact that he had been told by airline
personnel
there was no registration requirement. Immigration authorities told him
to
re-apply for a work visa, a process that could take months.
"Preventing re-entry of honest, hardworking visa-holders who make every
effort to comply with complicated regulations is fundamentally unjust,"
said CAIR Legal Advisor Khurrum Wahid. "If a person can be summarily
denied
re-entry into the United States merely because of bad advice from an
airline and lack of guidance from immigration authorities, we must
examine
the due process issues at play." Wahid added that Dr. Mahmood's absence
will create a crisis for patients who do not have access to other
physicians.
Mahmood has in the past been praised for his work by his medical
colleagues
and by North Carolina General Assembly Representative Gordon Allen.
Rep.
Allen wrote last year: "Roxboro, North Carolina is a federally
underserved
area for family practitioners. Person County and the surrounding
counties
are privileged to have Dr. Mahmood as a member of the medical
community.
He…is known as a kind and caring physician."
CAIR has received a number of complaints similar to that of Dr. Mahmood
and
is requesting that anyone denied re-entry file an incident report form.
Report forms are available for download at:
http://www.cair-net.org/ireport/Incident_Report.doc, or by calling
202-488-8787.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
Contact U.S. Rep. David Price (NC-4) and Rep. Brad Miller (NC-14) to
ask
that they intervene on Dr. Mahmood's behalf with immigration
authorities.
(Dr. Mahmood lives in Rep. Price's district and works in the district
covered by Rep. Miller.)
CONTACT:
The Honorable David Price
2162 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515,
Phone: 202-225-1784 or 919-859-5999
Fax: 202-225-2014
WEB: www.house.gov/price
The Honorable Rep. Brad Miller
1505 Longworth Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3032
Fax: (202) 225-0181
TOLL FREE: (877) 272-3435
WEB: http://www.house.gov/bradmiller/
E-Mail for both: http://www.house.gov/writerep/
COPY ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO: cair@cair-net.org
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/20/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THREE TRUTHS
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5925 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* NEV. REP ASKED TO DROP ISLAMOPHOBE FROM FUNDRAISER
* MAN SENTENCED FOR DRIVING INTO MOSQUE (AP)
* RICE: ISRAEL'S SECURITY IS KEY TO SECURITY OF WORLD (Jewish Press)
* MUSLIM SOLDIER FROM BROOKLYN DIES IN IRAQ (New York Times)
* UNDER SURVEILLANCE (WTHR)
* OPEN HOUSE AT MOSQUE TO EDUCATE RESIDENTS (Baytown Sun)
* UMAA CONVENTION IN DC, MAY 23-25
* RESEARCH GROUP NEEDS MUSLIMS FOR FOCUS GROUP
* CAIR-OH JOB OPENING
* JOURNALISM & COMM. SCHOLARSHIPS AWARD FOR MUSLIM STUDENTS
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THREE TRUTHS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Three things that I
swear
to be true are that a man's property does not become less on account of
(giving) charity; that when a man is wronged and bears it patiently,
God
will give him greater honor on that account; and that when a man (begs
without dire need), God opens for him a door toward poverty."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1397
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5925 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR'S Library Project has received 5925 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Take
part in this first-of-its-kind campaign by sponsoring an 18-item
"library
package." Our goal is to send accurate and objective information about
Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
TO SPONSOR A LIBRARY PACKAGE, GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
OR CALL: 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
NEV. REP ASKED TO DROP ISLAMOPHOBE FROM FUNDRAISER
Featured speaker says Muslim travelers should use 'flying carpets'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/20/03) - CAIR today called on Rep. James Gibbons
(R-NV) to cancel an appearance by controversial political commentator
Ann
Coulter at a fundraising luncheon on Wednesday in Reno, Nevada, because
of
her Islamophobic views.
Coulter has made a number of Islamophobic and anti-Arab comments since
the
9/11 terrorist attacks. Immediately following the attacks, she
suggested
that "we should invade their [Muslim] countries, kill their leaders and
convert them to Christianity." Coulter wrote in Worldnetdaily.com:
"Muslims
feel humiliated now? We'll show them humiliated...While Judaism and
Christianity begin with the Creation, Islam reveres a God who creates
nothing…"
Just recently, a reporter with Britain's Guardian newspaper wrote:
"Sharing
a table at a New York bar with Coulter, watching the heads turn, you're
seized by the urge to test her. Is she for real? Is she making this
stuff
up, like a comedian doing a shtick? How far will she go? 'What if the
free
market offered Muslim-free air travel?' I venture, by way of bait.
Would
that be a smart move? 'This is my idea,' she says brightly, competitive
as
a child. 'I'm way ahead of you. I think airlines ought to start
advertising: 'We have the most civil rights lawsuits brought against us
by
Arabs.'" And how would Muslims travel? 'They could use flying carpets,'
she
says, a grinning picture of charm…"
SEE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,957670,00.html
Coulter, who once referred to Middle Easterners as "camel riding
nomads"
and said Egyptians have an "aversion to bathing," denied the post-9/11
backlash against Muslims and those perceived to be Middle Eastern,
saying:
"The only backlash by actual Americans [against Muslims]…consists of
precisely one confirmed hate crime. Some nut in Arizona murdered a Sikh
thinking he was a Muslim. Current hate crime tally: Muslims: 3,000 (and
counting); White Guys: 1…" Other Coulter comments include:
* [The Prophet] Muhammad makes L. Ron Hubbard look like Jesus Christ.
Most
people think nothing of assuming every Scientologist is a crackpot. Why
should Islam be subject to presumption of respect because it's a
religion?
* There is no principled basis for opposition to using Arab appearance
as a
factor in airport screening procedures.
* Let's hope seven days is enough for the government to perform a
thorough
intelligence-based investigation of a million Muslim
immigrants...Surely,
thousands of immigrants could be waived in instantly on the basis of
reliable evidence either that they are not Muslims, or that they are
the
peaceful, law-abiding variety not planning mass murder -- as opposed to
the
peaceful, law-abiding Muslims who recently slaughtered thousands of our
fellow countrymen...A mass deportation order also ought to ease the way
for
"ethnic profiling."
* How are we to distinguish the peaceful Muslims from the fanatical,
homicidal Muslims about to murder thousands of our fellow citizens? Are
the
good Muslims the ones who live quiet lives, pray a lot and obey the
law? So
did the architects of Bloody Tuesday's mass murder. Are the peaceful
Muslims the ones who loudly proclaim their hatred of Osama Bin Laden?
Mohammed Atta did that, too. The only thing we know about them -- other
than that they live among us -- is that they are foreign-born and they
are
Muslims....All we can do is politely ask aliens from suspect nations to
leave -- with the full expectation of readmittance -- while we sort the
peace-loving immigrants from the murderous fanatics.
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
Contact Rep. Gibbons to respectfully request that he withdraw his
invitation to Ann Coulter.
CONTACT: (Phone calls are best.)
Congressman Jim Gibbons
100 Cannon House Office Building
Washington D.C. 20515
Reno Office:
400 South Virginia Street, Suite 502
Reno, Nevada 89501
E-Mail: http://www.house.gov/gibbons/contactjim.htm
TEL: 202-225-6155, 775-322-4322, 775-686-5760
FAX: 202-225-5679, 775-686-5711
-----
MAN SENTENCED FOR DRIVING INTO MOSQUE
Associated Press, 5/20/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-brf-mosque-crash,0,5290505.story
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A man who drove his pickup truck into a mosque and
yelled anti-Muslim threats has been sentenced to more than two years in
federal prison.
Charles Franklin, 41, pleaded guilty to the hate crime in November.
U.S.
District Judge Stephan Mickle sentenced Franklin to 27 months,
crediting
him with 14 months he served since being arrested for the March 25,
2002
attack.
Mickle, who could have sentenced Franklin to 20 years, imposed the
minimum
punishment under federal guidelines.
``You were lucky there were no people in that mosque,'' Mickle told
Franklin.
No one was injured in the crash, which occurred 30 minutes before
evening
prayers.
Franklin, of Tallahassee, will also pay a $100 court cost and $63,668
in
restitution to the Islamic Center Mosque in Tallahassee.
``What I did was wrong,'' Franklin said at Monday's sentencing.
Franklin's attorney, Randy Murrell, asked for leniency because his
client
suffers from mental illness and depression and had stopped taking his
medications before the incident.
-----
RICE: ISRAEL'S SECURITY IS KEY TO SECURITY OF REST OF WORLD
Avraham Shmuel Lewin, Jewish Press, 5/14/2003
http://www.jewishpress.com/news_article.asp?article=2380
TEL AVIV - In an exclusive interview with Israel's daily Yediot
Aharonot
recently, National Security Adviser Dr. Condoleezza Rice said that the
"security of Israel is the key to security of the world." Rice added
that
she feels "a deep bond to Israel."
Asked if her feelings toward Israel stem from her religious
convictions,
Dr. Rice said, "That is a very deep question. I first visited Israel in
2000. I already then felt that I am returning home despite the fact
that
this was a place I never visited. I have a deep affinity with Israel. I
have always admired the history of the State of Israel and the hardness
and
determination of the people that founded it.
"Israel was a state who in the beginning was not given a chance to
survive.
She survived mainly because of the hardness of the Israelis and their
readiness to sacrifice their lives for the state...
"I think that we, Israel and the U.S., share common values.
Israel is the only democracy in the region. That is also very
important.
When I was in Israel I also was impressed that you have a big economic
future. I come from Silicon valley. There are a lot of similarities
between
the high-tech industry in California and in Israel. I also felt at home
in
this area...
On the issue of settlements, Dr. Rice said, "We always said that
settlements were an obstacle to peace."
----
SOLDIER FROM BROOKLYN DIES WHEN HIT BY A BULLET IN IRAQ
Thomas J. Lueck, New York Times, 5/20/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/20/nyregion/20SOLD.html
A 22-year-old Army specialist from Brooklyn was killed in Iraq on
Sunday
when another soldier's gun discharged, the authorities said.
The victim, Specialist Rasheed Sahib, died from a bullet wound to his
chest
in the town of Balad, Iraq, according to The Associated Press. It said
that
the gun discharged when it was being cleaned by a fellow soldier, whose
name was not disclosed, and that the incident was under investigation.
Specialist Sahib, a native of Guyana who immigrated to Brooklyn with
his
mother when he was 3 years old, enlisted in the Army in 2001,
immediately
after graduating from Franklin K. Lane High School, according to some
of
the more than 30 family members who gathered yesterday at the home of
his
mother in Bushwick...
Nazreen Ashraf said the military had informed Specialist Sahib's mother
that his body would not be returned to Brooklyn for four days, an
interval
that upset several family members. Because they are Muslims, Ms. Ashraf
said, their faith requires a speedy burial, preferably within two days.
Those anxieties, however, did not prevent Specialist Sahib's family
from
offering a patriotic display yesterday. On the wrought iron fence posts
in
front of the house, they had mounted an American flag and two P.O.W.
flags.
-----
UNDER SURVEILLANCE
Angie Moreschi, WTHR Indianapolis, 5/20/03
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?s=1285160
A new round of terrorist bombings in the Middle East has renewed
concerns
about another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. And according to the FBI
and
the Joint Task Force on terrorism, it's not just big cities like New
York
and Washington that have to be concerned. So-called "sleeper cells"
could
be anywhere. For three months, the Eyewitness News Investigators looked
into the issues surrounding potential terrorist ties in Indiana. They
uncovered evidence of a link to an Al-Qaeda sleeper cell in Buffalo,
New
York...
The FBI won't say who is under surveillance in Bloomington or why, but
the
Eyewitness News Investigators have learned one reason authorities might
be
so interested.
It has to do with an Imam, or prayer leader, hired by the Bloomington
mosque in 2001. The Imam went by the name of Juma Al Dosari and has now
been linked to an Al Qaeda sleeper cell in Lackawanna, New York, that
was
exposed shortly after the terrorist attacks on New York...
-----
OPEN HOUSE AT MOSQUE TO EDUCATE RESIDENTS
Matthew Cook, Baytown Sun, 5/19/03
http://web.baytownsun.com/story.lasso?WCD=11581
BAYTOWN - In an effort to open communication between Baytown's Muslims
and
other members of the community, the Baytown Mosque hosted an open house
and
information session Sunday.
Approximately 30 people attended the afternoon program, which included
a
slide show and refreshments.
"We're just telling the people about Islam," said Shaikh Abu Mohammad,
the
imam, or pastor, of Baytown Mosque. "Some people have a bad idea about
Islam. We need to change it ourselves..."
Bassam Hamid, of Baytown, said Sunday's event offered a chance to open
up
lines of communication with the Muslim religion.
"We are a part of this community," he said. "We are supposed to work
together. We feel that we should have more communications with other
religions since we share these common values."
-----
UMAA CONVENTION IN DC, MAY 23-25
WHAT: The Universal Muslim Association of America (UMAA) is holding the
First Convention of the Shia Muslims living in the United States and
Canada, titled "Islam -- Religion of Truth, Justice and Peace." A panel
of
distinguished Muslims as well as non-Muslims thinkers, intellectuals,
social scientists and professionals will address the Convention on
contemporary issues. There will also be a series of workshops and
seminars
on a variety of subjects of interest, for all ages.
WHEN: MAY 23-25, 2003, (The Memorial Day weekend).
WHERE: Grand Hyatt Regency Hotel and Convention Center Washington, DC
CONTACT: http://www.umaamerica.org/convention.shtml
NOTE: There are spaces available for vendors and businesses at the
convention. The reservation of the hotel rooms is on first-come
first-serve
basis.
-----
RESEARCH GROUP NEEDS MUSLIMS FOR FOCUS GROUP
WHAT: The Luntz Research Companies are hosting a live show that is a
focus
group talking about topics concerning Americans. If interested in
participating, you must meet the following criteria: be an opinionated
and
outspoken person aged 18 and up with strong personal views about the
situation in Iraq and the Middle East.
WHEN: Wednesday, May 21, 2003 from 9-10:15 PM (live in Washington,
D.C.)
HOW: To apply, send along the following: Full Name
Email Address, Phone Number, Gender, Age, Political Affiliation,
Who you voted for in 2000, Home City, Ethnicity, Religion, Occupation,
Citizenship, Have you participated in MSNBC focus groups before? Do you
believe the United States should have invaded Iraq?
CONTACT: Joseph Randazzo, Associate Project Director of The Luntz
Research
Companies, at JRandazzo@luntz.com.
-----
CAIR-OH JOB OPPORTUNITY
WHAT: Full-time position available as Director in CAIR's Cincinnati
office.
This position will entail directing all CAIR-Ohio, Cincinnati office
activities which includes but not limited to the following:
Interaction with local Muslim community on a regular basis; Media
activism
which includes writing press releases, giving interviews and issuing
statements; Manage all CAIR office administration needs; Fund raising
activities which includes on-going fund raising efforts and organizing
yearly fund raising dinner; Ability to deal with civil right cases.
Qualifications:
Candidate must have a university degree. Good organizational and
management
skills, excellent communication skills both verbal and written. Legal
background is a plus.
Salary: Negotiable.
WHEN: Send Resume no later than June 16, 2003 - deadline extended.
CONTACT: EMAIL Ahmad Al-Akhras at ohio@cair-net.org,
CAIR-Ohio Chapter
4700 Reed Road, Suite B
Columbus, Ohio 43220
Fax (614)451-3222
-----
JOURNALISM & COMMUNICATIONS SCHOLARSHIPS AWARD FOR MUSLIM STUDENTS
(ANAHEIM, CA, 5/20/03) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR)
is pleased to announce a one-time Journalism & Communications
Scholarship
Award for Muslim students.
Muslims are one of the most underrepresented religious communities in
American journalism today. As such, the Muslim community has suffered
much
from the incorrect information and inaccurate portrayals of Islam and
Muslims. The purpose of the scholarship is to encourage and help Muslim
students to pursue careers in journalism that will in turn result in a
better situation for the American Muslim community, Insha'allah.
Eight scholarship awardees in eight major cities in the United States
will
receive a one-time scholarship stipend of $5,000 for pursuing education
in
the journalism and communications field.
CAIR will award scholarships to Muslim students in their junior year of
college who demonstrate a willingness to pursue journalism or
communications. Selection criteria includes a required minimum Grade
Point
Average of 3.0 and Muslim community activism. Awardees selected would
be
required to keep in good standing with their respective colleges and
complete 200 hours of Muslim community volunteer service in the field
of
journalism and communications under the supervision of CAIR.
Applicants must reside near a CAIR Chapter and attend a certified U.S.
college or university.
The postmark deadline for Fall 2003 applications is May 31, 2003.
For more information, please contact CAIR-LA Development and Programs
coordinator, Maryam Dadabhoy (Maryam@cair.com) at 714-776-1847, or
visit
www.cair-net.org/scholarship.
-----
TO BECOME A CAIR MEMBER, GO TO:
https://www.cair-net.org/asp/membership.asp
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARIZ. SIKH SHOT, PENN. IRAQI TEEN ASSAULTED
Violent incidents blamed on rise of anti-Muslim bigotry
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/21/03) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today said the shooting of a Sikh man in Arizona and the
assault on a Muslim teenager in Pennsylvania can be blamed at least in
part
on "Islamophobic hysteria" generated by anti-Muslim rhetoric. The
Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) cited a
recent syndicated column by Cal Thomas as an example of that
hate-filled
rhetoric.
In Arizona, a Sikh man wearing a turban was shot Monday night in north
Phoenix. Avtar Singh Cheira, 52, was shot twice by men in a red truck
as he
waited to be picked up at work. "I heard that voice say, 'Go back to
where
you belong to,' and at the same time I heard that shot," said Cheira.
Police are treating the incident as a hate crime.
Just after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a Sikh man in Arizona was
murdered
apparently because the killer mistakenly believed the victim was of
Middle
Eastern origin. The first victim's relatives say this latest incident
may
also have been a case of "mistaken identity."
SEE: "SIKH SHOOTING CALLED HATE CRIME"
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0521hatecrime21.html
In Erie, Penn., a 14-year-old Iraqi-American girl says she was beaten
Monday by a classmate while a crowd of students stood by yelling
anti-Muslim comments. "Yelling 'kill the Muslim girl. Get her, that's
what
she deserves'...I don't even feel safe in this country because
everyone's
messing with me," said the victim.
SEE: "ERIE POLICE INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE ETHNIC INTIMIDATION IN TEEN
FIGHT"
http://35wsee.com/news2a.cfm?more=4302&category=1&news=fullstory
"Those who spread hate, in this country or overseas, should know that
others may turn hostile words into violent actions and those who fight
bigotry must be more vocal in challenging hate-mongers," said CAIR
Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Violence against innocents is never
justified, whether it is carried out by someone falsely claiming to act
in
the name of Islam or by a minority in this country reacting to
Islamophobic
hysteria."
Awad noted that just this week, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas warned
of
the "dangers" posed by increased Muslim political participation in
North
America. Thomas wrote: "You don't have to be paranoid to fear where
this
can lead in Canada and in the United States - where immigration and
births
are dramatically increasing the Muslim population…If politicians
succumb to
pressure from Muslim activist groups and equate Islam with the
religious
and political heritage of this country, we will know that an important
beachhead has been attained by our enemies."
CAIR is encouraging victims of hate crimes to fill out report forms,
which
are available for download at:
http://www.cair-net.org/ireport/Incident_Report.doc, or by calling
202-488-8787. CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group.
It
is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices
nationwide and in Canada. Since its founding in 1994, CAIR has defended
the
civil and religious rights of all Americans.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/21/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A KIND WORD
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5925 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* FLORIDA RELIGIOUS GROUPS TO ANNOUNCE INTERFAITH EVENT
* AREA JEWS, MUSLIMS EXPLORE SIMILARITIES IN FAITHS (AJC)
- Christians Urge Dialogue with Muslims (Daily Journal)
* NEW IMMIGRATION LAW EXILES ROXBORO DOCTOR (News & Observer)
* PENTAGON DETAILS NEW SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM (Wash. Post)
- DOJ Lists Use of New Power to Fight Terror (NY Times)
- Anti-Terror Power Used Broadly (Wash. Post)\
- Police Stop Israelis with 'Suspicious' Cargo (Almagordo News)
- Several Men Questioned About Immigration Status (AP)
* LIBRARIES TRY TO QUIET PATRIOT ACT'S ACCESS (Lacrosse Tribune)
* FIRST MUSLIM NOMINATED FOR VIRGINIA SENATE RACE
* BRIEFING - UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE (USIP)
- USIP Nominee Writes in Support of Terror Group (NY Post)
* COLUMBUS TOWNHALL MEETING ON IMMIGRATION AND FOREIGN POLICY
* IMC-USA ALARMED AT CELEBRATIONS FOR GANDHI'S ASSASSIN
* BYRD SAYS BUSH BUILT 'HOUSE OF CARDS' ON IRAQ WAR (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A KIND WORD
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) quoted God as saying: "Let
each of
you protect himself against Hell-fire, be it with even half a date
(given
in charity) - and if he finds (not even that small amount to give),
then
with a kind word."
Hadith Qudsi 13
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5925 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR'S Library Project has received 5925 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Take
part in this first-of-its-kind campaign by sponsoring an 18-item
"library
package." Our goal is to send accurate and objective information about
Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
TO SPONSOR A LIBRARY PACKAGE, GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
OR CALL: 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
FLORIDA RELIGIOUS GROUPS TO ANNOUNCE INTERFAITH EVENT
(TAMPA, FL 5/21/2003) - The Florida office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL), the Florida Council of Churches
(FCC)
and Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church of Tampa, will hold a press
conference to announce their plans for a major interfaith event in
Tampa.
The interfaith event, titled, "RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE AND LIBERTY IN THE
FACE
OF TERRORISM - A DIALOGUE BETWEEN ABRAHAMIC FAITHS," is aimed at
promoting
tolerance and respect while building bridges of understanding between
Americans of all faiths and persuasions.
PRESS CONFERENCE DETAILS
WHO: Florida Council of Churches and CAIR-FL
WHEN: Thursday, May 22, 2003 @ 1:30 PM
WHERE: Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church of Tampa, 304 Druid Hills
Road,
Tampa, FL
"With so much violence here and abroad being committed in the name
religion, it is important for religious leaders to step up and promote
a
message of respect for diversity. This event will be the beginning of
many
such dialogues to be carried out all across Florida," said CAIR-FL
Communications Director Ahmed Bedier.
- END -
CONTACT: Mr. Altaf Ali (Executive Director); 954-298-8214 -
altaf@cair-florida.org; Ahmed Bedier (Communications Director);
813-731-9506 - abedier@cair-florida.org
-----
AREA JEWS, MUSLIMS EXPLORE SIMILARITIES IN FAITHS
Sheila M. Poole, Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 5/21/03
http://www.ajc.com/
Search using the term "Muslims."
Two prayer books - one written in Arabic, the other in Hebrew and
English -
brought Huma Faruqi and Jason Burn together, each struck at that moment
more by the similarities in their religions than the differences.
The Muslim and Jewish metro Atlantans were among those gathered in a
hallway at Congregation B'nai Israel in Jonesboro, surrounded by others
from their faiths, as they pored over the prayer books - the air
punctuated
by exclamations of surprise each time a common phrasing or character
was found.
"I had never been in a synagogue before," said Faruqi, who was born in
Pakistan. And she admits that until recently, she never thought she
would
be in one - much less attend Friday night services.
"It was very interesting," said Faruqi, who lives in Peachtree City and
teaches at a local mosque. "I noticed they have prayers for critical
occasions. The rabbi was [saying] prayers for sick people, and there
were
prayers for traveling. There are a lot of similarities. It was like
walking
into a theater and watching a play. It was so different, but after a
while,
it seemed like it wasn't so different after all."
The visit was part of a program designed by Soumaya Khalifa, director
of
the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta, and the Islamic Community
Center in
Fayetteville to break down barriers between the Muslim and Jewish
communities. It follows a somewhat similar program earlier this year
when
Jewish and Muslim youths met at the center to discuss similarities and
differences in their religions...
Sandy DeMuth, president of the synagogue, said the key to understanding
people from other cultures and faiths is simple: education.
Before the service, Chris Fuller, a 17-year-old student at Fayette
County
High School, introduced himself to Walijar R. Hadid, who heard about
the
services from a co-worker.
"We've all got to live in the world together," said Hadid. Living
together,
he said, means accepting other religions. "The Quran says to you be
your
way and to me be mine."
Fuller, who agreed, said he has a schoolmate who is Muslim, and the two
often talk about their religions. "Judaism and Islam are like this," he
said, interlocking fingers on both hands…
SEE ALSO:
CHRISTIANS URGE DIALOGUE WITH MUSLIMS
Bob Thomas, Daily Journal, 5/21/03
http://www.daily-journal.com/
How should Christians regard Muslims?
America's religious leaders have been "stuck on two extremes of
over-simplification," said Diane Knippers, president of the Institute
on
Religion and Democracy (IRD) in Washington. "The religious left has
been
idealistic and optimistic that Islam is a religion of peace by people
who
are like us. The religious right has been making sweeping, gratuitous
insults."
United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert flew to Baghdad with the
National
Council of Churches before the war, where he declared, "Religious
tolerance
was valued in Iraq." After the war, on Larry King, Talbert said
Christians
should be tolerant of Muslim leaders "and not assume that our way is
the
only way."
By contrast, Jerry Falwell said on "60 Minutes," "I think Mohammed was
a
terrorist." His words made headlines around the world, sparking a riot
that
left nine dead in India, and gave a militant Muslim party the
ammunition it
needed to move from five to 50 seats in the Pakistani Parliament.
Franklin
Graham, son of Billy Graham, described Islam as a "very evil and wicked
religion."
Last week the National Association of Evangelicals and IRD co-sponsored
a
conference to carve out a new middle ground. It was a welcome fresh
breeze.
Without mentioning anyone by name, they denounced as "dangerous" and
"unhelpful" the militant anti-Muslim rhetoric of prominent evangelical
leaders….
On behalf of IRD and NAE he issued a set of "Guidelines for
Christian-Muslim Dialogue" (www.ird-renew.org) with thoughtful
suggestions:
1. "Open ourselves to talk with all varieties and stations of Muslims."
2. "Give testimony to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is our
duty to
do so. Ultimately, Christ himself is the greatest blessing that we
could
offer to our Muslim interlocutors," noting that Saint Paul and Saint
Luke
dialogued with unbelievers, which at times involved "arguing,
explaining,
proving, proclaiming and persuading," as in Acts 17:1-4.
3. "Make sure that Christians entering into dialogue with Muslims have
a
firm grasp of an orthodox faith in the mainstream of the Christian
tradition."
4. To lessen the sense of a North-South clash of civilizations, involve
Christians "from an African or Asian Christian perspective,
particularly
Christians who have lived as a minority group within predominantly
Muslim
nations."
5. "Affirm some points of theology and morality that Islam and
Christianity
have in common." Timothy George, in his thoughtful book, "Is the Father
of
Jesus the God of Muhammad?" notes that both faiths "affirm many
important
truths about this great God: His oneness, eternity, power, majesty. As
the
Quran puts it, God is 'the Living, The Everlasting, the All-High, the
All-Glorious.'" On the other hand, he notes that "Muslim theology
rejects
the fatherhood of God, the deity of Jesus Christ, and the personhood of
the
Holy Spirit -- each of which is an essential component of the Christian
understanding of God."
6. "Address the deep differences between Islam and Christianity," by
speaking frankly about Jesus Christ who willingly died on the cross as
an
atonement for human sin. However, Christians are "wiser and more
winsome
when they place their emphasis on positive affirmations of their own
Christian faith," rather than making "negative judgments about Islamic
beliefs."
The Guidelines also warn against common worship with Muslims which
would
involve unacceptable compromises by either faith. Nor should Christians
demand apologies from Muslims for the terrorist acts of some. However,
Christians should make a case for their right to attend churches in
Islamic
countries, as American Muslims have a right to build mosques here.
-----
NEW IMMIGRATION LAW EXILES ROXBORO DOCTOR
Yonat Shimron, 5/21/03, News & Observer
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2555092p-2372064c.html
A Roxboro doctor who cares primarily for poor and elderly patients was
not
allowed to re-enter the United States from Pakistan because of a new
law
that requires citizens of 25 mostly Muslim countries to register before
they leave this country.
Dr. Shahid Mahmood, 38, a Pakistani citizen, left Roxboro last month
for a
short trip home to visit his ailing father. When he returned,
immigration
officials at Dulles International Airport in Washington denied him
entry,
saying he had failed to register.
They canceled his visa, and within six hours he, his wife, Shazia, and
his
2-year-old daughter, Fareen, were put on a plane back to Pakistan.
In the week since then, the doctor has been working desperately to
return
to his patients, most of whom are on Medicare and Medicaid...
Mahmood said it might take months to get a new visa. Meanwhile, he has
sought the help of Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and
other legislators. Half a dozen doctors in Roxboro and Durham wrote
letters
on his behalf. So did state Democratic Rep. Gordon Allen of Roxboro...
Along with hundreds of other foreign nationals, Mahmood went to
Charlotte
several months ago to be fingerprinted and photographed by the
Immigration
and Naturalization Service, as the law requires. But he said he was not
aware he also needed to register before he left the country.
"I don't think anyone knows this is a requirement," said Ibrahim
Hooper,
the communications director for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
a Muslim advocacy group based in Washington. "It's like a set-up for
denial
of re-entry."
The council issued an advisory Tuesday to Muslim visa-holders in the
United
States, warning them that if they forget to register before they leave
the
country, they will not be allowed to return...
-----
PENTAGON DETAILS NEW SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM
Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post, 5/21/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17121-2003May20.html
The Pentagon yesterday detailed the development of a massive computer
surveillance system that would have the power to track people as never
before.
It would identify people at great distances by the irises of their
eyes,
the grooves in their face or even their gait. It would look for
suspicious
patterns in video footage of people's movements. And it would analyze
airline ticket purchases, visa applications, as well as financial,
medical,
educational and biometric records to try to predict terrorists' acts or
catch them in the planning stage.
The technology does not yet exist, and no one knows whether its
creation is
even possible. Indeed, the very concept of what was originally known as
the
government's Total Information Awareness initiative raised so many
privacy
and civil liberties issues that, in February, Congress banned its
deployment. Legislators asked for more information about the project
and
sought an analysis about how citizens' privacy would be balanced with
the
need for security.
The report that was delivered to legislators yesterday identifies the
effort by a new name -- the Terrorist Information Awareness program. It
sought to allay concerns about privacy by outlining policies to conduct
spot audits of the data being collected and implementing technical
safeguards...
SEE ALSO:
JUSTICE DEPT. LISTS USE OF NEW POWER TO FIGHT TERROR
Eric Lichtblau, New York Times, 5/20/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/21/international/worldspecial/21PATR.html
WASHINGTON - In the most detailed public accounting of how it had used
its
expanded powers to fight terrorism, the Justice Department released
information today showing that federal agents had conducted hundreds of
bugging and surveillance operations and visited numerous libraries and
mosques using new law enforcement tools.
In one of the more striking examples of their new powers, Justice
Department officials said they were now reviewing some 4,500
intelligence
files in terrorist cases to determine whether criminal charges should
be
brought. Such a mingling of intelligence and criminal investigations
was
largely banned under internal Justice Department procedures that were
in
place before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
A 60-page report to members of Congress was intended to answer concerns
from lawmakers who say the department has kept them in the dark about
its
counterterrorism operations and has not done enough to safeguard civil
liberties in its pursuit of terrorists.
The report provided dozens of pieces of previously undisclosed data on
a
variety of activities including the use of hundreds of secret search
warrants and the fact that some 50 people had been detained without
charges
as material witnesses.
The department portrayed its use of its new powers as judicious and
restrained, but officials are still refusing to divulge certain data
publicly because they said it would compromise classified areas. Civil
liberties advocates said the vagueness in these areas buttressed their
concerns about how the department's powers were being used....
In addition, according to the report, the Justice Department sought 248
times to delay having to notify the target of an investigation that a
warrant had been executed. The department said it was never turned down
by
a court in its requests to delay the notification, and the delays
sometimes
amounted to 90 days or more.
The department said the delays were necessary to avoid endangering
sources
and informants, jeopardizing undercover operations, or preventing the
destruction of evidence.
---
ANTI-TERROR POWER USED BROADLY
Dan Eggen, Washington Post, 5/21/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17171-2003May20.html
The Justice Department has used many of the anti-terrorism powers
granted
in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to pursue defendants for
crimes
unrelated to terrorism, including drug violations, credit card fraud
and
bank theft, according to a government accounting released yesterday.
In a 60-page report to the House Judiciary Committee, Justice officials
also confirmed for the first time that nearly 50 defendants were
secretly
detained as material witnesses in connection with the investigation of
the
Sept. 11 attacks. The government has not previously characterized how
many
defendants had been held.
The report, issued in response to questions from House Judiciary
Chairman
F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) and ranking Democrat John Conyers
Jr.
(Mich.), provides new details about the federal government's domestic
war
on terrorism, which has largely been conducted in secret and has
prompted
complaints from civil liberties advocates and Muslim groups...
---
CLOUDCROFT CHIEF STOPS ISRAELIS WITH SUSPICIOUS CARGO
By Michael Shinabery, Almagordo News, 5/19/03
http://www.alamogordonews.com/Stories/0,1413,160~9596~1401528,00.html
CLOUDCROFT - That they were speeding through the school zone first got
his
attention.
That they had Israeli driver's licenses and expired passports made him
suspicious.
Cloudcroft Police Chief Gene Green stopped the 2-ton van on Thursday,
for
speeding. Initially, Green thought the truck was commercial because of
exterior markings. But when he found it was out of Chicago, he asked
for
documentation such as logs books and manifests...
"We got them out and started digging a little deeper," Green said, "got
permission to search the truck. They claimed they were hauling
furniture
from Austin to Chicago."
When officers advised the men they were not exactly en route from one
town
to another, Green said the two men claimed they were Deming bound.
"But they couldn't give us an address in Deming they were going to," he
said. "Once we got into the truck, they had some junk furniture I
wouldn't
have given to Goodwill."
Also inside the vehicle were, Green said, "50 boxes" they claimed was a
"private" delivery, but the men insisted they had no "idea what was in
them…"
Contents of the boxes remain unknown, pending investigation.
-----
SEVERAL MEN QUESTIONED ABOUT THEIR IMMIGRATION STATUS
Associated Press, 5/21/03
SANTA FE, N.M. - Several individuals were detained and questioned about
their immigration status by federal authorities in Santa Fe Tuesday.
Federal agents showed up at the Santa Fe Plaza Gallery, a jewelry store
on
the Santa Fe Plaza, and at least three other in the area were closed
for a
time.
Sam Ghazzawi, a U.S. citizen of Palestinian descent who has lived in
Santa
Fe for 15 years, said about seven or eight men, "all Arabs and
Muslims,"
had been detained by federal agents at different shops and jewelry
stores
on the Plaza.
"After September 11, we know we're being targeted as Arabs and
Muslims,"
Ghazzawi said...
-----
LIBRARIES TRY TO QUIET PATRIOT ACT'S ACCESS TO RECORDS
Reid Magney, Lacrosse Tribune, 5/21/03
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2003/05/21/news/2library.txt
La Crosse-area public libraries are quietly working around parts of the
USA
Patriot Act, librarians said Tuesday.
The sweeping law, passed in the wake of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,
broadens the government's power to intercept and obstruct terrorism. It
also permits the FBI to look at public library records for a person's
Internet use and reading habits.
The Patriot Act has sent shock waves through the library world, where
librarians guard patrons' confidentiality, access to information and
freedom of speech.
Around the country, many libraries have stopped keeping records of who
checked out what books beyond the current borrower, said Kelly
Krieg-Sigman, director of the La Crosse Public Library...
That way, if the FBI comes looking, there won't be much for them to
find,
she said. FBI agents have confiscated some library computers in Iowa
and
Minnesota, she said, but returned them after realizing it would be too
expensive and time-consuming to recover the information.
Some libraries have gone so far as to post signs warning patrons that
federal agents may obtain records of library materials they've
borrowed,
but Krieg-Sigman said she doesn't want to go that far...
More than 100 city councils and county boards around the country have
passed resolutions asking Congress to reexamine the USA Patriot Act.
-----
PRESS RELEASE
FIRST MUSLIM AMERICAN NOMINATED FOR VIRGINIA SENATE RACE
Virginia Republicans made history by nominating Kamal Nawash on May 13
as
their candidate for the Virginia Senate in the 31st district, which
includes Arlington County, the Pentagon, the city of Falls Church and
the
eastern Fairfax County.
"I am elated that our message of inclusiveness and opportunity for all
has
resonated so well," said Nawash upon receiving the nomination.
"Northern
Virginia needs effective leadership and I am looking forward to
improving
bi-partisan cooperation among our delegation for the benefit of our
entire
region."
Nawash was nominated in a Republican Party canvass unanimously. After
months of campaigning, hundreds of people turned out to support
Nawash's
candidacy.
"I look forward to serving the people of Northern Virginia. Whether
it's
bringing home more state aid for transportation and education, or new
efforts to help our immigrant community succeed, I am anxious to
serve,"
Nawash said.
Nawash, who is an immigrant himself, sees the possibilities for true
community oriented representation. "I have been listening to my
constituents for months as I have campaigned in each neighborhood, and
I
look forward to best representing the interests of the people of
Virginia
and in particular the American Muslim community who have unfairly
suffered
from the backlash of September 11.
For more information, contact Mike Lane at (703) 298-7337 or visit
WWW.KamalNawash.com.
-----
BRIEFING - UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE (USIP)
WHAT United States Institute of Peace (USIP) holds a briefing on
"Religious
Politics in Iraq." Participants include: Graham Fuller, author, "The
Future of Political Islam" and co-author, "The Arab Shi'a: The
Forgotten
Muslims"; Faleh Abdul-Jabar, editor, "Ayatollahs, Sufis and Ideologues:
State Religion and Social Movements in Iraq" and senior fellow, USIP;
Rend
Francke, executive director, Iraq Foundation and co-author, "The Arab
Shi'a: The Forgotten Muslims"; Kenneth Katzman, Middle East specialist,
Congressional Research Service and author, "The Warriors of Islam:
Iran's
Revolutionary Guard" and David Smock, director, Religion and
Peacemaking
Initiative, USIP
WHERE: USIP, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 1200 17th Street NW,
Washington,
D.C. -- May 21, 2003
CONTACT: RSVP to 202-429-3832 ext. 2; Media contact, Suzanne Wopperer,
202-429-3828; http://www.usip.org/events/register/0521_iraq.html
SEE ALSO:
PEACE INSTITUTE NOMINEE WRITES IN SUPPORT OF TERROR GROUP
A TERRORIST U.S. ALLY?
DANIEL PIPES & PATRICK CLAWSON, New York Post, 5/20/03
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05202003/postopinion/opedcolumnists/76085.htm
May 20, 2003 -- ONE of the stranger news items coming out of Iraq these
days concerns an Iranian opposition group called the Mujahedeen-e Khalq
(MEK). It's a U.S. government-designated terrorist organization that
coalition forces first bombed from the air, then signed a cease-fire
agreement with - and finally disarmed and protected.
Say that again?
The MEK is not your typical anti-Western group, but an organization
with a
strong political presence in Western capitals and over 3,000 soldiers
stationed in Iraq, singularly dedicated to one goal: overthrowing its
"archenemy," the Islamic Republic of Iran. Of course, during its 17
years
in Iraq, it also had to do Saddam Hussein's bidding. This situation
raises
several questions:
* Is the MEK a terrorist group? No. It used terrorism decades ago, when
its
members attacked Americans. For the last 15 years, however, the MEK has
been organized as an army, and its only violent actions have been
directed
against the Iranian regime…
* Can the MEK be useful? Yes. Western spy agencies are short on "human
intelligence" - meaning spies on the ground in Iran, as distinct from
eyes
in the sky. Coalition military commanders should seek out the MEK for
information on the Iranian mullahs' agents in Iraq.
MEK members should (after giving assurances not to attack Iranian
territory) be permitted enough arms to protect themselves from their
Iranian opponents. And in November, when the secretary of state next
decides whether or not to re-certify the MEK as a terrorist group, he
should come to the sensible conclusion that it poses no threat to the
security of the United States or its citizens, and remove it from the
list
of Foreign Terrorist Organizations…
FOR BACKGROUND, SEE:
SCHOLAR CRITICIZES BUSH'S CHARACTERIZATION OF ISLAM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18277-2003Apr22.html
WASHINGTON POST SLAMS DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53900-2003Apr18.html
DALLAS PAPER SAYS DANIEL PIPES IS 'BAD CHOICE' FOR USIP
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/stories/041903dnediscorecard.ff05.html
MUSLIMS PROTEST BUSH NOMINEE
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42881-2003Apr6.html
FOREIGN POLICY SCHOLARS CRITICIZE PIPES NOMINATION
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.04.11/news5.html
BUSH NOMINEE REFUSES TO CONDEMN JAPANESE INTERNMENT
http://stream.paranode.com/democracynow/dn2003-0421-1.m3u
The interview is in the final 20 minutes of the one hour program.
WHO IS DANIEL PIPES?
http://www.cair-net.org/misc/people/daniel_pipes.html
THE TRUTH ABOUT DANIEL PIPES
http://www.mpac.org/home_article_display.aspx?ITEM=491
DANIEL PIPES - NOT A MAN OF PEACE
http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=1779
AAI URGES SENATE TO REJECT PIPES' APPOINTMENT
http://www.aaiusa.org/pr/release4-8-03.htm
-----
COLUMBUS TOWNHALL MEETING ON IMMIGRATION AND FOREIGN POLICY
WHAT: WOSU TV 34 is seeking participants for a Columbus Town Meeting on
Immigration and Foreign Policy to be broadcast live from the WOSU TV 34
station. Participants must be at the station by 7:15 PM. The first 45
minutes will be a production run-through and then the host and
participants
will watch a national broadcast 8-9 PM to enable them to make
references to
issues on the program that are relevant to the Columbus town meeting.
Details of program times and topics are listed below:
8:00PM: What Role Should America Play in world events? - A By the
People national program hosted by Jim Lehrer
9:00PM: New Voices: A Columbus Town Meeting on Foreign Policy and
Immigration
WHEN: Thursday, May 22, 2003, 9-10 PM.
WHERE: Fawcett Center at 2400 Olentangy River Road.
NOTE: If you would like to be a participant in the town meeting, please
contact Marcelita Haskins at 614-292-9678 ext. 49867 or
haskins.2@osu.edu.
-----
IMC-USA ALARMED AT BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS FOR GANDHI'S ASSASSIN
WHAT: The Indian Muslim Council - USA, working to promote values of
pluralism and tolerance, with particular focus on the Indian Diaspora
in
the United States, expressed great alarm today over the birthday
celebrations for Gandhi's assassin carried out by some groups.
The call for the celebration was given most prominently by HinduUnity,
the
US-based wing of Bajrang Dal, which is the youth front of World
Hindu Council (VHP), and by the Hindu Mahasabha.
HinduUnity (http://www.hinduUnity.org) openly urged the celebration,
stating on its website (HinduUnity.org): "Celebrate Shri Nathuram
Godse's
Birth on May 19th. Send a message to the enemies of humanity that we
will
fight and even die to protect the basic principle of Hinduism..." It
further denigrated Gandhi's great message of humanism and the unique
movement he led for Indian independence by saying: "Gandhi was a
downright
PACIFIST, without guts and SCRUPLES. His constant preaching to his
fellow
Hindus, to be non violent at all times, EVEN IN THE FACE OF AGGRESSION,
paralyzed the manhood of India, mentally and physically..."
Dr. Santosh Kumar Rai, founder of the revived extremist group, Hindu
Mahasabha, also sent an open circular on several mailing lists urging
all
Hindus to celebrate the birthday of Gandhi's assassin.
Reacting to these events, IMC-USA General Secretary, Mr. M.K. Rehman
said.
"This is the biggest possible insult to all those who revere Gandhi and
his
message across the world. It is shocking that groups espousing the
divisive
and hate-based ideology of Hindutva feel emboldened enough to carry
out
this celebration campaign openly."
"But perhaps that is to be expected considering what such groups did in
Gandhi's homeland last year he added", referring to the brutal pogroms
against minorities in Gandhi's home state of Gujarat in early 2002.
This is
only the latest example of what happens if such groups are allowed to
go
unchecked. All those who revere Gandhi must come together to revive his
vision.
At one time, groups associated with Gandhi's assassination were banned
in
India. But over a period of time, they have succeeded in bringing back
their hate-filled agenda to Indian society and are now openly operating
to
extinguish all that Gandhi stood for.
CONTACT: Dr. Shaik Ubaid
265 Sunrise Highway, 1-355
Rockville Center, NY 11570
(516) 567-0783
E mail: info@imc-usa.org
-----
BYRD SAYS BUSH BUILT 'HOUSE OF CARDS' ON IRAQ WAR
WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - Sen. Robert Byrd, the Senate's most
outspoken critic of President George W. Bush, on Wednesday accused him
of
constructing a "house of cards, built on deceit" to justify the war
against
Iraq.
Byrd of West Virginia, the Senate's senior Democrat who has repeatedly
condemned the war to oust Saddam Hussein, accused the Bush
administration
of luring the American public into war by inflating threats posed by
Saddam, bungling the war's aftermath and awarding reconstruction
contracts
"to administration cronies."
"Eventually, like it always does, the truth will emerge. And when it
does,
this house of cards, built on deceit, will fall," he said on the Senate
floor.
While Byrd said the administration "assiduously worked to alarm the
public"
with threats posed by Iraq, in the war's aftermath it has become
"painfully
clear" the country posed no immediate threat.
Searches for its alleged weapons of mass destruction so far have
"turned up
only fertilizer, vacuum cleaners, conventional weapons and the
occasional
buried swimming pool," he said…
Byrd also said that by putting off Iraq's move to self-government, "It
is
all too clear that the smiling face of the U.S. as liberator is quickly
assuming the scowl of an occupier..."
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MUSLIM CHILD BEATEN IN PENNSYLVANIA
Authorities urged to treat incident as hate crime
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/22/03) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today called on local and federal authorities to treat the
beating
of an 8-year-old Muslim child in Bensalem, Penn., as a hate crime. The
Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group says the child
was
allegedly beaten earlier this month by three 13-year-old boys who made
remarks such as "go back to Iraq" and "Saddam Hussein helper" during
the
attack.
According to the Muslim boy's family, he came home with a bloody mouth
and
spent one night in the hospital for observation. He is now terrified to
go
outside and cannot sleep at night. The alleged attackers, whose names
are
apparently known to police, have not been taken into custody.
"A disturbing pattern seems to be developing in which ordinary American
Muslims, Arab-Americans and those perceived to be Middle Eastern, are
subject to attack merely because of their religion, ethnicity or
distinctive attire," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Law
enforcement authorities at both the local and national levels can help
discourage these types of assaults by treating them with the
seriousness
they deserve."
In a similar incident on Monday in Pennsylvania, a 14-year-old
Iraqi-American girl says she was beaten by a classmate while a crowd of
students stood by yelling anti-Muslim comments. The victim said her
attackers shouted "kill the Muslim girl…that's what she deserves"
during
the assault.
Also this week, a Sikh man who may have been mistaken for an Arab, was
shot
in Phoenix, Ariz. The victim said he heard his attacker shout "go back
to
where you belong," just before being shot. Police are treating the
incident
as a hate crime.
CAIR is encouraging victims of hate crimes to fill out report forms,
which
are available for download at:
http://www.cair-net.org/ireport/Incident_Report.doc, or by calling
202-488-8787. CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is
headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices
nationwide
and in Canada. Since its founding in 1994, CAIR has defended the civil
and
religious rights of all Americans.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/22/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: TRUTHFULNESS LEADS TO PARADISE
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5925 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* CAL THOMAS ECHOES NAZI PROPAGANDA
- All Faiths Have the Right to Participate (Times Picayune)
- Muslim Teen Wins National Award (Detroit Free Press)
- CAIR-CAN Holds 'Know Your Rights' Workshop in Halifax
* CONNECTING DC MUSLIMS AND IRAQI ORPHANS (Wash. Post)
* FL MUSLIM LEADS PRAYER FOR COMMUNITY AT INTERFAITH BREAKFAST
- Miami-Dade Has Highest Immigration Rate (AP)
* TARRYTOWN JUDGE'S REMARK SPARKS OUTRAGE (Journal News)
* U.S. TROOPS SHOOT TWO IRAQIS AFTER BEING ROCKETED (Reuters)
- Surveys Point to High Civilian Death Toll in Iraq (CSM)
* COUNCIL URGES PATRIOT ACT'S REPEAL (Pioneer Press)
- Balt. Officials Take Stand Against Patriot Act (WBAL-TV)
* PENTAGON'S PROMISES FAIL TEST FOR SURVEILLANCE CRITICS (AP)
* EVANGELICALS SHIFT APPROACH TO MUSLIMS (CSM)
* WOLFOWITZ SLAMMED ON TURKEY COMMENT (Forward)
- The Neoconservative Style of Democracy (Daily Times)
* THE 3RD AMC IMAM CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN D.C. AREA
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: TRUTHFULNESS LEADS TO PARADISE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Truthfulness leads to
righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 116
The Prophet also said: "A truthful and trustworthy merchant is
associated
with the prophets, the upright and the martyrs."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 850
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5925 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR'S Library Project has received 5925 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Take
part in this first-of-its-kind campaign by sponsoring an 18-item
"library
package." Our goal is to send accurate and objective information about
Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
TO SPONSOR A LIBRARY PACKAGE, GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
OR CALL: 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
IMPORTANT NOTE: Syndicated columnist Cal Thomas recently published a
commentary portraying Muslims as "enemies" within America's border and
smearing any Islamic group that promotes political activism and
participation. If you see this editorial in your local newspaper (his
column is published in hundreds of papers), please submit the reply
below
on CAIR's behalf, or use the talking points to write your own response.
Just go to the newspapers website and search for the editorial
department,
"feedback" or letters to the editor. Give CAIR's contact information to
the
newspaper. Please let us know which newspaper receive the response.
E-mail:
cair@cair-net.org
---
CAL THOMAS ECHOES NAZI PROPAGANDA
WORD COUNT: 447
By Ibrahim Hooper
Cal Thomas' latest commentary would have been more at home in the
Nazi-era
publication Der Sturmer than in a respectable American newspaper.
Thomas, echoing 1930s Nazi propaganda against the Jewish community in
Germany, warned of the "dangers" posed by increased Muslim political
participation in North America. Thomas wrote: "You don't have to be
paranoid to fear where this can lead in Canada and in the United States
-
where immigration and births are dramatically increasing the Muslim
population…If politicians succumb to pressure from Muslim activist
groups
and equate Islam with the religious and political heritage of this
country,
we will know that an important beachhead has been attained by our
enemies."
He also decried the fact that Muslims "are organizing
voter-registration
drives and political consciousness-raising events," as if these
otherwise
praiseworthy efforts are made nefarious solely by Islamic involvement.
This is the same conservative pundit who in a past column said Muslims
"take their faith in a false god more seriously than we take our faith
in
the true one." He also called for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians
when
he wrote: "Israel should declare its intention to transfer large
numbers of
its Palestinian residents to Arab nations...Eviction is a better avenue
to
stability."
Thomas not only attempts to disenfranchise American Muslims and label
them
as "enemies" of this country, he smears our organization by recycling a
bogus quote falsely attributed to CAIR's board chairman saying Islam
must
dominate other faiths and that the Quran "should be the highest
authority
in America."
The alleged statement about Islam and the Quran, which is in
contradiction
to CAIR's nine-year history of mainstream civil rights and political
advocacy, was not in fact a quote. It was a paraphrase of remarks that
were
either reported inaccurately or wrongly attributed by a reporter at a
small
California newspaper. CAIR is seeking a retraction from that newspaper.
Thomas also quotes Daniel Pipes as saying CAIR is on the "wrong side in
the
war on terrorism." Pipes is another right-wing Islamophobe who has
repeatedly refused to condemn the internment of Japanese Americans
during
World War II and who warned of the "true dangers" posed by "the
presence,
and increased stature, and affluence, and enfranchisement of American
Muslims." Birds of a feather…
If anyone wishes to learn what CAIR and the American Muslim community
really stand for, they should visit the web site for our "Islam in
America"
ad campaign at www.americanmuslims.info. In those ads, ordinary
American
Muslims discuss their views on topics such as family values and ethnic
diversity, and express their condemnation of religiously-motivated
terrorism.
The United States is a multi-religious, multi-ethnic society. That is
the
American heritage Thomas seems determined to reject.
- END -
Ibrahim Hooper is communications director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington-based Islamic civil
rights
and advocacy group.
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
SEE ALSO:
PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS HAVE THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE
Chris Day, Times Picayune, 5/22/03
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/letterstoeditor/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1053584394117470.xml
In this country, founded on the principles of religious freedom and
separation of church and state, people of all faiths have the right to
participate in politics. Yet Cal Thomas, in his May 20 column, decries
the
fact that "Muslims, by their own admission, are organizing
voter-registration drives and political consciousness-raising events."
He refers to Muslims throughout his column as "our enemies."
Muslims are not our enemies. Terrorist groups that promote violence and
hatred, some of which claim to operate under the banner of Islam, are
our
enemies. But they comprise a tiny percentage of Muslims worldwide.
Mr. Thomas criticizes specifically the political activities of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations. Looking up CAIR's web site for myself
(www.cair-net.org), I see a peaceful, ecumenical organization. Check
out
their statement on the terrorist acts of Sept. 11: The group expresses
grief for the victims and their families, praises the heroes of the
rescue
effort and states that "American Muslims unequivocally condemn these
vicious and cowardly acts of terrorism."
In fact, Muslim friends of mine, some born here, others from such
diverse
countries as Senegal, Nigeria, Egypt and Lebanon, are among the
kindest,
fairest and most peace-loving people I know.
Mr. Thomas laments that we non-Muslims "fear being labeled bigots if we
oppose Muslims' political activities. Clearly Mr. Thomas doesn't fear
that
label; he wears his bigotry on his sleeve.
---
TEENAGER'S EFFORTS WIN HER NATIONAL VOLUNTEER AWARD
Trish Robb, Detroit Free Press, 5/22/03
http://www.freep.com/news/cfp/2/nyma22_20030522.htm
Nothing matters more to Nadia Bazzy, 17, than her family and her faith.
So
when her mother, Najah Bazzy, urged her to help start an organization
for
young Muslims four years ago, she thought it was a great idea.
Last month, a national awards program agreed. Nadia Bazzy was one of 29
Wayne County teens honored by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
for
outstanding acts of volunteerism. The program, in its eighth year,
judges
nominees on criteria such as personal initiative, creativity, effort,
impact and personal growth. Prudential Financial Inc. sponsors the
awards
program in partnership with the National Association of Secondary
School
Principals. More than 24,000 high school and middle school students
nationwide submitted applications for this year's program....
"It wasn't just me alone," Nadia Bazzy said of the Young Muslim
Association
(YMA) she helped start. "My mother really had the motivation for me to
do
this," said Bazzy, who lives in Canton with her parents and three
younger
brothers.
---
CAIR-CAN HOLDS "KNOW YOUR RIGHTS" WORKSHOP IN HALIFAX
http://www.caircan.ca/ann_more.php?id=351_0_9_0_C
WHAT: The Council on American-Islamic Relations CANADA (CAIR-CAN)
presents
a seminar in Halifax titled, "Know Your Rights: Essential Law that
Canadian
Muslims Must Know," by Riad Saloojee, Lawyer and CAIR-CAN Executive
Director. This "Know Your Rights" workshop is an intensive but informal
seminar which introduces Canadian Muslims to essential human rights
law.
After completing the course, Canadian Muslims should feel more
confident
and secure about exercising and defending their rights as employees,
students, consumers and citizens.
CAIR-CAN will also be giving a public lecture on Friday, May 23, 2003
at 7
PM entitled, "Islamophobia Alert: How Your World Changed After 9/11,"
at
Dalhousie University, FASS Building, Scotiabank Auditorium.
WHEN: Saturday, May 24, 2003 at 10 a.m.
WHERE: Dalhousie University, FASS Building, Scotiabank Auditorium
CONTACT: For more information, call 1-866-524-0004.
-----
FAITH, CURIOSITY CONNECT HERNDON ACADEMY'S MUSLIMS AND BAGHDAD ORPHANS
William Branigin, Washington Post, 5/22/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23352-2003May21.html
As they sat around a table waiting for a call from Baghdad, the
children
were brimming with questions. "How does it feel to be in the middle of
a
war?" one girl wearing a headscarf wanted to know. "What do you do for
fun?" an 8-year-old boy wondered. "Do you want to stay in Iraq?"
another asked.
The young students at Al Fatih Academy, a Muslim school in Herndon,
yesterday hoped to put those questions and others to children at a
Baghdad
orphanage who had received packages and cards from them as part of a
grass-roots relief effort. In the end, the students had to settle for
intermediaries -- an American relief worker and an Iraqi driver -- to
convey their greetings.
"As salaam aleikum," they chanted into the speakerphone connection to a
satellite telephone. Peace be with you....
For the 3-year-old academy, which teaches 55 students of diverse ethnic
and
national backgrounds, the exercise involved more than helping foreign
children. It also served to affirm their identities as Americans and
Muslims, and to connect with a country whose travails have left their
families deeply troubled and conflicted.
"For [the orphans] to get letters from American children -- American
Muslim
children -- showing that we're not forgetting them is so important,"
said
Afeefa Syeed, the academy's principal. "They need also to understand
that
we live here as Americans and Muslims. . . . That whole identity issue
is
what we're really grappling with...."
-----
FL MUSLIM LEADS PRAYER FOR COMMUNITY AT INTERFAITH BREAKFAST
(MIAMI, FLORIDA, 5/22/2003) - A representative of Florida's office of
the
Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) lead
the
"Prayer for Our Community" at a prayer breakfast meeting attended by
religious and community leaders from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim
community in South Florida.
Altaf Ali, Executive Director of CAIR-FL represented the Muslim
community
at the 2003 Mayor's Interfaith Prayer Breakfast meeting titled, "Many
Faiths, One Community." This annual program was presented by the
Plantation
Clergy Association, City of Plantation, and The Greater Plantation
Chamber
of Commerce.
SEE ALSO:
MIAMI-DADE HAS HIGHEST IMMIGRATION RATE IN U.S.
AP, 5/21/03
http://www.nbc6.net/news/2220613/detail.html
MIAMI - Miami-Dade County has the highest immigration rate of any
metropolitan area in the country, with 167 immigrants arriving each
day,
according to newly released census numbers.
The 61,000 newcomers per year equal 2.7 percent of the county's
population
of 2.2 million. The only areas attracting a larger number of immigrants
-
Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago - have more than three times the
population of Florida's largest county.
The numbers are from U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey for
2001, which was released Tuesday. A previous Census survey showed 52
percent of the county's residents were born in foreign countries, the
highest percentage among counties in the nation....
The immigrant boom creates many challenges for Miami-Dade to handle,
from
larger classes in schools to questions about health care, said Steven
A.
Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies...
Despite those challenges, immigration also brings many benefits to the
area, such as more opportunities for trade and cultural exchange, said
Altaf Ali, executive director of the state chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
Miami-Dade's government also excels at providing programs to help
immigrants integrate into the community, Ali said.
"It is a reflection of the diversity and it's quite unprecedented
elsewhere," Ali said.
-----
TARRYTOWN JUDGE'S REMARK SPARKS OUTRAGE
Jonathan Bandler, Journal News, 5/21/O3
http://www.nyjournalnews.com/newsroom/052103/a0121tarryjudge.html
TARRYTOWN - An Arab-American woman who fainted in village court said
she
suffered an anxiety attack after the judge asked if she were a
terrorist.
Anissa Khoder has filed a complaint against Tarrytown Village Justice
William Crosbie with the state Commission on Judicial Conduct.
Khoder went to court on Thursday to contest a pair of parking tickets.
As
she approached the judge's table, she said, Crosbie considered her name
out
loud and asked if she were a terrorist. She said she was stunned by the
implication, but responded with a weak, reflexive smile.
"I felt offended, and I kept it to myself," she said, but then it got
worse. After completing her explanation for why the tickets should be
dismissed, she said the judge asked her, "You don't really want to pay
these tickets, do you?"
"Then he said something like, 'You have money to support the
terrorists,
but you don't want to pay the ticket,'" Khoder said. "I could not
believe I
was hearing that."
She was unable to say anything in protest and, almost immediately,
collapsed to the floor. A court officer and two Tarrytown police
officers
helped her and called for an ambulance, but Khoder soon recovered and
declined medical attention.
Crosbie yesterday confirmed that he made the initial comment, asking
Khoder
if she were a terrorist, and acknowledged that it "may have been
inappropriate." But he denied saying anything further regarding
terrorism...
-----
U.S. TROOPS SHOOT TWO IRAQIS AFTER BEING ROCKETED
Khaled Yaqoub Oweis, Reuters, 5/22/03
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=2791590
FALLUJA, Iraq - Gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades at a U.S.
armoured
vehicle in the tense Iraqi town of Falluja late on Wednesday, prompting
heavy retaliation that killed two Iraqis.
Residents accused the soldiers of firing indiscriminately....
The incident inflamed tension in the town, which was the scene of
clashes
between U.S. troops and local demonstrators after the fall of Saddam
Hussein last month in which at least 15 Iraqis died. On May 1, a
grenade
attack wounded seven U.S. soldiers in the town....
Residents said the troops had appeared to fire randomly in the
direction of
the city centre after coming under attack, killing two occupants of a
white
Nissan pickup truck travelling near the scene. The wreckage of the
truck
was still visible.
"They went crazy, they fired everywhere," said one witness, Safi Jaber.
The residents said the soldiers had stopped an ambulance trying to
approach
the scene, and that the U.S. armoured vehicle had rammed the pickup...
One of the victims was a 19-year-old man called Hady Jaber.
"His wedding was supposed to be today," said Khalil Ibrahim, a local
electrical engineer....
SEE ALSO
SURVEYS POINTING TO HIGH CIVILIAN DEATH TOLL IN IRAQ
Peter Ford, Christian Science Monitor, 05/22/2003
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0522/p01s02-woiq.html
BAGHDAD - Evidence is mounting to suggest that between 5,000 and 10,000
Iraqi civilians may have died during the recent war, according to
researchers involved in independent surveys of the country.
None of the local and foreign researchers were willing to speak for the
record, however, until their tallies are complete.
Such a range would make the Iraq war the deadliest campaign for
noncombatants that US forces have fought since Vietnam.
Though it is still too early for anything like a definitive estimate,
the
surveyors warn, preliminary reports from hospitals, morgues, mosques,
and
homes point to a level of civilian casualties far exceeding the Gulf
War,
when 3,500 civilians are thought to have died.
"Thousands are dead, thousands are missing, thousands are captured,"
says
Haidar Taie, head of the tracing department for the Iraqi Red
Crescent in Baghdad. "It is a big disaster..."
US and British military officials insisted throughout the war that
their
forces did all they could to avoid civilian casualties. But it has
become
clear since the fighting ended that bombs did go astray, that targets
were
chosen in error, and that as US troops pushed rapidly north toward the
capital they killed thousands of civilians from the air and from the
ground....
"During the war, some people brought bodies to the hospitals to get
death
certificates; others just buried them where they were found in the
street,
or in schools," adds Faik Amin Bakr, director of the Baghdad morgue. "I
don't think anyone in Iraq could give you the figure of civilian deaths
at
the moment."
-----
COUNCIL APPROVES RESOLUTION URGING PATRIOT ACT'S REPEAL
Bob Seidenberg, Pioneer Press, 5/22/03
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/ev/05-22-03-24744.html
Evanston joined more than 100 other communities nationwide in approving
a
resolution Monday that condemned and called for repeal of the U.S.A.
Patriot Act.
The controversial legislation was put in place to fight global
terrorism in
the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America.
People in the audience at Monday's City Council meeting, many of them
activists both here and in Chicago, applauded and broke into cheers as
council members voted 6-0, with one abstention, to approve the
resolution.
Alderman Edmund B. Moran Jr., 6th Ward, cast the abstention, saying he
needed more analysis of the details included in the resolution....
Council passage of the resolution will set other moves into action
concerning the Patriot Act. They include informing the council of any
action, expenditure of funds or activity by a city department in
connection
with Patriot Act provisions; and a direction to staff to post warnings
about the act at appropriate city facilities.
SEE ALSO:
BALT. OFFICIALS TAKE STAND AGAINST PATRIOT ACT
David Collins, WBAL-TV, 5/20/03
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/2217471/detail.html
BALTIMORE - The Baltimore City Council is taking a stand against the
Patriot Act, sending a strong message to the Bush administration --
putting
the government on notice that they don't approve of where the policy
lines
are being drawn, Collins reported.
Baltimore now joins 108 other jurisdictions across the country in
officially expressing concerns about the Patriot Act. Although it does
not
carry the weight of law, the resolution offers guidelines to police and
even city libraries....
The City Council resolution directs the Baltimore City Police
Department to
uphold the U.S. Constitution -- something police officials said they do
any
way.
According to one legal scholar, the message to police is to go easy on
someone who may face immigration consequences if arrested, Collins
said.
The resolution asks that public libraries in the city post in prominent
locations a warning to patrons that, under the U.S. Patriot Act, their
library records may be obtained by federal law enforcement....
-----
PENTAGON'S PROMISES FAIL TEST FOR SURVEILLANCE CRITICS
Michael J. Sniffen, AP, 5/22/03
http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%7E1865%7E1405527,00.html
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon changed the name of its planned anti-terror
surveillance system Tuesday and promised to use only legally collected
personal data but failed to satisfy a coalition of groups with privacy
concerns.
The Pentagon's 99-page report on the project also failed to reassure
Sen.
Ron Wyden, D-Ore., author of Congress' ban on implementing the system
to
scan databases with information about Americans without specific
congressional approval.
"What most Americans don't know is that the laws that protect consumer
privacy don't apply when the data gets into the government's hands,"
Wyden
said in an interview. "Lawfully collected information can include
anything,
medical records, travel, credit card and financial data."
Wyden and Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Russell Feingold, D-Wis.,
vowed
to retain tight congressional control of the data-mining and analysis
software being developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency,
or DARPA.
DARPA hopes to predict terrorist attacks by detecting telltale patterns
of
behavior in electronic records of passport applications, visas, work
permits, driver's licenses, car rentals, airline ticket purchases,
arrests
or reports of suspicious activities....
-----
EVANGELICALS SHIFT APPROACH TO MUSLIMS
Jane Lampman, Christian Science Monitor, 5/22/03
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0522/p18s01-lire.html
BOSTON - In the wake of international criticism of high-profile
Christian
preachers for their harsh depictions of Islam, evangelical leaders in
America are striking out in a new direction. They have taken a stance
against negative public rhetoric about Islam, and are encouraging
widespread conversation with Muslims.
A set of guidelines for Christian-Muslim dialogue - which seeks
increased
mutual understanding but also calls for engaging over theological
differences and other serious issues - is now circulating for comment
among
evangelical and other Christian denominations. The guidelines
(www.ird.org)
were proposed earlier this month in a meeting sponsored by the National
Association of Evangelicals and the conservative Institute on Religion
and
Democracy (IRD)....
Evangelicals for the most part have stood apart from such dialogue in
the
past, leaving it to liberal Christians - Protestant and Catholic - and
have
even rejected participation in interfaith prayer meetings that might
call
for inclusive language.
But according to Mrs. Knippers, dialogue is now important for several
reasons: If Muslims interact primarily with liberal Christians, she
says,
they will get an unbalanced and distorted view of Christian faith and
ethics. Dialogue offers Christians an opportunity to learn about
worldviews
of non-Christians and to share their own deep convictions about Jesus.
And,
there are issues that need to be discussed beyond theological
concerns....
During the national meeting of evangelicals, leaders also rebuked the
negative remarks made over the past year by the Rev. Franklin Graham,
the
Rev. Jerry Falwell, and others....
-----
WOLFOWITZ SLAMMED ON TURKEY COMMENT
Ami Eden, Forward, 5/23/03
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.05.23/news6.html
A veteran Democratic congressman is calling for the resignation of
Deputy
Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, claiming the Pentagon official is
"undermining" democracy in Turkey.
Speaking from the floor of the House of Representatives on Monday,
Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank called on Wolfowitz to resign over
remarks
he made in an interview that aired on CNN Turk, the Turkish affiliate
of
the cable news network. During the interview, which aired May 6,
Wolfowitz
said it was "disappointing" that the Turkish military had not been as
"forceful" as it could have been in pushing the country's parliament to
cooperate with the American invasion of Iraq.
Frank accused the Pentagon deputy of sending an anti-democratic message
to
the rest of the world. Wolfowitz's remarks were especially disturbing
because the country in question was Turkey, Frank said.
"Trying to encourage Islamist movements that are genuinely democratic
is
one of our highest goals," Frank said in his House speech. "We have in
Turkey now a government that has Islamist groups, the political
majority,
and is also committed to democracy...."
The White House reportedly has voiced its continuing support for
Wolfowitz.
In a statement sent to the Forward via e-mail, the Pentagon defended
Wolfowitz as an "outspoken supporter of democracy in Turkey...."
SEE ALSO
THE NEOCONSERVATIVE STYLE OF DEMOCRACY
H D S Greenway, Daily Times, 5/22/03
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_18-5-2003_pg4_15
Neoconservatives, who have risen to great power and influence within
the
Bush administration, have told us of their sweeping design to transform
the
Middle East into a model of democracy. Skeptics have demurred, but the
neocons have countered that the doubters lack vision.
There have been recent events, however, that bring into question the
sincerity of these grand visionaries.
Take, for example, the recent remarks of Deputy Secretary of Defense
Paul Wolfowitz, perhaps the most influential of the right-wing
conservatives in government. Although the State Department got most of
the
blame for the diplomatic debacle over Turkey's failure to allow US
troops
to transit en route to Iraq, it was Wolfowitz who conducted much of the
negotiations. As it was, Turkey's new, democratically elected
Parliament
said no, much to Washington's chagrin and to the embarrassment of the
Turkish government, which had urged a ''yes'' vote. Turkey was not the
first government in a democratic state to be rebuffed by legislators.
It
happens in the United States all the time.
But last week, in an interview with CNN, Wolfowitz lashed out at the
Turkish military for the failure to fall into line. ''I think for
whatever
reason, they did not play the strong leadership role that we would have
expected,'' he said. Consider the ramifications of this statement in
the
Turkish context. Democracy in Turkey is alive but fragile. Open
elections
began only in the 1950s.
Traditionally the Turkish military has seen itself as the guardian of
the
secular state that Kemal Ataturk put into place following the end of
the
Ottoman Empire after World War I....
-----
THE 3RD AMC IMAM CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN D.C. AREA
WHAT: The American Muslim Council will be hosting its third Imam
conference
in the D.C.-area. The conference will provide an appropriate
opportunity
for everyone to listen to experts in their respective fields and get a
crash course on politics, national security, international issues, and
the
issues faced by the American Muslim community.
Religious leaders in one's community such as school administrators,
members
of the board of directors, and teachers, can also attend the
Conference.
Muslim chaplains in federal and state institutions also have been
invited
to the Conference.
WHERE: Mark Center Hilton Hotel, Alexandria, VA
WHEN: June 6-9, 2003.
CONTACT: www.amconline.org
-----
TO BECOME A CAIR MEMBER, GO TO:
https://www.cair-net.org/asp/membership.asp
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/23/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARITY
* QUOTE OF THE DAY: MOSQUE AND STATE
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5944 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS PUSH DIALOGUE (St. Petersburg Times)
- Evangelical Group Launches 'Operation Iraqi Care' (CSNews)
* CAIR-ST. LOUIS VOTER REGISTRATION
- CAIR-ST. Louis Adopt-a-Highway
* NW AIRLINES SETTLES WITH PAKISTANI REMOVED FROM PLANE (AP)
* JUSTICE WON'T RESIGN OVER 'TERRORIST' REMARK (Journal News)
* ARABS, MUSLIMS OBEY ORDERS AND PAY PRICE (Chicago Tribune)
* ALASKA PASSES ANTI-PATRIOT ACT RESOLUTION (ABC News)
- Unexpected Steps Against the Patriot Act (Village Voice)
* MUSLIM AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS HOLD MEMORIAL DAY RALLY
* EMERSON DROPS HIS LAWSUIT (Weekly Planet)
* FORGED PAPERS CHASE THAT IS BOUND TO RUN AND RUN (Times)
- Troops Test Cooperation with Clerics (Wash. Post)
* MUSLIM SCHOLARSHIP FUND 2003
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARITY
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The believer's shade on
the
Day of Resurrection will be his charity." Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 604
The Prophet also said: "Every act of goodness is charity." Sahih
Muslim,
Hadith 496
-----
QUOTE OF THE DAY: MOSQUE AND STATE
WIDER ROLE URGED FOR MUSLIM WOMEN
Julia Duin, Washington Times, 5/23/03
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030523-123025-2869r.htm
Coalition forces in Iraq plan to award an interim governing authority
of
Iraqis with the task of writing a new constitution and other judicial
reforms. But there are calls, Mrs. Francke said, for this document to
state
that Iraq is "a Muslim country."
"But we have a Christian minority so I am sure the Christians would
object," she said. Her preference: a statement that Iraqi law "will be
inspired by the values of Islam." This skirts the dangers of Shariah
law,
she said. But will this satisfy Iraq's radical clerics?
"We can't have a statement saying we will separate mosque and state,"
she
said. "We must be very subtle, clever and ingenious at this."
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5944 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR'S Library Project has received 5944 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Take
part in this first-of-its-kind campaign by sponsoring an 18-item
"library
package." Our goal is to send accurate and objective information about
Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
TO SPONSOR A LIBRARY PACKAGE, GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
OR CALL: 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS PUSH DIALOGUE
St. Petersburg Times, 5/23/03
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/05/23/Tampabay/Christians__Muslims_p.shtml
Faith organizations are partnering for the two groups to talk about
post-Sept. 11 freedoms.
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and
the
Florida Council of Churches announced a statewide partnership Thursday
to
encourage dialogue between Christians and Muslims.
CAIR-FL, which is part of a national advocacy group based in
Washington,
D.C., has about 5,000 members. The FCC is an ecumenical organization
that
represents about 30 denominations and regional church groups. The
organizations recently decided to partner to "address problems in our
society, specifically the liberties that are being taken away," CAIR-FL
spokesman Ahmed Bedier said. Laws intended to offset terrorist attacks
after the Sept. 11 attacks have disproportionately affected Muslims and
people from Arab countries, Bedier said. Soon, he said, those laws will
encroach on liberties for all Americans.
The FCC and CAIR-FL will host public dialogues around the state
beginning
Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. at Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 304
Druid
Hills Road, Tampa. A panel of speakers from different faiths will share
their perspectives and answer questions. The sessions are intended to
educate people about federal laws and their impact on Americans and
foreigners in the United States. Highlighting religious tolerance and
some
beliefs that Christians, Muslims and Jews share are also goals for the
partnership....
SEE ALSO:
EVANGELICAL GROUP LAUNCHES 'OPERATION IRAQI CARE'
Jeff Johnson, CSNews.com, 5/23/03
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=%5CCulture%5Carchive%5C200305%5CCUL20030523a.html
Capitol Hill - As efforts to rebuild Iraq physically, politically,
economically and culturally continue, a coalition of Christian
organizations in the U.S. Thursday announced "Operation Iraqi Care," a
campaign to promote prayer for the spiritual future of the Middle
Eastern
country whose citizens are mostly Muslim.
"Today, I am asking that the 47 million Christians in America, who love
to
pray according to the Scriptures, include in their prayer times prayer
for
the Iraqi people," said Rev. Ted Haggard, senior pastor of the New Life
Church in Colorado Springs, Colo.
"The next few months might be the most important time of decision the
Iraqi
people have had in thousands of years," said Haggard, who is also the
new
president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), one of the
sponsors of the campaign....
Haggard said Christians in the U.S. could offer people of faith in
Iraq,
where Christians make up only approximately 4 percent of the
population,
advice because of the American experience sorting out the proper role
of
government in relationship to religion....
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
told CNSNews.com that, based on the information on the coalition's
website,
he finds nothing wrong with the effort.
"What I'm seeing is they say they're going to pray for cities and
people in
Iraq," Hooper added. "If all they do is pray, you can hardly fault
that...."
Hooper said his view of Operation Iraqi Care could change, depending on
the
motives of the participants.
"If it's a group like Samaritan's Purse, that's headed by Franklin
Graham -
a man who says that Islam is evil - that's one thing," Hooper
explained.
"If it's a group that's going in to help people and not proselytize
vulnerable populations, then that's another."
Haggard said that having the local congregations distribute the aid to
their fellow Iraqis should ease the concerns of Muslims like Hooper.
"We're not going to send Americans to Iraq to distribute these things,"
he
said. "We, as Christians, want to help people. We don't want to cause
confusion by bringing up other issues that really aren't our primary
objective...."
-----
CAIR-ST. LOUIS VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE
WHAT: The St. Louis chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations is
launching an ambitious new voter registration drive at area
mosques. Representatives of CAIR-St. Louis will be at local mosques
every
Friday following weekly congregational prayers.
U.S. Citizens of legal age (18) will be asked to complete two forms.
The
first form will be the State Voter Registration form. The second form
will
be a form that CAIR will use to gather demographic data on registered
Muslim voters. Those individuals, who are already registered voters,
will
be asked to still complete the second form. The goal of CAIR-St. Louis
is
to register 1,000 new voters by the 2004 election.
WHEN: Thursday, May 23, 2003.
CONTACT: For more information on this important project, contact Jim
Hacking at admin@cair-stl.org or (314) 602-3794.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-ST. LOUIS ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY
WHAT: CAIR-St. Louis will continue its participation in the Missouri
Department of Transportation's Adopt-A-Highway, a program that allows
groups such as CAIR to place a sign with the organization's name on it
in
exchange for a commitment to clean a portion of the highway on a
regular
basis. CAIR's stretch of highway is on Interstate 64 (Highway 40)
between
Lindbergh and Spoede Road.
WHERE: Participants will be meeting at the parking lot of Schnuck's
grocery
store (Lindbergh and Clayton) for a clean-up. Trash bags, work vests
and
water bottles will be provided. Please bring a pair of gloves.
WHEN: Sunday, June 1, 2003 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participant will meet
at
11 a.m. and then go to the highway cleanup site together.
CONTACT: For more information on this project, contact Dr. Hashim Raza
at
(314) 579-0632 or hasraz@aol.com.
-----
NORTHWEST AIRLINES SETTLES WITH PAKISTANI MAN REMOVED FROM PLANE
Associated Press, 5/22/03
SAN FRANCISCO - Northwest Airlines has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum
to
a Pakistani man from California who was kicked off a plane allegedly
because of his "Middle Eastern appearance."
The deal between the airline and Harris Khan, a 28-year-old software
manager from Monterey, was announced Wednesday.
Khan's attorney, Robert Rubin of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
in
San Francisco, said he believed it was the first cash award in a case
of
alleged passenger profiling following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror
attacks.
Khan had boarded a San Jose-bound flight in Minneapolis on Dec. 25,
2001.
The plane left the boarding gate, but stopped when the pilot announced
there was ice on the wings. Rubin asserted that the crew was actually
observing Khan based on a passenger's concerns. He said Khan was
removed
from the plane because of his "Middle Eastern appearance."
Under terms of the settlement, which precludes Khan from filing a civil
rights lawsuit, Northwest will write Khan a letter of apology.
Northwest spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch confirmed the settlement but declined
to
comment on the terms.
"We have a very strict policy with all our employees that passengers
can
only be removed from aircraft because of their behavior, not their
appearance," he said.
-----
TARRYTOWN JUSTICE WON'T RESIGN OVER 'TERRORIST' REMARK
Robert Marchant, Journal News, 5/22/03
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/052203/b0122judgefolo.html
TARRYTOWN - A village justice facing criticism for calling an
Arab-American
woman a "terrorist" in his courtroom brushed aside the controversy and
Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano's call for his resignation
yesterday.
William Crosbie is facing a complaint in the New York State Commission
on
Judicial Conduct from a Tarrytown nursing student and mother, Anissa
Khoder, who said the justice made a remark about her being a
"terrorist" as
she approached him to discuss two parking tickets on May 15 in Village
Court. She called the remark offensive and filed a complaint.
Crosbie acknowledged that he made the remark once in front of Khoder
and
said it "may have been inappropriate." Yesterday, he said he would
answer
any questions from the judicial conduct commission, but he did not
believe
the matter was worth pursuing.
"I regret we had the contretemps," he said in his office following a
court
session that went according to the usual routine, but he was planning
to
continue with his duties as a village justice, regardless of the
criticism
he is receiving in some quarters. "It's business as usual..."
-----
ARABS, MUSLIMS OBEY ORDERS AND PAY PRICE
Colleen Mastony, Chicago Tribune, 5/23/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-0305230272may23,1,2285225.story
Khalid Faiz-Mohammad, a cabdriver from Glendale Heights, dutifully
obeyed
the call for men from Muslim and Arab countries to register with the
government, then gave U.S. officials details about how he got into the
country illegally by driving over the Canadian border in 1989.
The native of Pakistan handed them a copy of his application for legal
residency, filed in 1996, believing that would assure officials that he
was
not a terrorist.
But he was taken into custody on that February day and has been held
ever
since. Now he faces deportation to Pakistan on Sunday, despite being
married to a U.S. citizen.
He is one of thousands who went willingly to immigration offices but
now
face deportation, sometimes for relatively minor or old violations.
Many
feel angry and duped...
Registering "was the worst decision I made in my life," Faiz-Mohammad
said
from the detention center. "I was trying to be a good citizen," he
said.
-----
ALASKA PASSES ANTI-PATRIOT ACT RESOLUTION; SECOND STATE TO OPPOSE FEDS
Dean Schabner, ABC News, 5/23/03
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/alaska_patriot030523.html
Alaska has joined a growing national rebellion against the USA Patriot
Act,
voting to oppose the massive federal anti-terrorism law passed by
Congress
soon after Sept. 11, 2001.
The state Legislature used some of the strongest language yet in
passing a
resolution condemning USA Patriot, following the lead of Hawaii and 112
cities, towns and counties around the country that have passed similar
resolutions against the law.
But Alaska's measure goes further than most, advising police and other
state agencies not to "initiate, participate in, or assist or cooperate
with an inquiry, investigation, surveillance or detention" if there is
not
"reasonable suspicion of criminal activity under Alaska State law."
"We have a concern that [the Patriot Act] could be abused. The
potential
for abuse is too great," said Rep. David Guttenberg, a Democrat who
co-sponsored the resolution. "America is an open state. There's a cost
to
that. Where are we willing to sacrifice for that? Guys are dying on the
battlefield to protect our freedoms. It's up to us to protect those
freedoms here at home."
"We hope that a resolution like this, with the bipartisan support that
it
has, will urge Congress to re-examine the provisions of the USA Patriot
Act
that challenge the individual freedoms that make this country great,"
said
Rep. John Coghill, a Republican from North Pole who co-sponsored the
resolution. "If we sacrifice our freedom, we let terrorism win...."
SEE ALSO
UNEXPECTED STEPS AGAINST THE PATRIOT ACT
James Ridgeway, Village Voice, 5/21-27/03
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0321/mondo3.php
Some 107 communities in 24 states representing 11.3 million people have
now
passed resolutions opposing the federal USA Patriot Act. Alaska is
expected
to join Hawaii in opposing the Patriot Act, as is the city of
Baltimore.
This could be the beginnings of unexpected political opposition to the
Bush
re-election campaign, especially since the opposition now includes an
important sector of the conservative movement itself. Such entities as
the
Eagle Forum and American Conservative Union are speaking out strongly
against the act as a violation of civil liberties and have joined with
the
ACLU and other liberal groups in a coalition to fight the act.
The assault has forced the government to launch its own lobbying effort
to
buoy support for the legislation. In the Albany FBI office, Keith A.
DeVincentis, the special agent in charge, recently went to bat against
the
Ithaca city council, which had passed a resolution against the Patriot
Act.
"Contrary to popular television and theatrical portrayals, the FBI
initiates cases predicated on facts, not suspicions or guesswork,"
DeVincentis said, and he added that the Ithaca council members should
"be
aware that the FBI has been the primary entity in the United States
responsible for investigating and bringing to justice those who seek to
violate the constitutional rights of the American people...."
Meanwhile, the government's prosecutions under the act look fishy. The
Philadelphia Inquirer, working with Syracuse University, found that 60
Middle Eastern men charged with terrorism in the fall of 2002 actually
were
guilty only of cheating on an English test for admission to a U.S.
university. And that's just for starters....
-----
MUSLIM AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS HOLD MEMORIAL DAY RALLY
US Newswire, 5/23/03
http://www.usnewswire.com
WHAT: The Muslim American Society will host Muslim Solidarity Day, a
day-long series of events for the entire family with speakers, voter
registration, petition drives, picnic sites, games and activities for
children, public service and information tables, displays and exhibits.
The march and rally, called Muslim Solidarity Day for Justice and
Peace, is
designed to protest the erosion of civil rights and civil liberties
under
the Bush-Ashcroft administration and will include several peace,
justice,
religious and civil rights organizations and speakers such as Imam
Siraj
Wahaj, former Congressman Rev. Walter Fauntroy, Ron Daniels (Center for
Constitutional Rights), Congressman John Conyers, a representative from
Congressman Dennis Kucinich's office, Rev. Al Sharpton, Mara
Verheyden-Hillard (Partnership for Civil Justice), Dr. Jamal Badawi,
Brian
Becker (International Action Center), Hillary Shelton (NAACP), and
Mahdi
Bray, executive director of MAS Freedom, and representatives from the
following organizations: Muslim American Society, MANA, SEIU, AFL-CIO,
ADC-Boston, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, American For a Fair Chance,
Leadership
Conference on Civil Rights, People for the American Way, NAACP, Islamic
Circle of North America, American Muslim Council, AFL-CIO, Peace Action
Network, Center for Constitutional Rights, members of the national
interfaith community and many more.
WHERE: Freedom Plaza (14th St and Pennsylvania Ave., NW).
WHEN: Saturday, May 24, at 10 a.m.
CONTACT: Mahdi Bray of the Muslim American Society, 202-421-3623
-----
EMERSON DROPS HIS LAWSUIT
Jim Harper, Weekly Planet, 5/21/03
http://www.weeklyplanet.com/current/news_feature.html
Controversial 'journalist" Steven Emerson has abandoned his
four-year-old
libel suit against the Weekly Planet and former editor John Sugg.
Emerson's
retreat, filed in Hillsborough County Circuit Court last Friday, came
as he
faced increasing pressure from the Planet and a circuit judge to back
up
some of his more outlandish claims with public evidence.
"Emerson never had a case," Planet publisher Ben Eason said Monday. "He
knew he never had a case. That's why he kept referring to secret
evidence.
At the point when a judge demanded that Emerson reveal the identity of
his
associates and identify his sources, he turned tail and ran."
What made Emerson's lawsuit particularly galling, Eason said, was that
it
seemed designed mainly to intimidate the Planet and other independent
news
outlets from honest reporting -- a curious campaign for a supposed
journalist to wage.
"Sugg's stories were accurate when he labeled Emerson a
pseudo-journalist,"
newspaper attorney David M. Snyder said. "No self-respecting reporter
would
try to deter another journalist from reporting a story. They would
publish
their own views and try to win in the marketplace of ideas, not in
court."
Emerson promotes himself as an investigative reporter with special
knowledge of radical Islamic terrorists. His critics say his work reads
more like propaganda, tilted toward the interests of Israel's right
wing....
-----
THE FORGED PAPERS CHASE THAT IS BOUND TO RUN AND RUN
Bronwen Maddox, Times Online, 5/23/03
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,5944-689490,00.html
The Central Intelligence Agency is holding a review of whether it
overestimated the threat of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. It must
surely look at the simmering row about whether the British and US
Governments based their case for war partly on forged documents that
appeared to show Iraq was trying to get uranium from Africa.
That was one of the headline-grabbing claims of Tony Blair's "dossier"
on
Iraq's weapons, published with such drama last autumn. But the row
about
the forged documents that appear to have prompted the passage is not
going
away, particularly across the Atlantic, where it has attracted the
attention of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Prime Minister did
not
name the African country, but officials confirmed that the passage
referred
to Niger, the third-largest producer of mined uranium. The US State
Department repeated that claim in December, naming Niger. But the
claim,
denied by Niger, was shot down by Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the IAEA,
the
UN nuclear watchdog. He told the Security Council on March 7 that the
documents appearing to support the claim were forgeries.
Gary Samore, author of an earlier dossier published by the
International
Institute of Strategic Studies, the London-based think-tank, says the
claim
"was wrong in a very embarrassing way. I understand (the documents)
were
crude forgeries . . . pretty crude cutting and pasting of letterheads.
I
don't know how it's possible that the CIA and MI6 (the intelligence
services) did not do obvious checks to make sure they were authentic."
Hans
Blix, the UN chief weapons inspector, has called that failure "very,
very
disturbing...."
The image becomes more embarrassing the more "cards" the US has in its
keeping without appearing to have any more of the answers.
SEE ALSO:
TROOPS TEST COOPERATION WITH CLERICS
Anthony Shadid, Washington Post, 5/23/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28403-2003May22.html?nav=hptop_tb
BAGHDAD - It was payday in Baghdad's largest slum and, as is their
custom,
the Americans arrived in force.
Four Humvees parked outside a building housing an Islamic charity
chosen by
the U.S. Agency for International Development to administer its first
grass-roots project in the Iraqi capital. Near a portrait of the late
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran, a soldier doled out bundles of
15,000
Iraqi dinars to workers chosen by mosques to clean the streets of
sewage
and trash. In the hall stood a Special Forces major, who spoke with the
impatience of a soldier used to precision but struggling with imprecise
translations.
Overseeing it all, in his cleric's white turban and pressed robes, was
the
charity director, Sheik Kadhim Fartousi, America's man among the
neighborhood's 1.8 million Shiite Muslims.
Perhaps.
Fartousi is the face of ambiguous postwar Iraq, a turbulent landscape
of
uncertain allegiances and agendas. And in the week since the start of
the
project -- a 16-day, $280,000 effort to clean the slum once known as
Saddam
City -- he has emerged at the center of an experiment, largely
unintended,
of engagement between U.S. soldiers who occupy Iraq and Shiite clergy
who
deem its future theirs....
"I believe in the philosophy of crawl, walk, run," he said, sitting in
a
room with slogans on the wall that read, "God preserve Iraq." In Saddam
City, now renamed Sadr City after a renowned ayatollah slain with his
two
sons in 1999, U.S. forces have to reach out to the clergy, Vidal said,
because they "have the people's ear...."
-----
MUSLIM SCHOLARSHIP FUND 2003
WHAT: The Muslim Scholarship Fund was established in March 2002 to
assist
Musli university students pursuing degrees in fields in which Muslims
are
underrepresented. The Muslim Scholarship Fund seeks to cultivate
student
interest in the designated fields at the pre-collegiate and collegiate
levels, and to contribute to the emergence of exceptional young
professionals in the relevant career domains. The Fund provides annual
"Progressive Muslim Scholarship" awards to needing students based on
merit.
Application Deadline: July 21, 2003
Awards Announced: mid-Sept., 2003 for 2003-2004 Academic Year
AWARDS OFFERED:
1) UNDERGRADUATE ONLY Scholarship for HUMANITIES/SOCIAL SCIENCE MAJORS
First place: $3,000
Second place: $1,500
Third place: $500
2) GRADUATE ONLY Scholarship for MIDDLE EAST/ISLAMIC STUDIES MAJORS
First place: $3,000
Second place: $2,000
3) UNDERGRADUATE/GRADUATE Scholarship for JOURNALISM/MEDIA/FILM MAJORS
First place: $3,000
Second place: $1,500
Third place: $500
4) LAW Scholarship for LAW SCHOOL STUDENTS
First place: $1,000
The eligible student must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal
resident.
Furthermore, he or she must have attended high school in the U.S. or
Canada. Students must be enrolled in or intend to enroll in a major
that
addresses the fields designated for the scholarship. Other criteria are
listed on the MSF website. DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION FORM AND AWARD
DESCRIPTION
CONTACT: Additional details, MSF contact information and application
documents are available for download from the Muslim Scholarship Fund's
website at www.muslimscholarshipfund.org.
-----
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-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/25/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: BE KIND AND LENIENT
* MUSLIMS SPEAKING OUT ON TALK RADIO (LA Times)
* CAL THOMAS: ATTACKING OUR SHARED HUMANITY (News & Record)
- Muslims are No Sinister Political (Detroit Free Press)
- Irrational Fear
- Looking for Enemies
* DANIEL PIPES: LET'S NOT REPEAT HYSTERIA OF MCCARTHYISM
* INDIANA MOSQUE VANDALIZED (Star Express)
- DA: Boy's Beating a Hate Crime (Courier Times)
* MUSLIM GROUP BEGINS VOTER DRIVE (Post-Dispatch)
- Muslim Voter Drive Begins (KWMU)
* FL MUSLIM TO TAKE PART IN NATIONAL SPELLING BEE
* SNAFU PREVENTS LOCAL DOCTOR'S RETURN TO U.S. (Roxboro-Courier)
* PROFILING FUELS ISLAM GUIDE (Orlando Sentinel)
* FBI APOLOGY FAILS TO DISSIPATE CLOUD (Washington Post)
- Patriot Act Prompts Grass-Roots Uprising (Star Tribune)
* IRAQI CIVILIAN DEATHS COULD BE HIGH AS 10,000 (Herald)
- Maureen Dowd: Yo, Ayatollahs! (New York Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: BE KIND AND LENIENT
A group of people once insulted the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him)
and his wife Aisha responded angrily to the insult. But the Prophet
told
her: "O 'Aisha! God is kind and lenient and likes that one should be
kind
and lenient in all matters."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Hadith 61
-----
MUSLIMS SPEAKING OUT ON TALK RADIO
William Lobdell, Los Angeles Times, 5/25/03
http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-me-radio25may25.story
Tired of hearing their religion bashed on talk radio, about 30 Muslims
listened to insider secrets Saturday on how "Rehan from Rancho Palos
Verdes" or "Maryam from Diamond Bar" can get a word in edgewise on the
air.
"If you're calm, you'll win," said Leslie Marshall, a television- and
talk-radio host, during a 2 1/2-hour training session at the Council on
American-Islamic Relations' Southern California headquarters in
Anaheim.
"If you're married, you know what I'm talking about."
Most of the participants were longtime listeners of talk radio, but had
never made a call. Instead, the Muslims said, they usually sit in their
cars, seething as talk-show hosts generalize about how their faith is
violent, hateful, backward and oppressive.
"Because we get so angry, we lose our point, we lose our focus and we
don't
come off as very nice," said Maher Alghorani, a board member on the
council
that serves Southern California's Muslim population, estimated between
155,000 and 600,000.
"That's why there's a need for this kind of training…"
"The perception is Islam equals terrorism, and that hasn't gone away,"
said
Marshall, who is married to an American Muslim physician. And part of
changing the perception is getting more peace-loving Muslim voices on
talk
radio.
For those wanting to argue on-air with radio personalities, Marshall
had
what she called some "hard truths."
For instance, if you have a heavy accent, you probably won't get on the
air. "It's not prejudice," but it's just difficult for listeners to
understand you, Marshall said…
Marshall said these insights are designed so Muslims can "see the
wizard
behind the curtain. And in turn that will let the wizard see the
audience."
Marshall also gave practical tips: When calling in, act like you're a
guest
in someone's home, flatter the host and, as your anger rises,
"remember,
it's just a radio show."
"We're too defensive," said Rehan Jafri, a physician from Rancho Palos
Verdes, who has listened with frustration in his car as his fellow
Muslims
get steamrolled by talk-radio hosts.
"I've learned today that we need to be calm, have a sense of humor and
keep
focused..."
-----
CAL THOMAS: ATTACKING OUR SHARED HUMANITY YET AGAIN
News & Record (Greensboro, NC), 5/24/03
http://www.news-record.com/news/opinions/letters/satlettrs24.htm
Scroll down.
By itself, Cal Thomas' pernicious May 21 broadside against Muslims,
"Muslims' political action a threat," could be dismissed. Most alert
readers are familiar with his fulminations and recognize that such can
be
expected from the former editor of Jerry Falwell's now-defunct
Fundamentalist Journal.
His citing of Daniel Pipes as an expert on things Islamic signals to
the
informed reader that Thomas is not being "fair and balanced," as his TV
network home is fond of claiming. Pipes is considerably to the right of
even President Bush in seeking to obstruct the "road map" to peace in
the
Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
But read in the context of other Christian spokespersons' attacks on
Islam,
Patriot Act implications for marginalizing Muslims, and a pervasive
atmosphere of stifling any whiff of dissent in U.S. society, Thomas'
comments fit into a grim pattern of emerging McCarthyism and - dare I
say
it - fascism in our country. His snapshot view of a few of the millions
of
Muslims in America is framed for maximum fear factor. The same could be
done to represent the face of Christians, or Jews, or blacks, or
Hispanics.
Especially in a community such as Greensboro, where we have been
blessed by
the contributions of so many thousands of Muslims, we should not allow
the
views of those such as Cal Thomas to deter us from recognizing our
common
humanity. May his column serve us as the "canary in the mine," warning
us
of poisonous gases building up.
Max L. Carter
Greensboro
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM AMERICANS ARE NO SINISTER POLITICAL FORCE
Detroit Free Press, 5/24/03
http://www.freep.com/voices/editorials/ecal24_20030524.htm
Cal Thomas' May 21 op-ed column ("Using Democracy to invade U.S.?") was
hate speech in the same vein as rhetoric directed against Jews in Nazi
Germany, Catholics in the 1920s, and Japanese Americans during World
War
II. Thomas calls for exclusion from the democratic process of a
vulnerable
minority that has experienced a 1,500-percent increase in hate crimes,
according to the FBI.
Muslims were not traditionally involved in politics, a fact that flies
in
the face of Thomas' insidious conspiracy theory. Most Muslims have only
become politically involved post-9/11 because of one important human
instinct: self-preservation. Who wouldn't register to vote if they
thought
this was the only way to protect their children from unfair profiling,
detention and exclusion from the very privileges that brought them
here?
Not all Muslims seek world domination, just as not all Christians
promote a
global crusade.
The quotations Thomas attributed to the Council on American-Islamic
Relations are false. CAIR's focus is on promoting civil rights and
respect
for all faiths and minorities through our specialized focus on the
Muslim
minority. We achieve this through education, advocacy and political and
social inclusion.
Thomas confirmed his bigotry by quoting Islamophobe Daniel Pipes, who
spews
hate wherever he goes. It is not alarmist to say that this
normalization of
hate toward a vulnerable cross-section could be the basis of a future
holocaust. We must speak up now before it is too late.
Haaris Ahmad Executive Director Council on American-Islamic Relations
of
Michigan Lathrup Village
---
IRRATIONAL FEAR
I was appalled at Cal Thomas' op-ed column. To suggest that we U.S.
Muslims
are lurking in the weeds, waiting to over-breed the Jews and Christians
in
this country and exercise our political power is an affront not only to
Muslims but to every American immigrant -- and that does cover all of
us.
My family has been in the United States for nearly 100 years. Every
able-bodied man in my extended family has served proudly in the armed
forces of our country, from World War I right through Vietnam.
For Cal Thomas to spew his venom against U.S. Muslims and try to deny
them
their right to be politically active suggests that he is nothing more
than
a talking head for the ultra-right wing of this country.
Fear Islam? No. Fear the ultra right.
Ed Dean Oxford
---
LOOKING FOR ENEMIES
Cal Thomas uses extreme right-wing rhetoric to get the readers'
attention.
He imagines bombs with ballots when it comes to Muslim-American
political
participation. Klansmen in Mississippi in the '60s felt the same way
about
black participation; Klan ideology shocked the national conscience when
Klan members murdered young Jewish men who went to Mississippi to
register
black voters.
Looking for the enemies of our freedom and democracy, Thomas need not
go
far; he just needs to look into a mirror.
Victor G. Begg
Bloomfield Hills
-----
DANIEL PIPES: LET'S NOT REPEAT HYSTERIA OF MCCARTHYISM
BILL TAMMEUS, Kansas City Star, 5/24/03
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/5913326.htm
Recently, for instance, I attended a weeklong seminar on Muslims in
America. One speaker was the controversial Daniel Pipes, director of
the
Middle East Forum in Philadelphia. Pipes told us he thought 80 percent
of
Islamic organizations in the United States were controlled or deeply
influenced by religious extremists. When the journalists attending the
seminar challenged him to justify that figure, he simply attributed it
to a
Muslim leader.
Pipes writes a great deal about Islam and often appears as an expert on
television news and talk shows. I am not equating Pipes and McCarthy,
but
Pipes' alarmist views sometimes don't hold water and many Muslims
revile him.
"I get a lot of heat," Pipes acknowledges. As he should.
-----
INDIANA MOSQUE VANDALIZED
DAMAGE TO LOCAL MOSQUE NOT CLASSIFIED AS HATE CRIME
KEITH ROYSDON, Star Express, 5/23/03
http://www.thestarpress.com/tsp/news/local/03/may/0523mosquevandalism.php
MUNCIE - Police are keeping a watchful eye on a local mosque after a
recent
incident of vandalism, but they aren't prepared to call it a hate
crime.
Police investigated a report this week that signs bearing the name and
address of the Muncie Islamic Center had been torn down.
"With the current atmosphere, and this being the Islamic Center, we
wanted
to document it," said Deputy Chief James Peters.
City police were investigating the incident as criminal mischief.
Members of the Muncie Islamic Center are concerned, however.
"Finally the craziness is hitting home," Faiz Rahman told The Star
Press.
"The members of the Muslim community here are surprised and shocked by
what
happened," said Fahad Alqurashi, president of the Muslim Student
Association at Ball State University. "We didn't think we had enemies
in
town."
Islamic Center member Aamir Shabazz contacted police on Wednesday and
reported the signs had been torn down in recent days.
Shabazz told police that three residents of the area returned the
signs,
reporting that they found them in a nearby yard.
Alqurashi said he believed "someone went crazy on us because of
something
they saw in the media." He said the media often presented inaccurate,
misleading views of Islam, prompting fear in people who did not know
Muslims personally...
SEE ALSO:
DA: BOY'S BEATING A HATE CRIME
Harry Yanoshak and Laurie Mason, Bucks County Courier Times, 5/18/03
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-05182003-91675.html
Bucks County District Attorney Diane Gibbons has labeled the beating of
an
8-year-old Bensalem boy last week as a hate crime and on Friday she
filed
criminal charges against three older neighborhood boys.
The three who were charged, one 12-year-old and two 13-year-olds,
knocked
Amhed Hadi off his bike and beat him because the boy's family is
originally
from the Middle East, Gibbons said. She charged the three with ethnic
intimidation, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person,
harassment and conspiracy…
Moran said. They should have a hearing within a month in Doylestown
Borough. If convicted, the boys could be sentenced to probation,
community
service or a term in the youth detention center. Because of their ages,
Gibbons said she did not think they would be initially placed in the
detention center before they were brought before a juvenile court
judge.
-----
MUSLIM GROUP BEGINS VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE
PHILLIP O'CONNOR, Post-Dispatch, 5/23/03
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/news/153478E558C1F42686256D30000BCB41
A spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations says building
political influence starts at the local level.
The nation's largest Muslim rights group began a voter registration
drive
at two area mosques Friday as part of a nationwide effort to sign up 1
million new voters for next year's elections.
Organizers said the purpose is to give a stronger, more united
political
voice to the estimated 7 million Muslims living in the United States.
"We believe by casting a unified vote on the local and national level
that
we ensure the Muslim community is part and parcel of the political
system,"
said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
Volunteers from the group's St. Louis chapter visited the Daar-Ul-Islam
mosque in west St. Louis County and a mosque on West Pine Boulevard in
St.
Louis.
A spokesman said the group would visit local mosques every Friday after
weekly congregational prayers with a goal of registering 1,000 voters.
The
group is also asking people to fill out a form that will help the
organization gather demographic data on Muslim registered voters.
"All political power comes from the local level," said Ibrahim Hooper,
a
spokesman in the council's Washington office. "Unless you have
grass-roots
support, you're not going to have impact at a national level."
In addition to mainstream issues such as tax cuts and health care,
Muslims
in the United States are interested in civil rights and the defense of
civil liberties, particularly because of policy changes enacted since
Sept.
11, 2001, Awad said…
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM VOTER DRIVE BEGINS
Matt Sepic, KWMU, 5/23/03
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kwmu/news/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=500462
ST. LOUIS, MO. (2003-05-23) The St. Louis Council on American-Islamic
Relations hopes to get more Muslim voters to the polls in the next
Presidential election.
Today they're launching a voter registration drive at area mosques.
Council
Director Jim Hacking says Muslims generally do not vote in a block.
Muslims are socially conservative I think, and in the 2000 election,
the
George Bush campaign had a lot of appeal for Muslims, and I think now,
after 9-11, a lot of people just really opened themselves to figuring
out
who best represents their interests," Hacking said.
Hacking says American Muslims' low voter turnout reflects the
population at
large. The group hopes to register a thousand new voters by November
2004.
-----
FL MUSLIM TO TAKE PART IN NATIONAL SPELLING BEE
http://www.spellingbee.com/03bios/165.shtml
Speller No. 165, Sana Ishrat Abdul Hye
Age: 14, eighth grade
School: Universal Academy of Florida, Tampa, Florida
Bio: Sana is passionate about reading, and her favorite books are those
from the Harry Potter series. Swimming and doing arts and crafts
projects
are two of her preferred pastimes. Sana is an honor student who excels
in
math and science. She would like to become a cardiologist.
-----
PAPERWORK SNAFU PREVENTS LOCAL DOCTOR'S RETURN TO U.S.
'The patients are stressed. They want their doctor.'
PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT, Roxboro-Courier, 5/24/03
http://www.roxboro-courier.com/sections/topstories/0305242PaperworkSnafu.htm
A lot of Roxboro patients want their doctor to come home.
Due to a paperwork glitch involving the United States Patriot Act,
passed
after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Dr. Shahid Mahmood, a
Pakistani citizen, was not allowed to return to the U.S. this month
after a
visit to his native country.
Mahmood, his wife Shazia and their two-year-old daughter Fareen - who
was
born in the U.S. and is therefore a citizen of this country - were
denied
entry at Dulles International Airport in Washington when they tried to
return from visiting Mahmood's ailing father.
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) workers detained the
doctor
and his family on May 11 as they deplaned in Washington, telling him he
failed to register under a law that calls for citizens of 25 primarily
Muslim countries to register before they leave the U.S.
Tracy Wall, Mahmood's Roxboro office manager, said the physician, who
has
been in the U.S. for 10 years - five of which have been spent in
Roxboro -
was worried about his patients and wanted to get back to them.
Most of Mahmood's patients are on Medicare and Medicaid and many are
elderly, said Wall.
"The patients are stressed," she said. "They want their doctor back."
She
said the practice has a fill-in physician and "he's great, but he is
not
the same to" Mahmood's patients.
According to Rabiah Ahmed of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
in
Washington, Mahmood has been in the U.S. on a H1B, or work, visa. He
registered with the INS following enactment of the Patriot Act, but
Ahmed
said it was her understanding that INS failed to inform Mahmood that he
must register each time he leaves the country. She said he was
scheduled
soon for an interview that would be part of the process of becoming a
U.S.
citizen...
Some of Mahmood's patients are homebound, said Wall, and Mahmood is one
of
the very few doctors who makes home visits. In his absence, those
patients
are panicking. Wall said the telephone in Mahmood's office had been
"ringing off the hook" since patients discovered that he had been sent
back
to Pakistan.
"They are coming out of the woodwork to offer support" in the efforts
to
have the Mahmood family returned to Roxboro, said Wall.
She said she and Mahmood had contacted the offices of Senators
Elizabeth
Dole and John Edwards and Representatives Brad Miller and David Price
to
ask for their help in getting him clearance to return…
Person Memorial Hospital CEO Craig James said the hospital is feeling
the
impact of Mahmood's absence and has sent letters on his behalf to the
senators and the embassy. James said other PMH physicians have also
written
letters in support of Mahmood's return…
Wall said she would ask that all who support Mahmood's return contact
their
senators and representatives and show their support.
Senator Dole's North Carolina office number is 704-633-5011. Edwards'
office is 919-856-4243. Congressman Miller's number in Greensboro is
336-574-2909 or his office can be reached toll-free at 877-272-3435.
Congressman Price's North Carolina office can be reached at
919-967-7924.
-----
PROFILING FUELS ISLAM GUIDE
Orlando Sentinel, 5/24//03
To stave off the profiling and unfair treatment of Muslims by
law-enforcement officials, the Council on American-Islamic Relations
has
published a booklet aiming to educate the law-enforcement community
about
Islam.
"A Law Enforcement Official's Guide to the Muslim Community" was
released
by the Washington-based Islamic civil-liberties group.
The guide contains basic information about Muslim beliefs and practices
and
addresses issues such as sensitivity in body searches and entering
Muslim
homes, given the modesty requirements of the faith.
Also included is advice on outreach to the Muslim community and the
workplace rights of law-enforcement officials who are also Muslims.
Council leaders say the booklet is meant to foster communication
between
Muslims and law enforcement and prevent disrespect and profiling.
TO ORDER A COPY OF THE GUIDE, E-MAIL: publications@cair-net.org
-----
FBI APOLOGY FAILS TO DISSIPATE CLOUD
8 Terrorism Suspects Confined on Bogus Tip
Robert E. Pierre, Washington Post, 5/24/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33190-2003May23.html
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The food's the same at the Crazy Tomato. So are the
prices and service. But what was a popular place for pasta 18 months
ago
now attracts a fraction of its regular clientele.
Business plummeted after the restaurant's owner, Tarek Albasti, was
arrested by the FBI with seven other Egyptian men as alleged terrorists
plotting attacks against the United States. Pictured in prison stripes,
the
men were splashed across the front pages, ridiculed and shunned even
after
their release by people who assumed their guilt. Whispers about flying
lessons and money trails from Evansville to Egypt spread rapidly.
But the FBI said it had all been a mistake. And at a meeting last month
with more than 100 people in the Muslim community here, the FBI offered
a
rare apology because suspicion about the arrests -- which resulted from
a
bogus tip -- hung over the men's heads for so long and disrupted their
lives…
SEE ALSO:
ANTI-TERROR PATRIOT ACT PROMPTS GRASS-ROOTS UPRISING
Kevin Diaz, Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), 5/23/03
http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/3898248.html
The anti-Patriot Act clamor started more than a year ago in Ann Arbor,
Mich., spread last month through Minneapolis, and can now be heard in
town
halls from from Alaska to St. Paul.
More than 100 towns and cities across the nation _ plus the state of
Hawaii
_ have passed resolutions urging police and other local officials to
refuse
requests by federal agents under the federal Patriot Act.
The law, passed weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, gives federal agents
sweeping powers to investigate suspected terrorists. But the law has
come
under attack by civil libertarians as an infringement on individual
rights...
Muslim groups in Minnesota and across the nation say they bear the
brunt of
the new law, which has brought more frequent visits from FBI and
immigration officials.
"There's definitely a feeling that there's been a chill about whether
you
can speak freely in mosques," said Hodan Hassan, a spokeswoman for the
Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations…
PATRIOT ACT
- Expands federal officials' ability to carry out "sneak and peek"
searches
and seizures without giving prior notice.
- Authorizes secret search warrants _ using a lower foreign
intelligence
legal standard _ against domestic targets, as long as federal officials
certify that foreign intelligence is a "significant purpose" of the
search.
- Enhances the government's powers through court order to access
personal
records.
- Grants new powers to federal officials to detain noncitizens the
government certifies as suspected terrorists, subject to judicial
review.
-----
CIVILIAN DEATHS IN IRAQ COULD BE AS HIGH AS 10,000
IAN BRUCE, The Herald, 5/23/03
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/23-5-19103-23-48-54.html
AMERICAN guns, bombs and missiles killed more civilians in the recent
war
in Iraq than in any conflict since Vietnam, according to preliminary
assessments carried out by the UN, international aid agencies and
independent study groups.
Despite US boasts this was the fastest, most clinical campaign in
military
history, a first snapshot of "collateral damage" indicates that between
5000 and 10,000 Iraqi non-combatants died in the course of the hi-tech
blitzkrieg.
Organisations such as the Red Cross, the Muslim Red Crescent, Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN are all still carrying
out
surveys and are reluctant to commit themselves to a final figure…
SEE ALSO:
YO, AYATOLLAHS!
MAUREEN DOWD, New York Times, 5/25/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/25/opinion/25DOWD.html
The Iraq WMD's and ties to Al Qaeda were merely MacGuffins, as Alfred
Hitchcock called devices that drove the plot but were otherwise
inconsequential.
The plot was always to remake the Middle East, while remaking a Bush
into a
Reagan. And the Bushies were not above playing on American fears and
desire
for 9/11 payback.
Far from being chagrined about the little problem of having no casus
belli,
and no plan for smoothly delivering Pax Americana to Iraq and
Afghanistan,
the hawks are hawking the next regime change. If Iraq was not harboring
Al
Qaeda and going nuclear, then certainly Iran is.
"Of course, they have senior Al Qaeda in Iran, that's a fact," Rummy
said
at the Pentagon briefing on Wednesday. "Iran is one of the countries
that
is, in our view, assessed as developing a nuclear capability, and
that's
unfortunate."
Bushies were also hinting that Iran may have been involved in the
attack on
a Western compound in Saudi Arabia - before our intelligence sources
are
sure. And the U.S. cannot let Iran foment desire in Iraq for a Shiite
fundamentalist government.
Citing newspaper reports that said one of the organizers of the Saudi
attacks was hiding in Iran, Bill Kristol beat the drum on Fox News:
"Indeed, bin Laden's son is probably in Iran. And that looks like the
place
where they are reconstituting Al Qaeda. Plus, Iran has been a larger
sponsor of terror, including perhaps the terror, indirectly at least,
that
hit Jerusalem today. Are you willing to get serious about Iran?" (Mr.
Kristol is obviously ready to watch another war from his living room.)
The administration is panicky about Iran's nuclear program, which the
mullahs threw into overdrive after America attacked Iraq.
Some neo-cons would like Israel to take out Iran's nuclear reactor, as
it
did Iraq's in '81; but Israel wants America to do it. Some are pushing
shah
nostalgia, suggesting that Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah of
Iran,
could be the next Chalabi…
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/26/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: OPPRESSION
* DANIEL PIPES, PEACEMAKER? (Mother Jones)
- Background on Nomination of Pipes to USIP
* MUSLIMS FIND REVIVAL IN US AMID HOSTILITY (Boston Globe)
* EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS OBSTACLE TO 'ROADMAP' (Newsweek)
* THE SCENT OF RACISM (Haaretz)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: OPPRESSION
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once prayed for God to pardon
his
people, and received the 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
-----
DANIEL PIPES, PEACEMAKER?
http://www.motherjones.com/news/update/2003/22/we_420_01.html
Daniel Pipes says the only path to Middle East peace will come through
a
total Israeli military victory. So why has President Bush nominated him
to
the board of the government's leading peace think-tank?
By Michael Scherer, Mother Jones, 5/26/03
Like many other Middle East scholars, Daniel Pipes sees a way to end
the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But unlike most of his peers, Pipes sees
no
room for negotiation, no hope for compromise and no use for diplomacy.
"What war had achieved for Israel," Pipes explained at a recent Zionist
conference in Washington DC, "diplomacy has undone."
His solution is simple: The Israeli military must force what Pipes
describes as a "change of heart" by the Palestinians in the West Bank
and
Gaza -- a sapping of the Palestinian will to fight which can lead to a
complete surrender. "How is a change of heart achieved? It is achieved
by
an Israeli victory and a Palestinian defeat," Pipes continued. "The
Palestinians need to be defeated even more than Israel needs to defeat
them."
Obviously, such extreme views put Pipes at odds with the stated
policies of
the Bush Administration, and even Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,
who
has indicated he will accept the "road map" for peace. So it took many
by
surprise last month when President Bush nominated Pipes to the board of
the
United States Institute of Peace, a Congressionally sponsored think
tank
dedicated to "the peaceful resolution of international conflicts."
The nomination has angered American Muslim groups and liberal Jewish
leaders, who see Pipes as a poor choice for a peace institute. "Daniel
Pipes is not a peacemaker," says Susannah Heschel, a professor of
Jewish
Studies at Dartmouth and co-chair of the liberal Jewish group Tikkun.
"It
would be like appointing me to be the head of nuclear physics at Los
Alamos."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which calls Pipes "the
nation's
leading Islamaphobe," is promising an all out campaign to defeat his
nomination, and at least one prominent senator has already expressed
reservations. Setting the stage for a possible showdown later this
year,
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass, says he has "serious concerns" about
Pipes,
according to Jim Manley, Kennedy's spokesman at the Health Education
and
Welfare Committee, which must approve the nomination. "It's just a
question
of whether the Republicans will want to engage in a public battle,"
Manley
added...
"All Muslims, unfortunately, are suspect," he wrote in a recent book,
though he added that only "10 to 15 percent" of Muslims are militant.
If
Muslims have jobs in the military, law enforcement or diplomacy, Pipes
states in another column, "they need to be watched for connections to
terrorism." He also finds Muslim immigration problematic: "All
immigrants
bring exotic customs and attitudes, but Muslim customs are more
troublesome
than most."
"These are views that are not particularly mainstream or tolerant of
the
other," says Judith Kipper, a Middle East fellow at the Center for
Strategic and International Studies. "A number of people have raised a
question of having someone on the board with extreme views because
democracy thrives in the center…"
Pipes' personal views on the conflict can be traced back to the early
days
of the struggle. In 1923, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, an ideological father to
the
Israeli right wing, wrote that there would be no peace until the Arabs
in
Israel were psychologically crushed. "As long as the Arabs preserve a
gleam
of hope that they will succeed in getting rid of us, nothing in the
world
can cause them to relinquish that hope," he declared. More than a
decade
later, David Ben-Gurion, who would become Israel's first prime
minister,
echoed those sentiments. "For only after total despair on the part of
the
Arabs, a despair that will come not only from the failure of the
disturbances and the attempt at rebellion, but also as a consequence of
our
growth as a country, may the Arabs possibly acquiesce in a Jewish state
of
Israel," he wrote in 1936.
Today, such views are most strongly held in Israel by right-wing
political
parties, and in America by Jewish supporters of the Israeli settlement
movement and evangelical Christians, who have found common cause with
the
hard-line aspects of the pro-Israel lobby. Those groups were well
represented at the Interfaith Zionist Leadership Summit, which began
May 17
at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington D.C. Pipes was greeted there
as a
celebrity, receiving standing ovations before and after his speech…
FOR BACKGROUND, SEE:
SCHOLAR CRITICIZES BUSH'S CHARACTERIZATION OF ISLAM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18277-2003Apr22.html
WASHINGTON POST SLAMS DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53900-2003Apr18.html
DALLAS PAPER SAYS DANIEL PIPES IS 'BAD CHOICE' FOR USIP
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/stories/041903dnediscorecard.ff05.html
MUSLIMS PROTEST BUSH NOMINEE
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42881-2003Apr6.html
FOREIGN POLICY SCHOLARS CRITICIZE PIPES NOMINATION
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.04.11/news5.html
WHO IS DANIEL PIPES?
http://www.cair-net.org/misc/people/daniel_pipes.html
THE TRUTH ABOUT DANIEL PIPES
http://www.mpac.org/home_article_display.aspx?ITEM=491
DANIEL PIPES - NOT A MAN OF PEACE
http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=1779
AAI URGES SENATE TO REJECT PIPES' APPOINTMENT
http://www.aaiusa.org/pr/release4-8-03.htm
-----
MUSLIMS FIND REVIVAL IN US AMID HOSTILITY
Geneive Abdo, Boston Globe, 5/26/2003
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/146/nation/Muslims_find_revival_in_US_amid_hostility+.shtml
BALTIMORE -- For Muzzaffar Sheikh, a technology consultant who was born
in
Pakistan, the mosque used to be a place he visited on occasion as he
went
about building his life as a new immigrant. But since the hostility
toward
Muslims began escalating nearly two years ago, the Baltimore Islamic
Society has become a refuge for him more often.
"More people are coming to the mosques more than ever," said Sheikh,
dressed in a traditional tunic on the grounds of the Al Rahmah mosque.
"Even if they were progressive Muslims in their own countries and not
so
observant, now they are sending their kids to Islamic schools."
Islamic organizations and Muslim leaders say a revival has increased
attendance at the 1,300 mosques and at the 300 to 400 Islamic schools
in
the country. This renewal is also accelerating demands for political
power
to defend the community's interests. There are said to be more than 2
million Muslims in the United States, and possibly as many as 7
million.
The number of Friday prayer services has increased to accommodate the
influx of worshipers, plans are underway to build more Islamic schools,
and
some Islamic societies have secured permission for students to pray on
Fridays in public schools. Magazines and newspapers for Muslims are
also
flourishing. Participation at US mosques increased greatly during the
1990s, a 2001 survey suggests, but Islamic leaders report that an
upturn in
attendance has occurred since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,
and
the war against Iraq…
In addition to religious centers, civic organizations are emerging
throughout the country, from urban neighborhoods to rural communities.
Part of the drive for a more defined Islamic identity stems from the
anxiety some Muslims feel. The FBI has reported a surge in hate crimes
against Muslims and Arab-Americans.
According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, FBI raids on
the
homes of suspected Islamic militants continue, as does what critics
call
the profiling of Muslims. The Washington, D.C., civil rights group also
noted that the number of Muslims fired from their jobs or harassed for
religious reasons is on the rise.
The backgrounds of the new Islamic immigrants have also played a role
in
the revival in America. From 1991 to 1997, the greatest number of
Muslim
immigrants came from the Indian subcontinent, with those from Arab
countries ranking second, according to statistics compiled by the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations. In both regions, Islamic revivalism has
been
on the rise since the 1970s.
For many Muslims, the mosque and Islamic center, generally built as one
complex, are not only places of worship but also centers of social
life, as
they are in much of the Islamic world…
At the Adams Center, a mosque and community center in Herndon, Va.,
Imam
Mohammad Magid counseled a steady stream of worshipers one recent
Friday in
his second-floor office. He held up a photograph of himself standing
next
to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. "You see, Muslims get mixed
messages," Magid said. "We are told by US officials that America
believes
Islam is a peaceful religion. But then we realize by their actions that
pictures like this are just photo opportunities which have little
meaning."
Many American Muslims oppose US policies in the Middle East, from the
wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan to what they see as the US government's
unconditional support for Israel.
Many American Muslims hope that through religious and social unity they
can
gain more political power and begin to steer US foreign policy toward
the
Middle East and the Islamic world…
-----
A VERY MIXED MARRIAGE
Evangelical Christians lining up to fight for Israel maybe an unmovable
obstacle to Bush's 'Roadmap' Howard Fineman and Tamara Lipper,
Newsweek,
6/2/03
http://www.msnbc.com/news/917023.asp?0cv=CB20
Opening another front in his war on terror, the president has launched
an
effort to coax Israelis and Palestinians toward peace. As Bush prepares
for
his trip to the G8 summit in France, there is talk he'll tack on a trip
to
the Middle East. But the "Roadmap" he wants to pursue there runs not
only
through the Byzantine byways of the Levant, but along the political
freeways of America. If he is at all serious, Bush eventually will hit
a
potentially impenetrable roadblock at home: the deepening alliance
between
Jewish supporters of Israel and the growing ranks of Christian
Zionists.
Simply put, the administration won't be able to lean hard on Israeli
Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon without being attacked by two blocs it cares very
much about as the 2004 election approaches. Eager to capitalize on
Bush's
standing as a war commander and a friend of Israel's, White House
strategists hope to double the size of Bush's Jewish vote. Still, the
numbers there, however pivotal in places such as Florida, are small.
Much
more is at stake among the nation's 50 million evangelicals. Pressuring
the
Israelis also risks incurring the wrath-perhaps expressed in
thundering,
Biblical terms-of activists who claim to speak for that constituency,
which
the White House hopes will turn out in record numbers next year. "We
are
going to watch the Road-map very carefully," Jerry Falwell told
NEWSWEEK…
In April 2002, Christian Zionists were infuriated when the president,
in a
Rose Garden speech after a particularly heinous suicide bombing in
Israel,
seemed to equate Palestinian terrorism with the Israeli Army's actions
on
the West Bank. Not only did he not call for the ouster of Yasir Arafat
(a
goal of hard-liners for years), Bush sent Secretary of State Colin
Powell
to the region to meet with the Palestinian. "That was more than those
of us
who support Israel could take," said Gary Bauer, a leading Christian
Zionist.
A plague of e-mails and letters descended upon the White House.
Engineered
by Bauer, Falwell, Pat Robertson and others, several hundred thousand
messages flooded the administration, urging it to lay off Sharon and
jettison Arafat. In their regular conference call with the White House,
evangelical leaders made the same case. "Well, let's just say that the
Middle East comes up during most of these calls," says Falwell.
Other-perhaps more powerful-voices chimed in: congressional leaders and
neoconservatives in and out of the administration. White House Press
Secretary Ari Fleischer soon was calling Sharon a "man of peace."
Having heard the message in April, the White House responded more fully
in
June 2002, when the president launched the Roadmap concept. Though the
new
Zionist alliance had serious questions-especially about putting the
future
of the West Bank and Jerusalem up for negotiation-they were thrilled
that
Bush told Arafat to go. Diplomatically, the move made sense.
Politically,
it was no accident. Indeed, NEWSWEEK has learned, political adviser
Karl
Rove was involved in reviewing drafts of both of Bush's major addresses
on
the Middle East. Senior administration officials say Rove merely
"noodled"
the "phrasing" of the speeches.
But in the Middle East, every noodle is important. A former senior Bush
administration official says that proposed language favorable to the
Palestinian cause was "walked back" after the speeches were reviewed by
Vice President Dick Cheney, national-security adviser Condi Rice,
Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Rove. According to the former official,
Rice
and her deputy, Stephen Hadley, defended the edits. In one
conversation,
Hadley said that the speeches needed, among other things, to be
politically
viable. (Through a spokeswoman, Hadley strongly denied that politics
was
involved.)…
-----
THE SCENT OF RACISM
Gideon Levy, Haaretz, 5/26/03
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=296475
Shock is the proper reaction to the remark of cabinet Minister Gideon
Ezra,
who explained last week that Arabs should be used as security guards in
Israel because only they have "the sense of smell needed to smell other
Arabs, more so than guards who are immigrants from the former Soviet
Union."
If anyone in Europe dared to say something similar about Jews, the
world
would be outraged, and rightly so. Another possibility is to ignore
what
Ezra said: What's the relevance of a low-life utterance from a marginal
minister whose level of speech only casts a gloomy light on the
institution
he came from, the Shin Bet security service, and on his current place
at
the cabinet table?
On second thought, though, we should be thankful to Ezra: He has
provided
an apt description of the reality in which we live. We do in fact
"sniff
out" Arabs, all of whom are suspect in our eyes solely because of their
ethnic origins.
We are all racists. Like it or not, we live in a reality of national,
not
to say racist, separation. A fusion of genuine security distress, the
appalling terrorist attacks in the cities, the moral scars we bear as a
result of decades of occupation and the faulty education we received
has
created a day-to-day reality here that can only shock anyone who
believes
in human rights.
However, we have grown accustomed to the situation and our eyes have
become
dim. We have grown used to seeing citizens who are made to say
something,
so that security guards can judge how much danger they pose on the
basis of
their accent. That has become entirely natural. Racism is here, but we
continue to imagine that we live in a highly enlightened and
progressive
society…
-----
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Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/27/2003
HEADLINES:
* HADITH OF THE DAY: REPENTANCE
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5949 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* MUSLIM STUDENT BECOMES VOICE FOR ISLAM (Post-Dispatch)
* SEEING ISLAM AS 'EVIL,' EVANGELICALS SEEK CONVERTS (NY Times)
- Christian, Muslim, Jewish Unity Sought (News-Sentinel)
- Hate Crime Charges in Philly Catch Attention (AP)
* PARENTAL ABDUCTION CASE DROPPED (Wash. Post)
- An Appeal for Legal Defense Funds
* MAN JAILED FOR BEING ARAB, LAWYER SAYS (Canadian Press)
- Harsh Handling of Muslim Traveler (Times)
* SOME DOUBT STRENGTH OF US TERRORISM CASES (Boston Globe)
- High Court Won't Review Secret Hearings (Reuters)
- US Plans Death Camp (Herald Sun)
- Wis. Library Objects to Patriot Act (News Chronicle)
* UNFULFILLED PROMISES LEAVE IRAQIS BEWILDERED (Wash. Post)
- US Looks Away as Ally Tortures Islamists (Guardian)
* MUSLIMS IN THE AMERICAN PUBLIC SQUARE SEMINAR
* DAR AL-HIJRAH ISLAMIC CENTER'S PICNIC
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: REPENTANCE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God...stretches out His
Hand during the night so that the people may repent for any fault
committed
from dawn till dusk, and He stretches out His Hand during the day so
that
the people may repent for faults committed from dusk to dawn."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1289
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5949 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR'S Library Project has received 5949 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
STUDENT HERE BECAME VOICE FOR ISLAM IN U.S.
Phillip O'Connor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 5/27/03
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/9D206FE51B6C997A86256D330015BAC0
Arsalan Iftikhar toiled in near-anonymity as head of a St. Louis
Muslim-rights organization before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks thrust
him
into the national spotlight.
Within days, his comments condemning the acts appeared in many of the
nation's newspapers, including The New York Times, the Chicago
Sun-Times,
USA Today and the Post-Dispatch.
Those initial comments started a media ride for Iftikhar that would
lead to
dozens of appearances on local, national and international broadcasts,
publication of his letters, interviews and commentary in media as
diverse
as The Wall Street Journal and Rolling Stone magazine and inclusion of
one
of his essays in an award-winning book.
Iftikhar, 25, graduated earlier this month from Washington University's
law
school and is heading to Washington, where he will become lead lawyer
for
the nation's largest Muslim advocacy group...
"I felt my goal in life was to try to help my community and my home in
America by educating my fellow Americans and fellow Muslims about
things
they may not understand or have a skewed vision about..."
-----
SEEING ISLAM AS 'EVIL' FAITH, EVANGELICALS SEEK CONVERTS
Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 5/27/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/27/national/27ISLA.html
At the grass roots of evangelical Christianity, many are now absorbing
the
antipathy for Islam that emerged last year with the incendiary comments
of
ministers. The sharp language, from religious leaders like Franklin
Graham,
Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Jerry Vines, the former president of
the
Southern Baptist Convention, has drawn rebukes from Muslims and
Christian
groups alike. Mr. Graham called Islam "a very evil and wicked religion,
and
Mr. Vines called Muhammad, Islam's founder and prophet, a
"demon-possessed
pedophile."
In evangelical churches and seminaries across the country, lectures and
books criticizing Islam and promoting strategies for Muslim conversions
are
gaining currency. More than a dozen recently published critiques of
Islam
are now available in Christian bookstores.
Arab International Ministry, the Indianapolis group that led the crash
course on Islam here, claims to have trained 4,500 American Christians
to
proselytize Muslims in the last six years, many of those since the 2001
terrorist attacks.
The oratorical tone of these authors and lecturers varies, but they
share
the basic presumption that the world's two largest religions are headed
for
a confrontation, with Christianity representing what is good, true and
peaceful, and Islam what is evil, false and violent...
"Evangelicals have substituted Islam for the Soviet Union," said the
Rev.
Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs of the National
Association of Evangelicals, which represents 43,000 congregations.
"The
Muslims have become the modern-day equivalent of the Evil Empire..."
Pat McEvoy, a secretary at a high school in Columbus, said she had
known
very little about Islam before the seminar. Her school has an influx of
students from Somalia, and as she walked through the hallways she
regarded
these immigrants as "a virtual mission field."
She said she felt an obligation to save them from an eternity in Hell.
"If I had the answer for cancer, what sort of a human would I be not to
share it?" Ms. McEvoy said…
SEE ALSO:
UNITY OF CHRISTIAN, MUSLIM, JEWISH FAITHS SOUGHT BY COMMUNITY
Ross Farrow, Lodi News-Sentinel, 5/24/03
http://www.lodinews.com/archives/index.inn?loc=detail&doc=/2003/May/24-668-01_abraham_030524.txt
The Celebration of Abraham, a movement that started a year ago among
several religious leaders and lay people in the Lodi area to spread
cultural respect and world peace, has spread to Stockton and other
Northern
California communities.
Last year's celebration was held before a packed house at the Lodi Boys
and
Girls Club in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy. The event
focused on the common belief in the patriarch Abraham and his sons,
Isaac
and Ishmael, among the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths.
As part of the Celebration of Abraham last year, three religious
leaders
and three lay people signed a document called the "Declaration of
Peace,"
which denounces violence and fosters respect among the three major
faiths.
The Declaration of Peace was signed by one member of the clergy and one
lay
person from each faith -- Norm Mowery, who was pastor last year at
First
United Methodist Church in Lodi; Mohammad Adil Khan, imam of the Lodi
Muslim Mosque; and Rabbi Jason Gwasdoff of Temple Israel in Stockton,
the
only synagogue in San Joaquin County...
"This is our country," said Mohammad Adil Khan. "We have to work
together."
---
HATE CRIME CHARGES IN SUBURBAN PHILLY CATCH ATTENTION OF GROUP
Associated Press, 5/27/03
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-05262003-96476.html
LEVITTOWN, Pa. - A national Islamic civil rights group said it is
monitoring the case against three suburban Philadelphia boys accused of
beating and intimidating an 8-year-old because of his Middle Eastern
heritage.
District Attorney Diane Gibbons on May 16 announced charges against a
12-year-old and two 13-year-olds in the assault on Ahmed Hadi, a
Bensalem
boy who spent 1 1/2 days in the hospital after the attack. The three
are
charged with ethnic intimidation, simple assault, recklessly
endangering
another person, harassment and conspiracy.
The Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said
it
was watching the case.
Witnesses said the boys taunted and beat Ahmed, called him "Saddam
Hussein's helper," and told him to "go back to Iraq," Gibbons said.
The father of one of the boys and the mother of another said Ahmed
instigated the fight by making racist comments against the 12-year-old,
who
is black. The two other boys are white.
Ahmed's family, which is Muslim, said he did not make a racial remark.
His father, Ali Hadi, is originally from Iraq. His mother, Majedah
Hadi, is
from Kuwait.
-----
PARENTAL ABDUCTION CASE DROPPED, BUT ACCUSATIONS CONTINUE TO SPIRAL
Susan Levine, Washington Post, 5/27/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41997-2003May26.html
On the Friday that she lost custody of her children, Naheed Morrill was
playing tourist in London. The girls were with her -- posing for
pictures
by Marble Arch, shopping at Selfridge's, picnicking in Hyde Park.
England
was just the first stop of their travels. Pakistan, to see relatives,
would
be their last.
Nearly 3,700 miles away that same day, Grant Morrill was sitting in a
Fairfax County courtroom. The hearing on the docket presaged another
round
in the he-said-she-said acrimony of his marriage's breakdown. Two
months
earlier, he'd voluntarily ceded legal and physical control of his three
daughters. But his wife, he now claimed, wasn't holding up her part of
the
deal.
In her absence, his concerns escalated dramatically. His attorney told
the
judge that he feared the worst: that Naheed Morrill had fled the
country.
Were she to make it to Pakistan, where family could shelter her, where
"a
military dictator" had taken control, "his chances of getting his
daughters
back…are zip. It just will not happen."
The words detonated instantly. Within minutes, custody was shifted to
Grant
Morrill; within days, the FBI was involved. And three weeks later,
47-year-old Naheed Saeed Morrill was arrested in London on a criminal
warrant of international parental kidnapping. Scotland Yard found her
and
the girls at a friend's home...
SEE ALSO:
AN APPEAL FOR LEGAL DEFENSE FUNDS
To donate to Dr, Naheed's legal defense fund, please call the numbers
below:
Asim Ghafoor, Esq.
Legal Defense Fund
202-298-6696, fax-202-318-4331
Dr. Naheed Morrill
6509 Chesterfield Ave.
McLean, VA 22101
703-288-3045
First Union Bank-Account Number-2000007044261, Routing Number-055003201
-----
MAN JAILED FOR BEING ARAB, LAWYER SAYS
CANADIAN PRESS, 5/26/03
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1052251659863
A man being held in a Toronto jail who has not been charged with or
convicted of any offence is there solely because he is an Arab Muslim,
the
lawyer for alleged security threat Mahmoud Jaballah said today.
Jaballah, 40, has been held in solitary confinement for 27 months
without
being charged and without the right to apply for bail.
The message to Arabs living in Canada is clear, Jaballah's lawyer said
at a
news conference Monday.
"You don't have any constitutional rights," Rocco Galati said.
"Just like the Japanese Canadians and the Italo-Canadians didn't have
any
constitutional rights during the Second World War."
A federal court judge said in a written decision last week that
Jaballah's
prolonged detention constituted an abuse of power on the part of
Immigration Minister Denis Coderre.
The decision also concluded that Jaballah can't be returned to his
native
Egypt because he faces torture and possibly death.
However, Jaballah can't apply for bail in Canada because he was
arrested on
a national security certificate because of information provided by the
country's spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. In
such a
case, bail is unavailable until after a ruling is made that the
certificate
is reasonable. That ruling in Jaballah's case has been bogged down in
procedure...
SEE ALSO:
HARSH HANDLING OF MUSLIM TRAVELLER
Tony Willoughby, 5/20/03
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-44-686102,00.html
Sir, The head of IT at our law firm is a Muslim. He is a gentleman in
every
sense of the word. His fanaticism, if he has any, is restricted to
cricket.
Last Sunday he went on a business trip to California. On arrival at Los
Angeles he was detained and interrogated on suspicion of being a
terrorist.
He has no criminal record and had with him all relevant documentation
to
explain his presence in the US.
He was held for 28 hours. For the first 12 hours he was refused access
to a
telephone. After 16 hours, not having been given any food, he asked if
he
could have some. He was given ham sandwiches and, when he explained
that he
could not eat pork, he was told: "You eat what you are given." He did
not
eat. He was eventually escorted back to the airport in handcuffs and
deported.
Why he was detained in the first place is a mystery, but that is not my
complaint. Part of the tragedy of the present situation is that
innocent
people are bound to suffer to some degree. What is inexcusable is the
way
he was treated while in detention.
Treating people in a manner which demonstrates a total lack of respect
for
them as human beings is itself a form of terror and is calculated to
provoke terror. The US authorities would do well to bear that in mind.
-----
SOME DOUBT STRENGTH OF US TERRORISM CASES
Tatsha Robertson, Boston Globe, 5/27/03
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/147/nation/Some_doubt_strength_of_US_terrorism_cases+.shtml
BUFFALO - History was made here last week when the first federal case
involving suspected terrorist cells detected in the United States after
the
Sept. 11 attacks came to a close as the last of the "Lackawanna Six"
pleaded guilty to supporting Al Qaeda and attending a terrorist
training
camp in Afghanistan. And today, a jury in Detroit continues
deliberating
the fate of four alleged sleeper cell members in the first terrorism
trial
in the United States after the 2001 attacks.
While the Justice Department took different paths in prosecuting the
two
cases, legal specialists said they are preludes to future trials of
alleged
sleeper cells in the United States. Both cases have sparked criticism
among
legal scholars who say the charges were overblown by federal officials
desperate to break up terror plots in the country.
"The government is staking its credibility on these cases," said David
Moran, an assistant professor of law at Wayne State University...
SEE ALSO:
High Court Won't Review Secret Deportation Hearings
Reuters, 5/27/03
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-court-attack-immigration.html
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court rejected on Tuesday a
challenge to the federal government's policy of holding secret
immigration
hearings of people detained after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The justices declined to review a U.S. appeals court ruling that news
media
and public access to the deportation proceedings could endanger
national
security.
Without any comment, the high court refused to hear an appeal by New
Jersey
newspapers arguing the government may not keep the proceedings secret
without a specific, case-by-case showing that closing the hearing would
be
necessary.
The secret hearings, which have been widely criticized by civil
liberties
groups, were among the tactics the Bush administration adopted after
the
hijacked plane attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
A directive 10 days after the attacks ordered immigration judges to
close
hearings for detainees whose cases the U.S. Justice Department deemed
were
of ``special interest'' to the government's terrorism investigation.
---
US PLAN DEATH CAMP
Herald Sun, 5/26/03
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,6491674%255E663,00.html
The US has floated plans to turn Guantanamo Bay into a death camp, with
its
own death row and execution chamber.
Prisoners would be tried, convicted and executed without leaving its
boundaries, without a jury and without right of appeal, The Mail on
Sunday
newspaper reported yesterday.
The plans were revealed by Major-General Geoffrey Miller, who is in
charge
of 680 suspects from 43 countries, including two Australians.
The suspects have been held at Camp Delta on Cuba without charge for 18
months.
General Miller said building a death row was one plan. Another was to
have
a permanent jail, with possibly an execution chamber.
The Mail on Sunday reported the move is seen as logical by the US,
which
has been attacked worldwide for breaching the Geneva Convention on
prisoners of war since it established the camp at a naval base to hold
alleged terrorists from Afghanistan.
But it has horrified human rights groups and lawyers representing
detainees....
-----
LOCAL LIBRARY OBJECTS TO USA PATRIOT ACT
Carl Mickelson, News-Chronicle, 5/27/03
http://www.gogreenbay.com/page.html?article=120184
WASHINGTON ISLAND - On May 20, the Door County Library Board fired a
warning shot at the USA PATRIOT Act. While they didn't score a direct
hit -
after all, the USA PATRIOT Act is federal law - they did send a message
to
state and Congressional leaders that the act treads much too heavily on
individual privacy rights.
After less than 30 minutes of discussion, the board voted unanimously
to
have the library's director, Becca Berger, send letters to
Congressional
legislators asking that libraries and private bookstores be exempt from
Section 215 of the act.
Section 215 allows federal agents to check what library patrons are
reading, who they're sending e-mails to, and what Web sites are being
visited using public computers. The PATRIOT Act itself greatly expanded
the
Federal Bureau of Investigation's surveillance and investigative powers
in
the name of protecting the United States against international
terrorism.
Critics contend the most egregious aspect of the act is that probable
cause, the traditional standard for retaining a warrant to conduct a
search, is essentially thrown out the window. In addition, library
staff
are forbidden from informing patrons that they're the subject of an
investigation...
-----
UNFULFILLED PROMISES LEAVE IRAQIS BEWILDERED
Anthony Shadid, Washington Post, 5/27/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41990-2003May26.html
BAGHDAD, May 26 -- Sitting in a battered Toyota Corona, Fadhil Murah
wiped
his sweaty forehead with a soiled red rag. Behind him snaked a line of
cars
a half-mile up Jadriya Bridge, waiting to fill up with gas. Ahead of
him
was another hour he would spend waiting his turn. On a day of withering
heat, his words punctuated by a cacophony of car horns, he spoke glumly
of
his life and his city.
He had closed his construction supply store, wary of thieves. He had
sold
everything in his house -- from his bed to the refrigerator -- to
support
his wife and four children. He has little hope of returning soon to his
former job at the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, part
of a
government that exists in name only. For food, he relies on the $5 or
so he
makes a day tooling Baghdad's streets as a gypsy cab driver.
"Ala al-balata," he said, Egyptian slang that means on the floor tiles,
as
broke as you can be.
"America could solve all the problems, serve all the people in days. It
knows what the country needs. It doesn't need the opposition parties
from
abroad. It needs comfort," he said, his blue shirt soaked with sweat.
"They
came and said, I'll give you freedom and democracy.' So what? People
should
have food first, then democracy..."
From the gas lines that frustrate Murah, to frequent power outages
that
leave many residents with only a few hours a day of electricity, from a
chilling crime wave to newly opened stores bursting with expensive
appliances, Baghdad is a city of great expectations and even greater
disappointments. The seeming invincibility of the U.S. conquest has
magnified the failures of the weeks that followed the war.
People are confused that U.S. military forces, assumed to be
all-powerful,
have delivered little. They are unsettled by the lawlessness that has
encouraged religious forces to step into the breach and vigilantes to
dole
out their own brand of justice. They are bitter at the promises -- yet
unfulfilled -- of a better life that would follow the war. To many of
its
residents, Baghdad is a capital both liberated and occupied, but most
of
all just bewildered...
SEE ALSO:
US LOOKS AWAY AS NEW ALLY TORTURES ISLAMISTS
Nick Paton Walsh, Guardian, 5/26/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,963497,00.html
Abdulkhalil was arrested in the fields of Uzbekistan's Ferghana valley
in
August last year. The 28-year-old farmer was sentenced to 16 years in
prison for "trying to overthrow the constitutional structures."
Last week his father saw him for the first time since that day on a
stretcher in a prison hospital. His head was battered and his tongue
was so
swollen that he could only say that he had "been kept in water for a
long
time".
Abdulkhalil was a victim of Uzbekistan's security service, the SNB. His
detention and torture were part of a crackdown on Hizb-ut-Tahrir (Party
of
Liberation), an Islamist group.
Independent human rights groups estimate that there are more than 600
politically motivated arrests a year in Uzbekistan, and 6,500 political
prisoners, some tortured to death. According to a forensic report
commissioned by the British embassy, in August two prisoners were even
boiled to death.
The US condemned this repression for many years. But since September 11
rewrote America's strategic interests in central Asia, the government
of
President Islam Karimov has become Washington's new best friend in the
region.
The US is funding those it once condemned. Last year Washington gave
Uzbekistan $500m (£300m) in aid. The police and intelligence services -
which the state department's website says use "torture as a routine
investigation technique" received $79m of this sum...
-----
MUSLIMS IN THE AMERICAN PUBLIC SQUARE
WHAT: Islam has been portrayed in the most negative manner by the
mainstream western media. Keeping such myopia and stereotyping in
perspective, the Speaker of the Month organized by Islamic Circle of
North
America Houston Chapter for the month of June 2003 brings Dr. Sulayman
Nyang to Houston. Dr. Nyang is a famous Muslim scholar and avid
speaker.
The theme of the program is: "Muslims in the American Public Square."
WHERE: Islam Dawah Center Houston downtown, located at Travis and
Franklin.
WHEN: June 07, 2003 at 7:00PM.
CONTACT: For further information, please contact ICNA Houston Center at
3330 Hillcroft, Suite "M," Houston Texas 77057 Phones: 713-789-3330,
832-275-0786.
-----
DAR AL-HIJRAH ISLAMIC CENTER'S PICNIC
WHAT: Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center's picnic will be a cook-out for the
whole family. Food, fruits, corn, chicken, rice, and salad will be
available. Hot dogs for the kids. Face painting for kids and henna
painting
for adults.
WHERE: Mason District Park, 6621 Columbia Pike in Annandale
WHEN: Sunday, June 1, 2003 from 2-8 p.m.
CONTACT: Organized by Dar Al-Hijrah Social Services Group
For more info: (703) 531-2912
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMMUNITY SERVICE IS SUBJECT OF NEW MUSLIM AD
CAIR ad says serving others is one way to serve God
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/28/03) - The importance of community service is
the
focus in the sixth installment of a national advertising campaign
designed
to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the rising tide
of
Islamophobic rhetoric in the United States. SEE:
www.americanmuslims.info
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a prominent national
Islamic civil rights and advocacy group, launched the year-long "Islam
in
America" campaign February 16 with an ad on the New York Times
editorial
page. (CAIR's campaign was put on hold during the war in Iraq.) The
first
five ads featured examples of family values and ethnic diversity in the
American Muslim community, a Muslim Girl Scout troop in California, a
Muslim woman explaining why modest Islamic attire is both liberating
and
empowering, and a condemnation of terrorism in the name of any
religion.
"There has been a very positive response to our campaign in the Muslim
community and with people of other faiths who view the ads and the
message
of tolerance and diversity they convey," said CAIR Board Chairman Omar
Ahmad. Ahmad said the ads have been used in a variety of creative ways,
including as handouts in classrooms and as posters in employee break
rooms.
The text of the latest CAIR ad reads:
"MY NAME IS DR. J. AISHA SIMON. I attended the Medical College of
Virginia,
completed my residency at Georgetown University and I'll be attending
Harvard University to earn a master's degree in public health. I'm a
family
physician, a wife and a mother. I'm also involved in international
relief
work, traveling to places like Bosnia and Africa, and coordinating
medical
volunteers to serve in Guatemala. I was previously a regional
coordinator
for an anti-tobacco education campaign for elementary school children
and
I've served as an advocate for domestic violence survivors.
"I'm an American Muslim woman and I believe in the importance of
charity
and service to my community.
"The values I learned from my family and my religion while growing up
in
America have led me to a life of service. Islam calls upon us to strive
with one another in hastening to good deeds, and to care for the less
fortunate as we care for ourselves. The Prophet Muhammad taught us that
when we serve our brother or sister, we are serving God."
The weekly CAIR ads, each explaining one aspect of Islam, are being
distributed to Muslim communities around America for placement in local
newspapers. All the advertisements are available at:
http://www.americanmuslims.info/archive.asp
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-MAIL:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787, 202-439-1441, E-MAIL:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
--- CLIP AND MAIL/FAX/E-MAIL ---
YES, I would like to support CAIR's ad campaign by donating
$___________.
Enclosed is my check, payable to CAIR.
Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
TEL:
FAX:
E-MAIL:
Payment: ___Check ___VISA ___MasterCard ___Discover ___Money Order
Credit Card Number:
Exp. Date:
Name as on Card:
Signature: ________________________________________________
SEND TO: CAIR, 453 New Jersey Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
FAX: 202-488-0833 E-MAIL: membership@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/28/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PROPHET'S ORDERS
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5949 SPONSORSHIPS
* MUSLIM GROUP PUBLISHES CONGRESSIONAL GUIDE
* CANADA CONTRAVENES RULE OF LAW (Montreal Gazette)
* CAL THOMAS SPOUTS PROPAGANDA (Advocate)
- Judeo-Christian-Islamic? (Dallas News)
* PROM OFFERS PARENTS A CULTURE CLASS (Mercury News)
* UZBEKISTAN'S HUMAN RIGHTS "DIRE" - AMNESTY (Reuters)
* ISLAMIC COUNTRIES REJECT TERRORISM TAG (Reuters)
* ON TO TEHRAN? (Antiwar.com)
- Iran Could be Next Trans-Atlantic Clash (Reuters)
- Sights Set on Toppling Iran Regime (Forward)
* U.S. TROOPS SEIZE PALESTINIAN DIPLOMAT (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PROPHET'S ORDERS
Abu Sufyan narrated that (the Byzantine emperor) sent for him and
asked:
"What did (the Prophet Muhammad) order you (to do)?" Abu Sufyan
replied,
"He orders us to offer prayers, to give charity, to be chaste, and to
keep
good relations with our relatives."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 10
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5949 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5949 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
If you haven't sponsored your local library, please do so. Let's try to
make it 6000 by the end of this week!
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
-----
MUSLIM GROUP PUBLISHED CONGRESSIONAL GUIDE
Guide to assist political empowerment of Islamic community
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/28/03) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today announced the publication of a congressional resource
guide
designed to promote political empowerment in the American Muslim
community.
CAIR's guide contains a wealth of information about the legislative,
executive and judicial branches of government, including contact
details
for individual legislators and administration officials. The handbook
also
includes guidelines for communicating with members of congress, dealing
with anti-Muslim discrimination and registering to vote.
"We believe this congressional guide will serve as an essential tool
for
those in the Muslim community seeking to play a more positive and
effective
role in our nation's political process," said CAIR Executive Director
Nihad
Awad.
The guide is available for $12 (+S/H) at:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/congresshandbook.asp
E-mail: publications@cair-net.org
CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group. It is
headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices
nationwide
and in Canada. Since its founding in 1994, CAIR has defended the civil
and
religious rights of all Americans.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-489-5108 E-MAIL:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441 E-MAIL:
rahmed@cair-net.org
-----
CSIS WARRANTS CONTRAVENE RULE OF LAW: NO DUE PROCESS
Riad Saloojee, Montreal Gazette, 5/28/03
http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=cd85957c-29ed-450e-8ad7-706988614ac6
Riad Saloojee is executive director of the CAIR-CAN Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
Given the current state of our law, it will be impossible to know
whether
Montreal resident Adil Charkaoui, who has been recently accused of
being a
member of an Al-Qa'ida sleeper cell, is innocent or guilty.
Charkaoui, detained on a national-security certificate, maintains his
innocence. He claims he has been put behind bars because he refused
requests by CSIS to spy on other Muslims. For its part, CSIS alleges
Charkaoui has ties to Algerian-born Ahmed Ressam, who became the
country's
most notorious terrorism connection after his arrest in December, 1999.
What now? A Federal Court judge will review the supporting documents
and
decide whether or not the certificate is reasonable. If it is,
Charkaoui
will be deported.
This case has made headlines and with good reason. All Canadians should
be
concerned about terrorists in our midst. There is, as well, another
reason
why Canadians ought to be concerned with the Charkaoui case and with
many
other similar cases before the courts: the rule of law.
Security-certificate cases are anything but transparent. Certificates
are
frequently issued by the immigration minister or the solicitor-general
through a murky process with no parliamentary oversight. Individuals
are
sometimes branded as terrorists on the basis of dubious evidence
obtained
from sources - a litany of non-democratic countries, for example - that
are, at best, problematic...
-----
THOMAS SPOUTS PROPAGANDA
Edward Ott, Advocate, 5/28/03
http://www.2theadvocate.com/
Cal Thomas' syndicated column in the May 20 Advocate was a propaganda
piece
worthy of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. Now Thomas sees a massive
conspiracy by everyday Muslims who dare to register to vote.
He might as well have said that Muslims are preparing landing sites for
an
alien invasion; it would have made as much sense.
The fact that Muslims are registering to vote shows that Muslims are no
longer standing on the sidelines of American society but joining
American
society; this can only be a good thing...
But if you want to get a handle on what Cal Thomas has in mind for
American
Muslims, go read the Nazi Nuremberger laws on citizenship and race
passed
by the Nazis in 1935. Go read about Krystallnacht...
Mr. Thomas' sole source for his piece is Daniel Pipes, a discredited
professional hatemonger. Mr. Pipes has been caught several times making
up
statistics and facts.
Indeed, it seems to be among Mr. Pipes's primary goals to avoid actual
factual discussion of issues with his debate partners at any cost,
especially if they are articulate, politically minded Arab Americans
and
American Muslims...
The real agenda here is to block and destroy the entry of Muslim
political
groups into American civil society...
SEE ALSO:
JUDEO-CHRISTIAN-ISLAMIC?
Dallas Morning News, 5/27/03
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/stories/052703dnedimuslim.19366.html
Judeo-Christian. We have become so used to the phrase that the words
practically fuse together. But national Muslim groups are pushing for a
change to "Judeo-Christian-Islamic" or "Abrahamic" to stress the common
roots of the three faiths, as well as the growing Muslim population in
this
country.
To many Americans, the shift in language, and psychology, may seem
unlikely. But a few generations ago, referring to our cultural heritage
as
"Judeo-Christian" rather than just "Christian" would have been viewed
as
sacrilege in many quarters.
The new terminology - favored by the American Muslim Alliance, the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations, the Muslim American Society and the
American
Muslim Council - never may catch on, but the underlying psychology
inevitably will. Ecumenical groups across the nation are discovering
that
Islam, with its strong emphasis on charity, is a natural fit with other
religious groups that are seeking common ground and understanding...
The attacks awakened Americans to the fact that there is a very large
and
growing religion in their midst. The Muslim population of the United
States
is estimated as high as 7 million, already surpassing the number of
Jews as
well as some mainline Protestant denominations. And the great bulk of
them
are upstanding citizens. More and more Americans of all faiths are
coming
to that realization through their daily interactions with Muslims. At
some
point, Muslims will shed their outsider status, just as Jews and
Catholics
did before them...
It is too soon to know whether Americans will grow accustomed to saying
"Judeo-Christian-Islamic" or "Abrahamic." But we might. After all, many
people once doubted that we ever would get used to calling Cassius Clay
"Muhammad Ali" or Lew Alcindor "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar."
-----
PROM OFFERS PARENTS A CULTURE CLASS
Michelle Guido, San Jose Mercury News, 5/28/03
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/living/5958658.htm
Fatima Haque is smart, popular and the student body president at San
Jose
High Academy -- but she may skip her senior prom.
For her, it wouldn't be much fun.
As a practicing Muslim, Fatima is forbidden to date or dance in mixed
company. Her predicament is increasingly common in the Bay Area, where
immigrants and children of immigrants can find the prom season
particularly
vexing because of the added stress to respect cultural or religious
values.
The prom is supposed to be one of the fondest high school memories,
where
seniors share one last magical goodbye. But issues of dating, staying
out
late and shelling out hundreds of dollars for dresses, tuxedos and
limousines can be uncharted waters for many families unaccustomed to
the
tradition of the prom.
"It's a difficult balance for her because she must weigh our beliefs
and
religion against this American rite of passage," said Fatima's father,
Faisal Haque, a design engineer for Cisco Systems and a native of
Pakistan.
"The concept of dating is not something that is part of Islam, but we
understand there's a difference between attending a prom and going with
a
date."
Fatima's parents have left the decision up to her...
"A lot of people at school want me to go, but I went to homecoming, and
it
felt really weird," said Fatima, 18, a student in the school's
International Baccalaureate Program. She plans to attend UC Berkeley in
the
fall...
-----
UZBEKISTAN'S HUMAN RIGHTS "DIRE" - AMNESTY
Reuters, 5/28/03
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L28211632.htm
Amnesty International on Wednesday reported torture and serious rights
abuses across ex-Soviet Central Asia and said the human rights
situation in
Uzbekistan, a key U.S. ally in the "war on terror," was dire.
Uzbekistan and the other four former Soviet states in the region --
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan -- were quick to
offer
assistance to the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks on
U.S. cities.
Washington accepted speedily, basing thousands of troops in Uzbekistan
and
Kyrgyzstan for operations in nearby Afghanistan, and has greatly
increased
its contacts with the region, formerly seen as exclusively in Russia's
sphere of influence.
But despite heavy U.S. emphasis on rights and democracy and the fact
that a
string of top level visitors last year stressed rights at length to the
region's leaders, Amnesty catalogued repeated abuses.
"The human rights situation remained dire," it said of Uzbekistan.
"Several
thousand political prisoners remained in jail...Unfair trials, torture
and
ill-treatment were routinely associated with these cases."
Amnesty says the "war on terror" was used specifically by Uzbekistan,
which
has been ruled by President Islam Karimov since before independence in
1991, to clamp down on religious and political dissent...
-----
ISLAMIC COUNTRIES REJECT TERRORISM TAG
Reuters, 5/28/03
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=2834998
TEHRAN, - Islamic countries said on Wednesday their religion had been
unfairly associated with terrorism and warned military action only bred
more followers of groups like al Qaeda. Addressing a meeting of foreign
ministers from the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Iran's
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi blamed "media campaigns" for creating a
false impression of Islam.
"Ascribing the fanatic and perverted beliefs of the Taliban and al
Qaeda
terrorist organisation to Islam...is a deceitful tactic and a
conspiracy to
contain the spread of Islamism and Islamic tendencies in the world," he
said. Iran has recently come under fire from U.S. officials who have
accused the Islamic Republic of not doing enough to root senior al
Qaeda
members out of its territory.
U.S. intelligence reports suggest top al Qaeda operatives in Iran
played a
role in the May 12 suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia which killed 34
people,
including eight Americans.
Iran denies harbouring al Qaeda and says it is currently interrogating
a
handful of suspects although it has not yet determined their rank in
bin
Laden's network.
Amr Moussa, head of the Arab League, told the conference terrorism was
no
friend of Islam.
"Terrorism is an enemy for all of us, an enemy for our societies, an
enemy
for our religion and an enemy for our culture," he said...
Conference delegates were also discussing post-war Iraq with Kharrazi
calling for the United Nations to play a pivotal role in the election
of a
broad-based representative government, "in order to put an end as
quickly
as possible to the occupation of the country by foreign forces."
-----
ON TO TEHRAN?
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com, 5/28/03
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/justincol.html
Okay, let's play "Name That Nation": Al Qaeda is supposedly hiding
there,
the country's rulers are fast developing "weapons of mass destruction,"
and
the population, we are told, longs for "liberation."
No, it's not Iraq before the recent war, but Iran before the next war.
How
long before is an open question...
All the stories they told us about Iraq are now being repeated,
shamelessly, in an Iranian context, the only difference being that,
this
time around, no one is even bothering to verify or treat them as
anything
other than a pretext for "Operation Iranian 'Freedom.'" Osama bin
Laden's
son, and two other top Al Qaeda chieftains responsible for the recent
Riyadh bombing are said to have found refuge in northern Iran, near the
border with Afghanistan, "according to intelligence sources." What
sources,
from which agency - or which country? It isn't quite clear. What is
clear
is that we are now entering phase two of the neoconservative plan to
effect
regional "regime change" and refurbish the Middle East with rulers more
to
America's and Israel's liking. Get on board the War Train. Next stop -
Tehran. Toot! Toot!
This war, too, is going to be a "cakewalk": the Iranian people are just
waiting for us to intervene, and they will rise up and overthrow the
mullahs - just like the Iraqis didn't rise up and overthrow Saddam. And
the
parallels don't end there...
The idea that we are going to establish "democracy" in Iran by
overthrowing
the region's largest functioning democracy -Tehran is presided over by
an
elected President, albeit one whose power is circumscribed by the
unelected
theocracy - is typical of the absurdities now being promulgated by the
neocons. Their preferred candidate to succeed President Mohammed
Khatami:
the son of the late Shah Reza Pahlavi. Replacing a
democratically-elected
President with a King installed by U.S. force of arms - that's the
neocons'
idea of "democracy."
SEE ALSO:
IRAN COULD BE NEXT TRANS-ATLANTIC POLICY CLASH
Paul Taylor, Reuters, 5/28/03
BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) - If you thought the U.S.-European clash
over
the Iraq crisis was bad, wait for the coming trans-Atlantic collision
over
Iran.
European Union officials say they are bracing for the next tug-of-war
in
strained ties with Washington over whether to isolate or engage with
the
Islamic republic.
"This is going to be an important test," said Greek Foreign Minister
George
Papandreou, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency. "It will
bring
out the dilemmas we've had recently on Iraq."
The United States has no official ties with Iran and has branded it
part of
an "axis of evil," accused of developing nuclear weapons, aiding
terrorism
and violating human rights.
Tuesday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stepped up charges that Iran
was
harboring wanted leaders of the Islamic militant network al Qaeda.
Insiders
say he is pressing for a U.S. policy shift to support "regime change"
in
Tehran.
The EU, on the other hand, is negotiating a trade and cooperation
agreement
with Iran under a policy dubbed "conditional dialogue," which is meant
to
link improved ties with parallel progress on political issues…
---
NEW FRONT SETS SIGHTS ON TOPPLING IRAN REGIME
Marc Perelman, Forward, 5/28/03
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.05.16/news2.html
A budding coalition of conservative hawks, Jewish organizations and
Iranian
monarchists is pressing the White House to step up American efforts to
bring about regime change in Iran.
For now, President Bush's official stance is to encourage the Iranian
people to push the mullah regime aside themselves, but observers
believe
that the policy is not yet firm, and that has created an opportunity
for
activists. Neoconservatives advocating regime change in Tehran through
diplomatic pressure - and even covert action - appear to be winning the
debate within the administration, several knowledgeable observers said.
"There is a pact emerging between hawks in the administration, Jewish
groups and Iranian supporters of Reza Pahlavi [the exiled son of the
former
shah of Iran] to push for regime change," said Pooya Dayanim, president
of
the Iranian-Jewish Public Affairs Committee in Los Angeles and a hawk
on Iran.
The emerging coalition is reminiscent of the buildup to the invasion of
Iraq, with Pahlavi possibly assuming the role of Iraqi exile opposition
leader Ahmed Chalabi, a favorite of neoconservatives. Like Chalabi,
Pahlavi
has good relations with several Jewish groups. He has addressed the
board
of the hawkish Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs and gave
a
public speech at the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance in
Los
Angeles, and met with Jewish communal leaders...
In another parallel to the pre-invasion debate over Iraq, an intense
policy
battle is heating up between the State and Defense departments over
what to
do in Iran.
"The president, the vice president and, even more so, the Pentagon
support
regime change," said a source who follows the internal debate closely.
"But
State does not want to meddle in Iran, so you have a big fight right
now
within the administration..."
-----
U.S. TROOPS SEIZE PALESTINIAN DIPLOMAT IN BAGHDAD
Alistair Lyon, Reuters, 5/28/03
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. troops detained a Palestinian diplomat in
Baghdad
Wednesday in a move sure to anger Arab opinion…
Soldiers handcuffed charge d'affaires Najah Abdul Rahman and four other
men
outside what ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's government
recognized
as the Palestine embassy.
The troops said the men had illegal weapons, but it was not clear what
had
prompted them to disarm a Palestinian diplomat in a city awash with
arms
seven weeks after Saddam's overthrow.
As a military truck took him away, Abdul Rahman denied he had been
carrying
a gun. "They searched the embassy...They are targeting the embassy," he
told reporters.
A Palestinian source in Baghdad said later that nine other
Palestinians,
including the three guards at the mission, had also been detained. He
said
the U.S. troops put barbed wire around the building and locked the main
gate.
No immediate comment was available from U.S. or Palestinian officials
on
Abdul Rahman's detention, which occurred as Washington is trying to get
Israel and the Palestinians to implement a so-called "road map" to
Middle
East peace.
Many foreign institutions and rich Iraqis have hired armed guards since
law
and order collapsed after Saddam's fall. U.S. officials trying to
restore
security have set a June 14 deadline for Iraqis to surrender automatic
and
heavy guns…
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/29/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: ABSTINENCE
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5949 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* MUSLIMS ALLEGE CUSTOMS INTRUSIONS (Mercury News)
- An Exodus Grows in Brooklyn (Wash. Post)
- Immigration Cases Stay Open in Michigan (Free Press)
* TMS PUTS EDITORS' ADVISORY ON COLUMN (E&P.com)
* MEIJER WANTS FATHER, SON TO HALT LEAFLETS (Free Press)
* IRAQI WEAPONS ONLY ONE REASON FOR WAR-WOLFOWITZ (Reuters)
- Easing into Islamic Democracy (CSM)
- Islamic Justice Taking Hold in Baghdad (Wash. Post)
* DEALING WITH ISLAM (Legal Times)
* MILPATAN HOPES BOOK WILL INCREASE UNDERSTANDING (Post)
* PLANNING FOR OUR FUTURE AS AMERICANS (SF Bay View)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: ABSTINENCE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Abstinence regarding
worldly things does not mean treating as unlawful what is lawful or
wasting
property, but (it) means that you do not place more reliance on what
you
possess than you do on what God possesses..."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1404
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5949 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5949 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
MUSLIMS ALLEGE CUSTOMS INTRUSIONS
Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, San Jose Mercury News, 5/29/03
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5966903.htm
With the official start of the travel season, Bay Area Muslims gathered
Wednesday to call attention to an interrogation practice at airports
they
say intrudes on their private and professional lives.
Anecdotal evidence compiled by a local anti-discrimination group
suggests
that customs officials are increasingly asking Muslim travelers about
their
faith as they return to the United States.
Unlike the overall heightened scrutiny of many Muslim and Arab
immigrants
after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, however, many of those who
are
questioned at local airports include U.S. citizens, according to the
San
Francisco chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
San Francisco resident Tarek Elaydi said he was asked about his faith
last
month when he returned from a trip to Ecuador.
Customs officials, he said, asked him whether he was Sunni or Shiite,
the
two major sects of the Islamic faith. Elaydi, an American citizen, was
also
asked whether he was a Wahhabi, a follower of the strict Sunni faith
practiced by many in Saudi Arabia.
"They treated me like the enemy with absolutely no understanding of who
I
am," said Elaydi, 35, who works as a software manager in Foster City.
"They
assumed I was a threat because of my name."
While customs officials have a legal obligation to ask other types of
questions, asking about faith violates constitutional protections, said
Linda Sherif, legal director for the San Francisco chapter of the
anti-discrimination committee.
"It reduces people's freedom to practice their religion if they think
the
government is monitoring their practices," she said.
SEE ALSO:
AN EXODUS GROWS IN BROOKLYN
Michael Powell, Washington Post, 5/29/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51283-2003May28.html
NEW YORK -- The FBI grabbed the cook at Lazzat Pakistani Pizzeria as he
spun dough. The plump newsstand man from Lahore rode the D-train to
register with the Immigration and Naturalization Service -- and never
came
back. The owner of Kashmir Travel pulled down his metal gate one night
and
vanished. His darkened store sits there, paperwork, copiers and
gumballs in
place...
Once the mosque on Coney Island Avenue was so crowded on Friday
afternoons
that white-capped Pakistani taxi drivers and computer analysts placed
their
prayer rugs on the sidewalk. Once the restaurants were so crowded that
scents of saffron and rose water and vindaloo wafted across the broad
avenue all night. Now Little Pakistan in Brooklyn is a neighborhood
being
pulled up at its roots.
Of the 120,000 or so Pakistanis who lived near here, 15,000, maybe
more,
have left for Canada, Europe or Pakistan, according to Pakistani
government
estimates. The departures began after Sept. 11, 2001, when federal
agents
began stopping and detaining hundreds of Pakistanis. The exodus
accelerated
five months ago when the Department of Homeland Security required that
every male Pakistani visa holder age 16 or older register with the
Bureau
of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Pakistanis make up the largest immigrant group of the 25 nations,
almost
all of them predominantly Muslim, named in the registration
requirements.
The immigration bureau acknowledges that more than 83,000 males have
registered and that 2,747 are currently detained, but refuses to
specify
the number of Pakistanis. Although Pakistan is a U.S. ally, key al
Qaeda
leaders have been arrested there and federal investigators have turned
their attention to the community here -- with disquieting results...
---
IMMIGRATION CASES STAY OPEN IN STATE
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 5/29/03
http://www.freep.com/news/mich/secret29_20030529.htm
The U.S. government still has the power to close immigration hearings
in
most of the nation after a Supreme Court decision this week. But in
Michigan and three other states, it does not. At least for now.
The contradictory standards stem from a decision Tuesday by the U.S.
Supreme Court. It opted not to review a New Jersey case that allowed
secret
deportation hearings.
The Supreme Court's decision, hailed by U.S. Attorney General John
Ashcroft, means that in 46 states, the Department of Justice can close
immigration hearings to the public and media in cases it claims are
important to national security, according to media and civil rights
attorneys.
It also means that an earlier ruling by the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of
Appeals that bars the government from closing immigration hearings will
most likely not be appealed. The 6th Circuit covers Michigan, Ohio,
Kentucky and Tennessee...
Shortly after the terrorist attacks, Chief U.S. Immigration Judge
Michael
Creppy -- at the behest of Ashcroft -- ordered all immigration judges
nationwide to close immigration hearings resulting from the federal
terrorism probe.
As a result, hundreds of deportation hearings deemed to be of "special
interest" were held in secret, including the case of Rabih Haddad, a
Muslim
leader from Ann Arbor accused of supporting terrorism. Before Sept. 11,
the
Department of Justice didn't have the power to close hearings.
-----
TMS PUTS EDITORS' ADVISORY ON COLUMN
Cal Thomas Piece Discussed Muslim 'Threat' in U.S.
Editor&Publisher.com, 5/29/03
http://www.mediainfo.com/editorandpublisher/features_columns/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1897614
Tribune Media Services (TMS) placed an editors' advisory on a Cal
Thomas
column before sending it to his 550-plus newspaper clients.
In the May 19 piece -- "The Threat Among Us" -- Thomas wrote: "Suppose
our
enemies have invaded the United States through immigration for the
express
purpose of organizing themselves politically? Suppose they present
themselves as benign and seek to register voters, becoming politically
active in order to elect their people to office and change U.S. policy
in
the Middle East? What if their intentions are the eventual destruction
of
this nation through its democratic processes and the imposition of a
theocratic state? Would that be enough to get our attention? In at
least 16
states, Muslim groups, by their own admission, are organizing
voter-registration drives and political consciousness-raising events
for
this express purpose."
Later in the column, Thomas added: "When Muslims gain political power,
the
historical and contemporary record is not encouraging for people who
hold
democratic values and are of the 'Judeo-Christian' persuasion."
The TMS advisory on top of the piece read: "Please be aware that the
following Cal Thomas column contains material that some readers may
find
sensitive."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) certainly was
sensitive to
the column. Ibrahim Hooper, the organization's communications director,
stated that the piece "would have been more at home in the Nazi-era
publication Der Sturmer than in a respectable American newspaper." He
added
that Thomas "decried the fact that Muslims 'are organizing
voter-registration drives and political consciousness-raising events,'
as
if these otherwise praiseworthy efforts are made nefarious solely by
Islamic involvement." And Hooper concluded: "The United States is a
multi-religious, multi-ethnic society. That is the American heritage
Thomas
seems determined to reject."
Thomas said response to the column "has been very positive" so far. He
e-mailed E&P Online one letter in which a reader told him that the
piece
"is the most profound and most badly needed warning I have ever heard
you
sound. As you so aptly noted, Americans prefer the short-term comfort
of
denial." Thomas added that he does expect to get many critical e-mails
from
readers who are encouraged by CAIR to write him.
A number of readers have complained about the column in letters to the
editor. One person wrote in The Times-Picayune of New Orleans: "Muslims
are
not our enemies. Terrorist groups that promote violence and hatred,
some of
which claim to operate under the banner of Islam, are our enemies. But
they
comprise a tiny percentage of Muslims worldwide…"
-----
MEIJER WANTS FATHER, SON TO HALT LEAFLETS
Marisa Schultz, Detroit News, 5/29/03
http://www.detnews.com/2003/metro/0305/28/c02-176739.htm
A federal judge was expected to rule today whether a father and son
from
Fraser will have to stop handing out leaflets around Metro Detroit
charging
that Meijer refused to serve them because they are Arab-American.
Meijer has asked U.S. District Court Judge Susan D. Borman to issue an
injunction against Bilal Karhani and his father Mohammed Karhani. The
men
filed a lawsuit for more than $75,000 against the company two weeks ago
charging violations to their civil rights.
"Meijer is angry and upset," said the men's attorney, Majed Moughni.
"(Meijer) wants these leaflets to stop. They've been bombarded with
phone
calls. ... But they have control of stopping these leaflets. Meijer
just
has to say: We don't discriminate and we apologize..."
The leaflets have been distributed around Metro Detroit since the
alleged
incident on Feb. 28 by supporters of Bilal and Mohammed Karhani. The
leaflets give their side of the alleged incident and encourage people
to
call Meijer and complain about it, Moughni said...
Bilal and Mohammed Karhani claim they were denied service at a Meijer
gasoline station in Fraser because of their Arab descent...
-----
IRAQI WEAPONS ONLY ONE REASON FOR WAR-WOLFOWITZ
Reuters, 5/28/03
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=2840293
LOS ANGELES - The U.S. decision to stress the threat posed by Iraq's
supposed weapons of mass destruction above all others was taken for
"bureaucratic" reasons to justify the war, U.S. Deputy Defense
Secretary
Paul Wolfowitz was quoted as saying in remarks released on Wednesday.
Wolfowitz, seen as one of the most hawkish figures in the Bush
administration's policy on Iraq, said President Saddam Hussein's
alleged
cache of chemical, biological and possibly nuclear weapons was merely
one
of several reasons behind the decision to go to war.
"For bureaucratic reasons, we settled on one issue, weapons of mass
destruction, because it was the one reason everyone could agree on,"
Wolfowitz was quoted as saying in Vanity Fair magazine's July issue.
No chemical or biological weapons have been found in Iraq despite
repeated
assertions by President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony
Blair before the March 20 invasion that the threat posed by Saddam's
vast
stocks of banned weapons warranted a war to eliminate them...
Wolfowitz said another reason for the invasion had been "almost
unnoticed
but huge" -- namely that the ousting of Saddam would allow the United
States to remove its troops from Saudi Arabia, where their presence had
long been a major al Qaeda grievance...
"Just lifting that burden from the Saudis is itself going to open the
door"
to a more peaceful Middle East, Wolfowitz was quoted as saying...
SEE ALSO:
EASING INTO ISLAMIC DEMOCRACY
Jane Lampman, Christian Science Monitor, 5/29/03
http://search.csmonitor.com/search_content/0529/p12s02-lire.html
WASHINGTON - As the US debated going to war in Iraq last fall, some
American Muslims were pursuing their own small anti-terror campaign in
the
Muslim world. As part of an ongoing effort to promote democracy in the
region, they provided an opening in three Arab countries for both
Islamic
and secular democrats to come together for the first time to debate the
compatibility of Islam and democracy.
In Morocco, Egypt, and Yemen, government leaders, opposition members,
and
civic activists joined in frank private and public workshops on such
hot
topics as human rights, women's rights, and religious tolerance.
"What was so encouraging about the workshops was that we found the gap
between moderate Islamists and secularists is narrower than ever," says
Radwan Masmoudi, president of the Center for the Study of Islam and
Democracy (CSID), the US-based think tank that sponsored the meetings
with
local civic groups.
With the Islamic world in turmoil over the confrontation between
militant
groups claiming to defend Islam and authoritarian regimes standing for
modernity, the key to a viable future is a coalition of moderate
Islamists
and non-Islamists committed to representative government, CSID says.
All too often, though, those committed democrats are isolated, without
the
resources or outlet to take their case to the people. In some places,
they've been harassed, jailed, or even killed for their efforts...
---
ISLAMIC JUSTICE TAKING HOLD IN BAGHDAD
Anthony Shadid, Washington Post, 5/29/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51222-2003May28.html
BAGHDAD - It was 11 a.m., and Baghdad's first Islamic court was in
session,
Sheik Abbas Rubai presiding.
Under a florid chandelier in the Hikma Mosque, headquarters for Shiite
Muslim clergy running the slum now known as Sadr City, Rubai listened
with
little expression to the petitioners' arguments, according to some of
those
present. At issue, they said, was whether seven tenants could remain in
concrete and cinder-block shops built by the former Baath Party
government
on the property of a nearby mosque. The head of the mosque wanted them
to
make way for a religious school. The store owners, some of whom had
been
there for years, protested.
"Why can't we pay rent to the mosque?" Hussein Ali recalled asking
Rubai at
the session, convened two weeks ago on a floor dressed in rugs, some of
them genuine Persians, others cheap monochrome counterparts. "What
about
compensation?" he recalled another owner asking.
The no-frills session lasted less than a half-hour; judgment was swift.
No
compensation, no compromise. On an envelope-size piece of paper, Rubai
wrote his verdict: "We give the brothers who own the shops one month to
evacuate."
Partly in response to the disorder in Baghdad since Saddam Hussein's
government collapsed April 9, partly in response to a vision of a more
religious Muslim society, the Shiite clergy -- perhaps the
best-organized
force in the unsettled capital besides the U.S. occupation -- have
moved
deftly to create de facto institutions of justice, ruling on cases from
divorce to property disputes. At the same time, they have begun
enforcing
their version of Islamic law, warning shops not to sell alcoholic
beverages
and theaters not to show risque movies...
-----
DEALING WITH ISLAM
Lily Henning, Legal Times, 5/29/03
http://biz.yahoo.com/law/030529/34195af78aadfd9c3858c5618195e249_1.html
Eric Meyer walked out of a London office two weeks ago, a sheaf of
signed
fatwas in hand.
Hoping to cash in on the trend in financial products aimed at Muslims,
the
head of the New Canaan, Conn.-based Meyer Capital Partners started
calling
Islamic law scholars a year ago. His pitch: hedge funds that Muslims
could
invest in without violating strict tenets of Islamic law that prohibit
financial speculation and the earning of interest.
The fatwas -- or Islamic legal opinions -- contained the blessings of
three
Islamic scholars, all of whom had reviewed Meyer's proposed fund and
deemed
it compliant with Shariah, or Islamic law.
Meyer also had formal assurances from a team of King & Spalding lawyers
that his plans adhered to secular law in the United States as well...
King & Spalding isn't the only U.S. firm collaborating with Islamic
scholars. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Bryan Cave; and Wiley Rein &
Fielding
are some of the firms getting a piece of the Islamic finance pie.
Islamic
finance was born in the 1970s, after a swell in oil revenues and the
resurgence of fundamentalist Muslim movements. The growth meant
potential
new legal clients, and so American and London lawyers started
specializing
in investments and financing structures that satisfy Shariah
requirements.
While experts differ over exactly how much investment money Muslims
around
the world have at their disposal, there's little doubt it's a big
number,
and growing fast. It has taken time and financial wizardry to get some
of
that capital into the Western market. And paving the way has been a
fleet
of lawyers who are as comfortable talking about ijarah, or lease deals
that
comply with Shariah, as they are parsing conventional Western
contracts...
-----
ISLAM 101: MILPATAN HOPES BOOK WILL INCREASE UNDERSTANDING
Hugo Jimnez, Milpitas Post, 5/28/03
http://www.themilpitaspost.com/Stories/0,1413,93%257E3416%257E1420566,00.html
Javed Mohammed authored a practical guide about Islam for those who
became
curious about the religion after Sept. 11, 2001 and the turmoil in the
Middle East.
Mohammed, who in 2000 gathered inspirational quotes and sayings in
"Gems of
Wisdom and Heart of Gold," said he wrote the 138-page "Islam 101" to
clarify any misconceptions people may have about the Muslim religion.
"A lot of it was driven by Sept. 11," he said. "There was talk at the
time
of the Taliban, jihad, women and Islam; there needed to be something
that
could give to weigh."
In "Islam 101," jihad and Muslim women are only two of the topics
covered.
Mohammed also goes over the Five Pillars of Islam faith, prayer,
charity,
fasting and pilgrimage as well as tells the importance of the Muslim
prophet Mohammed and draws parallels between Islam and Christianity and
Islam and Judaism...
"It is something anyone who has the slightest curiosity about Islam can
read," he said. "People from middle school to college can understand
it.
People in government, education and even members of the media should
read
it and find out what Islam really is as opposed to how people perceive
it."
-----
ONE COMMUNITY: PLANNING FOR OUR FUTURE AS AMERICANS
Genevieve Bayan, San Francisco Bay View, 5/28/03
http://www.sfbayview.com/052803/onecommunity052803.shtml
There are 7 million Muslims in the United States; 30 percent are
African
Americans. Many innocent American Muslims have suffered since Sept. 11,
2001...
The public is invited to attend "One Community: Planning for Our Future
as
Americans" on Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8, at Masonic Hall, 1111
California St. in San Francisco. On June 7, Imam W.D. Mohammed will be
speaking first to the Muslim women of the ASM at 10 a.m. and then to
ASM
Muslim men at 1 pm. Admission is $10.
On Sunday, June 8, the public is invited to hear a major presentation
on
Bridges TV with Muzzammil Hassan, CEO, who has designed the vision and
business plan. Bridges is an English language nationwide television
channel
available via cable and satellite. It provides entertainment and
programming to Muslims and non-Muslims interested in Islam and a
positive
Muslim perspective....To learn more, call (716) 578-1317, email
mhassan@bridges.TV or visit the website www.bridges.TV.
The unifying gathering on June 8 will also have a diversity of Muslim
representation as panel speakers. Imam Abu Qadir Al-Amin of the San
Francisco Muslim Community Center is the host for this weekend event.
Co-sponsors are the American Society of Muslims, Council on American
Islamic Relations, Islamic Society of North America Western Chapter and
the
Islamic Circle of North America.
For the June 8 event, doors open at 12 noon, and the event ends at 6:30
p.m. Admission is $10. For booth and ticket information, call Habeebah
Rahman at (415) 641-4168 or Ameen Abdullah at (510) 763-6054. For
general
information, call (415) 563-9397.
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/30/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: TRIALS
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5961 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* TOWN HALL FOCUSES ON HATE-CRIME PREVENTION (OC Register)
- Iraqi-American Stabbed in Florida
* POL AIMS TO OUST FOREIGNERS FROM STATE (Boston Herald)
* PHILADELPHIA COUNCIL CONDEMNS PATRIOT ACT (Reuters)
- Wyoming Librarians Oppose USA Patriot Act (AP)
- Patriot Act takes beating at Omaha forum (AP)
* CAL THOMAS MIGHT HAVE DONE WELL IN 3RD REICH (Pantagraph)
- Racist Tirade Threatens Liberty (Patriot News)
* AL-ARIAN CASE HIT BY JUMP IN COSTS (St. Petersburg Times)
* ACT II OF GRAND IMPERIAL DRAMA TO UNFOLD IN IRAN (UPS)
- Waggy Dog Stories (New York Times)
- Bush Hawks Turn Sights on Iran (Reuters)
* CAIR-OHIO 6th ANNUAL MEETING AND FUNDRAISING DINNER
* PUBLIC FORUM ON SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT POST-9/11
* FUNDRAISING DINNER FOR THE DANIEL PEARL SCHOLARSHIP
* DR. AKBAR AHMED ON C-SPAN
* ISSA'S 4TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
* FIRST IMC-USA ANNUAL CONVENTION
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: TRIALS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If God wants to do good
to
somebody, He afflicts him with trials."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Hadith
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5961 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5961 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
TOWN HALL FOCUSES ON HATE-CRIME PREVENTION
Diane Reed, Orange County Register, 5/30/03
http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=41446
ANAHEIM HILLS - Rashid Alam and Greg Harris experienced different
things
but learned the same lesson - love and forgiveness.
Alam and Harris, victims of a racially motivated beating and a
cross-burning, respectively, told a crowd of about 65 people at a
community
forum Thursday night about the support they received in the aftermath
of
the crimes against them.
"I do not hate the people who did this to me," said Alam, a Muslim
teenager
from Yorba Linda who was attacked at a park Feb. 23. "While I lay in my
bed, I received many letters and cards from people I didn't even know.
I
realized that not all Americans are like this. Now I love America, and
I
hate the word 'hate.'"
The forum was presented by the Orange County Human Relations Commission
and
the Council on American-Islamic Relations to develop hate-crime
prevention
strategies and to let the community know the consequences of such
crimes....
Alam and Harris both gave messages of hope to the crowd.
"I heard from people I hadn't seen since high school," said Harris, a
black
man who woke up March 18 to find a 10-foot cross burning at his Anaheim
Hills home. Neighbors and strangers responded by leaving flowers on his
porch and sending messages of support.
"What happened afterward shows that Americans will no longer tolerate
(racism)," Harris said.
SEE ALSO:
IRAQI-AMERICAN STABBED IN FLORIDA
Incident part of trend towards violence against Muslims
(Miami, FL, 5/30/03) - Florida's office of the Washington-based Council
on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) expressed concern over the rising
tide
of violent hate crimes being directed against Muslims in Florida.
A Florida man has been charged under that state's hate crime statute
after
allegedly stabbing an Iraqi-American in Sunrise, Fla.
Officials with the Sunrise Police Department say Christopher Coward,
27,
allegedly pulled up in front of Essam Alsayaf Wednesday afternoon as he
changed a tire at a gas station. According to the victim and witnesses,
Coward pulled out a 7 or 8-inch knife, called Alsayaf an "Iraqi
terrorist"
and stabbed him in the biceps.
Coward's statements during the incident lead to him being charged with
aggravated and simple battery under the hate crime statute, which
enhances
the penalty for any conviction. Alsayaf did not require medical
attention.
SEE:
www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/5972972.htm
http://www.sheriff.org/apps/arrest/details.cfm?ID=250300721
"At a time when hate crimes in general are down, the number of hate
crimes
against American-Muslims are ominously increasing," said Altaf Ali,
Executive Director, CAIR-FL.
"Our office is receiving calls almost every day from ordinary
American-Muslims who find themselves the victims of hate crimes, racial
epithets and discrimination. We urge our elected representatives to
make
strong public appeals about tolerance and respect while law enforcement
needs to send an unambiguous signal that all acts of racial intolerance
will not be tolerated and be prosecuted to the fullest extent under the
law," added Ali.
On February 22, 2003 Nasseer Idrisi, an Iraqi American professor
profiled
in The Miami Herald a week earlier, was severely beaten by employees of
Beach Towing.
The Miami Herald reported that police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said,
"Idrisi was definitely the victim. He was beaten and didn't fight." The
Manger of the towing company is reported to have said, "They say he was
cursing in Arabic. He's from over there."
"Miami Beach police did not classify this beating as a hate crime
although
it is quite clear that Mr. Idrisi's foreign language lead to his severe
beating," added Ali.
CAIR-FL is encouraging victims of hate crimes to fill out report forms,
which are available for download at:
https://www.readysecure2.com/users/cair-floridaorg/ireport/, or by
calling
954- 916-5661.
CAIR-FL is the Florida chapter of America's largest Islamic civil
liberties
group (CAIR). CAIR is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16
regional offices nationwide and in Canada. Since its founding in 1994,
CAIR
has defended the civil and religious rights of all Americans.
- END -
CONTACT: CONTACT: Altaf Ali TEL: 954-298-8214 EMAIL:
altaf@cair-florida.org; Ahmed Bedier, Communications Director, CAIR-FL
TEL:
813-731-9506 EMAIL: abedier@cair-florida.org
-----
POL AIMS TO OUST FOREIGNERS FROM STATE
Elisabeth J. Beardsley and David R. Guarino, Boston Herald, 5/29/03
http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/stud05292003.htm
Bay State students who hail from seven terrorism-sponsoring nations
would
be summarily ejected from public colleges and universities under a new
Republican bill that sparked accusations of a witch hunt from Islamic
activists and civil libertarians.
"If Saddam wants to send Uday or Qusay over to go to U Mass-Amherst, I
would like to say we don't accept them," said House Minority Leader
Bradley
H. Jones, who filed the controversial legislation.
The bill, which faces an uphill battle through the House and Senate,
would
deny a taxpayer-funded education to citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria,
Libya,
Cuba, North Korea and Sudan...
Modeled after a similar proposal in Indiana, Jones' bill would ban any
new
state college enrollees from the blacklisted countries - and force
existing
students to finish the semester and pack their bags.
Students could avoid being kicked to the curb by disavowing their
homeland
and converting to United States citizenry, Jones (R-North Reading)
said...
Islamic activists protested that the bill smacks of an anti-Muslim
witch
hunt...
'That's the problem in right wing circles nowadays - they view all
Muslims
as suspects,' said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations...
-----
PHILADELPHIA COUNCIL CONDEMNS PATRIOT ACT
Reuters, 5/30/03
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29237485.htm
Philadelphia on Thursday became the largest U.S. city to date to
condemn
the USA Patriot Act as a threat to the constitutional rights of its
citizens.
By a 13-3 vote, the Democrat-dominated City Council passed a resolution
calling on local members of Congress to work for the repeal of the
federal
law that granted the Justice Department broad new police powers for
Washington's so-called war on terrorism.
The vote added Philadelphia, the fifth-largest U.S. city with 1.5
million
residents, to a roster of 116 other state and local governments that
have
passed measures opposing the Patriot Act.
Among major U.S. cities, the Patriot Act has also come under fire from
Baltimore, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis and San Francisco, according to
the
American Civil Liberties Union.
Formally named Uniting And Strengthening America by Providing
Appropriate
Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism, the Patriot Act was
signed by U.S. President George W. Bush less than six weeks after the
Sept.
11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington that killed 3,000 people.
Civil liberties groups have long criticized it for enhancing the
government's ability to tap phones and track e-mail and cell phone
conversations...
SEE ALSO:
WYOMING LIBRARIANS OPPOSE USA PATRIOT ACT
Associated Press, 5/29/03
http://www.trib.com/AP/wire_detail.php?wire_num=171988
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - The Wyoming Library Association has released a
statement
saying it opposes portions of the USA Patriot Act.
The association said Thursday that parts of the act are a danger to the
constitutional and privacy rights of library users...
"We join many other chapters of the ALA in expressing concern about
this
act and about patron privacy concerns," Wyoming Library Association
President Kay Carlson said.
Among other things, the Wyoming Library Association statement urged
Wyoming
librarians to "defend and support user privacy and free and open access
to
knowledge and information..."
---
PATRIOT ACT TAKES BEATING AT OMAHA FORUM
Mark Thiessen, Associated Press, 5/30/03
OMAHA, Neb. - Musa Al-Hindi feared ramifications if he spoke at a forum
denouncing the Patriot Act because of the broad powers it has brought
the
government.
"Many Muslims believe the government is using fear to expand its
power," he
said after taking the podium for Thursday's forum at the Creighton
University School of Law...
But at the same time, Al-Hindi said the United States government tells
citizens not to discriminate against people based on their ethnicity or
religious beliefs.
"The government finds itself caught in a position of 'Do as I say, not
do
as I do,"' the Arab-American human rights activist said. "From the top,
it
shows it's OK to discriminate and commit acts of prejudice."
These acts are not limited to the government and are committed across
the
breadth of the Midwest, said Ed Leahy, coordinator of the Immigrant
Rights
Network of Iowa and Nebraska.
"From Dubuque to Fremont to Grand Island, you can see examples of
hate," he
said. "You can see it at my office, where the windows have been shot
out
four times."
He called it an open season on immigrants...
-----
CAL THOMAS MIGHT HAVE DONE WELL IN THIRD REICH
Brandon Wilkening, Pantagraph Bloomington, 5/26/03
http://www.pantagraph.com/
Reading the Cal Thomas column published in the May 21 edition of The
Pantagraph, I felt a little sorry for Cal. If he had been born about 50
years earlier and across the pond, he'd have had a great career
inciting
hatred for the Third Reich. Am I being unfair?
Thomas is horrified by the growing presence of Muslims in this country.
But
he is not a bigot; he is merely concerned for "Americans" security.
I put this in quotation marks to emphasize that his conception of
Americans
is rather narrow, encompassing only those of "Judeo- Christian"
background.
All the rest may be living here, but they certainly do not merit our
attention.
Besides having children - they now outnumber Jews in Canada - what else
are
Muslims "guilty" of?
Apparently, many are "organizing voter-registration drives and
political
consciousness-raising events." Imagine that, encouraging people to vote
in
a democracy...
No, instead, he quotes one person. Omar M. Ahmad, chairman of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations, told a crowd - was every American Muslim
in
attendance? - in 1998, "Islam isn't in America to be equal ... but to
be
dominant."
From my understanding, he was urging Muslims to spread their religion
peacefully. Doesn't every monotheistic religion think it should be
numerically dominant...
SEE ALSO
RACIST TIRADE THREATENS LIBERTY
Anne Selden Annab, Patriot News, 5/30/03
http://www.patriot-news.com/patriot-news/
I was shocked to see Cal Thomas' racist tirade against Muslims in his
bigoted column "The Threat Among Us" (May 23).
Imagine if the words "Jews" or "Jewish" were swapped throughout his
column
for "Muslim" and "Islam". Within living memory, Nazi propaganda tactics
worked once to dehumanize the Jews and systematically raise the
gullible
public's level of fear and hate into a holocaust of pain, suffering and
death for many innocent and decent and good people.
Have we learned nothing from that horrible chapter in world history?
Racist
hate really is evil and wrong and only leads to increasing ugliness and
violence and despair for all. Racist hate poisons each one of us by
imprisoning people with paranoia large and small spewing from a learned
inability to perceive the inherent dignity of others...
-----
AL-ARIAN CASE HIT BY JUMP IN COSTS
Graham Brink, St. Petersburg Times, 5/30/03
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/05/30/Tampabay/Al_Arian_case_hit_by_.shtml
TAMPA - The cost of the criminal case for former University of South
Florida professor Sami Al-Arian is rising quickly, according to
statements
made at a court hearing Thursday.
The latest potential expense: $400,000 or more to convert thousands of
hours of audio surveillance tapes to a digital format to make them
easier
to handle, a process that prosecutors say could take eight months.
That would be in addition to a few thousand dollars for copying
videotapes
and buying scanning and computer equipment; about $50,000 a year
proposed
for a paralegal to help defense lawyers parse through reams of
documents;
and tens of thousands more for Arabic speakers to translate evidence.
Those costs are on top of the investigative time logged by the FBI and
the
prosecutors and the running tally of hours for the court-appointed
defense
attorneys...
Al-Arian and Sammeeh Hammoudeh are being held without bail at the
Coleman
Correctional Facility in Sumter County about 70 miles north of Tampa.
The
two other defendants are out on bail.
At Thursday's hearing, Al-Arian and Hammoudeh watched from the prison
Via
video-conferencing equipment as the judge and the lawyers discussed a
range
of issues.
Al-Arian and his lawyers wanted to discuss the conditions at the
prison,
which they have complained are hampering their ability to put on a
defense.
Al-Arian has complained that he has limited access to the phone.
-----
NEXT ACT IN AMERICA'S GRAND IMPERIAL DRAMA SET TO UNFOLD IN IRAN
Georgie Anne Geyer, Universal Press Syndicate, 5/29/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/oped/chi-0305300385may30,1,4420694.story
WASHINGTON - If you think the steps leading to the war in Iraq marked a
historically strange pathway for America, take a look today at the
developing indicators of the next involvement, in Iran.
Already we can see the opening of a new act in the administration's
grand
imperial drama.
The players' voices have reverberated in the nation's capital, as the
charges of support for Al Qaeda and the building of weapons of mass
destruction were leveled not at Iraq (where those charges so far have
turned out to be baseless), but at Iran, where the zealots here hope to
find more fertile fields.
American congressmen, both Republicans and Democrats, were widely
urging
some kind of action against Iran (Florida Republican Rep. Porter Goss
and
Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut), although not military
action...
SEE ALSO:
WAGGY DOG STORIES
PAUL KRUGMAN, New York Times, 5/30/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/30/opinion/30KRUG.html
An administration hypes the threat posed by a foreign power. It talks
of
links to Islamic fundamentalist terrorism; it warns about a nuclear
weapons
program. The news media play along, and the country is swept up in war
fever. The war drives everything else - including scandals involving
administration officials - from the public's consciousness.
The 1997 movie "Wag the Dog" had quite a plot.
Although the movie's title has entered the language, I don't know how
many
people have watched it lately. Read the screenplay. If you don't think
it
bears a resemblance to recent events, you're in denial.
The Iraq war was very real, even if its Kodak moments - the toppling of
the
Saddam statue, the rescue of Pfc. Jessica Lynch - seem to have been
improved by editing. But much of the supposed justification for the war
turns out to have been fictional.
The war was justified to the public by links between Saddam and Al
Qaeda,
and Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction. No evidence of
the
Qaeda link has ever surfaced, and no W.M.D.'s that could have posed any
threat to the U.S. or its allies have been found…
---
BUSH HAWKS TURN SIGHTS ON IRAN, FAVOR CONFRONTATION
Jonathan Wright, Reuters, 5/30/03
WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) - Hawks in the Bush administration have
turned
their sights on Iran, repeating accusations similar to those they
deployed
to portray Iraq as an imminent threat and win public support for war.
But this time moderates in the administration are likely to put up
tougher
opposition to military action against Iran or covert support for
Iranian
opposition groups, officials say.
ABC News said this week the Defense Department was advocating a massive
covert action program to overthrow the Iranian government as the only
way
to stop the country's nuclear program, which Washington says is for
making
bombs.
A State Department official, who asked not to be named, said Defense
Department hawks and allies in Washington's neoconservative think tanks
had
not presented any formal plans but were encouraging such speculation in
leaks to the media.
"What the neoconservatives do is they go to the media and then they
tell us
there are some interesting things we should look at in this or that
report," said the official.
The term neoconservatives refers to ideologues in and around the Bush
administration who believe in the liberal use of military might abroad
to
serve U.S. interests.
They are most strongly represented at the Pentagon, through Deputy
Defense
Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Undersecretary Douglas Feith and William
Luti,
who is the deputy assistant secretary in charge of special plans, the
Middle East and South Asia…
-----
CAIR-OHIO 6th ANNUAL MEETING AND FUNDRAISING DINNER
WHAT: CAIR-OH will be having its annual meeting and fundraising dinner
titled, "Mobilizing our Community for a Better Society." Confirmed
speakers
are Omar Ahmad, Chairman of Board, CAIR-National; Congressman Paul
Findley;
James Stowe, Executive Director, Columbus Community Relations
Commission;
Sybil McNabb, President, Ohio NAACP. Ramez Habbal will also be
presenting
political satire comedy.
WHEN: Sunday, June 15, 2003 @ 5:30 PM
WHERE: Columbus Marriott North, 6500 Doubletree Avenue, Columbus, Ohio
43229 Tel: 614-885-1885
CONTACT: Call CAIR-Ohio 614-451-3232, or e-mail ohio@cair-net.org.
-----
TARGETED COMMUNITIES TO TESTIFY IN LANDMARK NATIONAL FORUM ON SELECTIVE
ENFORCEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Pramila Jayapal, HFZ Campaign of Washington, 206 354-9154;
Gabe
Rottman, American Civil Liberties Union, 202 675-2312; Carol Khawly,
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, 202 244-2990; Leila
Laoudji,
National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, 617
227-9727;
Hasan Mansori, Council on American-Islamic Relations, 202 488-8787
WHAT: Justice for All - A nationwide public forum on selective
enforcement
post- 9/11
WHEN: June 4, 2003, 10 AM - 12 PM
WHERE: 902 Hart Senate Building, Washington, DC
WHO: Community members from around the country will tell Members of
Congress and the public their personal stories of how September 11th
policies since September 11, 2001 have affected them. Free and open to
the
public.
WASHINGTON - May 29, 2003 -- In the 18 months since Sept. 11, 2001, the
federal government has initiated a series of policies and programs that
have targeted certain immigrant communities in the name of national
security and dramatically altered life for Arab American, East African
American, Muslim, Sikh and Latino communities across the country.
In a landmark nationwide effort to call upon our leaders to listen to
the
voices of the people and communities most affected by selective
enforcement
policies, individuals from targeted communities across the country will
come together in our nation's capital for this public forum to tell
their
stories of how these policies have affected their lives. Several
Members of
Congress will be present to hear the three-minute testimonies. The
forum is
free and open to the public.
Organized by a unique coalition of grassroots and national immigrant
and
civil rights groups, the forum will feature individuals from
California,
Florida, New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas and Washington states,
among
others.
Testimony will cover many government initiatives including: detention,
special registration, targeted community FBI interviews, deputization
of
local police as INS officers, and new airport policies. The forum will
be
moderated by Jeanne Butterfield, Executive Director of the American
Immigration Lawyers Association; Anthony Romero, Executive Director of
the
American Civil Liberties Union; and Pramila Jayapal, Executive Director
of
the Hate Free Zone Campaign of Washington.
This forum is modeled after the extremely successful public hearing,
Justice for All: The Aftermath of September 11, held in Seattle in
September 2003. (For a full report of this hearing, see
www.hatefreezone.org.)
A joint statement issued by the coalition of organizing groups states:
"We
need to carefully examine the impact of post 9/11 policies on families
across the country and ask ourselves whether these programs make us
safer
or whether we are simply unfairly targeting innocent people. The
government's actions against immigrants in post-9/11 America have not
been
in keeping with the President's promise to create a more inclusive
society.
People from around the country are coming forward to tell their stories
in
spite of great fear, because they want to show the devastation of these
policies on real lives. This forum calls to attention policies that
attack
the very notion of an America that embraces justice and equality for
all."
Organizing groups include: American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee,
American Civil Liberties Union, American Immigration Lawyers
Association,
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Hate Free Zone Campaign of
Washington, National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild,
and
Washington Defenders Association. The forum is endorsed by over 100
national and local organizations.
-----
FUNDRAISING DINNER FOR THE DANIEL PEARL SCHOLARSHIP
WHAT: Following the murder of Daniel Pearl, his widow Mariane asked
Pakistanis to set up a memorial for her late husband in Pakistan. The
Pakistani-Canadian Muslim community responded by creating a living
memorial, a journalism scholarship for students from Pakistan. There
will
be a fundraising dinner for the Daniel Pearl Scholarship. Speeches will
be
given by Mishal Husain (BBC anchor), Haroon Siddiqui (Toronto Star
columnist), Joel Ruimy (Executive Director of Canadian Journalists for
Free
Expression), and an imam from local a Jewish-Muslim dialogue group.
Ticket price is $50 and there will be no sales at the door. Please
write a
check or money order to 'Daniel Pearl Scholarship' and mail to 7
Lorraine
Drive, Suite 2212/ Toronto, Ontario/ M2N 7H2. Tickets can be mailed or
collected at the banquet hall. Tax receipts will be issued for all
purchases.
WHEN: Thursday June 19, 2003 @ 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Candles Banquet Hall @ 1124 Dundas St. East, Unit 18 (2 blocks
west
of Dixie) in Mississauga.
CONTACT: Rana Syed @ 416-250-6701
-----
DR. AKBAR AHMED ON C-SPAN
WHAT: Dr. Akbar S. Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at
American
University, a well-respected Muslim scholar, will appear on C-SPAN as a
guest of Close Up. The program, titled "Understanding Islam," will
highlight his new book "Islam Under Siege".
WHEN: Friday, May 30, 2003, at 7:00 PM Eastern Time. (For re-air
information visit http://www.c-span.org.)
WHERE: C-SPAN (Check local listings for the channel assigned to C-SPAN
on
your cable system.)
-----
ISSA'S 4TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
WHAT: The Islamic Social Services Associations of the United States and
Canada (ISSA) would like to encourage you and your community members to
participate in "Muslim Marriage and Family Life: In Theory and In
Practice." Keynote speaker: Imam Siraj Wahhaj
Session topics will include: Intercultural marriage, parenting among
Muslims in North America, the role of social networks among young
Muslim
women, the impact of domestic violence and spiritual counseling.
WHEN June 20-22, 2003.
WHERE: Islamic Center of Greater Toledo in Ohio
NOTE: To register, visit the website www.issaservices.com, download the
registration form and mail to the address indicated. For more
information
call 1-866-239-ISSA or 480-233-6547.
-----
FIRST IMC-USA ANNUAL CONVENTION
WHAT: Preparations are in full swing for the Indian Muslim Council's
landmark event, ""India After Gujarat - Democracy or Religious
Fanaticism."
Praful Bidwai, one of the most widely read Indian Columnists and Fr.
Cedric
Prakash, a moral voice of the highest stature, will be among the
speakers
coming from India to speak at the first annual convention of the Indian
Muslim Council-USA.
The IMC convention seeks to bring together a diverse cross-section of
individuals and groups to discuss these issues.
WHERE: Santa Clara, California
WHEN: June 28, 2003
CONTACT: For more information and to register, delegates and
journalists
are requested to visit: http://www.imc-usa.org/convention or call (516)
567-0783.
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR GOOD NEWS ALERT #382
N.C. MUSLIM PHYSICIAN GRANTED NEW VISA
Respected doctor was denied re-entry over immigration technicality
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/2/03) - Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), a
Pakistani
physician working in North Carolina will be allowed to return to the
United
States after being denied re-entry and sent back to Pakistan earlier
this
month because he failed to abide by a little-known immigration
registration
policy.
Dr. Shahid Mahmood, a respected family practitioner working in an
underserved area of North Carolina for more than four years, told CAIR
he
had an interview today with American officials in Pakistan and was told
he
will be issued a new visa within a week, allowing him to return to the
United States and go back to work.
"We are pleased that Dr. Mahmood will be able to resume to his practice
serving poor and elderly patients in North Carolina and we thank all
those
who called, faxed or e-mailed elected officials seeking his return,"
said
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "This incident points to the need
for
better dissemination of information about new immigration policies that
can
so negatively impact the lives of hard-working, productive members of
our
society." Mahmood's family today thanked CAIR for its assistance in
resolving the case.
Dr. Mahmood was returned to Pakistan May 11 after coming back from a
two-week trip to that country. He was denied re-entry at Washington
Dulles
International Airport despite the fact that he had been told on
departure
by airline personnel there was no registration requirement.
SEE: "New Law Exiles Roxboro Doctor"
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2555092p-2372064c.html
According to the new immigration policy, anyone who went through the
recently-completed Special Registration program must provide notice of
departure from and re-entry into the United States. The policy states:
"Nonimmigrants who must follow these special procedures will also have
to
use specially designated ports when they leave the country and report
in
person to an immigration officer at the port on their departure date."
CAIR has received a number of complaints similar to that of Dr. Mahmood
and
is requesting that anyone denied re-entry file an incident report form.
Report forms are available for download at:
http://www.cair-net.org/ireport/Incident_Report.doc, or by calling
202-488-8787. CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group,
has 16
regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
ACTION REQUESTED:
1. Make dua'a for Dr. Mahmood's safe return.
2. Go to the following links to educate yourself and others in your
community about the new departure registration requirements.
SEE: http://www.bcis.gov/graphics/shared/lawenfor/specialreg/index.htm
http://www.bcis.gov/graphics/shared/lawenfor/specialreg/BLISTOFP.pdf
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
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-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/2/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: BLESSED WEALTH
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5961 SPONSORSHIPS
- Donations (Centre Daily Times)
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* OHIO DISTRICT REJECTS PROSELYTIZATION OF MUSLIM STUDENTS
- Evangelicals, Islam and Salvation (New York Times)
- Anti-Muslim Flyer Yanked from Courthouse (Evening Sun)
* CAIR-ST. LOUIS ADOPTS A HIGHWAY
* CAIR REACTS TO REPORT ON POST-9/11 DETAINEES
- U.S. Report Slams Detention Policy REPORT (CNN)
- Report Questions Some 9/11 Detentions (Wash. Post)
* IS TERRORISM TIED TO CHRISTIAN SECT? (Wash. Post)
- Sympathy for Suspect Clouds Evidence Search (NY Times)
* 'TORTURE' SNAPS: IRAQI POW'S ABUSED (Sun)
- My Horror at POW Sex Abuse Pics (Sun)
* LIBRARIES REBELLING TO PROTECT PRIVACY (Boston Channel)
- Council to Vote on Patriot Act Resolution (Palo Alto)
- Council Takes Stand Against Patriot Act (Sun Link)
* SCHOOL MAKES HISTORY (Pioneer Press)
* THE WAR PARTY - A SCARY, UGLY LOT (AntiWar.com)
* SUMMIT ON CIVIL RIGHTS, LEGAL CHALLENGES
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: BLESSED WEALTH
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Blessed is the wealth
of a
Muslim from which he gives to the poor, to orphans and to needy
travelers."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 544
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5961 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5961 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
Donations
Centre Daily Times, 6/1/03
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/living/5990343.htm
In cooperation with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a
national
civil rights and advocacy group that works to provide information to
the
American public about Islam and to counter anti-Muslim bigotry, Mumina
(Betsy) Kowalski, of Boalsburg, recently donated a collection of books.
They are on display in the elevator lobby on the second floor of Schlow
Memorial Library, 100 E. Beaver Ave., State College.
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
OHIO DISTRICT REJECTS PROSELYTIZATION OF MUSLIM STUDENTS
School secretary said Muslim students a 'mission field'
(GROVE CITY, OHIO, 6/2/03) - Following a meeting with representatives
of
the Ohio office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-Ohio), a
school district in that state says it will not allow proselytization of
Muslim students.
The statement by the superintendent of South-Western City Schools came
after publication of a May 27 New York Times article in which a
secretary
at a high school in Columbus referred to her desire to convert Muslim
students to Christianity. That secretary said her school has many
Muslim
students from Somalia, who she regarded as "a virtual mission field."
She
was also quoted as saying: "If I had the answer for cancer, what sort
of a
human would I be not to share it?"
SEE: "Seeing Islam as 'Evil' Faith, Evangelicals Seek Converts"
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/27/national/27ISLA.html
In his statement, District Superintendent Dr. Kirk Hamilton said in
part:
"While our staff member has emphatically denied making any attempts to
proselytize or convert students from the Muslim or any other religion
to
her faith, I want to make it very clear that South-Western City Schools
will not tolerate any such behavior by our employees.
"We are extremely proud of the rich cultural diversity in our district,
and
we have worked very hard to develop programs and provide staff to
ensure
that students of various cultures and backgrounds are successful in our
schools. It is important to us that our Islamic and Muslim friends know
that we value their involvement and investment in our schools, and we
have
great respect for their religious and cultural traditions…Should we
find
that an employee has violated our policy, we will deal with the
employee in
a swift, fair, and decisive manner."
Representatives of the school district and CAIR-Ohio met Friday to
address
the Muslim community's concerns about the comments made by the school
secretary.
"We appreciate that the school district and superintendent Hamilton
shared
our concerns about the disturbing comments in the article," said
CAIR-Ohio
Executive Director Jad Humeidan. Humeidan characterized Friday's
meeting as
constructive and positive.
CAIR also met Sunday with parents from the school district to reassure
them
that their children will be safe from religious intimidation in the
schools.
"We informed the parents that the school district assured CAIR-Ohio
they
will not stand for any proselytizing in their schools," said Humeidan.
He
also reassured the parents that CAIR-Ohio will continue to work with
school
officials across that state to protect the civil right of Muslim
students.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 16 regional
offices nationwide and in Canada.
CONTACT: Jeffrey Warner, Communications & Community Relations Manager,
South-Western City School District (614) 801-3027, Jad Humeidan,
Executive
Director, CAIR-Ohio, 614-451-3232 or 614-571-2770.
SEE ALSO:
EVANGELICALS, ISLAM AND SALVATION (5 Letters)
Rudolph D. Gonzalez, New York Times, 6/2/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/02/opinion/L02EVAN.html?tntemail0
Re "Seeing Islam as `Evil' Faith, Evangelicals Seek Converts" (5/27)
I take issue with your characterization of our efforts as including
"vituperation." Southern Baptists have historically championed the
rights
of all people to believe and practice as their consciences dictate. We
reject all methods of evangelism that involve coercion, bribery or
threat.
Though we may disagree with Islam in its essential doctrines, our
missionaries do not regard Muslims as "evil" people. Southern Baptist
medical missionaries and relief workers have demonstrated nothing but
unconditional love for Muslim people. In the last year, that love cost
several of them their lives.
We affirm that Muslims, like all people, are in need of the love and
forgiveness that Jesus Christ provides. Thus, we are compelled to share
that love in both word and deed...
---
ANTI-MUSLIM FLYER YANKED FROM COURTHOUSE
Rob Jordan, Evening Sun, 6/2/03
http://www.eveningsun.com/Stories/0,1413,140~9956~1430542,00.html
An anti-Islamic flyer hung prominently in the public area of an Adams
County government office for more than six weeks.
The flyer was removed after an inquiry by The Evening Sun, but a
spokesman
for an Islamic civil rights said the display is typical of the
widespread
bias facing Muslims in today's world.
The missive attributes various acts of terrorism to Islam and calls for
a
boycott of a U.S. Postal Service stamp commemorating the two most
important
festivals - or Eids - in the Islamic calendar.
"To use this stamp would be a slap in the face to all those Americans
who
died at the hands of those whom this stamp honors," the flyer says.
Patsy Gochenauer, Adam County's register of wills and recorder of
deeds,
said she was aware of the flyer, tacked to a bulletin board near the
counter area in her department's office, on the first floor of the
Adams
County courthouse. But she said she didn't consider it offensive.
"It's something that was put up there because of Osama bin Laden or
whatever," Gochenauer said. "I didn't have any problem with it being up
there."
Ibrahim Hooper did.
Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a
Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group, said the
posted
message is symptomatic of a trend toward vilifying Muslims.
"These kinds of things have become so pervasive, that I think we're
seeing
a dangerous trend," Hooper said...
-----
CAIR-ST. LOUIS ADOPTS A HIGHWAY
On Sunday, June 1, 2003, the St. Louis Chapter of the Council on
American Islamic Relations (CAIR) cleaned a stretch of Interstate 64 in
west St. Louis County. In exchange for a commitment to clean the
highway
four times a year, the Missouri Department of Transportation has
provided a
sign on both sides of the highway. Interstate 64 is a central corridor
in
the St. Louis area and thousands of our fellow citizens see the sign on
a
daily basis.
A link to other photographs of the highway cleanup is here:
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/cairstl/lst
-----
CAIR REACTS TO REPORT ON POST-9/11 DETAINEES
Attributable to CAIR Board Chairman Omar Ahmad: "This report confirms
what
we have been saying for some time, that the vast majority of those
swept up
after the 9-11 attacks had nothing to do with terrorism and suffered
needlessly because of bureaucratic bungling and denial of due process.
The
issues raised in this report need to be seriously addressed so that
history
does not repeat itself."
Ahmad added that all Americans should be concerned about new policies,
such
as the proposed USA Patriot Act II, that would further erode civil
liberties.
-----
U.S. REPORT SLAMS DETENTION POLICY
CNN, 6/2/03
http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/06/01/detainees/index.html
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An internal investigation into the Justice
Department's
detentions of hundreds of people after September 11, 2001, for
suspected
immigration violations found significant problems in how the cases were
handled, CNN has learned.
A report by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine to be
issued
Monday concludes some detainees who did not pose a terrorist threat
were
held in custody too long, sources familiar with the report told CNN.
It also raises questions about the conditions under which some
detainees
were held, the sources said.
While not disputing the report's conclusions, department officials made
no
apologies for their aggressive approach to protecting U.S. citizens
from
the threat of additional terrorist attacks after September 11.
"We believe the report is fully consistent with what the courts have
ruled
... that the department's actions are fully within the law," a senior
Justice Department official told CNN.
According to sources, the report concludes an unwritten "no-bond"
policy
for detainees kept individuals who did not represent a terrorist threat
behind bars for unnecessarily long periods because the FBI was too slow
in
clearing them...
Justice Department officials acknowledged Friday that the report
contains
criticisms of law enforcement practices in the wake of the September 11
attacks.
But they cited the "unprecedented crisis" facing the nation that
prompted
authorities to use strong measures to seek out individuals with
possible
terrorist ties...
SEE ALSO:
REPORT QUESTIONS SOME 9/11 DETENTIONS
Dan Eggen, Washington Post, 5/31/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60170-2003May30.html
A long-awaited report from the Justice Department inspector general
concludes that federal authorities detained dozens of immigrants for
unusually long periods of time after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks,
according
to Justice officials and sources familiar with the report.
The report by Inspector General Glenn A. Fine, scheduled for release
Monday, found that some foreign nationals with no connection to
terrorism
were held for months because of delays in routing information between
the
immigration service and the FBI, according to Justice and FBI
officials.
The report found that 54 of the 762 detainees were held for more than
three
months, despite objections from officials in the former Immigration and
Naturalization Service that they should be released with "reasonable
dispatch," one Justice official said.
At least 130 detainees did not acquire counsel during their
proceedings,
although all were afforded the right to ask for lawyers, the Justice
official said.
Although the findings provide a glimpse of the impending report on
Sept. 11
detainees, it was impossible to determine yesterday what other findings
it
might contain. Neither the Justice Department nor the inspector
general's
office would provide any part of the report itself...
Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties
Union,
said yesterday that "the inspector general report shows that the war on
terror quickly turned into a war on immigrants..."
But Justice and FBI officials said they believe the report shows they
acted
within the law in detaining immigrants after Sept. 11. A Justice
official
said the department has already implemented two of Fine's
recommendations
and is reviewing the overall system for handling "special interest"
detainees.
-----
IS TERRORISM TIED TO CHRISTIAN SECT
Alan Cooperman, Washington Post, 6/2/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1196-2003Jun1.html
The arrest of alleged Olympic bomber Eric Robert Rudolph may finally
allow
authorities to answer a question that has loomed since the beginning of
the
five-year hunt for him, but that has taken on deeper resonance since
Sept.
11, 2001: Is he a "Christian terrorist"?
The question is not just whether Rudolph is a terrorist, or whether he
considers himself a Christian. It is whether he planted bombs at the
1996
Olympic Games in Atlanta, two abortion clinics and a gay nightclub to
advance a religious ideology -- and how numerous, organized and violent
others who share that ideology may be.
Federal investigators believe Rudolph has had a long association with
the
radical Christian Identity movement, which asserts that North European
whites are the direct descendants of the lost tribes of Israel, God's
chosen people...
"We declare and will wage total war on the ungodly communist regime in
New
York and your legaslative bureaucratic lackey's in Washington. It is
you
who are responsible and preside over the murder of children and issue
the
policy of ungodly preversion thats destroying our people," one of the
letters said, in childish penmanship riddled with errors...
SEE ALSO:
SYMPATHY FOR BOMBING SUSPECT MAY CLOUD SEARCH FOR EVIDENCE
Jeffrey Gettleman, New York Times, 6/1/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/02/national/02BOMB.html
PEACHTREE, N.C. - Betty Howard made many people happy today, and it was
not
for her daily special. Around noon, Mrs. Howard walked outside, glanced
up
at the sign in front of her diner and decided to change the lettering
on
the marquee from "Roast Turkey Baked Ham" to "Pray for Eric Rudolph."
"Bless his heart," Mrs. Howard said. "Eric needs our help..."
A day after the authorities finally collared Eric R. Rudolph, the
36-year-old phantom survivalist who had been wanted for five years in
connection with the bombing at the 1996 Olympics and attacks on
abortion
clinics, it is becoming clearer how fiercely loyal this community is to
him, and how that might complicate the case...
-----
'TORTURE' SNAPS: MAN HELD
John Kay, Sun, 6/2/03
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2003242223,00.html
A British soldier has been arrested over sickening "torture" photos of
an
Iraqi prisoner.
They show a PoW dangling from a fork-lift truck.
Others allegedly depict soldiers committing sex acts near captured
Iraqis.
The squaddie - in the 1st Royal Regiment of Fusiliers - was seized
after he
took a roll of film to his local photo shop to be developed. Horrified
lab
workers called in police.
One snap showed an Iraqi PoW who was bound and gagged. He was bundled
up in
netting suspended from a fork-lift driven by a British soldier.
It is believed the prisoner was alive when the pictures were taken in
Southern Iraq as the war was raging.
Last night a war crimes probe was launched by the Army's Special
Investigations Branch...
A senior Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "We confirm an
investigation
is under way into allegations of photos depicting maltreatment of Iraqi
PoWs. We cannot comment further. But if there is any truth in these
allegations the MoD is appalled. We take responsibility to PoWs
extremely
seriously."
SEE ALSO:
MY HORROR AT POW SEX ABUSE PICS
John Scott and Michael Lea, Sun, 6/2/03
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/1,,2003250508,00.html
The young mum who uncovered the Iraqi PoW sex snaps scandal said last
night: "I felt sick to the stomach at those pictures."
Kelly Tilford, 22, called police after developing a film in her photo
shop.
The shocking pictures - revealed by The Sun yesterday - showed male
Iraqis
apparently forced into sexual positions by their British captors. In
another a prisoner was suspended by rope from a fork-lift truck driven
by a
laughing Brit.
Fusilier Gary Bartlam, 18, of Tamworth, Staffs, is being grilled by the
Army's top criminal investigator - amid fears the scandal is the tip of
an
iceberg.
Disgusted Kelly said she knew she had to call police after seeing the
horrific scenes in Gulf War II snaps she had just developed.
Kelly added: "I don't feel guilty about calling in the police. I know
people who have been fighting in Iraq...
"I would not want any of my friends to be treated like those Iraqis on
the
photographs. We are a great nation.
"But we would lose our self-respect and much more besides if we allowed
ourselves and our troops to stoop this low."
-----
LIBRARIES REBELLING TO PROTECT PATRONS' PRIVACY
Boston Channel, 5/30/03
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/2238208/detail.html
MADISON, Wis. -- In Wisconsin, there is a state law declaring library
records confidential - that is unless you're an investigator armed with
a
judge's signature.
The director of Madison's public libraries fears the U.S. Patriot Act
could
have a stifling effect on what you feel comfortable reading.
It's the latest in a growing national backlash against the federal
anti-terrorism law.
Under the controversial Patriot Act, FBI agents can get a court order
to
see what books you checks out, and you would never even know it...
In Palo Alto, the librarians are destroying computer records within six
days of any transaction. All paper records there, including
inter-library
loan requests, book reserve lists and sign-up lists for the library's
public computers, are being shredded immediately after use.
"There's not much they can find," the Madison director said. "That's
what
I'm trying to say, but that doesn't make the law a good law."
SEE ALSO:
COUNCIL TO VOTE ON ANTI-PATRIOT ACT RESOLUTION
Palo Alto Weekly, 5/31/03
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/paw/paonline/news/2003_05_31.councilpre31.shtml
A resolution that would aim to protect civil liberties asking Palo
Alto's
federal representatives to work to repeal parts of the USA Patriot Act
is
going to be considered by the Palo Alto City Council on Monday night.
Many civil libertarians view portions of the act -- passed six weeks
after
the Sept. 11 attacks to bolster the government's ability to fight
domestic
terrorism -- as assaulting civil liberties.
The city's proposed resolution also directs the city manager to ensure
that
the city's police department "refrains from engaging in the
surveillance of
individuals based on their participation in activities protected by the
First Amendment, such as political activity of the practice of
religion,
without particularized suspicion of criminal activity unrelated to the
activity protected by the First Amendment."
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. inside city hall at 250 Hamilton Ave. in
Palo
Alto.
---
COUNCIL TAKES STAND AGAINST PATRIOT ACT
Steven Gardner, Sun Link, 5/30/03
http://www.thesunlink.com/redesign/2003-05-30/local/162350.shtml
In a rare display, about 80 Bainbridge Island residents gave the City
Council a standing ovation for unanimously supporting a resolution
critical
of the USA Patriot Act.
The vote Wednesday followed impassioned pleas from residents to send a
message that the city will protect civil rights. The resolution states
the
city's willingness not to cooperate with federal government
investigations
in some cases.
"If the possibility of death at the hands of terrorists is the price we
pay
for liberty, then so be it," said Iver Macdougall, a South Beach-area
resident. "Better that a few of us be victims of terror than that all
of us
forfeit our fundamental freedoms."
The Bainbridge resolution affirms city employees' rights to "withhold
cooperation in federal investigations, interrogations or arrest
procedures"
that violate "individual's civil rights or civil liberties..."
Bainbridge is one of 116 communities and three states to pass similar
resolutions. Vermont also passed a resolution Wednesday, Philadelphia
approved one Thursday and New York City has one on its agenda.
On Wednesday, the Kitsap Regional Library Board of Trustees also passed
a
resolution critical of elements of the act "that infringe on the rights
of
library patrons."
Seattle, Bellingham and Vashon-Maury Island have already passed similar
legislation.
-----
SCHOOL MAKES HISTORY
Paul Tosto, Pioneer Press, 5/31/03
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/living/education/5981309.htm
It will be one of the smallest graduating classes in the Twin Cities,
but
it will be historic: Three students from Al-Amal School in Fridley
today
will be the first to graduate from an Islamic school in Minnesota,
marking
a new chapter in the state's rich tradition of religious education.
Sumaiya Mamdani, Amber Salem and Malik Harfi will take their diplomas
this
afternoon, joining more than 4,000 private school and 70,000 public
school
seniors in Minnesota expecting to graduate this spring.
For teens and parents, graduation day brings a tremendous "Hey, I made
it"
satisfaction. But the feeling today will belong, too, to Al-Amal, which
began nine years ago with about 35 elementary school-age kids and has
seen
demand grow for Islamic and academic instruction.
"It's very important," Principal Salah Ayari said of today's event. "It
shows that the Muslim community in Minnesota has a new focus now on
education." It will build confidence among parents that "we can provide
this kind of education for our kids and permit them to go to college."
Like Catholic, Jewish and Lutheran schools, Al-Amal weaves together
religious and academic teaching. Reading, math, science and social
studies
are taught along with Arabic and the Quran. Parents and students come
searching for smaller class sizes and a sense of discipline and unity
in
the religion...
-----
THE WAR PARTY- A SCARY, UGLY LOT
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com, 6/2/03
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/justincol.html
Uzbekistan, land of torture, where opponents of the barbaric regime are
routinely jailed, beaten, and murdered - you wouldn't think that Uzbek
"President" Islam Karimov would have any Western defenders. But, then,
you
probably weren't taking ex-leftist-turned-Muslim Stephen Schwartz into
account.
The fifty-something "senior policy analyst" for the ironically-named
Foundation in Defense of Democracies, a rabid war bird formerly with
the
Voice of America, doesn't have much of a problem with Uzbekistan's
estimated 600 political arrests per year and some 6,500 political
prisoners
- many of whom face death by torture…
In a free society, wackos like Schwartz are laughed at and generally
ignored: in a police state, they are feared and universally hated
informers. Caught as we are midway between these two states, the sight
of
Schwartz's porcine figure lurking in the shadows is fraught with
overtones
both sinister and absurd…
-----
SUMMIT ON CIVIL RIGHTS, LEGAL CHALLENGES
WHAT: The Muslim Legal Defense and Education Fund is hosting a summit
on
Muslim civil rights, legal challenges. Issues such as INS detentions,
secret evidence, and FBI raids will be discussed. Keynote speaker will
be
Dr. Khalid Abdullah Tariq Al-Mansour, a civil rights and international
lawyer. Registration fees vary for attorneys, community members and
students.
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8, 2003.
WHERE: Howard University School of Law.
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/3/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5961 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* CAIR-ST. LOUIS OFFERS FBI ISLAMIC AWARENESS TRAINING
- Law Enforcement Official's Guide to Muslim Community
- CAIR-CA: Civil Liberties Forum at De Anza College
* GARY BAUER: ISLAM 'INCONSISTENT' WITH AMERICAN IDEALS
- The Normalcy of Peace (CSM)
- Christians, Muslims Have Much in Common (Calgary Herald)
- H.S. Students Discuss Their Differences (Newsday)
* REPORT: 9/11 DETAINEES ABUSED (Wash. Post)
- Report Faults Roundup of Illegal Immigrants (NY Times)
- The Abusive Detentions of Sept. 11 (NY Times)
- Conyers Issues Statement About Report
- Hunt for Terrorists Lands Pilot in Limbo (WS Journal)
* ROXBORO PHYSICIAN MAY RETURN TO U.S. (News & Observer)
* 3 ARRESTED FOR DEFILING MUSLIM WOMAN'S BODY (Independent)
* NEW GROUP OFFERS ALTERNATIVE TO AIPAC (Wash. Post)
* GUANTANAMO COURTROOMS BEING PREPARED (Times)
- Two Convicted in Detroit Terror Trial (AP)
* COUNTY TO VOTE ON PATRIOT ACT RESOLUTION (Daily Emerald)
* PRELIMINARY TO THE 4TH ANNUAL ISSA CONFERENCE
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Acquiring knowledge in
(the) company (of others) for an hour in the night is better than
spending
the whole night in prayer."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 91
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5961 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5961 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
-----
CAIR-ST. LOUIS OFFERS FBI ISLAMIC AWARENESS TRAINING
(ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI) - On Monday, June 2, the St. Louis Chapter of the
Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-St. Louis) conducted an
Islamic
awareness training program for more than 20 representatives of the
FBI's
St. Louis Field Office. CAIR-St. Louis Executive Director James O.
Hacking
III and Imam Muhammad Nur Abdullah, President of the Islamic Society of
North America (ISNA), offered a Power Point presentation tailored to
law
enforcement officers at the FBI's local headquarters.
Issues addressed included the basic tenets of the Islamic faith, the
status
of women in Islam, the diversity of the American Muslim community, and
ways
the estimated 75,000 area Muslims can work together with law
enforcement. A
question-and-answer session followed the presentation.
Hacking noted that it is important to maintain clear lines of
communication
between law enforcement officials and the Muslim community. He said, "I
believe the presentation was well received and several agents thanked
us
for coming and said they found the discussion to be very informative."
CAIR recently announced the publication of a booklet designed to
familiarize the law enforcement community with Islamic beliefs and
practices. The booklet, "A Law Enforcement Official's Guide to the
Muslim
Community," outlines basic information about Islamic beliefs that are
relevant to law enforcement. It also cover issues such as the rights of
Muslim law enforcement officers, religiously-sensitive techniques for
body
searches, proper etiquette for entering Muslim homes, and advice on
outreach to the Islamic community.
Copies of the booklet may be obtained by contacting:
publications@cair-net.org ($3+S/H)
SEE ALSO: A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL'S GUIDE TO THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY
http://www.cair-net.org/hdn/LawEnforceGuide/
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CA: CIVIL LIBERTIES FORUM TONIGHT AT DE ANZA COLLEGE
Civil Liberties: From the Past to the Present
Panel of Speakers:
-Jean Wakatsuki Houston, Author of 'Farewell to Manzanar'
-Scholar, Stanford Hoover Institute (Invited)
-Kenzo Kimura, President, San Jose Chapter- Japanese American Citizens
League
-Helal Omeira, Executive Director, Council on American-Islamic
Relations
De Anza College, Campus Center, Conference Rooms A & B
Tuesday June 3, 2003, 6:00 to 8:00 PM
For More Info: 408-864-8690, CivilRightsEvent@yahoogroups.com
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: GARY BAUER SAYS ISLAM 'INCONSISTENT' WITH AMERICAN
IDEALS
'JUDEO-CHRISTIAN-ISLAMIC' TERM PROPOSED
David Brody, Family News, 6/2/03
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0026311.html
"The country was built on Judeo-Christian values, and Islamic values in
many, many ways are inconsistent with the very ideals of the American
public," Bauer said.
ALSO SEE:
THE NORMALCY OF PEACE
Christian Science Monitor, 6/3/03
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0603/p18s01-hfcs.html
D.J. is a very Muslim man whose taxi business is housed in a very
Jewish
auto-repair shop. It is here that this very Christian woman takes her
very
old car for repairs that are getting more and more frequent. So I have
gotten to watch and love how these men interact in a way that gives me
hope
for peace among the people of the world...
Despite the ethnic violence portrayed in the media, the reality is that
there are people from all kinds of backgrounds connecting every day in
ways
that are moving civilization forward. Yes, there are painful
contradictions
of this fact, but in thinking about the world, I find myself asking:
Which
evidence am I to believe? Is man nothing more than a self-interested
animal
who defends only the confines of his own family's lair? Or is man
endowed
with the perspective of his Maker, and able to look at life broadly,
able
to think beyond his own life?...
As much as humans are fooled into thinking that they are isolated,
solitary
beings, fighting for their lives and provision, we have a divine
origin,
placing us securely in God's family with God's provision. This is the
fundamental truth of the universe. Rather than agree that we live in a
universe of competitive needs and limited resources, it is essential
that
we admit that the provision of one man's needs is in harmony with
another's.
This is the foundation for hope. And how important it is that we commit
to
that hope...
---
CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS HAVE MUCH IN COMMON
Shahina Siddiqui, Calgary Herald, 6/3/03
http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/
Re: "Aid to Iraq steams ahead," May 24.
Unfortunately, the message your readers received in light of Franklin
Graham's derogatory comments regarding Islam and the prophet of Islam,
Mohammed, reported in your paper by Linda Slobodian, was derisory and
hateful.
It is only fair that Graham's evangelical view of Islam be given a
response
that outlines an Islamic view of Christianity.
Prophet Jesus is held in great esteem by Muslims and we celebrate his
birth
and honor his message by emulating his teachings in word, deed and
thought.
Muslims aspire to the example of Jesus, who was known for his
compassion
and humble lifestyle...
The many miracles that Jesus was blessed with are also recorded in the
Qur'an and which Muslims cannot deny or underplay. For example, Chapter
5,
Verse 110, tells how Jesus as a child made a bird out of clay and
breathed
life into it, and he healed the blind and the lepers...
Islamic tradition discourages us from devoting just one day for the
celebration of Jesus's message...
As a reminder to Graham, and for the benefit of Christian readers, let
us
consider how God describes Christians in the Qur'an: "And nearest among
the
people in love to believers (Muslims) will thy find those who say 'We
are
Christians,' because among these are people devoted to learning and
people
who have renounced the world and they are not arrogant." (5:82)
---
FRANCIS LEWIS H.S. STUDENTS DISCUSS THEIR DIFFERENCES
Newsday, 6/3/03
http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-puloutt3311684jun03,0,5448525.story
Eleventh-graders Adam Faroqui, a Muslim, and Joseph Sadon, a Jew,
aren't
best friends despite their religious difference but because of it. The
two
actually became friends debating the Arab-Israeli conflict at Francis
Lewis
High School in Fresh Meadows.
"I do believe that my religion is the right path, but that doesn't mean
I
am a Muslim supremacist," Adam said, explaining the difference between
ethnic pride and ethnocentrism. "A lot of people have used the Arab-
Israeli conflict to make enemies, but I've used it to make friends."
Joseph said, "If you believe your race is better than others just
because
you were born into it ... you are a racist."
These students have a unique perspective on these issues; they are
among
some 225 students in the school who are acting as peer leaders as part
of a
citywide Project Liberty program, federally funded by FEMA, designed to
heal racial rifts following 9/11...
-----
REPORT: 9/11 DETAINEES ABUSED
Steve Fainaru, Washington Post, 6/3/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5511-2003Jun2.html
Authorities violated the civil rights of hundreds of immigrants
detained
after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and demonstrated "a pattern of
physical
and verbal abuse" at a federal prison where 84 of them were held,
according
to a long-awaited Justice Department report released yesterday.
According to a review by its Office of the Inspector General, the
Justice
Department instituted a "no bond" policy for all detainees connected to
the
terrorism probe after the attacks -- even though immigration officials
quickly questioned the policy's legality.
Without bail, terrorism suspects remained in jail for an average of
nearly
three months, much longer than the FBI projected before it cleared most
of
them for release, the report said. In addition, detainees faced
monumental
difficulties and weeks of delay before they were allowed to make phone
calls and find lawyers. Some were kept for months in cells illuminated
24
hours a day and were escorted in handcuffs, leg irons and waist
chains...
The 198-page report by Inspector General Glenn A. Fine is the most
thorough
account to date of the government's handling of 762 immigrants -- most
of
Arab and South Asian descent -- taken into custody during the
nationwide
terrorism probe. All had violated immigration laws in some way. The
inquiry
focused on two detention facilities that housed the majority of the
detainees, the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and
the
Passaic County jail in Paterson, N.J...
To view full report, see:
http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0603/full.pdf or
http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/oig/detainees.pdf
SEE ALSO:
U.S. REPORT FAULTS THE ROUNDUP OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AFTER 9/11
Eric Lictblau, New York Times, 6/3/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/03/politics/03DETA.html
WASHINGTON - The highly critical report from the Justice Department's
inspector general concluded that F.B.I. officials, particularly in New
York
City, "made little attempt to distinguish" between immigrants who had
possible ties to terrorism and those swept up by chance in the
investigation.
Justice Department officials said they believed they had acted within
the
law in pursuing terrorist suspects. "We make no apologies for finding
every
legal way possible to protect the American public from further
terrorist
attacks," said Barbara Comstock, a spokeswoman for the department.
But the inspector general's report found that some lawyers in the
department raised concerns about the legality of the tactics, only to
be
overridden by senior officials.
The report validated the concerns raised by some members of Congress
and
civil rights groups who charge that the Justice Department has cast too
wide a net in the campaign against terrorism. The findings will
probably
provide legal and political ammunition to those seeking to curb the
department's counterterrorism tactics, officials said.
"It feels good to have someone saying that we shouldn't have had to go
through all that we did," said Shanaz Mohammed, 39, who was held in
Brooklyn for eight months on an immigration violation before being
deported
to Trinidad last year...
"I think America overreacted a great deal by singling out Arab-named
men
like myself," he said in a phone interview. "We were all looked at as
terrorists. We were abused."
---
THE ABUSIVE DETENTIONS OF SEPT. 11
New York Times, 6/3/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/03/opinion/03TUE1.html
It was vital after the terrorism of Sept. 11 that the nation protect
itself, arresting and investigating those who might have had a role.
But it
was equally vital that it avoid doing things we would later regret,
like
failing to grant detainees due process or abusing them either mentally
and
physically. Sadly, such caution was not exercised, according to a frank
and
blistering report by the inspector general of the Justice Department.
The report, released yesterday, criticizes an array of practices, like
holding suspects in 23-hour "lockdowns" and interfering with their
access
to lawyers...
In the 11 months after Sept. 11, the Justice Department detained 762
non-citizens in connection with terrorism inquiries, many on charges of
entering the country illegally or overstaying visas. The inspector
general
found that while the Justice Department had faced "enormous challenges
and
difficult circumstances," it had nevertheless engaged in a significant
amount of unacceptable activity...
No one wants the government to stop protecting the nation. But
yesterday an
important watchdog added its voice to those who insist that while doing
so,
the government must do a better job of protecting the rights of the
suspects, many of them completely innocent, who are caught up in the
net.
Immigrants, legal or illegal, deserve due process and decent treatment.
---
CONYERS: "IG REPORT CONFIRMS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT'S WAR ON TERRORISM IS
JUST A WAR ON THE CONSTITUTION AND BASIC HUMAN DIGNITIES"
Congressman John Conyers, Jr. issued the following statement regarding
the
report by the Inspector General of the Department of Justice on the
treatment of 9/11 detainees:
"This report confirms my worst fears about the unaccountable Ashcroft
Justice Department, that its war on terrorism is just a war on the
Constitution and basic human dignities. This report presents stark
evidence that the DOJ has deprived detainees of fundamental
constitutional
rights and has employed shocking and un-American tactics of torture and
abuse. I fear that, in fighting terrorism, Ashcroft would tear down the
foundations of our democracy.
When the Attorney General appears before the Judiciary Committee on
Thursday, I will hold him fully accountable for this. Some troubling
highlights from the report include:
- The Department kept the detainees in harsh, inhuman conditions. At
the
Bureau of Prison's facility (Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn,
New
York), detainees were subject to physical and verbal abuse by MDC staff
and
their cells were illuminated 24 hours per day; - In New York City, the
FBI
and INS did not distinguish between detaining aliens connected to the
attacks and detaining those who had no connection to the attacks but
came
up in a September 11 lead. The Department should have detained only
those
for whom it had some basis to suspect a connection to terrorism; - The
Justice Department held detainees an average of 80 days; and
- The INS did not serve notices of immigration charges on detainees
within
specified timeframes. This affected ability of the detainees not only
to
understand why there were being held but also to obtain legal counsel
and
to request bond hearings.
This report should remind us of what an unchecked and out of control
Justice Department can do. The Inspector General conducted his
investigation under section 1001 of the USA PATRIOT Act, which charges
him
with investigating allegations of civil rights and civil liberties
abuses
made against Justice Department employees. While I opposed the Patriot
Act
in its final form, I authored this provision. But for that clause
hidden in
the most rushed and misguided piece of legislation the Congress has
ever
seen, the abuses of the Ashcroft Justice Department would have been
hidden
forever from the American people."
---
HUNT FOR TERRORISTS LANDS ONE PILOT IN STATE OF LIMBO
Stephen Power, Wall Street Journal, 6/3/03
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Looking for potential terrorists last summer, the Transportation
Security
Administration combed a list of 1.3 million U.S.-licensed pilots,
flight
instructors and mechanics. It found just 11 suspects.
One of them was Samir Boudah, an Algerian-born French engineer who had
been
studying to receive his commercial pilot's license in Florida. Within
days,
Mr. Boudah, now 32 years old, received a letter from the Federal
Aviation
Administration telling him that his U.S. private pilot's license was
being
revoked because "you present a risk to aviation security or national
security." It didn't say why.
Mr. Boudah hired a lawyer and, at the TSA's request, sent the agency a
short autobiography. Quickly enough, the TSA reversed itself, conceding
in
a January letter to the FAA, which issues pilot licenses, that Mr.
Boudah
does "not present a security risk." The TSA also changed its mind about
two
of the 10 other foreigners it had singled out as suspicious.
But Mr. Boudah's troubles weren't over. More than four months after the
TSA
cleared him of suspicion, he is still barred from entering the U.S. His
finances are depleted by a long legal struggle to clear his name, and
his
dream of becoming a U.S. airline pilot now seems beyond reach. No one
in
the U.S. government will tell him why he's still barred from entering
the
U.S. For months, he didn't even know which agency had a problem with
him.
The Sept. 11 attacks put intense pressure on law-enforcement agencies
to
scrutinize foreign visitors for terrorist links. Often, they had little
time to act and scarce information to go on. "They've got to err on the
side of safety wherever they can," says Rusty Capps, a retired FBI
antiterrorist supervisor.
But now, as the government assembles a bureaucracy for handling alleged
terrorist threats, it is drawing fire for inadequate due-process
protections. Big airline-pilots' and mechanics' unions have filed suit
in
federal court to strike down the TSA's threat-assessment system,
arguing
the agency's standards for identifying terrorists encourage "arbitrary,
inconsistent and discriminatory enforcement…"
-----
DOCTOR WINS NEW VISA: ROXBORO PHYSICIAN MAY RETURN TO U.S.
Yonat Shimron, News & Observer, 6/3/03
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2586886p-2400718c.html
Three weeks after he was denied re-entry into the United States and put
on
a plane back to Pakistan, a Roxboro doctor may soon be caring for his
patients.
On Monday, Dr. Shahid Mahmood was told by a U.S. Embassy official in
Islamabad, Pakistan, that he would receive a new H1-B working visa by
courier mail later this week. If all goes as planned, Mahmood may be
back
sometime next week at his Roxboro clinic, caring for more than 600
mostly
poor and elderly patients.
Mahmood, 38, a Pakistani citizen, left the United States last month for
a
trip home to visit his ailing father. When he returned May 11,
immigration
officials at Dulles International Airport near Washington denied him
entry,
saying he had failed to register with U.S. authorities before he left.
They
canceled his visa. Within six hours he, his wife, Shazia, and
2-year-old
daughter, Fareen, were flown back to Pakistan...
Mahmood's ordeal is the result of a law enacted after Sept. 11, 2001,
that
requires foreign nationals from 25 mostly Muslim countries to register
with
the Bureau for Citizenship and Immigration Services. Although Mahmood
went
to the Charlotte immigration office earlier this year to be
photographed
and fingerprinted as the law requires, he said he was unaware of
another
part of the law that mandates foreign nationals to register with
government
authorities before they leave the country.
Mahmood's brother-in-law, Dr. Sarim Mir, a doctor living in Hagerstown,
Md., and his Roxboro office manager, Tracy Wall, worked feverishly to
get
him back, soliciting letters on his behalf from local doctors and
contacting several North Carolina legislators and U.S. senators.
Pressure
from Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole's office staff helped persuade the
American embassy in Pakistan to speed the application and allow the
doctor
to return, said Brian Nick, a spokesman for Dole's office. The senator
did
not have to intervene personally, he added....
In response to his plight, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a
Muslim advocacy group based in Washington, issued an advisory to Muslim
visa-holders in the United States, warning them that if they forget to
register before they leave the country, they will not be allowed to
return...
-----
THREE ARRESTED AFTER DESECRATION OF MUSLIM WOMAN'S BODY WITH BACON
STRIPS
Terry Kirby, Independent, 6/3/03
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=411948
Detectives investigating the desecration of a Muslim woman's body that
was
covered with bacon as it lay in a hospital morgue have arrested three
men
and discovered a cache of 2,000 photographs of corpses.
Another desecration of a corpse at Hillingdon Hospital mortuary in west
London in 1996 - when the body was marked by a pen - has also emerged
during the inquiry by Scotland Yard.
Neither the family of the first victim or the police were notified at
the
time of the desecration. The hospital has apologised to the woman's
family,
who are said to be "very distressed", and has now set up its own
inquiry
into the affair. Two of those arrested, a man aged 20 and another aged
30,
are former mortuary workers who are now being investigated over the
incident in January, when the body of a 65-year-old grandmother, who
died
from cancer, was desecrated with bacon slices. It is strictly against
the
Muslim religion to touch or eat pork and detectives are treating it as
a
religiously or racially motivated crime. The third man, a 53-year old
from
Uxbridge in west London, was arrested in connection with allegations of
theft of personal property from corpses in the mortuary. He is not
being
linked to the desecration incident and has been suspended from his job
at
the hospital...
-----
NEW GROUP OFFERS ALTERNATIVE TO AIPAC
Caryle Murphy, Washington Post, 6/3/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5329-2003Jun2.html
On the same day that President Bush holds a summit with Arab leaders in
Cairo, about 500 activists will visit 160 Capitol Hill offices today
with
the message that some supporters of Israel believe its security depends
on
creating a viable Palestinian state.
Participants in the "Teach-in to Congress," many of them Jewish, have
been
meeting in Washington since Sunday to discuss, among other things, how
to
counter the influence of the American Israeli Political Affairs
Committee.
Organizers of the conference said that offsetting AIPAC's lobbying
efforts
would help bring about a more even-handed U.S. approach to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"This is the first attempt to build a national organization that is an
alternative to AIPAC," said Michael Lerner, editor of the Jewish
magazine
Tikkun and an organizer of the four-day conference. "We are a
progressive
middle path. We are both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian."
Bush will meet tomorrow in Jordan with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon
and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, in an effort to
demonstrate
U.S. involvement in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to
prompt both sides to take steps to show their commitment to the
so-called
road map for bringing peace to the Holy Land...
The conference's agenda included discussions on how spiritual
understanding
of the world could enhance promoting peace and justice, and workshops
on
"breaking the lock of AIPAC and the pro-Sharon forces on American
politics..."
-----
GUANTANAMO COURTROOMS BEING PREPARED
Richard A. Serrano, Times, 6/2/03
http://www.latimes.com/la-060203gitmo_lat,0,5733285.story
WASHINGTON - With the Pentagon preparing recommendations on which
detainees
to send to military tribunals, authorities at the U.S. Naval Base at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have begun renovating several old office
buildings to
serve as courtrooms.
Officials in Cuba also are informally discussing plans for building a
Death
Row and an execution chamber should any of the military trials result
in
death sentences in the U.S. war on terror.
In Washington, authorities cautioned that it probably would not be
until
later this summer, at the earliest, before President Bush acts on the
recommendations from the Pentagon's Office of Military Commissions and
signs an executive order finding a "reason to believe" some of the 680
detainees should be charged with crimes and ordered to stand trial.
The commission's office is preparing its recommendations now, and
authorities expect that only a handful of detainees would initially be
sent
to military court...
SEE ALSO:
TWO CONVICTED IN DETROIT TERROR TRIAL
DAVID RUNK, Associated Press, 6/3/03
DETROIT (AP) - Two of four Arab immigrants were convicted Tuesday of
conspiring to support Islamic extremists plotting attacks in the United
States and the Middle East. A third was found guilty of a fraud charge,
and
a fourth was acquitted of all counts.
The case, which began with a raid on a Detroit apartment just six days
after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was seen as a test of the
government's
ability to prosecute terrorist ``sleeper'' cells.
Abdel-Ilah Elmardoudi, 37, and Karim Koubriti, 24, were found guilty of
conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists, and
of
conspiracy to engage in fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other
documents.
Ahmed Hannan, 34, was acquitted of conspiracy to support terrorism, but
was
found guilty of conspiracy to engage in fraud and misuse of visas,
permits
and other documents.
Koubriti and Hannan were acquitted on two other fraud counts.
Elmardoudi can be sentenced to as much as 15 years in prison; Koubriti
and
Hannan face five years behind bars.
Farouk Ali-Haimoud, 22, was acquitted of all charges. He wept after the
jury left the courtroom, and his lawyer asked for his release as soon
as
possible.
Prosecutors alleged the four men worked as a sleeper cell that was part
of
a shadowy unidentified terrorist group and conspired to help terrorists
by
raising money and producing false documents.
Defense attorneys said their clients were victims of overzealous
federal
agents who relied on the lies of an admitted con man to build a flimsy
case
that didn't add up to terrorism.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Convertino noted that the government
said
Elmardoudi was the leader of the alleged cell. ``This is consistent
with
the jury's verdict,'' he said outside the courtroom.
Elmardoudi's attorney, William Swor, said his client was devastated by
the
verdict, but said he didn't believe the jury accepted the government's
argument that the men were part of a terrorist cell. ``Even in my
client's
conviction, there is no support for the government's contention,'' Swor
said…
-----
LANE COUNTY SOON TO VOTE ON PATRIOT ACT RESOLUTION
Jennifer Bear, Oregon Daily Emerald, 6/3/03
http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/06/02/3edb64ce8ec18
Rumors and whispers of executive excess, loss of liberty and nefarious
pranks between publishers all found their way to the front page of the
Emerald this year. Students who have been taken over by the summer
spirit
may already be on vacation in their own minds. But for readers who stay
tuned until the ending credits roll and the school year fades to black,
the
major stories from 2002-03 need one final close-up.
One issue that has continued to galvanize the citizenry and spark
numerous
protests is the constraints placed on civil liberties, especially with
regards to the USA PATRIOT Act.
Locally, the Lane County Bill of Rights Defense Committee has been the
biggest organized opposition to this controversial piece of
legislation.
Hope Marston, a coordinator for the committee, said the group hasn't
ceased
its efforts to oppose the PATRIOT Act.
The committee's most recent efforts included an appearance before the
Lane
County Board of Commissioners on May 14 to urge the commission to pass
a
resolution challenging the act. Representatives from the group brought
a
petition to the board meeting with about 4,000 signatures, and Marston
said
they hope the commission will pass the group's resolution in June...
-----
PRELIMINARY TO THE 4TH ANNUAL ISSA CONFERENCE
WHAT: The Medical College of Ohio department of psychiatry and
multi-cultural affairs and the Islamic Social Services Association of
USA
and Canada with support from St. Charles Mercy Hospital Connecting
Point
University of Toledo Department of psychology presents, "Mental Health
Services and the Muslim American Community: Cultural Considerations."
Topics include: Islam and Muslim Americans, guidelines for
out-patients,
home school and forensic settings, recommendations for counseling and
psychiatry. Guest speakers include Jalil K Abdul-Adil, Ph D- Chicago; S
Abdul Hafeez, MD- Michigan; Aneesah Nadir, M.S.W- Arizona; Lisa Eman
St.
George, MSW, CRRP- Arizona; Shahina Siddiqui- Executive Director
Islamic
Social Services Association USA & Canada and more.
WHEN: Friday June 20, 2003, 7:45 am - 3:45 pm
WHERE: Islamic Centre of Greater Toledo, 2nd floor Lecture Hall, 25877
Scheider Rd., Perrysburg, Ohio
CONTACT: (419) 383-6602
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/4/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: CHARITY
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5971 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* MUSLIM TEEN HONORED FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE (Detroit News)
* SAN FRANCISCO ISLAMIC CENTER VANDALIZED
- Mosque Vandalism Possible Hate Crime (Mustang Daily)
* PROPOSED MUSLIM YOUTH CAMP STIRS DEBATE (Fox)
* WORLD'S VIEW OF U.S. SOURS AFTER IRAQ WAR (NY Times)
- Muslims and the U.S. (CSM)
* MUSLIM LEADER COULD BE DEPORTED (WNEP)
* FEAR CHRISTIAN TERRORISTS, TOO (Miami Herald)
- Making an Antihero (NY Times)
- Terrorism, Religion and 'Andy Griffith'(Wash Post)
* DETAINEES GET BOOST FROM JUSTICE REVIEW (CSM)
- Mr. Ashcroft's abuses (St. Louis Today)
* U.S. TO LAY OFF 500,000 IN IRAQ (LA Times)
- Shiites Pour Into Baghdad Streets (LA Times)
- Occupiers Propose New Media Code in Iraq (AP)
* NO CITIZENSHIP TO CHILDREN WITH PALESTINIAN PARENT (Haaretz)
- Has Sharon Set a Trap for Bush? (IHT)
* 3 OF 4 DEFENDANTS CONVICTED IN DETROIT TERRORISM TRIAL (KRT)
* DON'T PRINT 'HATE MAIL' (News & Record)
- Facts Don't Support View of Muslim Council (Ind. Star)
- Hate-filled Column Sends Wrong Message (N&R)
- Article Prompts Action from Local Muslims (NBC 4 news)
* IMC HOSTS CONVENTION on GUJARAT
* COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY'S MUSLIMS IN NYC FOCUS GROUP
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: CHARITY
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said the angels once asked God
if
there was anything in His Creation stronger than the mountains, iron,
fire,
water, and wind. God replied: "Yes, the son of Adam who gives charity
with
his right hand while concealing it from his left."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 602
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5971 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5971 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
-----
MUSLIM TEEN HONORED FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE
"I am a Muslim and our faith is about helping people."
Santiago Esparza, Detroit News, 6/4/03
http://www.detnews.com/
CANTON TOWNSHIP -- Farhan Azeez teaches Arabic classes, mentors young
people, and over the past four years, has performed more than 450 hours
of
community service.
Azeez believes its no big deal, he is Muslim and his faith requires
such
commitment to the community. Canton Township officials believe it is a
big
deal and have honored Azeez for his efforts.
The 17-year-old is among nine township residents recently honored for
their
contributions to the community.
"It feels great," Azeez said. "I am a Muslim and our faith is about
helping
people…"
-----
SAN FRANCISCO ISLAMIC CENTER VANDALIZED
CAIR-NCA asks that incident be investigated as possible hate crime
(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) - The Northern California office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NCA) has called on local and national
authorities to investigate an act of vandalism at an Islamic center in
that
state as a possible bias-related incident. Officials with the Islamic
Society of San Francisco told CAIR-NCA the front window of that
facility
was smashed on Monday.
"It is very disturbing to see what may be another bias incident
targeting
Muslim Californians," said CAIR-NCA Executive Director Helal Omeira.
"However, we are pleased to see that law enforcement agencies have
taken a
pro-active approach to assure the safety of the community."
Omeira cite a number of similar hate-related incidents that have been
reported recently in California.
Four Muslim women visiting a Venice restaurant were verbally assaulted
by
another patron who made references to raping Muslim women and
threatened
them with physical assault. Death threats were made against Muslim
students
at San Jose State University. One incident in Yorba Linda left a Muslim
teenager badly beaten by a group that allegedly included white
supremacists. In Santa Clara, a Muslim woman wearing Islamic attire was
assaulted in the laundry room of her apartment building.
These attacks are all being investigated as bias-related incidents.
In order to help protect mosques and Islamic centers in North America,
CAIR
published a "Muslim Community Safety Kit, which continues to be
distributed
nationwide." SEE: http://www.cair-net.org/safetykit
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 22 regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
Since its founding in 1994, CAIR has defended the civil and religious
rights of all Americans.
CONTACT: Helal Omeira, 408-476-7843
SEE ALSO:
MOSQUE VANDALISM IN CAL POLY AREA POSSIBLE HATE CRIME
Devin Kingdon, Mustang Daily, 6/3/03
http://mustangdaily.calpoly.edu/
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - San Luis Obispo, Calif., may be the latest in
a
national trend of increased post-Sept. 11 hate crimes after vandals
smashed
the stained glass door of the Islamic Center of the Central Coast May
9.
The attack occurred sometime between the 5 a.m. prayer at the mosque
and
the 10 p.m. prayer.
"They bashed in the stained glass door with some type of object, like a
hammer," said business senior and former Muslim Student Association
President Usman Amin. "Glass was shattered throughout the mosque, all
the
way to the back door. There was broken glass everywhere."
The incident caused some members of the mosque to believe it was a hate
crime, despite the San Luis Obispo Police Department's insistence that
it
was not.
There was nothing to make detectives think it was a hate crime; rocks
get
thrown through lots of buildings downtown, police spokespersons said...
Anti-Islamic incidents surged dramatically after Sept. 11. Crimes
against
Arabs had previously been the second least-reported, but became the
second
highest-reported among religious bias incidents, according to the FBI's
2001 Uniform Crime Reporting Program's Hate Crime Statistics...
-----
PROPOSED MUSLIM YOUTH CAMP STIRS DEBATE
FOX, 6/4/03
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,88569,00.html
NORTHERN LIBERTY, Iowa - A proposal to build a camp for young Muslims
on
federal land in Iowa is causing some controversy in the neighborhood.
The site in North Liberty, Iowa (search), used to be a Girl Scout camp
-
but now the Muslim Youth Camps of America (search) has other plans.
"What we want to develop is a youth camp that is a positive environment
for
Muslim youth and those of other faiths to belong to," said MYCA
Director
Jalel Aossey.
The camp is to be built on federal land and controlled by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (search), with a Muslim prayer tower and a
year-round
convention center that would be rented out off-season.
Leasing federal property to non-profit groups isn't unusual for the
Army
Corps. But this proposal has raised hackles among residents in the
community. Some complaints are environmental in nature because of the
size
of the proposed camp...
Others are worried because the camp is for young Muslims.
"There is a widely held misconception that the Islamic religion is a
peaceful, loving religion," said Greg Evans of the Concerned Citizens
of
Johnson City, Iowa. "It's really not..."
-----
WORLD'S VIEW OF U.S. SOURS AFTER IRAQ WAR, POLL FINDS
Christopher Marquis, New York Times, 6/4/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/04/international/04POLL.html
WASHINGTON, June 3 - The war in Iraq may have been a military success,
but
it has only deepened international skepticism toward the United States,
its
global policies and President Bush, with even military allies voicing
growing disappointment or suspicion, a new poll has found.
The war, moreover, has rattled much of the Muslim world, prodding
majorities in most countries to worry about the future of Islam and
American military ambitions within their borders, the poll showed.
In a survey conducted since the end of hostilities in Iraq, the Pew
Research Center for the People and the Press has released new data as
part
of an ambitious project to assess changes in global attitudes. The
nonpartisan center surveyed 38,000 people in 44 nations during the
summer
and fall of 2002, and followed up with interviews of 16,000 people in
20
nations and in the areas administered by the Palestinian Authority
after
the end of the war.
"The war has widened the rift between Americans and Western Europeans,
further inflamed the Muslim world, softened support for the war on
terrorism, and significantly weakened global public support for the
pillars
of the post-World War II era - the U.N. and the North Atlantic
alliance,"
said Andrew Kohut, the Pew center's director...
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIMS AND THE U.S.
Christian Science Monitor, 6/3/03
http://search.csmonitor.com/search_content/0604/p08s04-comv.html
A global poll released yesterday by the Pew Charitable Trusts reveals
that
the US-led war on terrorism isn't winning friends in the Muslim world,
where friends are needed...
Many Muslims feel Islam is under greater attack, while some fear a US
invasion. Yet they also feel closer to the US in sharing the belief
that
it's "necessary to believe in God to be moral" more than Europeans do.
Another convergence with the US is revealed in the poll's showing of a
widespread appetite among Muslims for democratic values. People in most
Muslim countries put an especially high premium on freedom of
expression,
freedom of the press, multiparty systems, and equal treatment under the
law. Eleven countries with majority Muslim populations say
Western-style
democracy "can work here..."
-----
MUSLIM LEADER COULD BE DEPORTED
Paola Giangiacomo, WNEP, 6/4/03
http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=1306575&nav=5ka4GBae
Friends, family and community leaders gathered Tuesday night in support
of
Imam Shiraz Mansoor. He is a member of the Islamic Society of
Schuylkill
County and a citizen of South Africa. The office of homeland security
arrested Mansoor because he has been living in the U.S. illegally.
Abdel-Hamid Hnesh of the Islamic Society of Sschuylkill County said,
"Since
1998 we have been in pursuit of changing his visa status. We have been
turned down twice. However, we had the ability and legal precedent to
appeal and we did."
Mansoor's wife Razia, is scared her family may be sent back to South
Africa. "I'm hoping to not. They're saying were gonna be deported I'm
not
hoping for that it's up to the judge to decide."
Mansoor's bail hearing is later this week, people here plan to convince
the
judge that Mansoor is an asset to the community and should be allowed
to
stay in the Pottsville area. "Please say what you feel tell the judge
he's
not a threat to you." "We want him to be allowed to stay legally."
"This is
an outrage I am very angry. I find it very hard to believe were living
in
the U.S. and this is happening." Monsoor's bail hearing is Friday in
Berks
County. Mansoor's wife plans to visit her husband tomorrow with their
children.
-----
FEAR CHRISTIAN TERRORISTS, TOO
Arsalan Iftikhar, Miami Herald, 6/4/03
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/6007438.htm
After seven long years on the lam, Eric Robert Rudolph has finally been
captured for his purported lead role in the Centennial Olympic Park
bombing
at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta and the bombing of a health clinic
in
Birmingham, Ala.
As the Justice Department now searches for credible evidence linking
him to
these and other acts of terror, information is now beginning to spring
forth about Rudolph's ties to Christian ''terrorist'' groups.
According to The Washington Post, federal investigators believe Rudolph
has
had a long association with the radical Christian Identity movement,
which
asserts that North European whites are the direct descendants of the
lost
tribes of Israel, God's chosen people...
Although the vast majority of Muslims in the world would categorically
detach the tenets of Islam from the acts of Osama bin Laden, it seems
as
though many within the government and media today are incapable of
making
that distinction...
SEE ALSO:
MAKING AN ANTIHERO
New York Times, 6/4/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/04/opinion/04WED2.html
Eric Rudolph, now charged with setting off bombs at the 1996 Atlanta
Olympics, a gay nightclub in Atlanta and abortion clinics in Atlanta
and
Birmingham, Ala., has a depressingly familiar résumé. Social isolation
and
youthful exposure to extremist social views were succeeded by a gradual
disaffection with most of the institutions that usually lead to greater
socialization, including school and the Army. It is a recipe for the
terrible solitude of crazed righteousness.
But Mr. Rudolph seems nevertheless to have acquired some friends and
supporters. He managed to elude the federal law enforcement authorities
for
five years, even though they had been focusing their search on the
Nantahala National Forest where he had been hiding. When he was
captured in
Murphy, N.C., scavenging in a Dumpster, Mr. Rudolph showed few signs of
having lived a survivalist's life since he disappeared from sight...
---
TERRORISM, RELIGION AND 'ANDY GRIFFITH'
Hesham A. Hassaballa, Washington Post, 6/4/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10517-2003Jun3.html
I wish more members of the media took as much care with language as
sociology professor James A. Aho of Idaho State University. Mr. Aho was
quoted in the June 2 news story "Is Terrorism Tied to Christian Sect?;
Religion May Have Motivated Bombing Suspect" as saying that he would
call
alleged Olympic bomber Eric Robert Rudolph "a religiously inspired
terrorist" rather than a "Christian terrorist."
Unfortunately, commentators, pundits and media outlets have used the
term
"Islamic terrorist" to the point that Islam and terrorism are
associated
almost inextricably in the American mind. This has done a great
disservice
to American Muslims and has fueled anti-Muslim sentiment.
I hope the capture of Mr. Rudolph will help my fellow Americans see
that
the term "Islamic terrorist" is as offensive to Muslims as "Christian
terrorist" is to Christians. Terrorists come in all flavors.
-----
DETAINEES GET BOOST FROM JUSTICE REVIEW
Seth Stern, Christian Science Monitor, 6/4/03
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0604/p02s02-usju.html
The US Justice Department and its top officials could be open to
lawsuits
by former immigration detainees for everything from wrongful detentions
to
physical abuse - and the best evidence may come from the Justice
Department
itself.
For nearly two years, the Justice Department has rebuffed attempts by
outsiders to obtain information about the detainees - even fighting
requests to release their names.
But now the department's own Inspector General's Office, which
functions as
an internal watchdog unit, has shed light on what it characterizes as a
flawed process under which 762 foreigners were detained without bond or
any
criminal charges being introduced against them.
As a result, Attorney General John Ashcroft is likely to face tough
questions about whether Congress has ceded too much authority to the
Justice Department over surveillance and immigration since Sept. 11. It
will give ammunition to critics who are trying prevent the department
from
further expanding its powers - and may bring at least more attempts at
legal action against DOJ...
SEE ALSO:
MR. ASHCROFT'S ABUSES
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/4/03
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/Editorial/D19CE40E31CBC7D686256D3B004E6616
A Muslim man in his 40s was arrested after an acquaintance reported he
had
made anti-American remarks. Three Middle Eastern construction workers
were
arrested after a traffic stop because they had building plans for a
school
they were working on. Another man was arrested because he told a clerk
he
wanted to learn to fly a plane.
All were among the 700-plus aliens "of interest" whom the government
locked
up, often for months, during Attorney General John D. Ashcroft's
round-up
of Middle Eastern men after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
None
of them was charged with terrorism.
Now a report by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine has
confirmed the facts that underlie the criticism that civil libertarians
have directed at Mr. Ashcroft for months. The report provides an
especially
damning indictment of the government's treatment of the detainees...
-----
U.S. TO LAY OFF 500,000 IN IRAQ
Warren Vieth, LA Times, 6/3/03
http://www.latimes.com/la-fg-econ3jun03,0,1223877.story
BAGHDAD - U.S. reconstruction officials will soon hand out pink slips
to
nearly half a million Iraqi military and civilian personnel,
exacerbating
an unemployment crisis that experts say could slow the pace of postwar
reconstruction.
The layoffs will mean the loss of a government paycheck for roughly 1
in 10
Iraqi workers. The Bush administration hopes to soften the blow by
making
cash "termination payments" to members of Saddam Hussein's armed
forces,
Information Ministry employees and other government workers whose
services
are no longer wanted. The amount of the payments had not been
announced.
Officials of the U.S.-led reconstruction effort acknowledged that the
dismissal of so many people will magnify the economic misfortune of a
country where a majority of the population depends on food rations; an
estimated 30% of the labor force works for the government; and
unemployment, as best anyone can tell, already exceeds 20%. The layoffs
will be the latest blow to the once-thriving trading nation, already
reduced to Third World subsistence levels by nearly three decades of
authoritarian rule, international sanctions and intermittent war...
SEE ALSO:
SHIITES POUR INTO BAGHDAD STREETS
John Daniszewski and Azadeh Moaveni, LA Times, 6/4/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq4jun04,1,7733544.story
Shiite anger at the U.S. occupation of Iraq boiled over here Tuesday,
with
thousands marching through the streets accusing American troops of
violating Muslim customs and unjustly arresting a Shiite cleric.
Adding to the infuriation, Shiite political leaders said, is a new U.S.
plan to appoint an interim political council of Iraqis. Some Shiites
see
this as a thinly disguised move to limit the influence of their
religious
leaders in the postwar administration of Iraq.
Other political organizations, including the former exile group the
Iraqi
National Congress, also are dismayed at the plan put forth Sunday by
top
U.S. occupation administrator L. Paul Bremer III. The plan to name a
council of 25 to 30 prominent Iraqis would scuttle an earlier proposal
for
a broad national conference to elect an interim government.
Amid the rising anger, the U.S. Central Command reported Tuesday that
another U.S. soldier was killed. The soldier, assigned to the Army's
4th
Infantry Division, died late Monday after a patrol came under fire from
automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades near the town of Balad,
north of Baghdad. The soldier was not identified pending notification
of
relatives...
---
OCCUPIERS PROPOSE NEW MEDIA CODE IN IRAQ
BORZOU DARAGAHI, Associated Press, 6/5/03
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Faced with a freewheeling Iraqi media, the U.S.-led
occupation authority is devising a code of conduct for the press,
drawing
protests from Iraqi journalists who endured censorship under Saddam
Hussein
and worry for their newfound freedom.
Coalition officials say the code is not intended to censor the media,
only
to stifle intemperate speech that could incite violence and hinder
efforts
to build a civil society. The country is just too fragile for a
journalistic free-for-all, they say.
"There's no room for hateful and destabilizing messages that will
destroy
the emerging Iraqi democracy," Mike Furlong, a senior adviser to the
Coalition Provisional Authority, told The Associated Press. "All media
outlets must be responsible…"
Coalition officials haven't released details of their planned code.
But,
Iraqi journalists, when told of the idea, worried that it could lead to
censorship.
"How can they say we have a democracy?" demanded Eshta Jassem Ali
Yasseri,
25, editor of the new satirical weekly Habezbooz. "That's not
democracy. It
sounds like the same old thing..."
Editors at the new daily newspaper Al-Manar said U.S. soldiers turned
up at
its offices last week to tell them about a new media monitoring board
and
ask for their opinion.
"They plan to set up a committee and some jerks will be on it," said
Mohamad Jubar, the editor in chief. "I'll fight any attempt at
censorship."
"Is there a media code of conduct in the U.S. or U.K.? Why should there
be
such a thing here?" asked Hamid al-Bayati, a leader of the Iran-linked
Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. Its new newspaper
regularly criticizes the occupation…
-----
PM WOULD DENY CITIZENSHIP TO CHILDREN WITH PALESTINIAN PARENT
Gideon Alon and Yair Ettinger, Haaretz.com, 6/4/03
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=297618
The prime minister and defense heads have requested an amendment to the
Citizenship Law to prevent automatic Israeli citizenship for a child
with a
Palestinian parent.
The move follows the discovery that the suicide bomber who blew himself
up
at the Mazza restaurant in Haifa was the son of a Jewish mother and a
Palestinian father. The bomber had automatically received
Israeli citizenship and this aided him in moving freely and carrying
out
his attack.
Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein has informed Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon he is in favor of the amendment...
SEE ALSO:
HAS SHARON SET A TRAP FOR BUSH?
Henry Siegman International Herald Tribune, 6/3/03
http://www.iht.com/articles/98279.html
If Sharon will contrive reasons to delay or undermine the road map's
provisions dealing with the settlements and settlement outposts, it
will be
a clear indication that his real intention is to trap Bush into lending
U.S. support for his notion of a Palestinian state comprised of several
cantons on territory fragmented by the settlements. And if Bush insists
on
full compliance with the road map, beginning with its provisions for an
end
to all further settlement activity, this will be a clear indication
that he
intends to remain fully committed to doing what is necessary to bring
the
century-long conflict between Jews and Palestinians to an end.
The writer is a senior fellow on the Middle East at the Council on
Foreign
Relations. These views are his own.
-----
3 OF 4 DEFENDANTS CONVICTED IN DETROIT TERRORISM TRIAL
Suzette Hackney, Tamara Audi, David Ashenfelter, KRT, 6/4/03
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/6006554.htm
DETROIT - In the nation's first terrorism trial related to Sept. 11, a
Detroit jury convicted two men and acquitted two others Tuesday in a
split
verdict that jurors said was unaffected by the terror attacks of Sept.
11,
2001.
A lone defendant, Farouk Ali-Haimoud, was acquitted of all charges. He
clutched his face with both hands and sobbed after the verdict was read
to
a packed courtroom at noon. His mother, sitting in the courtroom and
dressed in a white head scarf, cried and shook with emotion while
clutching
the hands of supporters sitting next to her.
Through his attorney, Robert Morgan, Ali-Haimoud reiterated that he is
not
a terrorist.
"I love this country, and I don't believe that the other men are
terrorists, either," he said. "I am relieved for myself, but I do feel
badly for the others..."
Haaris Ahmad, who heads the Michigan branch of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said the trial "raised more questions than
answers."
Ahmad is concerned about how the war on terrorism is affecting the
lives of
innocent people like Ali-Haimoud, who was acquitted of all charges.
"The process is just as important as the results," Ahmad said. "It's
very
clear there was nothing there, and he was just being swept up with the
others..."
-----
DON'T PRINT 'HATE MAIL'
Zachary Moore, News & Record, 6/3/03
http://www.news-record.com/news/opinions/letters/tuesletters.htm
I was appalled to read Cal Thomas' column, "Muslims' political action a
threat" (May 21) in a supposedly respectable newspaper. Thomas' column
was
nothing more than an open piece of hate mail directed at America's
Islamic
community.
In this column, Thomas accuses "our enemies" (whom he does not name) of
immigrating to the United States for the express purpose of "organizing
themselves politically." Apparently, Muslims never come to America for
the
same sort of reasons that bring other immigrants here - a better
standard
of living, higher-paying jobs, freedom from persecution, etc.
In Thomas' hate-addled brain, every Muslim is an al-Qaeda operative.
One
minute of rational thought will dispel this absurd conclusion. Muslims
make
up almost one-third of the world's population, they number
approximately 2
billion and are the majority religion in many countries throughout
Africa
and Asia. If all Muslims, or even just a quarter of them, were really
terrorists, then America would have been reduced to a radioactive hole
in
the ground many years ago...
SEE ALSO:
FACTS DON'T SUPPORT VIEW OF MUSLIM COUNCIL
Andrew J. Schlewitz, Indianapolis Star, 6/2/03
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/6/047531-2416-022.html
Thomas presents one Muslim group -- the Council on American-Islamic
Relations -- as representative of all Muslims. CAIR is a potential
"beachhead" of "our enemies." Thomas claims that the intent of this
organization, and of all Muslims by implication, is the "destruction of
our
nation through its democratic processes and the imposition of a
theocratic
state..."
The historical record does not support Thomas' argument, nor do
standards
of logic and evidence. Do white supremacist groups represent all
Americans?
Does the National Organization for Women refer to all women? Does the
Moral
Majority stand for all Christians? Of course not. Likewise, we cannot
assume that CAIR is the single face of all Muslims.
Moreover, it is by no means certain that CAIR is the devious threat
that
Thomas makes it out to be. Thomas bases his fear of Muslims on one
speech
given five years ago and on the words of Daniel Pipes, a pro-Israel
analyst
of Middle East affairs who is regularly featured in conservative papers
and
journals. It doesn't take much work on the Web via Google and
LexisNexis to
find a host of other sources that depict CAIR as moderate and anything
but
supportive of militant Islam....
---
HATE-FILLED COLUMN SENDS WRONG MESSAGE
Jameel Khalifa, News & Record, 6/1/03
http://www.news-record.com/news/opinions/letters/sundletters.htm
Cal Thomas' column ("Muslims' political action a threat," May 21),
echoing
the 1930s Nazi propaganda against the Jewish community in Germany,
warns of
the "dangers" posed by increased Muslim political participation in
America...
I wonder how Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin would have reacted to
the
News & Record publishing an article suggesting that a group of
Americans
were dangerous because of their religious beliefs. One of the main
reasons
the settlers came to this land was to escape religious persecution.
This kind of hate-mongering is far from harmless. It insinuates itself
into
people's minds, contributing to irrational fear of Muslims and
counteracting the tremendous local efforts being made to bring the
community together and weakening the impact of the vast contributions
of
American Muslims to our society.
I always thought that increasing one's political efficacy by voting and
becoming more involved in the political process is what good
citizenship
demands.
---
ARTICLE PROMPTS ACTION FROM LOCAL MUSLIMS
NBC 4 News, 6/3/03
http://www.nbc4columbus.com/news/2246554/detail.html
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A New York Times article written about local
Christians
trying to convert Muslims quoted a Southwestern City School District
secretary as saying there is an influx of Somalian students in the
schools
and that she "had an obligation to save them."
The article prompted the local Council on American-Islamic Relations to
meet with school administrators after Muslim parents called them.
"A lot of parents in the school system with the Columbus area are
concerned
about their kids going to schools and basically having people trying to
convert them in the schools," said CAIR executive director Jad
Humeidan...
-----
IMC HOSTS CONVENTION on GUJARAT
WHAT: The rise of religious fanaticism poses an immediate danger to
millions of Indians and will have drastic effects on world peace. To
counter this trend the only way is to organize, increase awareness of
the
dangers posed by religious fanaticism to India's democracy, pluralism,
religious minorities and its global implications and form effective
coalitions with groups representing India's different religions, ethnic
minorities and US-based human rights organizations.
The Indian Muslim Council (IMA) will host a day-long convention by
concerned people about the aftermath of the Gujarat pogrom and the
alarming
increase in religious fanaticism across India. It includes a banquet
dinner
and day-long sessions and workshops with Leading scholars, academics,
journalists and researchers.
WHEN: Saturday: June 28, 2003. Convention starts at 10:00 AM
Registration $30.00 per person for the entire day
WHERE: Santa Clara Marriott, 2700 Mission College Boulevard, Santa
Clara,
CA 95054
CONTACT: For more information, call: (516) 567-0783 or visit
http://www.imc-usa.org/convention.
-----
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY'S MUSLIMS IN NYC FOCUS GROUP
WHAT: Columbia University's "Muslims in New York Project" is a study
started in 1998 to examine the political and cultural identity, and
civic
engagement of New York's 600,000-strong Muslim community. A focus group
will be held discussing issues such as the complex social, economic,
and
political challenges facing Muslim New Yorkers since 9/11.
All information provided by the participants will be strictly
confidential
in compliance with the University's regulations guaranteeing the
privacy of
research participants. Participants will receive $50 as a token of
appreciation for involvement.
WHERE: International Affairs Building in room 1118 of the Middle East
Institute, located at 420 West 118th Street (off Amsterdam Avenue).
WHEN: June 11 at 6:30-8:00 p.m.
CONTACT: Ayesha Hasan at 212-854-5533, or visit:
www.sipa.columbia.edu/muslim-nyc
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
-- MEDIA ADVISORY --
$80 MILLION SUIT FILED AGAINST CBS, 'TERRORIST HUNTER'
WHAT: On Thursday, June 5, attorneys for Muslim charitable institutions
and
individuals who say they were falsely accused of links to Osama bin
Laden
by a CBS "60 Minutes" report will hold a news conference in Washington,
D.C., to announce the filing of a $80 million defamation suit against
an
anonymous "terrorist hunter," CBS, correspondent Bob Simon, and the
SITE
Institute, a self-proclaimed counterterrorism group.
The suit stems from a May 4th "60 Minutes" segment, titled "Terrorist
Hunter," in which an anonymous woman called "Sarah" was shown in
disguise
outside a Herndon, Va., office building that she claimed is "the heart
of a
terrorist funding ring."
That office was one of many raided by federal authorities in March of
2002,
apparently based largely on information provided by "Sarah," identified
in
the lawsuit as the SITE Institute's Director Rita Katz. More than a
year
after those raids, which caused outrage in the American Muslim
community,
no criminal charges have been filed against anyone.
According to the lawsuit, those allegedly defamed in the "60 Minutes"
program were not given an opportunity to respond to the charges prior
to
broadcast. The plaintiffs are seeking a judgment in the amount of $80
million in compensatory and punitive damages.
A number of American Muslim and civil liberties groups will also
participate in the news conference.
WHEN: Thursday, June 5, 3 p.m.
WHERE: Zenger Room, 13th Floor National Press Club Building
529 14th Street N.W., Washington, D.C.
- END -
CONTACT: Attorney for the Plaintiffs, Nancy Luque, 202-887-4777 or
202-841-3472; CAIR, Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726,
E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/4/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: ENVY
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5971 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* CAIR OFFERS PUBLIC RELATIONS TRAINING FOR ACTIVISTS
* CAIR-CAN CALLS ON MUSLIMS TO REPORT PROFILING
* CIVIL LIBERTIES CONCERNS GALVANIZE U.S. MUSLIM GROUPS
* ASHCROFT DEFENDS DETENTIONS (NY Times)
- FBI, INS Abused Sept. 11 Detainees (Star Tribune)
- Mid-eastern Immigrants were Given Harsh Justice (AJC)
- Immigration Rules Play Havoc with Students (Reuters)
- A Muslim family's Pleasant Surprise (CSM)
* POSSIBLE HATE CRIME (San Francisco Examiner)
* PLAN FOR MUSLIM BURIAL GROUND CLEARED (Gwinnett Daily)
* PENTAGON OFFICIALS MEET WITH REGIME FOE (Wash. Times)
- Aide Denies Shaping Data to Justify War (NY Times)
* MUSLIM COMMUNITY FINDS ITS VOICE (Town Online)
* ACADEMY IS LURING FAMILIES TO CANTON (Free Press)
* VIDEO EDUCATES ABOUT ISLAM (Free Press)
* WILL MEDIA SEE RUDOLPH AS A CHRISTIAN TERRORIST? (LA Times)
* MLDEF HOSTS SUMMIT ON CIVIL RIGHTS, LEGAL CHALLENGES
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: ENVY
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Avoid envy, for envy
destroys good deeds just as fire devours grass."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2300
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5971 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5971 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
-----
CAIR OFFERS PUBLIC RELATIONS TRAINING FOR ACTIVISTS
WHAT: Arsalan Iftikhar, CAIR Midwest Communications Director, will host
a
training session on public relations seminar for activist. Participants
will learn how to use effective tools to communicate their message to
media
and public officials
Session will include how to write letters-to-the-editor, op-eds,
organize/communicate with media professionals, meet and write to one's
elected officials and articulate messages. Registration: Admission -
General: $15, Students: $10. Only 50 seats available.
WHEN: Saturday, June 21, 2003 at 10:00 AM-1:00 PM.
WHERE: 2180 W. Crescent Ave., Suite F A, Anaheim CA, 92801 (CAIR-LA
Office)
CONTACT: To register and for more information, contact CAIR at: (714)
776-1847, or email at socal@cair.com.
-----
CAIR-CAN CALLS ON MUSLIMS TO REPORT PROFILING
CAIR-CAN is calling on Canadian Muslims and Arabs to report their
personal
accounts of racial profiling. It is important that experiences of
racial
profiling be documented. If you, your family or friends have
experienced
racial profiling, please report the incident to our office.
All information will be kept strictly confidential. No names or
personal
information will be included in CAIR-CAN's final report. The deadline
for
reports is June 30th, 2003.
For our online report form, see: http://www.caircan.ca/rpt_prof.php.
You can also e-mail, fax or mail your report to us:
CAIR-CAN
Council on American-Islamic Relations CANADA
P.O. Box 13219, Ottawa, ONT, K2K 1X4
Tel: 1-866-524-0004
Fax: 613-254-9810
URL: www.caircan.ca
-----
CIVIL LIBERTIES CONCERNS GALVANIZE U.S. ARAB, MUSLIM GROUPS
CHUCK McCUTCHEON, Newhouse News Service, 6/4/03
http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/mccutcheon060503.html
Hearing how Muslims and Arabs had been jailed, questioned and subject
to
greater surveillance since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks made
Iyad
Hindi angry.
So the telecommunications engineer and a few friends recently formed
the
Muslim American Public Affairs Council in Raleigh, N.C., to raise
awareness
about what he considers the unfair treatment. Council members have
organized rallies, appeared on public-access TV and even joined the
local
Adopt-a-Highway program.
"We need a mechanism to stop these things before they go too far,"
Hindi
said. "I was speaking out as an individual, but it occurred to a group
of
us that we needed to be more organized."
From coast to coast, Muslim and Arab-American groups are organizing as
never before to make known their concerns about civil liberties. They
have
gone beyond sign-waving demonstrations to hold voter registration
drives,
meet with politicians and form alliances with other civil rights and
religious organizations.
The groups accuse Attorney General John Ashcroft's Justice Department
of
heavy-handedness in tracking suspected terrorists, saying too many
innocent
Arabs and Muslims are targeted without justification.
They were emboldened by an internal Justice Department report, released
this week, that said federal officials had violated the civil rights of
hundreds of immigrants -- most of Arab and South Asian descent --
detained
after Sept. 11…
Because of the Patriot Act, "we build coalitions with new groups every
day," agreed Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Washington, the largest Islamic civil
liberties group. "We're working with interfaith organizations, civil
libertarians, faith-based communities, liberals and conservatives..."
-----
ASHCROFT DEFENDS DETENTIONS AS IMMIGRANTS RECOUNT TOLL
Eric Lictblau, New York Times, 6/5/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/national/05TERR.html
WASHINGTON - Two very different views of the Justice Department's
campaign
against terrorism came into stark focus today, as Attorney General John
Ashcroft was sharply criticized following a report that the authorities
mistreated illegal immigrants arrested after the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks.
At the Justice Department, Mr. Ashcroft was flanked by 11 top
prosecutors
as he declared that the federal government was making "steady progress"
against terrorism and that its wide-ranging efforts to prevent another
attack are "built on a solid foundation."
But less than a mile down Constitution Avenue, at a forum on Capitol
Hill,
one immigrant after another told of the toll that they said the fight
against terrorism had taken on them. After Sept. 11, 2001, the
authorities
questioned, jailed or deported hundreds of people who had no known ties
to
terrorism...
The inspector general, Glenn A. Fine, found that the problems were
rooted
in part in an unstated policy that allowed the F.B.I. to keep the
suspects
in detention unless it was established that they were not tied to
terrorism...
His spokeswoman, Barbara Comstock, said Mr. Ashcroft did not have time
to
take questions about the report because of his schedule. After the
report
was released on Monday, Ms. Comstock said, "We make no apologies for
finding every legal way possible to protect the American public from
further terrorist attacks..."
But Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts and a senior
member of the Judiciary Committee, said today that he was deeply
troubled
by the inspector general's findings. Mr. Kennedy likened the treatment
of
post-Sept. 11 detainees to Japanese-Americans interned during World War
II
and other episodes "when the government ran roughshod over basic rights
in
the name of national security."
The senator's comments came at a Capitol Hill forum sponsored by
immigration rights and civil liberties advocates on treatment of
immigrants
after Sept. 11, 2001.
Lawmakers and several hundred listeners heard from nine immigrants who
maintained that they and their families had been victimized by the
Justice
Department's pursuit of terror suspects.
Nadin Hamoui, a Syrian-born woman who lives in Washington State, said
she
and other family members were jailed for months because the government
was
trying to deport them. Ms. Hamoui said she feared that her father, a
former
pilot in Syria who fled his homeland in 1992, would be killed if he was
forced to return.
"This is my home," Ms. Hamoui told the forum, sobbing as she spoke.
"I've
been here 11 years and will not be turned away because I am an Arab
Muslim."
SEE ALSO:
SHAMEFUL/FBI, INS ABUSED SEPT. 11 DETAINEES
Star Tribune, 6/5/03
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/3919195.html
Everyone understood, following Sept. 11, 2001, that many things had
changed
in America -- that, for example, law enforcement needed to move much
more
aggressively against possible terrorists. It stood to reason that
agencies
like the FBI and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) would
be
particularly interested in young men from Muslim countries, especially
those whose visas had expired or who had never bothered to get one. But
in
New York and Newark, N.J., the FBI and INS stepped way over the line in
how
they treated their detainees. Thus says the U.S. Justice Department's
inspector general, Glenn Fine, and bless him for it...
The United States frequently holds itself up as a model of democracy
and
human rights for the world. But look at the example set in this
instance
for despotic regimes seeking to justify repugnant behaviors. If the
U.S.
Justice Department behaves this way, why can't the government of Egypt,
Pakistan or dozens of other countries less than fully committed to the
rule
of law?
Clearly, the Justice Department messed up. Its zealous effort to catch
terrorists is commendable. But in the process it got sloppy, and it
forgot
what is central to the American system the terrorists sought to
undermine:
protection of individual rights, scrupulous attention to the rule of
law
and a desire to show the world that those values can be honored within
the
context of aggressive, professional law enforcement.
This wasn't a chapter in its history of which the Justice Department
should
be proud. Too bad that Attorney General John Ashcroft and his minions
apparently fail to understand that.
---
MIDEASTERN IMMIGRANTS WERE GIVEN HARSH JUSTICE
Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 6/5/03
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/0603/05igreport.html
Repressive regimes, such as Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany or Saddam
Hussein's
Iraq, arrest people suspected of opposing the government and send them
away
with no notice to their families of their whereabouts. But in America,
where the Constitution guarantees civil liberties, that couldn't
happen,
could it?
It did. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it did
happen
to hundreds of Middle Eastern men.
According to a scathing report issued by the Justice Department's
Office of
the Inspector General, immigrants, mostly from Pakistan, were picked up
on
unsubstantiated tips that they had acted suspiciously and were held for
months, many for nearly a year, though not one was ever linked to
terrorist
acts...
Americans can feel reassured about the inspector general's report,
which
shows the importance of independent oversight of government agencies.
Unfortunately, the Justice Department's unapologetic response to the
report
suggests that Attorney General John Ashcroft fails to appreciate the
need
for such safeguards.
---
NEW U.S. IMMIGRATION RULES PLAY HAVOC WITH STUDENTS
David Morgan, Reuters, 6/5/2003
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N03209723.htm
PHILADELPHIA - Yahya Jalil, a Pakistani grad student, still has vivid
memories of the exhilaration he felt when he arrived in the United
States
to study electrical engineering at Stanford University 11 years ago.
"There was a real sense that this was a free country with lots of
personal
freedoms," the 29-year-old MBA candidate at the University of
Pennsylvania's Wharton School said.
But few know better how life in the United States has changed for
Muslim
immigrants since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington
prompted a broad clamp-down on U.S. immigration procedures.
In March, Jalil says he boarded a flight for a job interview in Britain
without realizing he was supposed to register with U.S. immigration
authorities before leaving the country. His oversight violated a new
Homeland Security policy aimed at tracking men from nations with large
Muslim populations when they enter and exit the United States.
So when he tried to return to America at the end of spring break, U.S.
officials declared him an "inadmissible" alien. He found himself
marooned
in Pakistan, where officials said the policy he had broken was so new
they
had not formulated a waiver system for inadvertent violators...
---
A MUSLIM FAMILY'S PLEASANT SURPRISE
Susan Bruening, Christian Science Monitor, 6/5/03
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0605/p18s02-hfes.html
The first time we went back to the United States after Sept. 11, it was
May
of 2002. I was a nervous wreck, but maybe not for the reasons you'd
think.
I remember getting off the flight in Detroit, exhausted and impatient
with
my two little boys and my 5-month-old, who were equally exhausted after
our
24-hour trip from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
When it was our turn to go through immigration, I walked up to the
counter,
terrified. I handed over five passports - four American and one Saudi,
belonging to my husband. For weeks I'd been agonizing over this moment.
Would they suspect him of something? Would they interrogate him? Would
they
lock him up somewhere?
What I found on the other side of the immigration desk completely
surprised
me. A very kind and sympathetic immigration officer took the passports
and
began to inspect them. He smiled at my two older sons, Abdullah and
Abdulaziz, who were lying down on our carry-on luggage, almost too
tired to
move. When he came to my husband's passport, he checked the visa and
asked
the normal questions. The whole process took less than five minutes,
and
then we were on our way to pick up our luggage and meet a very anxious
grandmother who would drive us to Ohio....
-----
POSSIBLE HATE CRIME
ALISON SOLTAU, San Francisco Examiner, 6/5/03
http://www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.hate.0605w
Genuflecting to Mecca at sunset on Monday, members of the San Francisco
Islamic Society were meditating on the meaning of love.
But the peaceful reverie was shattered when someone hurled an unknown
object through the Society's Jones Street front door.
The message the congregation took away from Monday's sermon was one of
hate.
Tucked away unobtrusively in a Tenderloin street, the San Francisco
Islamic
Society has nevertheless been sacrificed on the altar of ignorance post
9/11, said president Souleiman Ghali.
This isn't the first time it has been the target of a hate crime, he
said.
A mysterious scent, later thought to be pepper spray, permeated the
building about 18 months ago, overwhelming worshippers who succumbed to
wracking coughs and streaming eyes.
Graffiti sprouted up: "Muslims Go Home," "Kill All Muslims," and
"Boom,"
presumably a reference to bombs.
And last Halloween, Ghali said, a bullet hole was found in the front
window. Above the now empty door frame is what appears to be a bullet
hole
in the center's glass front.
Ghali has dismissed theories his organization is merely caught in the
crossfire of a troubled neighborhood. The latest act of vandalism tore
a
three-foot wide gash in the front door.
"It's a backlash. The whole Muslim thing, there's the Iraq situation,
and
American soldiers were killed in Iraq, so it could be retaliation," he
said.
The Islamic Society has asked San Francisco police to investigate the
incident as a hate crime, backed by the Council on American Islamic
Relations for Northern California, which is alarmed at a recent spate
of
hate crimes elsewhere in the Bay Area…
-----
DECISION CLEARS WAY FOR WORK TO BEGIN ON MUSLIM BURIAL GROUND
Bryan Brooks, Gwinnett Daily Post, 6/5/03
http://www.gwinnettdailyonline.com/GDP/archive/article8EC1C2CBF12645A4ACDB64BC08DED25C.asp
LAWRENCEVILLE - Gwinnett planning commissioners endorsed a preliminary
plat
for an Islamic cemetery near Lawrenceville on Tuesday night, helping
clear
the way for work on the burial ground.
No citizens spoke against the plat approval, which passed unanimously.
The
Gwinnett County Commission will review the legal document, which
depicts
the layout of the site, and take a final vote on it later this month.
Sponsored by the Georgia Islamic Institute in Lawrenceville, the
1,276-plot
cemetery will go on 5 acres on New Hope Road, near its intersection
with
Grayson-New Hope Road.
The institute's imam, or spiritual leader, Hafiz A. Ghaffar Khan, said
work
on the cemetery should begin soon, and its landscaping and fencing will
be
installed within 60 days...
-----
PENTAGON OFFICIALS MEET WITH REGIME FOE
Sharon Behn and Khadija Ismayilova, Washington Times, 6/4/03
http://www.washtimes.com/world/20030603-103140-3533r.htm
Administration officials have been meeting quietly with an Iranian
opposition figure who is trying to unify internal resistance to Iran's
ruling clerics and spur a regime change in his country.
Defense officials acknowledged yesterday they have spoken to Mahmud Ali
Chehregani, who heads the Southern Azerbaijan National Awakeness
Movement
(SANAM) operating inside Iran, but emphasized their meetings were not
aimed
at supporting or encouraging a change in Iran's government.
"The role of the U.S. is to communicate to the Iranian people our firm
support for their democratic aspirations and human rights, and to let
them
know their voice is heard," the officials said in a statement...
SANAM, which also has offices in Azerbaijan and Turkey, is pushing to
supplant the current Iranian cleric-run system with a federal
government
granting the large ethnic Azeri minority living in Iran a wide degree
of
autonomy.
"We want to change this regime in Iran and replace it with a
democratic,
secular and federal government," said Mr. Chehregani, a former
linguistics
professor at the University of Tehran who was arrested in 1995 on
charges
of speaking against the Iranian government and advocating separatism...
SEE ALSO:
AIDE DENIES SHAPING DATA TO JUSTIFY WAR
Eric Schmitt, NY Times, 6/5/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/international/worldspecial/05PENT.html
WASHINGTON, June 4 - The Pentagon's top policy adviser held an unusual
briefing today to rebut accusations that senior civilian policy makers
had
politicized intelligence to fit their hawkish views on Iraq and to
justify
war on Saddam Hussein.
The official, Douglas J. Feith, the under secretary of defense for
policy,
acknowledged that he created a small intelligence team inside his
office
shortly after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, to search for terrorist
links
with Iraq and other countries that he suggested the nation's spy
agencies
may have overlooked.
Intelligence analysts elsewhere in the government have complained that
the
Pentagon team provided an alternative hard-line view of intelligence
related to Iraq that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld used in
meetings
with President Bush and other top national security aides...
Mr. Feith declined to comment on a growing chorus of criticism that
American intelligence miscalculated the threat of Iraq's weapons
programs
or that policy makers exaggerated the threat. Eight weeks after the
Iraq
war ended, American forces have yet to find any chemical or biological
weapons in Iraq....
-----
MUSLIM COMMUNITY FINDS ITS VOICE
Margaret Smith, Town Online, 6/4/03
http://www.townonline.com/billerica/news/local_regional/bil_covbiislam06042003.htm
Harun Gadatia supports the United States' war in Iraq.
His wife, Nilofer Gadatia, does not.
"I definitely feel that America had a reason to go in there, including
for
security reasons," said Harun, 34, a software engineer at Cisco Systems
in
Boxboro. "I think the intentions were good and I do think the Iraqis
have a
chance at a better life."
But Nilofer, 30, a homemaker, sees the war as an unjustified invasion
that
has resulted in senseless deaths. "I feel America shouldn't have done
this
war, and that President Bush shouldn't have ordered his troops to go
there."
The couple has agreed to disagree...
-----
ACADEMY IS LURING FAMILIES TO CANTON
Trish Robb, Detroit Free Press, 6/5/03
http://www.freep.com/news/cfp/2/nacad5_20030605.htm
When Crescent Academy International opened in Canton in 1991, the 115
students came from all four directions.
Each day, the school's two buses brought in students from Livonia,
Northville, Ann Arbor and Dearborn. In fact, the academy's site on
Palmer
Road in Canton was chosen for its proximity to both I-94 and I-275,
said
school director David Tauhidi.
Now busing is a thing of the past. Most of the academy's current 270
students live in Canton and Plymouth, and many of them moved here
because
of the Muslim school, Tauhidi said.
"There's a westward move of the population anyway," he said, "but in
addition, a lot of professional families are moving here because the
school
is here..."
-----
VIDEO EDUCATES ABOUT ISLAM
David Crumm, Detroit Free Press, 6/5/03
http://www.freep.com
One of the most far-reaching attempts at breaking down the anti-Islam
fears
and stereotypes that grew after Sept. 11, 2001, has come from a local
team
of education specialists who aren't Muslim, aren't Arab and don't live
in
Dearborn.
On Wednesday night, the staff of Teacher's Discovery in Auburn Hills
was
honored at a Washington, D.C., conference of educational publishers.
Today,
a documentary the company made about Muslim teenagers will be shown at
a
seminar for educators and business executives at the University of
Michigan-Dearborn.
"This video they've produced is a major step forward in showing
Americans
that young Muslims around the world are a lot like our own young
people,"
Jack Shaheen, a leading expert on media bias, said this week.
Shaheen, who lives in South Carolina and has written several books
about
stereotypes, will speak at the Dearborn seminar. The event is drawing
educators from schools in Dearborn, Detroit, Livonia and Farmington, as
well as employees from a long list of local companies, said Renee Ahee,
coordinator of the seminar for the United American Lebanese Federation
in
Sterling Heights.
The attention Teacher's Discovery is receiving for its efforts is heady
stuff for a company founded two decades ago by a high school dropout
who,
until the early 1980s, had been making a living by importing Mexican
sandals and selling custom-printed T-shirts...
-----
WILL MEDIA SEE RUDOLPH AS A CHRISTIAN TERRORIST?
Nathan Landau, Los Angeles Times, 6/5/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-le-landau5jun05,1,1781292.story
Re "Bomb Suspect's First Trial to Be Held in Alabama," June 3: The
arrest
of Eric Robert Rudolph will provide a test of the American media's
evenhandedness, bigotry or both. Virtually every time a bombing occurs
in
the Middle East it is attributed to "Islamic extremists" or "Muslim
fundamentalists." Much is made of the community support that the
extremists
have.
Now it is alleged that a Christian, with religious and ideological
motivations, bombed the Olympics and women's health clinics. He was
apparently sheltered in a community that felt his actions were
acceptable
because of their antagonism toward the targets. So will the media
describe
Rudolph and his supporters -- active or tacit -- as Christian
extremists?
-----
MLDEF HOSTS SUMMIT ON CIVIL RIGHTS, LEGAL CHALLENGES
WHAT: MLDEF, the Muslim Legal Defense & Education Fund, will a host a
historic summit of lawyers, law students, scholars, historians, Imams
and
other leaders. The purpose of this gathering is to develop a strategy
for
responding to the increasing legal challenges facing the Muslim
community.
Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Khalid Abdullah Tariq Al-Mansour, a
legendary
lawyer, lecturer, author, and scholar. Registration fees apply
WHEN: June 7-8 (Sat & Sun), 9am - 5pm.
WHERE: Howard University School of Law, 2900 Van Ness St., NW,
Washington, D.C.
-----
SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/6/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A KEY FOR GOOD
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5971 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* ANTI-MUSLIM PUBLICATION DISTRIBUTED ON CALIF. CAMPUS
- Don't Print Hate Mail (News and Record)
* MUSLIM CHARITIES SUE CBS OVER TV REPORT (AP)
- CBS Sued Over '60 Minutes' Report (Wash. Post)
* DAYTON, SABO MEET AREA MUSLIM LEADERS (Sun Newspapers)
- Ashcroft Wants Broader Anti-Terror Powers (AP)
* SIMPSON BERATES 'TRIGGER-HAPPY' TROOPS (Guardian)
- British Beat My Father - Then He Died (Telegraph)
* AL-ARIAN LOSES BID FOR SPEEDY TRIAL (MSNBC)
* CHRISTIANS ALSO BATTLE FOR PALESTINIAN SIDE (USA Today)
- CHILDREN SHOT IN ISRAELI ARMY RAIDS (Guardian)
* ZONGO FUNERAL SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY (Newsday)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A KEY FOR GOOD
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Blessed is the man whom
God
has made a key for good and a lock for evil."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1366
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5971 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5971 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
ANTI-MUSLIM PUBLICATION DISTRIBUTED ON CALIF. CAMPUS
CAIR-San Diego Calls for Thorough Investigation
(SAN DIEGO, CA - 6/6/2003) - The San Diego office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Diego) today called for a thorough
investigation of a publication distributed on the University of
California,
San Diego (UCSD) campus depicting Muslims in a derogatory manner.
According to the UCSD Muslim Student Association (UCSD MSA), on
Wednesday,
June 4, thousands of hate-filled newspapers were distributed at the
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) campus entitled "Jizzlam: An
Entertainment Magazine for the Islamic Man."
SEE: MAGAZINE AT UCSD LAMPOONS ISLAM
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20030606-9999_7m6muslim.html
The 16-page newspaper contained blatantly racist images and articles
degrading to Muslims, people of other races and religions, and more
specifically Muslim women. The images reportedly included drawings of
Muslim women wearing hijab (Muslim head-covering) performing lewd,
sexual
acts and associating these with Islamic practices such as prayer.
In response to the incident, UCSD Vice Chancellor Joseph Watson issued
a
statement which read in part: "The paper mocks Islam, its beliefs and
practices, in a vile and obscene manner. Apparently intended to hurt
and
degrade members of our campus community, this publication's message of
hate
and disrespect is deplorable and deserves our strongest condemnation."
UCSD's student body associations also immediately passed a resolution
condemning the publication.
In a letter to the UCSD, Chancellor Robert Dynes, CAIR Southern
California
spokesperson Dr. Omaran Abdeen wrote: "Hate and prejudice can only be
erased with proper, accurate and consistent education. It is my hope
that
you will stimulate and facilitate the process by which the student body
could be educated about Islam and Muslims..."
"We view this incident with great concern, especially at a time when
Muslims are being targeted by hate-mongers. CAIR-San Diego urges campus
officials to investigate and bring about a just resolution to this
unfortunate incident," said CAIR-San Diego President Omar Hassaine.
CAIR-San Diego is working with UCSD MSA and campus officials to
investigate
and resolve the incident.
CONTACT: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847 or 714-390-0334, E-MAIL:
socal@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
DON'T PRINT 'HATE MAIL'
Zachary Moore, News & Record, 6/3/03
http://www.news-record.com/news/opinions/letters/tuesletters.htm
I was appalled to read Cal Thomas' column, "Muslims' political action a
threat" (May 21) in a supposedly respectable newspaper. Thomas' column
was
nothing more than an open piece of hate mail directed at America's
Islamic
community.
In this column, Thomas accuses "our enemies" (whom he does not name) of
immigrating to the United States for the express purpose of "organizing
themselves politically." Apparently, Muslims never come to America for
the
same sort of reasons that bring other immigrants here - a better
standard
of living, higher-paying jobs, freedom from persecution, etc.
In Thomas' hate-addled brain, every Muslim is an al-Qaeda operative.
One
minute of rational thought will dispel this absurd conclusion. Muslims
make
up almost one-third of the world's population, they number
approximately 2
billion and are the majority religion in many countries throughout
Africa
and Asia. If all Muslims, or even just a quarter of them, were really
terrorists, then America would have been reduced to a radioactive hole
in
the ground many years ago.
Is it not in the least bit hypocritical to topple Iraq's government in
the
name of democracy and then act aghast at the very idea of Muslims
registering to vote?...
-----
MUSLIM CHARITIES SUE CBS OVER TV REPORT
Aparna H. Kumar, Associated Press, 6/5/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20803-2003Jun5.html
WASHINGTON - Two Virginia-based Muslim charities are suing CBS for $80
million, claiming a "60 Minutes" report falsely linked them to Osama
bin Laden.
The suit was filed Thursday in the Superior Court of the District of
Columbia Civil Division on behalf of the Heritage Education Trust and
SAFA
Trust. It also names CBS correspondent Bob Simon and the Search for
International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Institute, a private terrorism
watchdog organization that the groups say was behind the accusations.
The segment, which aired May 4, was called "The Terrorist Hunter." In
it, a
woman calling herself "Sarah" was shown in disguise outside an office
building in Herndon, Va., that she claimed was "the heart of a
terrorist
funding ring."
Nancy Luque, attorney for the plaintiffs, said she recognized the woman
as
the SITE Institute's director and said the building is owned by
Heritage
Education Trust.
The office was one of several sites raided by federal authorities in a
March 2002 sweep in northern Virginia and Georgia. No arrests have
resulted
from the probe, coordinated by the Treasury Department to cut off
potential
sources of terrorism funding.
The CBS report did not name specific individuals as having potential
ties
to terrorism, Luque said.
A CBS spokesman who declined to give his name said, "We will defend
ourselves vigorously against this lawsuit." SITE Institute said it will
issue a statement in the next few days.
SEE ALSO:
CBS SUED OVER '60 MINUTES' REPORT
John Mintz, Washington Post, 6/6/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21813-2003Jun5.html
The woman code-named "Sarah" appeared on CBS's "60 Minutes" May 4
wearing a
red wig and a prosthetic nose. Her voice was electronically altered as
she
recalled growing up a Jew in Iraq, where her father was executed as an
alleged Israeli spy, before moving to the United States to become a
private
investigator pursuing possible Muslim terrorists.
Her new book, "Terrorist Hunter," documents her career of sneaking into
mosques and Islamic conferences with tape recorders strapped to her
body
underneath her burqas. She wrote the book under the name "Anonymous,"
saying she feared she would be assassinated if Islamic hit men learned
her
identity.
But yesterday some of her investigative targets became plaintiffs, and
announced that they knew who she was. They filed an $80 million
defamation
lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court, against not only CBS, but also Rita
Katz,
an Iraqi-born private investigator who tracks Muslim activists and
radicals
who she says support terrorism.....
-----
DAYTON, SABO MEET AREA MUSLIM LEADERS
Harvey T. Rockwood, Sun Newspapers, 6/5/03
http://www.mnsun.com/story.asp?city=Bloomington&story=114169
Muslims in the Twin Cities remain concerned about possible
infringements of
their civil rights and an atmosphere of suspicion, leaders of the
Islamic
community told Sen. Mark Dayton at a meeting Saturday in Bloomington.
About 20 leaders of the Muslim community, representing religious, civic
and
business organizations, met at the Al-Rahman Mosque in Bloomington.
They
told the DFL senator they feel as though they're under a microscope,
observed with suspicion by authorities and the community at large.
The leadership said they are particularly concerned about the possible
impact of the second version of the Patriot Act, which they believe
could
expand the federal government's powers of surveillance and detention of
those suspected of terrorist ties, however flimsy the evidence.
Dayton said he had voted against the Patriot Act and planned to vote
against Patriot Act II should it reach the Senate floor...
SEE ALSO:
ASHCROFT WANTS BROADER ANTI-TERROR POWERS
Jesse J. Holland, Associated Press, 6/5/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19458-2003Jun5.html
WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft asked Congress Thursday for
expanded powers to hold suspected terrorists indefinitely before trials
and
to let him seek the death penalty or life imprisonment for any
terrorist act.
Ashcroft told the House Judiciary Committee that the 2001 Patriot Act
signed into law after the Sept. 11 attacks should also be expanded to
let
prosecutors bring charges against anyone who supports or works with
suspected terrorist groups as "material supporters."
"The law has several weaknesses which terrorists could exploit,
undermining
our defenses," Ashcroft said.
Ashcroft, who held up copies of al-Qaida's declarations of war against
America and read aloud some of the names of those killed in the Sept.
11,
2001, attacks, said new penalties in the USA Patriot Act have helped
the
Justice Department prevent more terrorist attacks in America....
-----
SIMPSON BERATES 'TRIGGER-HAPPY' TROOPS
Owen Gibson, Guardian, 6/5/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,970956,00.html
Simpson: Americans 'lost control'
BBC news reporter John Simpson has hit out against the "trigger-happy"
behaviour of US troops in Iraq and claimed he saved an old Iraqi man
from
being shot by gung-ho marines.
The veteran reporter, who spent time with American forces in Tikrit,
praised British troops for their conduct during the war but said in an
interview with Soldier magazine that the Americans "lost control".
"They lost all control - screaming, shouting and kicking people,"
Simpson
said, adding that US soldiers' fear of snipers led to a 'shoot first,
ask
questions later' attitude...
SEE ALSO:
BRITISH BEAT MY FATHER - THEN HE DIED
By Peter Foster, Telegraph, 6/6/03
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/06/06/wirq06.xml/
An Iraqi headmaster who died after being arrested by British troops in
Basra was assaulted, his family said yesterday.
Abd al-Jabbar Mossa, 53, was hit "at least three times" on the head
with
two empty magazines from a Kalashnikov rife and a soldier's Kevlar
helmet
as he was bundled into the back of British armoured vehicle, witnesses
said.
Mr Mossa, a member of the Ba'ath Party, is one of two Iraqis whose
deaths
in British custody are being investigated by the Royal Military
Police...
The inquiry, focusing on the 1st Bn Black Watch, is the latest in a
series
of investigations into alleged mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners of war
and
civilian detainees which have cast a shadow over the reputation of
British
occupation forces in southern Iraq.
The account of Mr Mossa's arrest and subsequent death appears to
contradict
Ministry of Defence assurances given earlier this week that he and a
second
man Rathy Namma, had most likely succumbed to "ailments", rather than
foul
play...
-----
AL-ARIAN LOSES BID FOR SPEEDY TRIAL, CASE SCHEDULED FOR 2005
MSNBC, 6/5/03
http://www.msnbc.com/local/WFLA/MGAWAKRXKGD.asp?0sl=-12
TAMPA - A former professor accused of terrorism lost his bid Thursday
for
an immediate trial and could spend the next 18 months jailed under what
he
calls inhumane and unfair conditions before his case is heard.
Sami Al-Arian and three other men indicted as the U.S. operatives of
the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad will not go to trial until January 2005, U.S.
District Judge James Moody decided. That decision now sets the stage
for a
series of legal battles in the mammoth and complex case.
Al-Arian's co-defendants wanted the delay so their attorneys could wade
through thousands of hours of recorded telephone conversations, the
contents of 30 computer hard drives and cases of documents gathered in
the
nine-year investigation of Al-Arian's Islamic charity and academic
think tank.
Prosecutors say Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a terrorist group
responsible
for 100 murders in Israel and its territories. Al-Arian, a computer
engineering professor who was fired by the University of South Florida
after his indictment, has denied advocating violence.
Al-Arian and his attorneys, frustrated by their lack of success in
winning
any concessions since his February indictment, are already striking
back.
Al-Arian, who is being held in a federal prison 80 miles north of
Tampa,
refused Thursday to participate in a video conference of the hearing
fearing the judge won't yield to his requests to be physically present
during court. His defense attorneys are refusing to apply for security
clearances to view some of the evidence in the case saying doing so
would
set them up for breaking the law when they share that information with
Al-Arian...
-----
CHRISTIANS ALSO BATTLE FOR PALESTINIAN SIDE
Sherri Muzher, USA Today, 6/6/03
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-06-05-opcom_x.htm
The questioner's tone is usually incredulous: "You mean there are
Palestinian Christians?"
I understand the confusion. Many view the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
as
purely Muslims vs. Jews. And aren't Arabs all Muslims and Muslims all
Arabs?
The reality is that some 15% of the world's Palestinians are
Christians, a
vibrant community that has experienced as much suffering as Palestinian
Muslims. In the latest uprising for freedom, Palestinian Christians
have
been among those killed or maimed for life by Israeli bullets.
Christians
also have been among the Palestinians who have been unable to leave
their
towns, go to their jobs, seek medical care and attend schools.
Unfortunately, some are exploiting the general lack of knowledge about
Palestinian Christians, either for political gain or for religions
reasons
-- or both. Many evangelical Christians believe the Bible promised the
Jews
the entire Holy Land, including the occupied territory. And some
evangelicals also believe the second coming of Christ is contingent
upon
the full return of Jews to Jerusalem...
SEE ALSO:
CHILDREN SHOT IN THIRD DAY OF ISRAELI ARMY RAIDS
Conal Urquhart, Guardian, 6/5/02
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,970652,00.html
The screams echoed around the clinic yesterday as a woman brought her
seven-year-old daughter in for treatment. She had been shot in the
abdomen
by an Israeli soldier.
As George Bush talked about peace with the Israeli and Palestinian
prime
ministers, Israeli soldiers were raiding the refugee camp of Balata and
the
city of Nablus for the third day running.
The seven-year-old girl was the latest casualty in Balata. According to
the
Red Crescent, some 50 people have been treated for bullet and shrapnel
wounds in two days. Many in the West Bank were looking at their
television
in astonish ment as their prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, met his
Israeli
counterpart, Ariel Sharon, and President Bush in the Red Sea resort of
Aqaba. They felt the rhetoric was from another planet.
Terms such as the road map and the peace process appeared fraudulent.
-----
ZONGO FUNERAL SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY
Ron Howell, Newsday, 6/4/03
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/manhattan/nyc-nyzong063320041jun06,0,1013003.story
The funeral of slain African immigrant Ousmane Zongo will be held
Friday at
a mosque in West Harlem, officials with the National Action Network
said
yesterday.
Zongo's body was examined Monday by a private pathologist working for
Zongo's family. Attorneys for the family have been trying to gather
evidence on the May 22 shooting of the 35-year-old African artisan by
plain
clothes city cop Bryan Conroy.
Cynthia Davis, national crisis director for the Rev. Al Sharpton's
National
Action Network, said yesterday that the funeral will take place at noon
at
Masjid Aqsa, at 2136 Frederick Douglass Blvd., near West 116th
Street....
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/9/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A THANKFUL SERVANT
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5980 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* GOOD NEWS: CNBC DROPS OFFENSIVE PROMO
* THE SOUL IN SCIENCE (Globe and Mail)
* FOREIGN STUDENTS NAVIGATE LABYRINTH OF NEW LAWS (Wash. Post)
- Foreign Nationals Plagued by Travel Rules (Wash. Post)
- Gripped by Fear (Newsday)
- More Than 13,000 May Face Deportation (NY Times)
- Detained Innocents Tell of Ruin
- In Brooklyn, 9/11 Damage Continues (NY Times)
* GOVERNMENT TO LAUNCH PRO-AMERICAN NEWS NETWORK (Govexec.com)
* CHRISTIAN'S ARREST TWISTS ARGUMENT (Miami Herald)
- Religion and Terrorism (Post-Dispatch)
* EVANGELISTS SAY IRAQIS EMBRACE MESSAGE
* AT MUSLIM PROM, IT'S A GIRLS-ONLY NIGHT (NY Times)
* 8-YEAR-OLD VICTIM OF A HATE CRIME (Phil. Inquirer)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A THANKFUL SERVANT
The Prophet used to offer prayers until his feet became swollen (from
standing). Someone said to him: "God has forgiven you your faults of
the
past and those to come (i.e., Why do you pray so much when your sins
have
already been forgiven?)." The Prophet replied: "(Then) shouldn't I be a
thankful servant (of God)?"
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Hadith
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5980 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5980 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
GOOD NEWS: CNBC DROPS OFFENSIVE PROMO
CNBC today dropped a promotional advertisement (promo) for a
"Checkpoint"
program following complaints from concerned Muslims and discussions
with
CAIR. CAIR received complaints that the promo, through its
juxtaposition of
Islamic attire and violence, stereotyped Muslim woman "as the new face
of
terrorism."
"We appreciate CNBC's quick action to address Muslim concerns," said
CAIR
Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed. "We hope the program itself
reflects such sensitivity."
SEE: http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/CNBCTV/TV_Info/P37413.asp
-----
THE SOUL IN SCIENCE
Sheema Khan, Globe and Mail, 6/9/03
Sheema Khan, chair of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(Canada),
holds a PhD in chemical physics from Harvard University.
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030609/COSHEEMA/TPScience/
Last November, while the world's attention was focused on Iraq, thieves
stole a rare first edition of Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis
Principia Mathematica from the Russian National Library in St.
Petersburg.
A few weeks later, police announced its recovery to an uninterested
world.
Principia, first published in 1687, is a key work in modern science. In
it,
Newton proposed the three laws of motion and the law of universal
gravitation, foundations of physical sciences and engineering.
Less well-known is Principia's final chapter, in which Newton expounded
on
his beliefs: "This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets
could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and
powerful Being,… eternal and infinite, omnipotent and omniscient…He
governs
all things, and knows all things that are, or can be done…We adore Him
as
His servants."
While Newton's science propagated through time and space, his
harmonization
of faith and scientific inquiry did not. Instead, battles between
Newton's
persecuted contemporaries and the Roman Catholic Church left an
indelible
mark on Western thought, causing a dichotomy between science and faith
that
prevails today.
Reconciling the two has never been an issue in Islamic thought. The
Koran
invites contemplation of the natural world, pointing to signs of a wise
Creator. Nothing is left to fuzzy uncertainty, or in the words of
Albert
Einstein: "I shall never believe that God plays with dice with the
world."
The study of the world is a means to attain faith, as exemplified by
the
Prophet Abraham...
-----
FOREIGN STUDENTS NAVIGATE LABYRINTH OF NEWS LAWS
Caryle Murphy and Nurith C. Aizenman, Washington Post, 6/9/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32252-2003Jun8.html
During his 11 years in the United States, Zaid Safdar has graduated
from
two American universities, held a plum engineering job at Lucent
Technologies and was elected student body president at Johns Hopkins
University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.
But when the Pakistani native registered at a U.S. immigration office
in
Arlington in March to comply with a new program for tracking male
visitors
from two dozen predominantly Muslim countries, he was arrested, jailed
overnight and placed in deportation proceedings.
Safdar's mistake was that he applied to switch his work visa to a
student
visa after quitting his job at Lucent, rather than applying while he
was
employed, as required by law. The District resident said he was unaware
of
this requirement until he reported to immigration authorities in March.
Because of the mistake, his student visa application that was pending
when
he registered might be denied.
"I'm in utter shock," said Safdar, 30. "On one hand, I feel like all my
accomplishments are because of the opportunities that have been given
to me
by this country. But now I'm seeing a side of the United States that
I've
never seen before."
Safdar is one of 13,354 men placed in deportation proceedings after
being
identified in the special registration program conducted from January
to
April. Most of these cases will take months to resolve in hearings
before
immigration judges if the men contest their deportation rather than
leave
voluntarily...
SEE ALSO:
FOREIGN NATIONALS PLAGUED BY TRAVEL RULES
George Lardner Jr., Washington Post, 6/8/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29339-2003Jun7.html
Shahid Mahmood is about to come home, none too soon for his poor and
elderly patients.
Hundreds of them have been without medical care since U.S. immigration
officials refused last month to let Mahmood reenter the country after a
trip to Pakistan because of an oversight that is also plaguing other
foreign nationals who travel abroad. It took almost a month of pleading
from lawyers and pressure from members of Congress before U.S.
diplomats
relented last week and told Mahmood, a Pakistani citizen, he would be
granted a new visa.
"The patients are thrilled," Tracy Wall, office manager at Mahmood's Al
Shifa (The Healing) Clinic in rural Roxboro, N.C., said Friday. "A few
of
them actually cried. He has more than 600 patients, and about half of
them
haven't been coming in because he isn't here."
Other foreign visitors and students said they have run into similar
problems for unintentional violations of a regulation adopted after the
Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that requires them to report to immigration
officials before they leave the United States for even brief visits
abroad.
Some commercial airline representatives have compounded the problem,
the
travelers said, by assuring them they need to report to the government
only
when they return. On other occasions, they said, they could not find
any
immigration officials at airports before departing...
---
GRIPPED BY FEAR
Shaik Ubaid, Newsday, 6/8/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpuba083321324jun08,0,1306042.story
Two weeks ago, in the midst of the state of high alert, my
brother-in-law
called my children, saying that he had three free tickets for the Mets
game
that evening. My son and middle daughter jumped at this chance.
They were ready to leave when my wife and I arrived home that evening.
We
were aghast. With her hejab, our daughter is easily identifiable as
Muslim.
To send her into the charged atmosphere of a ballpark was out of the
question. The most athletic member of our family, she tried arguments
like,
"Mom, I am bigger than my brother," or, "But, Dad, there are a lot of
policemen in there." But nothing would sway us. My son went with his
uncle,
and my daughter sulked for days.
We were probably being overprotective, and in hindsight our son could
have
been in just as much danger of becoming the victim of a bias attack,
but
the last 20 months have been a very stressful time for our family and
other
Muslim Americans on Long Island. From the Iraq war to the terror alert
levels to the Sept. 11 attacks, we're gripped with fear. And it's
taking a
heavy toll on the community, as some of us avoid placing ourselves in
perceived situations of danger, change our everyday behavior or leave
the
country altogether.
Some of our fears are caused by events on the national front. During
the
latest heightened alert, for example, a Muslim girl and a teenager were
attacked in two different towns in Pennsylvania, and a Sikh man,
mistaken
for a Muslim, was shot in Arizona. But some of our fears are caused by
events on the local front...
-----
MORE THAN 13,000 MAY FACE DEPORTATION
Rachel L. Swarns, New York Times, 6/6/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/07/national/07DEPO.html
WASHINGTON - More than 13,000 of the Arab and Muslim men who came
forward
earlier this year to register with immigration authorities - roughly 16
percent of the total - may now face deportation, government officials
say.
Only a handful have been linked to terrorism. But of the 82,000 men
older
than 16 who registered, more than 13,000 have been found to be living
in
this country illegally, officials say.
Many had hoped to win leniency by demonstrating their willingness to
cooperate with the campaign against terror. The men were not promised
special treatment, however, and officials believe that most will be
expelled in what is likely to be the largest wave of deportations after
the
Sept. 11 attacks.
The government has initiated deportation proceedings, and in immigrant
communities across the country, an exodus has already begun...
---
DETAINED INNOCENTS TELL OF RUIN
Richard A. Serrano, Tribune Newspapers, 6/9/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0306090161jun09,1,5579671.story
WASHINGTON -- An increasing number of the hundreds of people who were
swept
up for questioning in the weeks and months after the attacks on the
World
Trade Center and the Pentagon are stepping forward to describe their
treatment in the custody of federal agents.
Their accounts are emerging as internal investigators at the Justice
Department issued a report recently that sharply criticized the
handling of
detainees following Sept. 11, 2001, and took agents to task for
"significant problems" that led to false arrests, prolonged
imprisonments
and physical and mental abuse.
On Wednesday, a group of former detainees and the families of others
still
being held or who were deported gathered at a news conference on
Capitol
Hill and shared their stories of incarceration.
Peymon Assadinia, an Iranian immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for 19
years, said he was picked up in San Jose, Calif., on an expired
passport
and was jailed there and in San Diego and Arizona. After nine days
behind
bars, often filthy and hungry, sometimes shackled and handcuffed,
Assadinia
described being interrogated at length before being released.
He said he was asked repeatedly: "Are you sane or insane? Are you dead
or
alive? Are you angry in any way? Do you feel in control of your
life?..."
Immediately after Sept. 11, there was strong public backing of the
government's efforts to ferret out anyone who might be connected to the
attacks. Most of those detained were Muslim men who faced visa and
other
immigration violations. A few have been charged criminally...
---
STEREOTYPES HELP FEED FBI PROBES
Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, San Jose Mercury News, 6/9/03
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/6046979.htm
The stereotypes and vague suspicions from the public that helped fuel
the
roundup of hundreds of undocumented immigrants in the wake of the Sept.
11
terrorist attacks continue to help drive investigations in the Bay
Area,
local FBI officials say.
An internal Justice Department report released last week detailed for
the
first time how the Federal Bureau of Investigation systematically used
unsupported tips as a justification to launch criminal investigations
to
ensnare people who had overstayed their visas or had other immigration
violations. More than 730 illegal immigrants were detained nationwide
after
Sept. 11, with more than 500 of those deported and none charged as
terrorists.
The practice, immigrant advocates say, can give one tipster's prejudice
incredible potency and can lead to selective enforcement of immigration
law. But FBI investigators say the public -- regardless of people's
personal views -- is essential to doing their job.
``We look at the public as a way to expand the eyes and ears of the
FBI,''
said LaRae Quy, special agent and spokeswoman for the FBI's San
Francisco
office.
``We try to give everybody the benefit of the doubt, the person accused
and
the caller. We're not going to launch a full-scale investigation
against
him simply because a neighbor doesn't like the way he looks...''
The report can be read at www.usdoj.gov/oig/igwhnew1.htm.
---
IN BROOKLYN, 9/11 DAMAGE CONTINUES
Andrea Elliott, New York Times, 6/7/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/07/nyregion/07BROO.html
The signs in Midwood, Brooklyn, surfaced slowly at first. Curry packets
at
the New Apna Bazaar started to accumulate. The line of cars at the
Sunoco
station began to thin.
And then the crowd dwindled at Friday Prayer at the Makki Mosque on
Coney
Island Avenue. This, among worshipers once so numerous they prayed on
the
street for lack of room.
"Now the rooms are empty inside," said Danieyel Yaqocb, 32, a taxi
driver
who lives in Midwood. "It's hard to live here now. People don't have
too
many friends like before."
In this heavily Pakistani community, the word "before" begs no further
explanation. It refers to a crucial turning point - Sept. 11, 2001 - in
this neighborhood's modern history, a date that marked the start of an
exodus of thousands of Pakistanis and the arrival of a new discomfort
in
day-to-day living for those who remained.
Arrests, closer scrutiny and an increased threat of deportation have
plagued Arabs and Muslims nationwide. In New York, Egyptians,
Moroccans,
Jordanians and Lebanese have seen numbers of detentions. But no group
appears harder hit than the Pakistanis.
-----
GOVERNMENT WILL LAUNCH NEWS NETWORK TO COUNTER 'ANTI-AMERICAN' IMAGE
Shane Harris, GovExec.com, 6/2/03
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0603/060203h1.htm
Middle East airwaves are clogged with "hate speak…disinformation [and]
incitement to violence" that is anti-Western and anti-American, said
Norman
Pattiz, one of America's most prominent news media executives. Now,
armed
with a congressional mandate and more than $30 million in government
funds,
Pattiz and a team of media gurus are going to compete with those
networks
for hearts and minds on the Arab street.
By the end of this year, Pattiz, the chairman of radio giant Westwood
One
and a member of the government's Broadcasting Board of Governors, which
runs the Voice of America radio broadcast, hopes to launch the Middle
East
Television Network, a U.S.-based, 24-hour satellite news and
entertainment
channel that will try to snatch viewers away from Qatar-based
newscaster al
Jazeera and a number of state-run news media outlets in the region.
Pattiz has been planning the network for more than a year, after the
successful launch of an Arabic-language radio channel known as Radio
Sawa,
he said in an interview with Government Executive. But the momentum for
the
network has been fueled lately by the administration's view that Arabic
news broadcasts are damaging the image of the United States.
For instance, throughout the war in Iraq, al Jazeera and other Arabic
networks took a critical view of U.S.-led military actions, and
frequently
showed images not seen in the U.S., including pictures of dead
coalition
troops and killed or maimed Iraqi civilians. Those images were beamed
into
homes and public places across the region...
-----
CHRISTIAN'S ARREST TWISTS ARGUMENT
Leonard Pitts Jr., Miami Herald, 6/9/03
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/leonard_pitts/6044921.htm
The story is almost certainly apocryphal, but here it is for what it's
worth:
Shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Muhammad Ali was
supposedly
visiting ground zero when someone asked a barbed question: How did Ali,
the
most famous Muslim in the world who is not a terrorist, feel about
sharing
his religion with Osama bin Laden? The champ shot back, ``How does it
feel
to share yours with Hitler?''
As I said, the story -- it began circulating shortly after the attacks
--
is probably not true, but it ought to be. It's valuable for what it
says
about our tendency to demonize the unfamiliar and overlook the obvious.
Which brings us to Eric Rudolph, alleged Christian terrorist.
And, to this question: Is that a fair term to describe the accused
serial
bomber? Some observers have begun debating that since Rudolph's recent
arrest in North Carolina, among them The Washington Post, which raised
the
issue in a story last week, and Arsalan Tariq Iftikhar, Midwest
communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
who
tackled it a few days ago in The Herald.
SEE ALSO:
RELIGION AND TERRORISM WHAT DO WE CALL HIM?
By KAMRAN MEMON, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/9/03
Kamran Memon is a civil rights attorney in Chicago. He serves on the
board
of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/news/5B3C6E2D6E27D00B86256D3E00319244
The AOL Time Warner chat rooms are buzzing. The academics are arguing.
The
debate about Eric Robert Rudolph's title has begun: Is he an alleged
"terrorist" or an alleged "Christian terrorist"?
Rudolph, suspected of violently targeting homosexuals and abortion
rights
supporters, is allegedly a Christian, possibly linked to the Christian
Identity movement and its Army of God. So now Americans are wrestling
once
again with the connection between religion and terrorism, which burst
into
our collective consciousness on Sept. 11, 2001, if not before.
Back then, the titles seemed obvious. And if Rudolph had been Muslim,
this
would have been a no-brainer too. The only debate would have been
between
"Muslim terrorist" or "Islamic terrorist." After all, Muslims are
viewed as
"foreigners" and "outsiders" - even though Muslim slaves helped build
this
country, even though at least one-third of American Muslims are
African-Americans and even though American-born children of Muslim
immigrants make up another large segment of the community.
But Rudolph has been identified as a Christian, and Americans are much
more
familiar with Christianity. Many Americans actually know Christians,
and
they're not such bad folks. Plus, Christians don't get much bad press,
aside from sexual misconduct by some priests. So it's not easy for
Americans to link the Christian faith to terrorism.
Fewer Americans know a Muslim; there are fewer Muslims to know. And a
lot
of them have accents, and they eat unusual foods. In addition, many
Muslims
keep to themselves, fearing rejection and hostility. Plus, Americans
keep
getting news reports linking Islam to violence overseas. And Sept. 11,
2001, didn't help.
Despite America's familiarity with Christianity, some argue that
Rudolph
should be called an alleged "Christian terrorist" because he allegedly
used
violence to further his allegedly "Christian" agenda, just as "Muslim
terrorists" used violence to further their allegedly "Islamic" agenda.
There are others, though, who argue that "Christian terrorist" just
doesn't
sound right. After all, how can the teachings of Jesus be associated
with
terrorism?
As an American Muslim, I lean towards the latter view. After all, the
Quran
teaches us that Jesus was a prophet of God, and no prophet of God
teaches
terrorism…
So where does all this leave Muslims, who cringe when they hear the
media
and politicians link Islam with terrorism, just because a Muslim used
Islam
to justify his acts of terror? Hopefully, the press and the politicians
will one day come to understand that a Muslim who commits acts of
terror is
misguided and rebelling against the true teachings of Prophet Muhammad.
But before that day comes, Muslims have to do a much better job of
reaching
out and explaining our faith. Much better. And our neighbors have to do
a
much better job of listening, and of separating politics from religion.
Much better.
----
EVANGELISTS SAY IRAQIS EMBRACE MESSAGE
Robert W. Gee, Austin American-Statesman, 6/7/03
http://www.statesman.com/
During a weeklong whirlwind trip through Iraq in May, 13 evangelists
delivered more than 100 New Testaments, copies of the Gospel of Luke
and
"Why Jesus" booklets to Iraqis and American troops. "Most of the people
we
gave them to grabbed them, kissed them and hugged them," Carl Medearis,
one
of the trip leaders, wrote in an e-mail he sent back home to America.
"A
young man I gave one to burst into tears and said over and over again,
'My
family will be SO happy when they see this.' Another man told me he had
searched for the Bible for years but didn't know anyone who could tell
him
where one was. Everyone begged us to come back."
The evangelists -- pastors and career missionaries from Austin, Waco
and
elsewhere in the United States, Britain and Holland -- also attended
church
services and walked the streets of Basra to "share the Good News of
Jesus
directly and indirectly," Jeff Newman, senior pastor of Vineyard
Christian
Fellowship Austin, wrote in an e-mail home. As they walked, they handed
out
50 hardbound copies of the Gospel of Luke, translated into modern
Arabic...
"It was like, to them, the greatest treasure. They love them. They hold
them dear," said Newman, now back home. For hundreds, perhaps thousands
of
American evangelical Christians, Iraq is fertile ground for
humanitarian
relief work -- and introducing Muslims to the story of Jesus. However,
some
fear that the specter of Americans delivering aid in one hand and a
Bible
in the other will do more to harm than help America's efforts to earn
the
trust of Iraqis.
Some nonevangelical aid groups and Muslims leaders say they are wary of
the
ideologies of conservative evangelists, including Franklin Graham, who
in
November 2001 called Islam "a very evil and wicked religion." Graham
heads
Samaritan's Purse, a Christian aid organization that works in 100
countries. Samaritan's Purse waited to enter Iraq at the Jordanian
border
during the war. Now, the group is helping refurbish a Baghdad hospital.
The aid is welcome "as long as they don't use the humanitarian label as
part of their efforts to try to coerce people or try to force people
into
accepting another religion," said Rabia Ahmed, spokeswoman of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations in Washington.
-----
AT MUSLIM PROM, IT'S A GIRLS-ONLY NIGHT
Patricia Leigh Brown, New York Times, 6/7/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/09/national/09PROM.html
FREMONT, Calif., - The trappings of a typical high school prom were all
there: the strobe lights, the garlands, the crepe pineapple
centerpieces
and even a tiara for the queen. In fact, Fatima Hague's prom tonight
had
practically everything one might expect on one of a teenage girl's most
important nights. Except boys.
Ms. Haque and her friends may have helped initiate a new American
ritual:
the all-girl Muslim prom. It is a spirited response to religious and
cultural beliefs that forbid dating, dancing with or touching boys or
appearing without a hijab, the Islamic head scarf. While Ms. Haque and
her
Muslim friends do most things other teenagers do - shopping for shoes
at
Macy's, watching "The Matrix Reloaded" at the mall or ordering Jumbo
Jack
burgers and curly fries at Jack in the Box - an essential ingredient of
the
American prom, boys, is off limits. So they decided to do something
about it...
The rented room at a community center here was filled with the sounds
of
the rapper 50 Cent, Arabic pop music, Britney Spears and about two
dozen
girls, including some non-Muslim friends. But when the sun went down,
the
music stopped temporarily, the silken gowns disappeared beneath
full-length
robes, and the Muslims in the room faced toward Mecca to pray. Then it
was
time for spaghetti and lasagna.
It is perhaps a new version of having it all: embracing the American
prom
culture of high heels, mascara and adrenaline while being true to a
Muslim
identity...
-----
8-YEAR-OLD VICTIM OF A HATE CRIME, PROSECUTOR SAYS
Dwayne Campbell, Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/9/03
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/6045186.htm
Sleep no longer comes easily for Ahmed Hadi.
He often tosses and turns, and tries to rid his mind of three boys
pushing
him against a wall and punching his face. Of seeing his face bloody and
bruised. Of hospitals and CAT scans.
Most of all, his family says, 8-year-old Ahmed cannot get rid of the
taunts
he heard. He didn't clearly comprehend them, but they seemed to say he
didn't belong, that despite his being born at St. Mary Medical Center
in
Langhorne, his Middle Eastern heritage made him less of an American.
"You Saddam Hussein helper."
"Go back to Iraq."
"You Iraqi."
Those stinging words and pounding fists, authorities said, came from
three
boys - two white 13-year-olds, one a neighbor, and a 12-year-old
African
American.
The attack has left Ahmed terrified, his family said...
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MUSLIM GROUP TO AIR SATELLITE TALK SHOW
'Washington Live' will offer insights on U.S. Muslim community
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/10/03) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) will air a new satellite talk show tonight dealing with issues
of
concern to the North American Muslim and Arab communities.
The weekly hour-long program, called "Washington Live," will be
broadcast
out of the nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the Arab
Radio & Television (ART) satellite network. SEE:
http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/ It will air every Tuesday at 8 p.m.
(Eastern)
and is available in the United States through the Dish Network, on
cable
and by satellite in other parts of the world.
SEE:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
Tonight's program is scheduled to include segments focusing on the
recent
defamation lawsuit filed by American Muslim charitable institutions
against
CBS's "60 Minutes," a recent congressional hearing on the targeting of
Muslims and other minorities following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and
on a
poll showing that the image of the United States dropped worldwide
following the war on Iraq.
"We are excited to bring this unique programming to Muslims and
Arab-Americans who have long sought a media outlet that reflects their
views and concerns," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, the host
of
the program. "'Washington Live' will focus on practical social and
political issues that CAIR deals with on a daily basis and that impact
Muslims and Arabs living in North America."
Awad said "Washington Live" will be co-hosted by CAIR Communications
Director Ibrahim Hooper and will include guests, such as elected
officials,
policy-makers and commentators, who offer a broad spectrum of views on
current issues.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 16 regional
offices nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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YES, I would like to support CAIR's important work by donating
$___________. Enclosed is my check, payable to CAIR. Basic CAIR
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Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
TEL:
FAX:
E-MAIL:
Payment: ___Check ___VISA ___MasterCard ___Discover ___Money Order
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Exp. Date:
Name as on Card:
Signature: ________________________________________________
SEND TO: CAIR, 453 New Jersey Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
FAX: 202-488-0833 E-MAIL: membership@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/10/03
* VERSE OF THE DAY: THE PATH OF EASE
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5983 SPONSORSHIPS
* CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
* ASHCROFT'S ATTITUDE PROBLEM (Wash. Post)
* WHO'S ACCOUNTABLE? (NY Times)
- U.S. Hunt for Iraqi Banned Weapons Slows (AP)
- U.S. Soldiers Face Growing Resistance (Wash. Post)
- AP Tallies 3,240 Civilian Deaths in Iraq
- Soldier Recalls Night Innocent Was Killed (AP)
* SCHOOL FOSTERS FAITH IN MUSLIM HERITAGE (Seattle Times)
- Terror Attacks Inspire Woman to Speak Out (KC Star)
* GIVING GOD A BREAK (NY Times)
* GUANTANAMO EYES POSSIBLE EXECUTION CHAMBER (AP)
* CAIR-OHIO 6th ANNUAL MEETING AND FUNDRAISING DINNER
* CAIR-OHIO LECTURE SERIES
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: THE PATH OF EASE
As for he who gives (in charity), and keeps his duty to God, and
believes
in the best reward from God, We will make smooth for him the path of
ease.
But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient, and
gives
the lie to the best reward from God, we will make smooth for him the
path
for evil. (The Quran, 92:5-10)
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5983 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5983 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
ASHCROFT'S ATTITUDE PROBLEM
Richard Cohen, Washington Post, 6/10/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37338-2003Jun9.html
My job is to connect the dots. So follow me as I take you from a
typical
newspaper story about yet another convicted murderer being freed after
DNA
testing to the testimony last week of Attorney General John Ashcroft.
The
first is clear evidence of the imperfectability of the criminal justice
system, and the second is the smug refusal to admit it. Ashcroft has a
serious attitude problem.
That attitude was on display when he testified before the House
Judiciary
Committee. The AG was asked about a report from his own inspector
general
criticizing the way in which the Justice Department had treated 762
illegal
immigrants locked up and detained after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
None of them -- that's precisely zero -- was ever linked to terrorist
activities.
Yet some of them were held incommunicado for months. Either they were
refused lawyers or so many obstacles were put in their way that it
amounted
to the same thing. They were denied visitors. Some were held in
solitary
confinement, verbally harassed and threatened and, on occasion,
allegedly
physically manhandled. To all of this, Ashcroft responded with a shrug.
"We
make no apologies," he said -- and, of course, he asked for additional
death penalties in terrorism cases.
But apologies are most certainly in order. In the first place, the
Justice
Department got things exactly backward. In this country, you're
innocent
until proven guilty -- not the other way around...
Go ahead, connect the dots on Ashcroft yourself. A cavalier attitude
toward
civil liberties, an inability to concede mistakes, a refusal to see
imperfections in the criminal justice system, a zealously irrational
belief
in the death penalty -- and pretty soon you can read between the lines
of
that Justice Department report: The attorney general is far more
dangerous
than any of the immigrants he wrongly detained.
-----
WHO'S ACCOUNTABLE?
Paul Krugman, NY Times, 6/10/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/10/opinion/10KRUG.html
The Bush and Blair administrations are trying to silence critics - many
of
them current or former intelligence analysts - who say that they
exaggerated the threat from Iraq. Last week a Blair official accused
Britain's intelligence agencies of plotting against the government.
(Tony
Blair's government has since apologized for January's "dodgy dossier.")
In
this country, Colin Powell has declared that questions about the
justification for war are "outrageous."
Yet dishonest salesmanship has been the hallmark of the Bush
administration's approach to domestic policy. And it has become
increasingly clear that the selling of the war with Iraq was no
different.
For example, look at the way the administration rhetorically linked
Saddam
to Sept. 11. As The Associated Press put it: "The implication from Bush
on
down was that Saddam supported Osama bin Laden's network. Iraq and the
Sept. 11 attacks frequently were mentioned in the same sentence, even
though officials have no good evidence of such a link..."
Or look at the affair of the infamous "germ warfare" trailers. I don't
know
whether those trailers were intended to produce bioweapons or merely to
inflate balloons, as the Iraqis claim - a claim supported by a number
of
outside experts....
SEE ALSO:
U.S. HUNT FOR IRAQI BANNED WEAPONS SLOWS
Dafna Linzer, Associated Press, 6/10/03
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/6049444.htm
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. military units assigned to track down Iraqi
weapons of
mass destruction have run out of places to look and are getting time
off or
being assigned to other duties, even as pressure mounts on President
Bush
to explain why no banned arms have been found.
After nearly three months of fruitless searches, weapons hunters say
they
are now waiting for a large team of Pentagon intelligence experts to
take
over the effort, relying more on leads from interviews and documents.
"It doesn't appear there are any more targets at this time," said Lt.
Col.
Keith Harrington, whose team has been cut by more than 30 percent.
"We're
hanging around with no missions in the foreseeable future."
Over the past week, his and several other teams have been taken off
assignment completely. Rather than visit suspected weapons sites, they
are
brushing up on target practice and catching up on letters home...
---
U.S. SOLDIERS FACE GROWING RESISTANCE
William Booth and Daniel Williams, Washington Post, 6/10/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37082-2003Jun9.html
TIKRIT, Iraq, - Attacks on American troops are growing in frequency and
sophistication across central Iraq, a crescent of discontent and
hostility
where many Iraqis remain opposed to the U.S. occupation of their
country.
Almost every day, well-organized groups of assailants using assault
rifles,
rocket-propelled grenades and mortars are ambushing U.S. Army convoys,
patrols, checkpoints, garrisons and public offices used by troops to
interact with the civilian population.
In response, U.S. forces are trying to crush resistance through
house-to-house searches, arms seizures and deadly force, in some cases
with
fatal consequences for innocent bystanders...
---
AP TALLIES 3,240 CIVILIAN DEATHS IN IRAQ
NIKO PRICE, Associated Press, 6/10/03
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - At least 3,240 civilians died across Iraq during a
month of war, including 1,896 in Baghdad, according to a five-week
Associated Press investigation.
The count is still fragmentary, and the complete toll - if it is ever
tallied - is sure to be significantly higher.
Several surveys have looked at civilian casualties within Baghdad, but
the
AP tally is the first attempt to gauge the scale of such deaths from
one
end of the country to the other, from Mosul in the north to Basra in
the south.
The AP count was based on records from 60 of Iraq's 124 hospitals -
including almost all of the large ones - and covers the period between
March 20, when the war began, and April 20, when fighting was dying
down
and coalition forces announced they would soon declare major combat
over.
AP journalists traveled to all of these hospitals, studying their logs,
examining death certificates where available and interviewing officials
about what they witnessed.
Many of the other 64 hospitals are in small towns and were not visited
because they are in dangerous or inaccessible areas. Some hospitals
that
were visited had incomplete or war-damaged casualty records.
Even if hospital records were complete, they would not tell the full
story.
Many of the dead were never taken to hospitals, either buried quickly
by
their families in accordance with Islamic custom, or lost under rubble…
The U.S. military did not count civilian casualties because ``our
efforts
are focused on military tasks,'' said Lt. Col. Jim Cassella, a Pentagon
spokesman. The British Defense Ministry said it didn't count casualties
either…
---
SOLDIER RECALLS NIGHT INNOCENT WAS KILLED
CHRIS TOMLINSON, Associated Press, 6/10/03
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Spc. John Dresel was on guard duty, and his eyes
were
playing tricks on him.
His U.S. Army company had worked its way through heavy fire from Kuwait
to
Baghdad, and on April 8 it was guarding an intersection next to the
Tourism
Ministry. Gunfire and explosions punctured the night, and a burning
building produced an orange glow on the northern horizon…
After more than an hour, a figure moved toward Dresel on the sidewalk.
He
fired a warning shot, and through his scope he made out what looked
like an
old man.
'I fired off another warning shot. I yelled `halt,' `stop,' `kif,'
everything I could think of. Even the tank gave a warning shot," he
said.
"Finally, I was like, well, I've got to take this guy out."
Dresel said he fired 15 shots. When daylight broke, he was ordered to
examine the body.
"All I'm thinking is, I hope this guy has a grenade, or some kind of
kit
wrapped to him, so I'm not just an old-man killer," he said.
When he got there, he found none of that.
"There wasn't nothing on him," Dresel said, lowering his voice. "I just
killed an old guy, who was probably drunk or something."
Fellow soldiers assured Dresel there was nothing else he could have
done.
He isn't convinced.
"Even now I feel bad," he said. "I did do my job. But you always
wonder: If
I could go back."
-----
GROWING REDMOND SCHOOL FOSTERS FAITH IN MUSLIM HERITAGE
Leslie Fulbright, Seattle Times, 6/10/03
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/134953073_medina10e.html
Serene Taleb-Agha has vivid memories of her days in public school, of
being
taunted by classmates each time she knelt for one of five daily
prayers, of
students making fun of her mother's head scarf and of boys laughing
when
she told them her religion didn't allow her to go to a school dance.
"I was sensitive as a child, and the kids were not very understanding,"
said the Redmond mom, who has devoted her life to Islam. "I didn't want
that for my daughter."
Taleb-Agha's 4-year-old attends preschool at the Medina Academy - a
small,
private Islamic school that rents space at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse
and
is about to expand at a new site. At the academy, her Muslim faith is
nurtured...
Since it opened in 2000, the school has grown from four to 33 students,
with 60 enrolled for next year. To allow for expansion and accommodate
the
waiting list, school officials and parents have raised more than $1
million
to buy a 2.25-acre property in Bellevue's Overlake area. They plan to
finalize the purchase in about two weeks, with the hope of opening the
new
school in January...
SEE ALSO:
TERROR ATTACKS INSPIRE WOMAN TO SPEAK OUT
Jilian Mincer, Kansas City Star, 6/10/03
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/business/6050265.htm
Mahnaz M. Shabbir has always planned every detail of her life, from her
graduate degree to her career in hospital management.
But now she is following her heart instead of her head. She has decided
to
trade the security of her job as vice president of strategic planning
and
business development of Carondelet Health to work full time teaching
people
about Muslims and tolerance.
"As a moderate Muslim, we have to speak up," she said. "The world is so
ignorant about Islam."
This is an enormous change for Shabbir, who has worked for Carondelet
for
almost 19 years on a range of issues from marketing to mergers. But
like
many of us, her life changed on Sept. 11, 2001...
At the time, she was in San Diego speaking at a health-care conference.
While her colleagues were concerned about her safety, Shabbir was
worried
about her sons.
She encouraged them to keep a low profile, but the older boys both
endured
derogatory remarks...
-----
GIVING GOD A BREAK
Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times, 6/10/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/10/opinion/10KRIS.html
God must be feeling dizzy, listening to American evangelicals pray for
help
in converting Muslims from their vile faith while Muslims appeal for
assistance in stomping out bloodthirsty Christian infidel invaders.
So maybe God, along with all of us, will find relief following a
milestone
last month: some leading evangelicals called on their own prophets of
pugnacity to zip it. We can, er, pray, that responsible Muslim leaders
will
follow that wise example and similarly rein in their own extremists.
The "loving rebuke" by conservative Christians of their fire-breathing
brethren came at a Washington conference. This helped move us back from
the
clash of civilizations that hard-liners in both Islam and Christianity
are
pushing us all toward.
Franklin Graham, Billy's son, has led the call to arms with blasts like
his
description of Islam as "a very evil and wicked religion." In addition,
Pat
Robertson dismissed Muhammad as "an absolute wild-eyed fanatic, a
robber
and brigand," and Jerry Vines, the former president of the Southern
Baptist
Convention, labeled Muhammad a "demon-possessed pedophile..."
-----
GUANTANAMO EYES POSSIBLE EXECUTION CHAMBER
Paisley Dodds, Associated Press, 6/10/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-2771977,00.html
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico- Guantanamo officials are ready to provide a
courtroom, a prison and an execution chamber if the order comes to try
terror suspects at the base in Cuba, the mission commander said.
Although no new directive has been given and no plans have been
approved, a
handful of experts are looking at what it will take to try, imprison
and,
if need be, execute detainees accused of links to Afghanistan's fallen
Taliban regime or to the al-Qaida terror network.
``We have a number of plans that we work for short-term and long-term
strategies but that's all they are - plans,'' Army Maj. Gen. Geoffrey
Miller said in a telephone interview Monday.
Isolated on Cuba's eastern tip and out of the jurisdiction of U.S.
civilian
courts, Guantanamo is a likely location for U.S. military trials...
-----
CAIR-OHIO 6th ANNUAL MEETING AND FUNDRAISING DINNER
WHAT: Mobilizing our Community for a Better Society. Speakers include
Omar
Ahmad, Chairman of Board, CAIR-National, Congressman Paul Findley,
James
Stowe, Executive Director, Columbus Community Relations, and Commission
Sybil McNabb, President, Ohio NAACP. Tickets are $25.
WHEN: Sunday, June 15, 2003 @ 5:30 PM
WHERE: Columbus Marriott North, 6500 Doubletree Avenue, Columbus, Ohio
43229, Tel: 614-885-1885.
INFO: Call CAIR-Ohio 614-451-3232, ohio@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR-OHIO LECTURE SERIES
WHAT: In an effort to bring together the Muslim and non-Muslim segments
of
the Central Ohio community, International Visitors Council (IVC) has
developed a series of neighborhood dialogues to encourage interaction
and
mutual learning among Americans of all faiths, titled "Diverse
Traditions-Common Ideals."
Using the PBS documentary Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, Ahmad Al-
Akhras,
president of the CAIR-Ohio will facilitate a discussion of Muhammad and
Islam.
WHEN: June 10, 2003 from 7-9 p.m.
WHERE: OSU-Longaberger House, 2200 Olentangy River Road.
INFO: Call CAIR-Ohio at 614-451-3232 or IVC at (614) 225-9057 or
e-mail kevin@columbusivc.org
-----
SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/11/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: JUST ONE GOOD DEED
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5983 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
- CAIR'S 'Washington Live' Satellite Talk Show
- Employment Opportunity at CAIR-DFW
* U.S. MUSLIMS CONDEMN BOMBING, MISSILE STRIKES
* GOOD NEWS: VA POSTAL WORK ABLE TO ATTEND FRIDAY PRAYERS
- Michigan Accommodates Muslim Women (Detroit News)
* MUSLIM WOMAN WINS VA PARTY PRIMARY (Washington Post)
* MICH. JUDGE REJECTS ATTEMPT TO CENSOR FLYER
- 2nd Defamation Suit Against CBS (Atlanta Journal)
* WHITE HOUSE, KARL ROVE DENOUNCE ANTI-MUSLIM BIGOTRY
- Don't Downplay Anti-Muslim Bigotry (St. Petersburg Times)
- Hate Crimes Deserve Condemnation
* NEW BOOK: WHAT IS A MOSQUE? WHAT HAPPENS THERE?
* BUSH: 'WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH SHARON' (Haaretz)
* DIG FINDS NO SIGN OF TEMPLE AT INDIAN HOLY SITE (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: JUST ONE GOOD DEED
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(There was) a man whose
only good deed was removing a thorny branch from the road (so travelers
could pass unharmed)...God accepted that good deed and brought (the
man)
into Paradise."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2503
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5983 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's Library Project has received 5983 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
---
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
COMMENTS ON LAST NIGHT'S PREMIERE
"I'm writing you…because I just finished watching Washington Live and I
wanted to tell how much I appreciate the show…I was very touched with
the
stories that the people told of their experiences with
immigration…Thank
you again for the new show for American Muslims. We need something to
make
us feel that something is being done to make us feel more like
Americans
and not outcast."
Guests on last night's program included Visiting Fellow at the
Brookings
Institution Dr. M. A. Muqtedar Khan, ACLU Legislative Counsel Timothy
Edgar, and civil rights attorney Denyse Sabagh, and Nancy Luque, lead
attorney in a defamation suit against CBS.
---
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AT CAIR-DFW
CAIR-DFW is currently accepting applications for the following
position:
Job Title Office Manager for our soon to be announced office.
Location -
Dallas/Fort Worth area
Job description: This person will be responsible for running the
day-to-day
communications, activities, and programs emanating from the CAIR-DFW
regional office.
Please send resume as an application to info@cairdfw.org or call
CAIR-DFW
at 972.462.9630 for more information. Deadline for accepting
applications
is Friday June 20th.
-----
U.S. MUSLIMS CONDEMN BOMBING, MISSILE STRIKES
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/11/03) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), a Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group,
today
condemned both the bombing of a civilian bus in Jerusalem that left 16
people dead and Israeli missile strikes in the Occupied Territories
that
killed and wounded a number of Palestinian civilians.
In a statement, CAIR said:
"We condemn all attacks on civilians, whether carried out by
individuals,
groups or states. To break this cycle of violence, we must focus on a
political solution based on justice and equality, not force of arms."
CAIR is American's largest Islamic civil liberties group. It is
headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices
nationwide
and in Canada.
-----
GOOD NEWS: VA POSTAL WORK ABLE TO ATTEND FRIDAY PRAYERS
Following intervention by CAIR, a United States Postal Service (USPS)
worker in Alexandria, Va., will be able to attend Friday prayer
services.
The Muslim worker had been turned down in his request to use leave time
for
the prayers, but after discussions between USPS and CAIR, an
accommodation
was arranged whereby the worker could attend the weekly services.
SEE ALSO:
MICHIGAN TRIES TO ACCOMMODATE MUSLIM WOMEN
By Ron French, Detroit News, 6/11/03
http://www.detnews.com/2003/metro/0306/11/e01-190059.htm
DEARBORN -- Customers at Secretary of State branches in Dearborn
routinely
are asked to move across the office, to provide privacy to Muslim women
being photographed without their face veils.
Women who by tradition cover their faces in public routinely take those
veils off to be photographed for driver's licenses. Other Muslim women,
who
wear veils covering their hair, are allowed to keep their headdresses
on
for driver's license photos.
It's a compromise between the state and the city's large Muslim
population
that has worked for years, a rare accommodation of bureaucracy and
religion
in a world where the two often lock horns…
The policy of the Secretary of State's office is for customers to
remove
all head coverings for driver's license photographs. Men are routinely
asked to remove caps, for example.
But Muslim women are allowed to wear their hijabs, which are required
by
their religion to be worn in public.
"If they asked me to take off my scarf, I would be angry. I'd make a
scene," said Huda Mahmud, 16, of Dearborn. "My scarf is a part of me…"
-----
MUSLIM WOMAN WINS VA PARTY PRIMARY
11TH-HOUR RUN WINS IN LOUDOUN
Michael Laris, Washington Post, 6/11/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42504-2003Jun10.html
A leader in Northern Virginia's Muslim community won a Democratic Party
primary in Loudoun County last night just eight hours after she
declared
herself a candidate in the race to represent the newly drawn Potomac
District on the Board of Supervisors.
Afeefa Syeed, director of Al Fatih Academy, a private school in
Herndon,
outpolled Poisson by 11 to 4 in a hastily organized firehouse primary.
Poisson is a lobbyist and a former legislative director for the late
former
senator Terry Sanford (D-N.C.).
Syeed will face Republican Bruce E. Tulloch and independent Carol E.
Peters
in the Nov. 4 election. She said she is running on a platform of
carefully
managing the county's growth, improving its schools and protecting
civil
liberties in post-Sept. 11 America.
"I'm a Muslim, but my issues are American," Syeed said. "People need to
see
that Muslims are concerned about the same issues. This is my home…"
-----
MICH. JUDGE REJECTS ATTEMPT TO CENSOR FLYER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 10, 2003
CONTACT: Michael J. Steinberg (313) 578-6814
DETROIT - The ACLU of Michigan announced today that a federal judge
rejected Meijer's attempt to halt distribution of flyers criticizing a
Meijer gas station clerk for anti-Arab bias. The judge, adopting the
position of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, ruled that
"peaceful pamphleteering is a form of communication protected by the
First
Amendment."
"Distributing flyers drawing attention to injustice is a precious
freedom
in this country," said Michael J. Steinberg, legal director of the
American
Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. "The judge's opinion reaffirms the
longstanding principle that a corporation cannot squelch speech simply
because it disagrees with the message."
The court decision stems from an ugly confrontation at a Meijer gas
station
in Frasier last February. Mohammed and Bilal Karhani claimed that they
were
mistreated by the cashier because of their ethnicity. Although Meijer
disputes the facts, the Karhanis claim that the clerk initially refused
to
serve them and then shouted, "You Arabs get out of here, we don't want
to
serve you guys, we don't have to serve you. Go back to your country .
. .
Dirty Arabs."
The Karhanis, who are suing Meijer for discrimination, began to
distribute
flyers in the Arab community explaining their version of the events and
encouraging people to "call Meijer and let them know how you feel."
Meijer
responded by seeking a court order stopping the flyers on the ground
that
the flyers were hurting the corporation's business reputation and they
were
untrue. The ACLU of Michigan agreed to represent the Karhanis solely
on
the free speech issue.
U.S. District Court Judge Paul D. Borman, in a written opinion, noted
that
if Meijer thought that the flyers were inaccurate, it has the option of
suing for defamation and seeking damages. However, issuing an
injunction at
this point "would constitute a wholly inappropriate and
unconstitutional
prior restraint" on free speech.
"If Meijer disagrees with the message in the flyers, it is fully
capable of
reaching the public and giving its own version of what happened," said
Steinberg. "In this country, the solution to speech with which one
disagrees, is more speech, not censorship."
SEE ALSO:
POULTRY COMPANY SUES CBS OVER TERRORISM STORY
Bill Torpy, Atlanta Journal, 6/7/03
http://www.ajc.com/print/content/epaper/editions/saturday/business_e31e48f4d034518c0041.html
The owners of a Gainesville chicken plant filed a libel suit Friday
against
CBS News for a "60 Minutes" report in May that alleged the company may
be
involved in a scheme to fund terrorism.
The suit, filed by Mar-Jac Poultry Inc., claims the popular news show
negligently relied on a self-styled "terrorist hunter" to harm the
company's reputation. Rita Katz, who runs a Washington-based
anti-terror
organization, is also named in the suit.
The suit alleges the defendants used false statements and innuendo to
"create the impression that plaintiff Mar-Jac engaged in
money-laundering
activities on a knowing effort to support terrorists or terrorist
organizations such as al-Qaida, Hamas and Islamic Jihad."
Keven Tedesco, spokesman for "60 minutes" said, "This was a fair and
accurate report, and we'll defend ourselves vigorously."
Katz did not respond to messages for comment…
-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 6/11/03
Contact: Samah Alrayyes
(202) 955-7174 ext. 303
WHITE HOUSE, KARL ROVE DENOUNCE ANTI-MUSLIM BIGOTRY
Wall Street Journal highlights growing success, influence of Islamic
Free
Market Institute
WASHINGTON - In a front page story today, the Wall Street Journal
highlights the growing success of the Islamic Free Market Institute
(IFMI).
Founded by Khaled Saffuri in 1997, the Institute serves to promote a
better
understanding of Islam in America and to make it clear that Islam and
the
Koran are perfectly compatible with a free, open and democratic
society…
"Today's Wall Street Journal article plainly demonstrates that the
attacks
on the Muslim Community in the United States are unfounded, and that
the
White House rejects those whose positions are based on racism and
bigotry,"
commented Khaled Saffuri, chairman and founder of IFMI…
Three major criticisms that have been circulated against IFMI and
Muslim
participation in American politics were discussed in the article. It
was
also pointed out that these criticisms were all without merit. The
White
House vigorously condemns attacks based on bigotry, and presidential
advisor Karl Rove said of the attacks that, "There is no there there."
"America rejects bigotry. We reject every act of hatred against people
of
Arab background or Muslim faith…Every immigrant can be fully and
equally
American because we're one country. Race and color should not divide
us,
because America is one country," President Bush said on 30 April 2002…
For more information, please contact Samah Alrayyes at 202-955-7174.
SEE ALSO:
DON'T DOWNPLAY ANTI-MUSLIM BIAS
St. Petersburg Times, 6/11/03
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/06/11/Opinion/Morality_behind_Ameri.shtml
Scroll down.
Re: Overblown accounts of anti-Muslim bias have banned all rational
discussion, by John Leo, June 3.
It looks like John Leo is living in Lala land by stating that that
anti-Muslim bias is exaggerated. The lives of law-abiding American
Muslims
have been nothing but hardship since 9/11. Let Leo visit the Muslim
communities around the country so he can hear and see for himself
stories
of constant intimidation, threatening, belittling and discrimination
that
an American Muslim faces daily.
The ink had not even dried on the Justice Department report about
indiscriminate arrests and inhumane treatment of hundreds of Muslim
immigrants before Leo's article was published. My 10-year-old-son came
home
the other day from school, crying. During lunch at his school, other
students asked him about his religion and he told them that he was a
Muslim. They immediately asked him if he was terrorist. My 11-year-old
daughter is scared to death to wear a scarf in public. I know American
Muslims who were fired from their jobs just because they were Muslims.
I definitely agree that there should be much more dialogue and
interaction
between American Muslims and Christians, Jews and all people of other
faiths, but to say the bigotry and bias against American Muslims is
overblown is nothing but a joke.
-- Ezzat Zaki, Lithia
HATE CRIMES DESERVE CONDEMNATION
Re: Overblown accounts of anti-Muslim bias have banned all rational
discussion.
It was interesting to read John Leo's diatribe about exaggerated
anti-Muslim bias the same day the front page of your newspaper reported
the
inspector general's report that post-9/11 detainees were mistreated and
not
one of them was charged with terrorism.
Leo makes the point that in a community of several million people, a
few
hundred hate crimes are not a large number. I wonder how many hate
crimes
against Muslims would need to occur to catch the attention of people
like
Leo. Would 1,000 incidents be enough? How about 5,000? The fact is that
in
a country that prides itself on the virtues of freedom and liberty,
hate
crimes against any ethnic or religious group should prompt condemnation
by all.
According to the inspector general, of the 762 immigrants arrested
post-9/11, not one was charged with terrorism. This reinforces the fact
that identifying an entire community for extra scrutiny based on their
looks or religious beliefs is not only not smart intelligence, it also
wastes precious government resources and scares and alienates an entire
community whose help may be essential to the fight against terrorism.
One of the reasons that appears to be behind this article is
discrediting
the point of view of Muslim advocacy groups like CAIR (the Council on
American-Islamic Relations) and MPAC (the Muslim Public Affairs
Council).
After years of letting others define what Muslims are about, for the
first
time the Muslim community in America is taking the lead in letting
non-Muslims know what the Muslims stand for.
In order for constructive dialogue between communities to occur, all of
us
living in this great country will have to remember something. The
ideals of
freedom and justice this country was founded on were for when those
liberties were in jeopardy, not just for when the going is good.
Belittling
bias against any community does not serve any purpose but to strengthen
the
bigots among us.
-- Farrukh Zaidi, New Port Richey
-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WHAT IS A MOSQUE? WHAT HAPPENS THERE?
New Opportunity for Kids and Adults to Learn about Muslim Faith and
Worship
"Even though the mosque is a house of worship, in North America a
mosque is
also a place of community and a center of life where all people are
welcome."
-from What You Will See Inside a Mosque
The recent war in Iraq has increased curiosity for those unfamiliar
with
Islam and mosques, Islamic houses of worship. In many ways, mosques are
similar to churches, synagogues, and other places where people pray.
Yet
mosques are also distinctive. Educating people about the role of the
mosque
in Islamic culture will lead to better understanding between members of
different faith traditions and help demystify what it means to live as
a
Muslim in America today.
What You Will See Inside a Mosque (SkyLight Paths/July
2003/Hardcover/$16.95), by Aisha Karen Khan and with full-color
photographs
by Aaron Pepis, is an introduction not only to what a mosque is in a
physical sense, but also its role in the Muslim community. Beginning
with
what makes a building a mosque (it must have a qibla, an indentation in
a
wall that shows the direction of prayer), the book describes how
Muslims
pray, the importance of sharing with those in need, important times for
worship, and the significant role of education in Islamic culture…
What You Will See Inside? is a new series of illustrated books designed
to
show young readers ages 6-10 the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How
of
traditional houses of worship, liturgical celebrations, and rituals of
different world faiths, empowering them to respect and understand their
own
religious traditions-and those of their friends and neighbors…
Aisha Karen Khan is a writer and former teacher who is widely
recognized
for her ability to explain the traditions of Islam to children and
parents.
The former principal of an Islamic school in New York's Mid-Hudson
Valley,
she is a member of the Masjid al-Noor mosque in Wappingers Falls, New
York.
Aaron Pepis is an international award-winning commercial and portrait
photographer as well as an accredited photographic judge.
What You Will See Inside a Mosque, by Aisha Karen Khan and with
full-color
photographs by Aaron Pepis, is available at bookstores or directly from
SkyLight Paths Publishing, Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, P.O. Box 237,
Woodstock, Vermont 05091; Hardcover; $16.95; add $3.75 for shipping and
handling for the first book, $2.00 for each additional book. For
credit
card orders, call 800-962-4544.
-----
BUSH: 'WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH SHARON'
Akiva Eldar, Haaretz, 6/11/03
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/302079.html
Behind-the-scenes exchanges between President George Bush and Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon at last week's Aqaba summit may hint at a certain
shift in the American stance, from the Israeli to the Palestinian side,
according to a participant in the three-way meeting of the delegations.
The source quoted Bush as telling his National Security Adviser
Condoleezza
Rice that "I see that we have a problem with Sharon," while saying of
the
Palestinians led by Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, "We can work with
them."
At one point, an irked Bush reportedly rebuked Defense Minister Shaul
Mofaz, telling him "Oh, but I think that you can [help the
Palestinians].
And I think that you will…"
-----
DIG FINDS NO SIGN OF TEMPLE AT INDIAN HOLY SITE
Sharat Pradhan, Reuters, 6/11/03
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL107562.htm
LUCKNOW, India, June 11 (Reuters) - A three-month excavation of a
disputed
holy site in northern India has found no evidence of a Hindu temple
under
the ruins of a mosque, casting doubt on claims by Hindu hardliners,
archaeologists said on Wednesday.
A source at the Archaeological Survey of India said the government-run
agency had submitted an interim report saying digging so far had "not
found
remains of any structure that remotely resembles a temple" at the site
in
the town of Ayodhya.
Ayodhya, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, has been a flashpoint
of
bloody Hindu-Muslim tensions since a Hindu mob tore down the
16th-century
Babri mosque at the site in 1992.
This triggered nationwide riots in which 3,000 died, the worst
religious
clashes since the bloodletting that followed independence in 1947.
The report will be a setback for the ruling Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya
Janata Party, which has seen rivalrly over the site as a potential vote
winner both in state elections later this year and national polls in
2004.
The Archaeological Survey report contradicts a claim by Hindu
hardliners
that 16th century Muslim invaders tore down a temple to the Hindu
warrior
god Ram to build the mosque at the place they believe he was born
thousands
of years ago…
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TSA ISSUES 'NO-FLY LIST' CLEARANCE POLICY
Relief granted to passengers with names similar to terror suspects
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/12/03) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today applauded a new Transportation Security
Administration
(TSA) policy that grants relief to airline passengers who are prevented
from flying because their names are similar to those of terror suspects
on
a "No-Fly List."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the new policy
was
prompted at least in part by the case of Asif Iqbal, a New York Muslim
who
was kept off planes because he shares the name of a person held at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Iqbal sought CAIR's assistance in March of last year after he had
repeatedly been denied boarding or interrogated by law enforcement
authorities prior to boarding. In May of 2002, CAIR and other civil
liberties groups first met with Department of Transportation officials
to
discuss Iqbal's case and to suggest ways in which incidents of
mistaken-identity could be avoided or rectified.
Under the new policy, travelers who have been delayed as a result of
the
No-Fly List will be able to submit a Passenger Identity Verification
Form
that may expedite check-in and boarding. (The policy does not apply to
passengers who undergo enhanced screening at airport security
checkpoints.)
Along with personal information such as address, Social Security Number
and
date-of-birth, the passenger will also submit certified copies of three
forms of identification. Once the identity form has been submitted and
reviewed, the TSA will contact airlines to streamline the boarding
process.
"We welcome this new policy and hope it will alleviate some of the
problems
encountered by innocent travelers who are wrongfully associated with
terror
suspects," said CAIR Board Chairman Omar Ahmad. Ahmad said CAIR will
continue to work with the TSA to disseminate information about the new
policy. He added that those passengers who have been detained by
authorities at the ticket counter (not at the security checkpoint)
during
check-in should contact the TSA Ombudsman at: (571) 227-2383 or
ombudsman@dhs.gov
SEE: "No-Fly List Ensnares Innocent Travelers"
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/06/08/MN253740.DTL
CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, with 16
regional
offices nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/12/03
* BREAKING NEWS: CNN LOOKS AT CAIR AD CAMPAIGN
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD DEEDS
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5991 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR'S 'Washington Live' Satellite Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* WAS CBS SUCKERED BY 'ANONYMOUS'? (Creative Loafing)
* MD MUSLIMS SAY ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS RAISE CONCERNS (Gazette)
* U.S. MILITARY & FREE SPEECH (Index)
* AYATOLLAH ASHCROFT'S LAW (Toronto Star)
- 9/11 Detainees Win Apology, Clean Record (Chicago Tribune)
* ALBINO RAPPER NEVER FIT IN, UNTIL HE FOUND HIP-HOP (star tribune)
* COMMUNITY THROUGH UNITY ACCEPTING PROPOSALS
* INDIAN MUSLIM COUNCIL FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION
-----
BREAKING NEWS: CNN LOOKS AT CAIR AD CAMPAIGN
CNN "Live From the Headlines" will air a segment at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern)
tonight examining the CAIR "Islam in America" ad campaign.
SEE: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/
ACTION REQUESTED:
WATCH THE PROGRAM, and then contact CNN to thank them for offering a
positive story about the American Muslim community.
CONTACT: jim.walton@turner.com, maria.hinojosa@turner.com
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD DEEDS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The good deeds of any
person will not make him enter Paradise (i.e., no one enters paradise
only
through his good deeds)." The Prophet's companions asked: "Not even
you?"
The Prophet replied: "Not even myself, unless God bestows his favor and
mercy on me. So be moderate in your religious deeds and do what is
within
your ability. None of you should wish for death, for if he is a doer of
good, he may increase his good deeds, and if he is an evil doer, he may
repent to God."
Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Hadith 577
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 5991 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 5991 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
"A wonderful gift - very generous! Thank you!" - West Covina Library
Go to: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
WAS CBS SUCKERED BY 'ANONYMOUS'?
John Sugg, Creative Loafing, 6/12/03
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2003-06-12/fishwrapper.html
Beware, if you visit Gainesville, Ga., of the terrorist chickens,
alleged
feathered friends of Osama bin Laden operating out of training camps
(ok,
deep fryers) near the shores of Lake Lanier. So says CBS news' "60
minutes."
The "60 minutes" scenario, according to a breathless source on the
respected TV news magazine, is that maybe 10 million chickens are
recruited
each year to become, um, martyrs for al-Qaeda. The loopy-sounding
theory
(although stated as fact) is that chickens disappear from a poultry
farm's
ledger books, and quicker than you can say "secret seasonings," the
proceeds are funneled to terrorist groups.
The venerable news program touts as its hallmark an abundance of
diligent
research. But not apparently on the chicken/terrorism story.
No proof in any form is offered that even one chicken was "laundered,"
much
less that, as the network's source alleges, millions were.
Lawsuits filed this month in Atlanta and Washington claim much was
amiss
with CBS's fact-checking -- mainly that the network didn't check facts
before it claimed several Muslim groups based in Herndon, Va., had
terrorist ties...
"Chicken is one of the things that no one can really track down," Katz
says
to CBS' Simon. "If you say in one year that you lost 10 million
chickens,
no one can prove it. They just died. You can't trace money with
chickens."
The organizations were searched by customs agents last year. But, Katz
claims to be the international super spy (0.007?) Who donned a burkha
and
penetrated Muslim groups -- the Virginia raids were her handiwork...
-----
LOCAL MUSLIMS SAY RECENT ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS RAISE CONCERNS IN
FREDERICK
Robert Schroeder, Maryland Gazette, 6/12/03
http://www.gazette.net/200324/frederick/news/163196-1.html
Four recent incidents against local Muslims are raising the concerns of
both a leader of Frederick's Islamic community and the superintendent
of
Frederick county public schools.
In the last two months, two elementary school students and one high
school
student have been the target of discrimination against Muslims, said
Khalil
Elshazly, president of the Islamic society of Frederick...
In one instance, a 9-year-old girl wearing a headscarf at Waverley
elementary school had the scarf pulled by a classmate. Elshazly said
that
he met with the school's principal and that the principal was "very
cooperative." in another incident, a fourth-grader at hillcrest
elementary
school whose mother had been deployed to Iraq as part of U.S. military
operations threatened to kill a female Muslim classmate if anything
happened to the mother.
At Gov. Thomas Johnson High School, Elshazly said, a substitute teacher
in
an algebra class singled out a Muslim student and said he should
"volunteer
for the Iraqi army," Elshazly said. When contacted about the incident,
TJ
high principal Marty Tarr said that she couldn't discuss a personnel
matter. But Elshazly said the teacher had "a history of abuse" and was
let go.
Tarr did say, however, that "there is a school system policy for
harassment. We want to raise awareness" of harassment and
discrimination
issues, she said...
-----
US MILITARY & FREE SPEECH
Rohan Jayasekera, Index on Censorship, 6/11/03
http://www.indexonline.org/news/20030611_iraq.shtml
To the average Iraqi, almost nothing the Americans do makes sense. Each
one
is a schizophrenic beast, as likely to smile and hand out a sweet to a
child as it is liable to open fire on a street protest or club a
careless
driver.
The contradiction is in the mission; the US military came to Iraq to
win a
war, not wage a peace. The majority of us troops believe they came to
Iraq
as liberators. The Iraqis tend to think differently. The US authorities
think their problem is their failure to get their message across. The
Iraqis already get too many messages from the Americans, and almost all
of
them are contradictory.
What kind of message did the us military send to the Iraqis when it
seized
"editorial control" of Mosul city's only TV station because of its
"predominantly non-factual/unbalanced news coverage" - meaning the
re-broadcasting of Qatari Arab satellite network al-Jazeera?
"We have every right as an occupying power to stop the broadcast of
something that will incite violence," major general David Petraeus told
reporters after being alerted to the offending broadcasts. "Yes, what
we
are looking at is censorship but you can censor something that is
intended
to inflame passions."
According to a Wall Street Journal report, a U.S. Army major was
relieved
of her duties and removed from the base when she argued that the order
contravened principles of free speech. After all, these are principles
guaranteed by the constitution of the United States, which every US
soldier
must "solemnly swear" to "support and defend"...
-----
AYATOLLAH ASHCROFT'S LAW
Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star, 6/12/03
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1052251810629
In the days following 9/11, George W. Bush provided exemplary
leadership.
He was calm yet resolute. He was patient when most people wanted him to
go
hit someone, anyone. He warned Americans not to ascribe collective
guilt to
Arabs or Muslims for the actions of 19 terrorists.
"Unfortunately, the government's actions over the past 20 months are in
sharp contrast to its words," says Anthony Romero, executive director
of
the American civil liberties union.
"The war on terror quickly turned into a war on immigrants."
A report last week by the justice department's own internal watchdog
skewered the government's harsh treatment of 762 illegal immigrants as
part
of its post-9/11 "absconder initiative." but the bush administration is
doing more than selectively rounding up Muslims violating immigration
rules.
It is routinely ignoring due process, in violation of the Fifth
Amendment
that applies to all residents of the U.S. it is jailing asylum seekers,
against international norms. It is fingerprinting and questioning legal
residents...
SEE ALSO:
9/11 DETAINEES WIN U.S. APOLOGY, CLEAN RECORD
Kim barker and Matt O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 6/12/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-0306120312jun12,1,1236647.story
For 20 months, Tarek Albasti has insisted he was innocent--but not
everyone
believed him.
After the FBI held Albasti and seven friends for a week as material
witnesses in the Sept. 11 terror attack investigation, business at
Albasti's Italian restaurant in Evansville, Ind., tanked. Once, he was
detained at a New York airport for five hours.
But the eight men, all natives of Egypt, never were charged with a
crime,
and on Wednesday the FBI made that clear.
In a rare public mea culpa, federal law-enforcement authorities in
Chicago,
at the request of the FBI, asked to expunge the arrest records of the
eight
men from Evansville. U.S. district Judge James Holderman signed the
order
Wednesday.
"It's late," Albasti, 31, said in a telephone interview. "But at least
they
did something."
The action comes almost two months after the head of the FBI in
Indianapolis publicly apologized at an Evansville mosque for the men's
ordeal after their detention and promised to clear their records...
-----
ALBINO RAPPER ALI NEVER FIT IN, UNTIL HE FOUND HIP-HOP
Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune, 6/6/03
http://www.startribune.com/stories/457/3916828.html
On the day his CDs arrived in boxes piled five or six high by the ups
carrier, brother Ali was working behind the counter at fifth element
record
store, like any other day.
The looming, beefy rapper from Minneapolis' north side waited several
years
to have a CD in the bins alongside his friends in the rhyme Sayers
entertainment camp, at the uptown store owned by Minneapolis' hip-hop
mini-empire. But he hid his excitement the day his "shadows on the sun"
finally came…
Ali was 13 when he went to a lecture by KRS-One that changed his life.
The influential MC from '80s group Boogie Down Productions spoke about
Islam and the power of opening your mind to conquer your foes. That
planted
a seed that eventually turned Ali into a devoted Muslim by his late
teens,
when he also began rapping (a 2000 cassette, "Rites of Passage,"
features
his earliest tracks).
Now a member of the Masjid An-Nur mosque in north Minneapolis, Ali
shares
his religious views proudly in "Shadows" songs such as "Room With a
View"
and "Victory! (Come Forward)…"
-----
COMMUNITY THROUGH UNITY ACCEPTING PROPOSALS
http://www.nccj.org/nccj/nccj.nsf/articleall/5032?opendocument
Community through unity is a project of the National Conference for
Community and Justice (NCCJ) made available through funding by the
September 11th fund. The fund was established by the New York Community
Trust and United Way of New York City the day of the terrorist attacks
to
meet the immediate and long-term needs of victims, families and
communities
directly impacted by September 11th. The goal of community through
unity is
to support new and current programs addressing bias, prejudice and
discrimination experienced by south Asian, Muslim and Arab communities
due
to the September 11th attacks. This project will continue to support
the
efforts implemented by the September 11th fund in providing support to
the
victims of the attacks, and is aligned with NCCJ's work in fighting
bias,
bigotry and racism across the country.
Please see the RFP for application instructions. If you have any
questions
contact Michael O'Brien at mobrien@nccj.org. Proposals received or
postmarked after July 25, 2003 will not be considered for funding.
-----
INDIAN MUSLIM COUNCIL FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION
What: the Indian Muslim council, an advocacy organization working to
promote values of pluralism, tolerance and respect for human rights,
with a
particular focus on the Indian Diaspora in the United States, invites
you
to its first annual convention. The theme of the convention will be
'India
after Gujarat: Democracy or Religious Fanaticism'. Praful Bidwai, one
of
the most widely read Indian columnists, Smita Narula, a senior
researcher
at the us human rights watch and a number of scholars, business leaders
and
academics will be among the speakers for the convention.
When: June 28th 2003
Where: Santa Clara Marriott
Info: for more information and to register for the convention, visit:
http://www.imc-usa.org/convention or e-mail: program@imc-usa.org
-----
Subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/13/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE TRUEST WORDS
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6014 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR'S 'Washington Live' Satellite Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* BREAKING NEWS: EX-WIFE GETS PRISON SENTENCE IN BOMB PLOT
* ASHCROFT PUSHING PATRIOT II, BUSH HESITATING (Scripps Howard)
- U.S. to Tighten Rules on Holding Suspects (NY Times)
- Rounding up the Arabs (Al-Ahram)
- La Roche Officials Support Jailed Student (Post-Gazette)
* ARAB, MUSLIM IMMIGRANTS CRITICIZE U.S. (AP)
- Muslims Face Deportation, Say U.S. Home NY Times)
* ALLEGED SELF-STYLED "TERRORIST" ARRESTED IN WASH. (AFP)
* ISLAMIC GROUP APPLAUDS NEW POLICY (UPI)
- TSA Tries to Curb Mistaken Identity (Star-Telegram)
* DOCTOR BACK TO WORK AFTER RETURNING FROM PAKISTAN (AP)
* BILL WIDENS POWER TO RULE ON CHARITY TAX BREAKS (Reuters)
* WHITE HOUSE IN DENIAL (NY TIMES)
- The Vanishing Uranium (NY TIMES)
- War May Have Killed 10,000 Civilians (Guardian)
* POLITICAL CARTOONS FROM A MUSLIM-AMERICAN
* MILLIONS OF AMERICANS TO TAKE 'A VISIT TO A MOSQUE'
* MARYLAND: MUSLIM FAMILY DAY AT SIX FLAGS AMERICA
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE TRUEST WORDS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The truest words (ever)
said by a poet were...'Verily, everything but God (will eventually)
perish.'"
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 168
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6014 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6014 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
"We plan to create a display on Understanding Islam...The items appear
to
be carefully and thoughtfully selected. They will be excellent
resources
for our patrons." Highlands Ranch, CO
Go to: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
EX-WIFE GETS PRISON SENTENCE IN BOMB PLOT
MITCH STACY, Associated Press, 6/13/03
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The former wife of a podiatrist who plotted to blow
up
Muslim gathering places was sentenced Friday to three years in prison
for
possessing the bombs he planned to use.
Kristi Lea Persinger, 29, pleaded guilty in February to possessing five
bombs, found in her closet, that her then-husband, Dr. Robert
Goldstein,
planned to use in an attack on an Islamic mosque and education center.
Persinger, who has denied knowledge of the plot, was sentenced to the
maximum 37 months in prison by U.S. District Judge James S. Moody…
Goldstein was arrested in August after Pinellas County sheriff's
deputies
found weapons and explosives in their home while responding to a
domestic-violence call. Authorities also found a "mission template" and
a
list of 50 Muslim gathering places authorities say he planned to
target.
Goldstein pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to violate civil
rights,
attempting to damage religious property, and possession of the bombs,
and
is expected to be sentenced Thursday.
Goldstein, who is Jewish, was described in court documents as seeking
to
retaliate for the 2001 terrorist attacks and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
His
attorney says he is mentally ill and never intended to carry out the
plan.
-----
ASHCROFT PUSHING PATRIOT II, BUSH HESITATING
Bill Straub, Scripps Howard, 6/12/3
http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=BUSH-ASHCROFT-06-12-03&cat=WW
WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft is pushing for enhanced law
enforcement powers to conduct the nation's ongoing war on terrorism,
but
the White House is taking a cautious route in the face of some public
and
congressional reservations.
Ashcroft, the moving force behind the USA-PATRIOT Act, said the law he
credited with helping to "save innocent lives" nonetheless contains
"several weaknesses which terrorists could exploit, undermining our
defenses."
With that in mind, the Justice Department continues to work on what is
popularly referred to as PATRIOT II, which would further broaden law
enforcement's mandate. Ashcroft already is publicly lobbying for three
changes - making it unlawful to fight for a designated terrorist
organization, imposing the death penalty for various terrorist actions
and
extending pre-trial detention for those arrested for terrorism-related
offenses.
Several members of Congress, including Republicans like Rep. James
Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee,
have
expressed concerns about providing law enforcement with much more
authority, raising questions about civil liberties...
Now the White House is sending signals that it prefers a slow approach
to
dealing with any changes and is promising to work with lawmakers in
assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the anti-terrorism laws...
SEE ALSO:
U.S. WILL TIGHTEN RULES ON HOLDING TERROR SUSPECTS
Eric Lictblau, NY Times, 6/13/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/13/national/13TERR.html
WASHINGTON, June 12 - Federal authorities said today that they planned
to
use stricter standards for identifying and locking up terrorist
suspects in
light of concerns raised in a recent report that hundreds of illegal
immigrants were mistreated after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Law enforcement officials plan to make at least 12 structural changes
that
were recommended in a report issued last week by the Justice Department
inspector general, according to interviews with officials at the
agencies
affected by the report. Nine other recommendations are being actively
considered, they said.
The move to embrace the bulk of the changes appeared to signal a
greater
acknowledgment of shortcomings in antiterrorism and detention policies
than
Justice Department officials had publicly admitted.
The recommendations that law enforcement officials have signed off on
go to
the heart of the criticisms leveled by the inspector general, officials
said, and could portend significant changes in how illegal immigrants
suspected of terrorism are investigated, arrested and detained...
---
ROUNDING UP THE ARABS
Negar Azimi, Al-Ahram, 6/12/03
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/642/in5.htm
United States Attorney-General John Ashcroft has recommended a widening
of
the USA Patriot Act, calling it a crucial tool in the global fight
against
terrorism. In an address before the House Judiciary Committee last
week,
Ashcroft espoused the expansion of the landmark Patriot Act legislation
to
include the death penalty and pre-trial detention provisions for
suspected
terrorists, as well as guarantees that those who aid terrorist cells as
"material supporters" ultimately face charges.
In his 90-minute rhetorically-packed address, Ashcroft noted that the
Patriot Act has thus far brought "3,000 foot soldiers of terror" to
justice
via its beefed-up integration of law enforcement and intelligence
capabilities. Ashcroft repeatedly warned of the dangers that continue
to
face the US at the hands of terrorism, going so far as to read from a
fatwa
issued by Al- Qa'eda's founders, Osama Bin Laden and Ayman El-Zawahri,
effectively declaring war on American civilians.
The attorney-general went on to read out some names of those who died
in
the attacks of 11 September, as well as those who lost their lives in
terrorist attacks in Tel Aviv, Israel, Bali, Indonesia, Casablanca,
Morocco
and Riyadh...
Civil rights activists, in the meantime, have unanimously denounced the
act
as an attack on the most basic of civil liberties. Only days after
Ashcroft's announcement, officials revealed that over 13,000 men of
Arab
and Muslim descent may face deportation proceedings in the coming
months --
an extension of the austere measures imposed by America's immigration
system in the aftermath of 9/11...
While most of the 762 illegal immigrants have been deported, not one
has
been charged as a terrorist. Justice Department officials report that
they
have already adopted some of the 21 recommendations embedded within the
report, though they have been anything but repentant in the face of the
report's criticisms.
---
LA ROCHE OFFICIALS SUPPORT JAILED JORDANIAN STUDENT
Lillian Thomas and Bill Schackner, Post-Gazette. 6/13/03
http://www.post-gazette.com/nation/20030613arrestnat4p4.asp
Abdel Qader Abu-Snaineh, a Jordanian who has been in the United States
since January 2001, is a student in good standing at La Roche College
and
had no immigration violations during his stay until April 25.
Now, because he failed to register with local immigration authorities
by
that date, he is a detainee classified as Level 1 -- the federal
government's highest security-risk category. He is being held without
bail
at the Allegheny County Jail and is scheduled to be transferred to York
County to face deportation proceedings before an immigration judge.
According to his lawyer, Robert Whitehill, Abu-Snaineh realized earlier
this week that he had missed the April 25 deadline set by immigration
officials for men of several mostly Arab and Muslim nations to be
fingerprinted, photographed and questioned. The special registration
program applied to males from 25 countries in all, with different
deadlines
for each of four country groups.
The 21-year-old junior, who is in a program called Pacem in Terris that
gives scholarships to students from struggling nations, went to college
officials for advice Monday, and, according to Whitehill, was told
there
was nothing they could do for him.
On Tuesday, he was taken into custody by officers of the Bureau of
Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He has been in jail since then,
and
when Whitehill sought bail for his client yesterday, he was told that
because Abu-Snaineh was categorized as Level 1, only an immigration
judge
could make bond decisions. There are no immigration judges in
Pittsburgh,
so Abu-Snaineh will be transported to York County.
"Here's this young man who's a good student, who's diligent in his
studies,
but -- whoops -- he screwed up and didn't go to be specially
registered,"
said Whitehill. "There is no criminal violation, no status violations,
but
he did make this mistake.
"He's scared to death, he's hugely upset, remorseful, and [there's] not
a
darn thing he can do until he has the opportunity to see a judge, and
it's
not entirely clear when that's going to be…"
-----
ARAB, MUSLIM IMMIGRANTS CRITICIZE U.S.
Tom Hays, Associated Press, 6/12/03
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/6076259.htm
NEW YORK - Arab and Muslim immigrants accused U.S. officials Thursday
of
needlessly tearing apart their families with selective enforcement of
immigration laws.
"My family is all that matters to me," Abdel Hakim Ben Bader said while
cradling his infant son at a news conference in Brooklyn called by
immigration advocates. "I hope I can stay here and live my life."
The Algerian, who came to the United States as a student in 1992, is
one of
many immigrants facing deportation after agreeing earlier this year to
register with federal authorities - a policy rising out of the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks.
None of the roughly 82,000 men from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran
and
several other Middle Eastern or Muslim countries who registered was
charged
with a terrorism-related crime, advocates said. But more than 13,000 -
many
husbands of women with green cards and fathers of young U.S. citizens -
were ordered to appear in immigration court for deportation
proceedings.
Most of the men have overstayed their visas or are otherwise in the
country
illegally, although many have applications pending to legalize their
status. They mistakenly thought their decision to come forward would be
rewarded with leniency in their immigration cases, advocates said...
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIMS FACE DEPORTATION, BUT SAY U.S. IS THEIR HOME
Diane Cardwell, New York Times, 6/13/03
http://www.nytimes.com
They are husbands and fathers, working immigrants who have been in New
York
for years. Some are married to women with green cards, and some have
children who are American citizens. But because they are from
predominantly
Muslim countries, they say, they face deportation even though they have
only small glitches in their citizenship applications.
"We are like everybody else in here: we started a life," said Sameh
al-Qoudoh during a news conference yesterday at a Brooklyn
Arab-American
service center. "We don't know what is going to happen if we can't live
here."
Mr. Qoudoh, who is from Jordan, said he has been working 16 hours a
day, 7
days a week, driving a cab to save enough money for an immigration
lawyer.
He is one of more than 13,000 Arab and Muslim men across the country
who
could be deported under a federal registration program that is part of
the
government's counterterrorism strategy. He and several other men,
accompanied by their families, spoke against the program in the news
conference at the Arab-American Family Support Center, a nonprofit
social
service agency in Brooklyn.
Under the program, male noncitizens older than 16 from certain
predominantly Muslim countries are required to appear before
immigration
authorities and offer proof of their status. About 82,000 men were
registered in immigration offices across the country.
A few who registered have been linked to terrorism, but the 13,000 or
so
who have been issued notices to appear before an immigration judge are
considered to be living in the United States illegally, because of
inconsistencies in their documents or because of improperly filed
applications, their advocates say...
-----
ALLEGED SELF-STYLED "TERRORIST" ARRESTED IN US STATE OF WASHINGTON
AFP, 6/12/03
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030612/ts_alt_afp/us_attacks_arrest_030612163037
SEATTLE, Washington - A US student has been arrested for allegedly
plotting
to blow up a Coast Guard station and an Army National Guard armory in
the
state of Washington, court documents revealed.
Self-described anarchist Paul Revak, 20, told an undercover FBI (news -
web
sites) agent he admired al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden (news - web
sites)
and inquired about obtaining military-grade C-4 explosives and hand
grenades, the documents showed.
The history student was planning to blow up defense installations sites
and
industrial and oil sites around Bellingham, a the northwestern port
city
near the Canadian border, according to a probable cause statement filed
in
US District Court in Seattle.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrested the Western Washington
University student as he emerged from a store in Bellingham with a
newly-purchased pellet gun made to look like a semi-automatic pistol.
The agents then searched Revak's college dormitory, where they found a
gym
bag under his bed containing camouflage face paint, two camouflage
hats,
two pairs of black gloves, a black ski mask, a walkie-talkie and bolt
cutters.
Although the investigation is continuing, it appears Revak was acting
alone
and not with a terrorist organization, the charging papers said...
-----
ISLAMIC GROUP APPLAUDS NEW POLICY
United Press International, 6/12/03
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said a new form may help
Muslim
air passengers from being barred from flights.
The new policy has been prompted at least in part by the case of Asif
Iqbal, a New York Muslim who was kept off planes because he shares the
name
of a person held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Iqbal sought CAIR's
assistance in
March of last year after he had repeatedly been denied boarding or was
interrogated by law enforcement authorities prior to boarding.
In May of 2002, CAIR and other groups first met with government
officials
to suggest ways in which incidents of mistaken identity could be
avoided or
rectified.
Under the new policy, travelers delayed as a result of the No-Fly List
will
be able to submit a Passenger Identity Verification Form that may
expedite
check-in and boarding. (The policy does not apply to passengers who
undergo
enhanced screening at airport security checkpoints.)
SEE ALSO:
TSA TRIES TO CURB MISTAKEN IDENTITY
Bryon Okada and Diane Smith, Star-Telegram, 6/13/03
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/local/6079648.htm
Area Islamic civil-rights activists are praising a new federal policy
that
gives people who are chronically mistaken for terrorists a way to
quickly
identify themselves at airports.
The Transportation Security Administration has approved a Passenger
Identity Verification Form, which allows a person whose name is similar
to
a known terrorist to verify his identity. Without a form, such
passengers
could face long delays while they scramble for proof that they are who
they
say they are.
"We took corrective steps on something that was causing an
inconvenience to
travelers," TSA spokesman Brian Turmail said Thursday.
An unspecified number of people are on a federal no-fly list, and they
are
not allowed a boarding pass under any circumstances. The list is
compiled
by federal agencies and given to the airlines. The software, however,
can
confuse two people with similar names.
"If I miss a flight because of my name, how is the airport going to
compensate me?" said Hussein Sadruddin, a native of Pakistan and an
immigration lawyer at Casa Del Hispano in Lewisville. The form is "a
step
in the right direction," he said. "There has to be a clear-cut policy
on
how these people are treated."
Sadruddin said there are many reports in the Muslim community of people
with common names who are often harrassed at airports. Innocent people
end
up missing flights, dealing with flight delays or feeling like they
have
been treated like "a common criminal," he said.
-----
ROXBORO DOCTOR BACK TO WORK AFTER RETURNING FROM PAKISTAN
Associated Press, 6/13/03
http://newsobserver.com/nc24hour/ncnews/story/2613810p-2424985c.html
Dr. Shahid Mahmood had just walked into the examining room Thursday
when
Lois Eggleston sprang to her feet and embraced her physician.
"Our prayers have been answered," the 74-year-old Eggleston said with
tears
glistening around her eyes.
For a time, it was uncertain whether Mahmood's patients would see him
again. After a trip to his native Pakistan last month, the Roxboro
doctor
was denied re-entry to the United States because of new immigration
laws
put in place after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks...
He had more than 20 patients scheduled to see him. Office manager Tracy
Wall said about 10 percent of the patients in his private practice had
refused to be seen for more than a month while Mahmood was in Pakistan.
"I was surprised to see so many people," Mahmood said, adding that it
was
an honor to "know so many people care for you."
On April 24, Mahmood, a Pakistani citizen living in the United States
on a
medical work visa, traveled with his wife and 2-year-old daughter to
Pakistan to visit his ailing father. When they returned to Dulles
International Airport in Washington on May 11, immigration officials
sent
them back because Mahmood had not registered his trip with the Bureau
of
Customs and Border Protection...
-----
BILL WIDENS US POWER TO RULE ON CHARITY TAX BREAKS
Jonathan Nicholson, Reuters, 6/13/03
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N12356302.htm
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bill allowing the U.S. government to more
easily
strip tax-exempt status from charities it says support terror is
drawing
concern from civil liberties and Islamic groups.
The proposed change, meant to sidestep the Internal Revenue Service's
existing method of revoking a group's status, is contained in a bill
passed
by the House Thursday aimed at expanding an income tax credit for
children.
Several Islamic charitable groups have had their assets frozen by the
U.S.
government after being accused of supporting "terror" groups. One large
Islamic charity, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development,
has
challenged its freeze in federal court.
"This provision would take away one level of due process that still
exists
for these charities," said Timothy Edgar, legislative counsel with the
American Civil Liberties Union.
Under the House bill, the State Department or the Treasury Department's
Office of Foreign Assets Control would be able to suspend a group's
tax-exempt status by adding them to either State's "foreign terrorist
organization" list or Treasury's list of alleged terror financiers...
-----
WHITE HOUSE IN DENIAL
Nicholas D. Kristoff, NY Times, 6/13/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/13/opinion/13KRIS.html
Let me give the White House a hand.
Condoleezza Rice was asked on "Meet the Press" on Sunday about a column
of
mine from May 6 regarding President Bush's reliance on forged documents
to
claim that Iraq had sought uranium in Africa. That was not just a case
of
hyping intelligence, but of asserting something that had already been
flatly discredited by an envoy investigating at the behest of the
office of
Vice President Dick Cheney.
Ms. Rice acknowledged that the president's information turned out to be
"not credible," but insisted that the White House hadn't realized this
until after Mr. Bush had cited it in his State of the Union address.
And now an administration official tells The Washington Post that Mr.
Cheney's office first learned of its role in the episode by reading
that
column of mine. Hmm. I have an offer for Mr. Cheney: I'll tell you
everything I know about your activities, if you'll tell me all you
know.
To help out Ms. Rice and Mr. Cheney, let me offer some more detail
about
the uranium saga. Piecing the story together from two people directly
involved and three others who were briefed on it, the tale begins at
the
end of 2001, when third-rate forged documents turned up in West Africa
purporting to show the sale by Niger to Iraq of tons of "yellowcake"
uranium...
SEE ALSO:
THE VANISHING URANIUM
New York Times, 6/13/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/13/opinion/13FRI1.html
President Bush cannot be pleased to know that his State of the Union
address last January included an ominous report about Iraq that turns
out
to have been based on forged documents. The incident is an
embarrassment
for Mr. Bush and for the nation, and he should now be leaning on his
aides
to explain how they let fabricated information about Iraq's nuclear
weapons
program slip into his speech. The answer might help explain whether
Washington deliberately distorted intelligence to rally the nation for
the
war against Iraq.
In the address, Mr. Bush said the British government had learned that
Saddam Hussein had recently tried to get large quantities of uranium
from
Africa. It is now clear that this accusation was mainly based on
counterfeit papers that falsely implied that the West African nation of
Niger could be supplying uranium to Iraq. The documents contained
obvious
factual errors that should have been readily detectable by intelligence
analysts.
The Niger uranium story first started making the rounds of Western
intelligence agencies late in 2001. The charges seemed plausible
because
Iraq was known to have been trying to enrich uranium in the late 1980's
and
Niger was one possible source of uranium fuel. But the supporting
documents
never checked out. Some bore what was alleged to be the signature of
Niger's minister of energy and mines, but the man in question had been
out
of office many years before the sales negotiations were supposed to
have
taken place. And any actual sales contracts would have had to be
arranged
not with Niger's government, but with the international consortium that
actually controls the country's entire uranium supply.
The C.I.A. heard about at least some of these problems from a former
ambassador with African experience who looked into the matter at the
agency's request in early 2002. His report that Niger denied the
allegations was passed along to other government agencies, including
the
White House. But the C.I.A. appears not to have concluded that the
story
was unreliable. As a result, no effort was made by administration
officials
to keep it out of speeches and documents dealing with Iraq, including
the
State of the Union address...
---
WAR MAY HAVE KILLED 10,000 CIVILIANS, RESEARCHERS SAY
Simon Jeffery, Guardian, 6/13/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,976392,00.html
At least 5,000 civilians may have been killed during the invasion of
Iraq,
an independent research group has claimed. As more evidence is
collated, it
says, the figure could reach 10,000.
Iraq Body Count (IBC), a volunteer group of British and US academics
and
researchers, compiled statistics on civilian casualties from media
reports
and estimated that between 5,000 and 7,000 civilians died in the
conflict.
Its latest report compares those figures with 14 other counts, most of
them
taken in Iraq, which, it says, bear out its findings.
Researchers from several groups have visited hospitals and mortuaries
in
Iraq and interviewed relatives of the dead; some are conducting surveys
in
the main cities.
Three completed studies suggest that between 1,700 and 2,356 civilians
died
in the battle for Baghdad alone...
-----
FIRST-EVER BOOK OF POLITICAL CARTOONS WRITTEN FROM A MUSLIM-AMERICAN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 12,
2003
CONTACT: Khalil Bendib, (510) 558-0945 or email
Kbendib@sbcglobal.net
In a time and place where being a Muslim Arab may be hazardous to your
health, Award-winning Berkeley-based editorial cartoonist Khalil Bendib
continues to produce his wicked, hard-hitting anti-establishment
cartoons
as if there¹s no tomorrow.
Bendib, who firmly believes that "the pen is funnier than the sword,"
calls
'em as he sees 'em, unabashedly skewering the usual assumptions,
taboos,
stereotypes and platitudes so dear to American political culture...
With his biting satire, Mr. Bendib holds up a mirror to American
society
warts and all holding no punches and earning, in the process,
legions of
devoted readers and fans who can find their own legitimate concerns
expressed in humorous form almost nowhere else in the country...
Muslim-American political editorialist on cartoon Jihad against
nti-Muslim
prejudice and stereotypes. You can purchase his book online, at:
www.plan9.org or (soon) at your local bookstore. It was printed June 7,
2003.
To view some of the cartoons, go to: www.bendib.com
-----
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS TO TAKE 'A VISIT TO A MOSQUE'
NEW FILM BUILDS BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING
Americans curious about Islam now have an appealing way of learning
more.
'A Visit to A Mosque in America: Understanding Islam and the American
Muslim Community' is a new documentary earning praise as an "excellent,
simple introduction to the faith." Recently acquired for broadcast by
one
PBS station and being considered by others, the film takes the viewer
on
the tour of an Islamic Center while Muslim community members discuss
the
following topics: The Quran, basic beliefs & practices, life as
worship,
women in Islam, and many more.
The film was recently featured in the May 15th issue of Library
Journal,
the most prominent magazine for public libraries across the country.
The production is available on video and DVD from Astrolabe Islamic
Media,
and retails for $14.95. To order call 800-392-7876 or visit:
http://www.islamicmedia.com/vvma.html
-----
MARYLAND: MUSLIM FAMILY DAY AT SIX FLAGS AMERICA
WHAT: The ticket for Six Flags is half priced, $20 per person and the
Prayer facility will be available to our community by special
arrangement.
WHEN: Saturday July 12, 2003 at 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM
WHERE: Six Flags America, Largo, MD
INFO: For further formation, please contact: MCC (301-384-3454), Mr.
Azad
Ejaz, President (301-570-8925), Dr. Khalid Masood, Public Relations
(301-680-0202).
-----
Subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/16/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A LESSON LEARNED
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6021 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR'S 'Washington Live' Satellite Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* VIRGINIA MUSLIMS RAISE A VOICE IN AREA POLITICS (Wash. Post)
- Drive to Register Muslims as Voters in NY (NY Times)
- Muslims Say It'll Soon be Their Turn to Shine (Vancouver Sun)
* PICO RIVERA MOSQUE GETS HIGH MARKS (Whittier Daily Times)
- Local Muslims Greet Their Neighbors (Star Press)
* DANIEL PIPES' GENERALIZATIONS (Alameda Times-Star)
- Hearing on 'bias' in Middle East Studies Programs
* IS JAILED MUSLIM A VICTIM OF SEPTEMBER 11? (Plain Dealer)
- FBI Terrorism Hunt 'Destroyed' Deportee (AP)
- Govnt's Efforts to Thwart Terrorism Go Too Far (Phil. Inq.)
* THE MIDEAST: NEOCONS ON THE LINE (Newsweek)
* LIBRARY JOINS ALLIANCE AGAINST USA PATRIOT ACT (Ellsworth Times)
- Illinosians Deeply Divided on Patriot Act
* CHOOSING TO COVER (Post-Dispatch)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A LESSON LEARNED
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 LIBRARY PROJECT: 6021 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6021 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
"Thank you for your generous donation of quality new titles - it was a
very
timely donation as we have noticed a growing interest in Islamic
culture..." - Salt Lake City, UT
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
NORTH VIRGINIA MUSLIMS RAISING A VOICE IN AREA POLITICS
Michael Laris, Washington Post, 6/16/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62875-2003Jun15.html
Muslim activists in Northern Virginia have launched a political action
committee to help elect officials who will halt what they call rights
abuses associated with the nation's war on terror.
Mukit Hossain, a telecommunications entrepreneur who emigrated from
Bangladesh and lives near Sterling, said he hopes to create a Muslim
powerhouse with sufficient funds to sway local elections in Fairfax,
Loudoun and Prince William counties, as well as state races, in
November.
Hossain said the new PAC, called the Platform for Active Civil
Empowerment,
was inspired by last year's raids by federal officials on Muslim
organizations or households in Herndon, Leesburg and other areas. The
raids
were part of an investigation of possible financial ties to terrorists.
No
charges have been filed following the March 2002 raids. U.S. officials
say
the investigation is ongoing.
"That was the defining moment," Hossain said. "If we really want to
have a
voice in the government, we need to actively participate or else we'll
be
pushed into a corner and end up in concentration camps much like what
happened to the Japanese during the second world war..."
Last week, Hossain helped Afeefa Syeed, director of the private Al
Fatih
Academy in Herndon and a board member of the All Dulles Area Muslim
Society, engineer a surprise victory in a Democratic primary in Loudoun
County. Syeed declared her candidacy hours before the scheduled
primary,
then, in a vote of 11 to 4, knocked off the candidate anointed by party
elders. Syeed will face independent Carol E. Peters and Republican
Bruce E.
Tulloch in the race for the Potomac District supervisor this
November...
SEE ALSO:
A DRIVE TO REGISTER MUSLIMS AS VOTERS IN NEW YORK STATE
Patrick Healy, New York Times, 6/16/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/16/nyregion/16MOSQ.html
After the call to prayer, there came the call to politics.
As worshipers at the Islamic Center of Long Island, in Westbury, Nasau
County, chatted and rose from Friday Prayers last week, Ghazi Khankan
stepped before a microphone and called for the crowd's attention. Mr.
Khankan, ready with a box of voter registration forms, wanted to make
voters of everyone present, as part of his effort to register 100,000
Muslims across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
"As Muslims, as you are, so shall your rulers be," Mr. Khankan,
president
of the New York Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the
worshipers.
"If we do not participate in the political process, we will not be able
to
influence it. It is urgent that we do so."
So began a New York campaign by the group to bolster voter registration
among Muslims, part of a continuing national campaign by the council,
an
advocacy group based in Washington. With an eye on the 2004 elections,
Muslim groups across the country want to strengthen their political
voice,
and political agents like Mr. Khankan are going mosque to mosque to do
so...
---
MUSLIMS PREDICT IT'LL SOON BE THEIR TURN TO SHINE IN THE CANADIAN SUN
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, 6/16/03
http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=c88c64ab-c393-4f0c-8549-caee60291021
When will Muslims in Canada wield some clout? Given that last month's
census revealed Muslims now make up the second largest religion in
Canada
after Christianity, many are wondering why the Muslim community doesn't
have more influence on the country's affairs.
The answer lies in part in how hard it is for a religious community to
forge a cohesive voice when its membership looks and sounds like the
arrival lounge at an exotic international airport. It also doesn't help
that the majority are working-class people from Third World countries.
At Friday prayers at any given Vancouver-area mosque, you will see
faces
from Pakistan, Tanzania, Fiji, Iran, Yugoslavia, Algeria, Kenya,
Afghanistan and a host of other far-flung, often-poor nations. Muslims
in
Canada hail from more than 140 countries.
Islam might be a religion that unifies people, but Muslims still face a
gargantuan challenge in bringing together their disparate cultures in
Canada, where most Muslims are visible minorities and where English and
French are invariably their second languages...
-----
PICO RIVERA MOSQUE GETS HIGH MARKS
Debbie Pfiffer Trunnell, Whittier Daily News, 6/15/03
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,207~12026~1458118,00.html
PICO RIVERA - At least three times a week, the Shia Ithna-Asheri
Islamic
Jamaat of Los Angeles is a busy place.
Scores of cars and SUVs pull into the mosque's parking lot as families
dressed in traditional Muslim clothing prepare to worship.
For the most part, the 200 members of the mosque … which is nestled
within
a residential block in Pico Rivera … have been good neighbors.
About the only problem residents have encountered since the mosque
opened
on Serapis Avenue in 1984 has been a lack of parking on the street when
its
members gather for prayers on Friday, during Sunday school on Sunday
and
during Muslim holiday events.
The sight of people dressed in Middle Eastern garb has become familiar
to
Serapis residents. And such scenes are being played out across the
nation
as more mosques open in suburban settings, including at least 60 in Los
Angeles County, according to the Islamic Center of Southern
California...
At one of Pico Rivera's oldest churches, the Rivera First Baptist
Church on
Burke Street, just north of the mosque, congregants have not only
accepted
a mosque in the neighborhood, they have embraced its members.
``We went over there after Sept. 11 and had a big dinner with them to
get
to know them better,'' said Jean Vaughn, the church's secretary.
``They have since attended our services. Although we don't see them a
lot,
we have formed a good relationship.''
SEE ALSO:
LOCAL MUSLIMS GREET THEIR NEIGHBORS
T.J. Wilham, Star Press, 6/16/03
http://www.thestarpress.com/
MUNCIE - When a sign outside the Islamic Center was recently
vandalized,
members of the congregation didn't get angry at their neighbors.
Instead
they invited them over for a barbecue.
On Saturday, leaders of the Islamic Center, 1717 N. Ball Ave., hosted a
lunch for anyone who wanted to come.
They made calls to Mormons, Christians, neighbors and even the police,
inviting them to come over and eat chicken, pasta, rice and pizza.
"We are trying to reach out to everyone," said A. Faiz Rahman,
president of
the center. "Sometimes when people don't know other people, they are
afraid
of them. So, we need to tell people that we are here and we like it
here."
About 100 people showed up at the center Saturday afternoon. An alley
that
runs next to it was closed and folding chairs and tables were set up in
the
roadway.
Muslims ate next to Unitarians, Mormons and police officers...
-----
DANIEL PIPES' GENERALIZATIONS
Lawrence Swaim, Alameda Times-Star, 6/16/03
http://www.timesstar.com/Stories/0,1413,125~1511~1458398,00.html
The Interfaith Freedom Foundation is deeply involved in the national
campaign against Daniel Pipes' confirmation to the U.S. Institute of
Peace.
Thus the June 6 story on Pipes was read by us with great interest.
Pipes likes to say that he opposes only "bad" Muslims, but in fact he
regularly generalizes about Muslims as a group. Here's a quote from a
column he published in January 2003: "There is no escaping the
unfortunate
fact that Muslim government employees in law enforcement, the military
and
the diplomatic corps need to be watched for connections to terrorism,
as do
Muslim chaplains in prisons and the armed forces."
He doesn't say some Muslim government employment, or some Muslim
chaplains;
he's talking about all Muslims in those job descriptions.
The idea that people should be watched by government because of a
religious
affiliation is called religious discrimination. Some people also call
it
fascism. If there's evidence of criminal behavior, people should be
watched; but solely on religion, never.
Pipes' idea of a "bad" Muslim is any Muslim who doesn't agree with his
ideas on the Middle East. Since Pipes opposes the Bush road map and
advocates ethnic cleansing of all Palestinians instead, there aren't a
lot
of Muslims who could agree with him. Most American Muslims are indeed
moderates, and it's precisely for that reason that Muslim organizations
don't like Pipes; the man is an extremist.
The latest Pipes controversy is typical of that extremism...
SEE ALSO:
HEARING ON 'BIAS' IN MIDDLE EAST STUDIES PROGRAMS
Thursday, June 19, 2003
Subcommittee on Select Education - Webcast
http://edworkforce.house.gov/schedule.htm
Hearing on "International Programs in Higher Education and Questions of
Bias," scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in room 2175 Rayburn HOB. Witnesses
scheduled to appear:
Dr. Foster Roden
Director, Center for NAFTA Studies Curriculum and Outreach Initiatives
University of North Texas Denton, Texas
Mr. Stanley Kurtz
Fellow
Hoover Institution
Washington, DC
Ms. Vivien Stewart
Vice President for Education Programs
Asia Society
New York, NY
Mr. Terry Hartle
Senior Vice President for Government and Public Affairs American
Council on
Education Washington, DC
Talking Points Refuting Stanley Kurtz's Attack on HEA-Title VI Area
Centers:
http://www.acenet.edu/washington/letters/2002/07july/titlevi.talking.points.cfm
Letter to the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and
Education Regarding Title VI:
http://www.acenet.edu/washington/letters/2002/07july/regula.titlevi.cfm
-----
IS JAILED MUSLIM A VICTIM OF SEPTEMBER 11?
Karen R. Long, Plain Dealer, 6/16/03
http://www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living/105576300050640.xml
A Kent man suspected of terrorist ties has spent seven months locked in
a
Pennsylvania prison, caught in a legal twilight zone that is a legacy
of
the Sept. 11 attacks.
Ashraf Al-Jailani, who speaks four languages and has a master's degree
in
geology, disputes the FBI's assertions that he is a "Muslim extremist"
with
suspicious phone ties to other Yemen- born men in the United States.
Immigration Judge Walt Durling concluded in March that the FBI had
failed
to present evidence to continue to hold him...
Al-Jailani (pronounced el jal ON ee), a 39-year-old Muslim geochemist,
has
been behind bars since October. Immigration agents arrested him for
deportation based on a criminal conviction pardoned by Gov. Bob Taft.
Since he was jailed, no charges have been filed. In March, Durling
ordered
Al-Jailani released on bond, but the Department of Homeland Security
blocked that order the same day it was writ ten. Durling decried the
act as
"an abuse of discretion."
Against a backdrop of shifting constitutional rights, Al-Jailani's case
stands out. He is a permanent legal resident. He is married to an
American
woman and is the father of three children here. His lawyer says
Al-Jailani
has been denied due process - and the assumption that he is innocent
until
proven guilty.
Meanwhile, Attorney General John Ashcroft petitioned Congress this
month
for broader powers in hunting terrorists...
SEE ALSO:
FBI TERRORISM HUNT 'DESTROYED' DEPORTEE
Associated Press, 6/16/03
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/local/6_16_03lebanese_deportee.html
PHOENIX - A Lebanese man caught in the hunt for terrorists and the
controversy over America's intelligence failure says his life was
ripped
apart by the "paranoia" of FBI agents after the World Trade Center
attack.
Zakaria Mustapha Soubra, an aeronautical safety student who spent more
than
a year in federal detention, said in a phone interview with The Arizona
Republic that he was smeared with suspicion. He said he was hounded by
the
FBI and finally deported last month even though he had nothing to do
with
the suicide mission or terrorist cells.
"They suspect everybody," Soubra said in the first interview since his
arrest in Arizona last year.
"Believe me, they are trained to suspect Muslims and Arabs. That's the
issue. My whole life was destroyed. My future. They just destroyed
everything."
A judge ruled that he was a threat to America based on FBI avowals and
eventually ordered his deportation. After being held for a year without
bond, Soubra was flown to Lebanon, where he lives with his family...
---
GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS TO THWART TERRORISM GO TOO FAR, CRITICS SAY
Thomas Ginsberg, Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/16/03
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/
Twenty-one months after the Sept. 11 attacks, civil liberties have
become a
battle in the U.S. war on terrorism.
Saying American streets have become "a war zone," Attorney General John
Ashcroft has vowed to use "every legal means to detect, disrupt, and
dismantle terrorist networks here and abroad before they strike."
But limits on information and immigration, and curbs on certain
people's
due process and privacy, are proving to be part of the war's collateral
damage.
Has the government gone too far? Or are some ideals worth curtailing?
Two weeks ago, the Justice Department's inspector general said the FBI
bent
rules in detaining hundreds of people with no connection to terrorism,
held
them too long, and let many be mistreated.
The Justice Department, in response, hinted last week that it may rein
in
the FBI. At the same time, Ashcroft asked Congress for greater
authority to
indefinitely detain and charge suspected supporters of terrorism -
including U.S. citizens...
-----
THE MIDEAST: NEOCONS ON THE LINE
Michael Hirsh, Newsweek, 6/23/03
http://www.msnbc.com/news/926946.asp?0cv=KB10
Paul Wolfowitz seems a bundle of contradictions, all of them roiling
inside
him. Calm yet driven, a champion of bold action who speaks in a soft,
somewhat quavery voice, Wolfowitz today finds himself pacing the world
stage like a nervous father. He is a father in a sense-to an idea, one
that
has taken on a life of its own and, somewhat in the manner of a wayward
child, is causing its parent no end of grief.
It was Wolfowitz, the gentlemanly superhawk, who within days of 9-11
prodded the Bush administration into a radical new strategy: forcefully
confronting states that sponsor terrorism. It was Wolfowitz-the ex math
whiz who fell in love with the idea of "national greatness" as a youth
and
is now seen as the Bush administration's chief intellectual-who pressed
Bush hardest to transform the war on terror into a campaign for regime
change and democracy in rogue nations, especially in Iraq and the
Islamic
world.
Now the deputy defense secretary and his fellow neoconservatives are on
the
defensive. They are battling a growing crowd of critics on Capitol Hill
and
around the world as the Bush administration's credibility-and its
assumptions-are tested as never before. In Iraq, after another week in
which U.S. troops died and got into fierce fire fights, elements of
more
than half of America's Army divisions are tied down. Some U.S.
officials
have begun muttering the dreaded Q word-quagmire, a term Defense
Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld had mocked on a visit to Baghdad in the days just after
the
three-week war...
-----
BLUE HILL LIBRARY JOINS ALLIANCE AGAINST USA PATRIOT ACT
Jim Counihan, Ellsworth Weekly, 6/14/03
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1468&dept_id=369602&newsid=8316996&PAG=461&rfi=9
Ramrodded through the United States Congress in the wake of the Sept.
11
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon,
in
Washington, D.C., the destruction of a commercial jet in a field in
Pennsylvania, and the bombing of a federal office building in Oklahoma,
the
USA Patriot Act allows federal investigators unprecedented access to
private information. Computer emails and instant messaging, library
check-outs of "suspicious" books and magazines, and other personal
information are all fair game under the USA Patriot Act.
Richard Boulet, director of the Blue Hill Public Library, said the
library's board of directors voted unanimously to join the American
Library
Association's (ALA) opposition to portions of the federal legislation.
"That was on May 27," said Boulet. "Opposition to the USA Patriot Act
has
been building in the library and bookseller community since the
inception
of the law in October, 2001."
The ALA went on record opposing the legislation, with many local
libraries
following the national organization's lead, including one of the first
organized library-based opposition efforts in the country, in Calais.
The ALA resolutions states: "Resolved, that the American Library
Association urges librarians everywhere to defend and support user
privacy
and free and open access to knowledge and information.... Resolved,
that
the American Library Association considers sections of the USA Patriot
Act
are a present danger to the constitutional rights and privacy rights of
library users..."
Librarians who actively resist federal investigators' efforts could
face
prosecution for obstructing justice, including fines and jail terms.
Librarians, booksellers and others are forbidden to alert patrons who
may
be under scrutiny.
The "Freedom to Read Protection Act," an effort to counter the USA
Patriot
Act, was announced in March by U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The
act
would protect libraries and booksellers from what they consider to be
the
most odious portions of the USA Patriot Act.
Section 215 of the Patriot Act allows the Federal Bureau of
Investigation
(FBI) to search the library of buying records of anyone, and isn't
limited
to persons involved in criminal activity or connected to a foreign
power or
foreign agents...
SEE ALSO:
ILLINOISANS DEEPLY DIVIDED ON PATRIOT ACT
Frank James, Washington Bureau
Seventy-four percent of Illinois voters approve of the government's
handling of homeland security, while only 18 percent do not, a new
Tribune/WGN-TV poll has found.
The results offer some bad news for Democrats hoping that President
Bush
and congressional Republicans will be vulnerable on domestic security
issues. In another positive sign for the president, 62 percent of
Democrats
in the sample thought the government had generally done a good job on
homeland security.
But while Illinois voters were solidly behind the government's overall
efforts, they were divided on a key part of the war on terrorism, the
USA
Patriot Act. The law was passed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11
attacks,
and among other things has allowed the government to expand
eavesdropping
powers.
Forty-two percent of those polled said the law goes too far. But 39
percent
said the law was about right.
-----
CHOOSING TO COVER
Laurie Skrivan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/16/03
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/news/6CB9B75856A924BA86256D450067806C
Perhaps the least understood and most visible of Muslim traditions is
the
wearing of scarves and the hijab, a garment that covers the head, chest
and
arms. Many Westerners believe that Muslim men are forcing women to
cover up.
That may be true for some women in other societies, but other Muslim
women,
including the ones in these photographs, say the act is voluntary.
They believe it is in keeping with the dictates of the Quran:
"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and
guard
their modesty; and they should not display their beauty and ornaments
except what must ordinarily appear thereof…
Muslim women here say their faith requires them only to be covered when
they pray and when they are in front of unrelated men. The covering
encourages people to focus on their character rather than their
sexuality.
Beyond that, the garments give them a feeling of pride in being
recognized
as Muslims. And the modesty that they demonstrate in their dress, they
say,
shines a light on their abilities and intelligence...
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/17/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: MAKE THINGS EASY
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6056 SPONSORSHIPS
- Highlights of Tonight's 'Washington Live' Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* INCITEMENT WATCH: SPEAKER BLASTS ISLAM AT BAPTIST GATHERING
* MUSLIM VOTE STILL IN PLAY FOR NEXT YEAR'S ELECTION (Newhouse)
* COURT: NAMES OF 9/11 DETAINEES CAN REMAIN SECRET (NY TIMES)
- Conyers Criticizes Decision to Keep Detainee Names Secret
- Tales of Despair at Guantanamo (NY Times)
- Don't Stop Talking About the Patriot Act (KC Star)
* BRIDGES TV TO CATER TO AMERICAN MUSLIMS (Journal News)
* LATINO MUSLIMS A GROWING PRESENCE IN AMERICA (WRMEA)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: MAKE THINGS EASY
A man once urinated in the mosque and bystanders rushed to beat him.
The
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ordered them to leave the man
alone
and said: "You have been sent to make things easy (for the people). You
have not been sent to make things difficult for them."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 149
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6056 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6056 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
"This (Islam) is a hot topic and the more information on it the
better. Thank you for thinking of us." - Westfield, MA
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TONIGHT'S PROGRAM will focus on American Muslim social and political
activism, new aviation security procedures, and the nomination of
Daniel
Pipes to the United States Institute for Peace. Guests include a Muslim
woman political candidate, an official with the Transportation Security
Administration and the Pakistani doctor who recently returned to the
United
States after being denied re-entry over an immigration technicality.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: SPEAKER BLASTS ISLAM AT BAPTIST GATHERING
Brian Lewis, Tennessean, 6/17/03
http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/03/06/34508659.shtml
PHOENIX - For the second year in a row, a preacher at an event
preceding
the Southern Baptist annual convention has slammed the religion of
Islam.
One year after the Rev. Jerry Vines generated a year's worth of
controversy
by calling the founder of Islam "a demon-possessed pedophile," Ergun
Caner,
a theology professor from Criswell College in Dallas, picked up where
Vines
left off.
Caner, a Turkish immigrant who converted to Christianity as a child,
spoke
to pastors at the denomination's annual convention yesterday about his
disdain for questions on why he switched religions.
"I didn't switch nothing," he said. "I got saved. I went from
worshipping a
false, dead idol to knowing the one true living sovereign Lord."
Vines' conference is a regular prelude to the annual meeting of the
Southern Baptist Convention, which opens today at the Phoenix Civic
Center.
Vines' "pedophile" comment was made at last year's pastors conference
in
St. Louis...
-----
ARAB, MUSLIM VOTE STILL IN PLAY FOR NEXT YEAR'S ELECTION
CHUCK McCUTCHEON, Newhouse News Service, 6/16/03
http://www.newhouse.com/
Despite Muslims' and Arab-Americans' frustration with President Bush
over
what they perceive as unfair treatment, Democrats shouldn't
automatically
expect those voters to swing their way in 2004, Arab and Muslim leaders
say.
Bush captured a majority of the Arab and Muslim vote in 2000 after he
joined GOP activists in reaching out to their leaders. But many of
those
leaders have been upset by the Justice Department's treatment of
Muslims
and Arabs since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Muslims and Arabs also criticized the administration's invasion of
Iraq,
though the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime has won approval from
Iraqi
immigrants in Michigan, a battleground state in 2004.
If Democrats want to capitalize on Muslim and Arab voters'
dissatisfaction
with Bush, their leaders say, they need to start talking about civil
rights
and other issues important to their communities...
"The community is not in a rush to make up its mind" on a candidate,
said
Agha Saeed, founder and national chairman of the American Muslim
Alliance
in Hayward, Calif. "People are willing to stay open, accessible and
involved and hold out on a final decision to the period of the
elections."
If the Democrats do not present an attractive enough alternative, Saeed
said, many Muslims could look closely at third-party candidates.
For now, some Muslim and Arab Democrats are disappointed that the
party's
presidential contenders aren't making an issue of how Arabs and Muslims
have been jailed, questioned and subject to greater surveillance.
Activists
cite the Rev. Al Sharpton and Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio both seen as
political long shots as being the most outspoken critics on the
subject.
Other Democratic candidates "are afraid" of being criticized as soft on
terrorism, said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., a Lebanese-American.
"But we shouldn't be falling into that trap as Democrats," Rahall said.
"When those kinds of charges come, we should enter into a lively
debate.
The American people are smart enough to decide..."
Republicans, however, see an opportunity to hold on to the backing
Muslims
and Arabs gave Bush in 2000 by stressing Bush's national security
accomplishments.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, the largest
Islamic civil liberties group, released a poll after the 2000 election
showing that 72 percent of Muslims voted for Bush, 8 percent for
Democrat
Al Gore and 19 percent for Ralph Nader, a Lebanese-American…
Since Sept. 11, Muslim and Arab groups say their effectiveness in
political
debates has been complicated by the continued pressure they feel to
denounce terrorism. Some Republicans said that because of continued
public
unease, activists will be required to sustain such efforts.
"I believe the true face of Islam is one of peacefulness, but that's
got to
become part of their program to state affirmatively, unequivocally that
they're patriots, too," said Smith, the Oregon senator.
-----
FOR REACTION, CONTACT: CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper at
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726
NAMES OF 9/11 DETAINEES CAN REMAIN SECRET, COURT RULES
ASSOCIATED PRESS, 6/17/03
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Attacks-Detainees.html
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department properly withheld the names
and
other details about hundreds of foreigners detained in the months after
the
Sept. 11 attacks, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The powerful
decision was deferential to the Bush administration's arguments over
continued threats to America from terrorists.
In a 2-1 ruling that represents a major victory for President Bush and
Attorney General John Ashcroft, a panel from the U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia determined that disclosing such
information could provide a roadmap of the government's Sept. 11
investigation for international terrorists.
Federal judges asked to compel such disclosures should defer to White
House
concerns that it might help the nation's enemies, the appeals panel
said…
In a harsh dissenting opinion, Circuit Judge David S. Tatel accused his
colleagues of ``uncritical deference to the government's vague, poorly
explained arguments for withholding broad categories of information
about
the detainees."
Tatel said the decision to withhold the information prevents U.S.
citizens
from learning whether the Bush administration ``is violating the
constitutional rights of the hundreds of persons whom it has detained
in
connection with its terrorism investigation…"
The new appeals decision rejected arguments by the Center for National
Security Studies and other public interest groups that the Justice
Department should publicly provide the names of the detainees, names of
their lawyers, dates they were picked up and the reasons they were
detained.
``We're disappointed that for the first time ever, a U.S. court has
sanctioned secret arrests," said Kate Martin, a lawyer for the center.
She
said the organization plans to pursue the case…
SEE ALSO:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dena Graziano (202)226-6888
CONYERS CRITICIZES DECISION TO KEEP DETAINEE NAMES SECRET
Representative John Conyers, Jr., the Ranking Member, on the House
Judiciary Committee issued the following statement today following the
DC
Circuit Court decision to keep
September 11 detainee names secret:
"This case demonstrates the lengths to which the Ashcroft Justice
Department is willing to go to keep its actions, many of which were
found
by the Inspector General to be abusive and coercive, away from the
eyes
and ears of the American public. It is unclear to me, as it is to many
members of the public, how releasing the names of detainees would
compromise security - if a terrorist organization has been unable to
reach
its members for weeks or months on end, it would seem fair to say that
they've figured out they've been detained. We ought to error on the
side
of disclosure, rather than on the side of secret detentions and secret
trials as the present Administration has done."
---
TALES OF DESPAIR FROM GUANTÁNAMO
Carlotta Gall and Neil A. Lewis, New York Times, 6/17/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/17/international/asia/17PRIS.html
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghans and Pakistanis who were detained for many
months by the American military at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba before being
released without charges are describing the conditions as so desperate
that
some captives tried to kill themselves.
According to accounts in the last three months from some of the 32
Afghans
and three Pakistanis in the weeks since their release, it was above all
the
uncertainty of their fate, combined with confinement in very small
cells,
sometimes only with Arabic speakers, that caused inmates to attempt
suicide. One Pakistani interviewed this month said he tried to kill
himself
four times in 18 months.
An Afghan prisoner who spent 14 months at the camp, at the American
naval
base at Guantánamo, described in April what he called the uncertainty
and
fear. "Some were saying this is a prison for 150 years," said Suleiman
Shah, 30, a former Taliban fighter from Kandahar Province in southern
Afghanistan.
None of those interviewed complained of physical mistreatment. But the
men
said that for the first few months, they were kept in small wire-mesh
cells, about 6 1/2 feet by 8 feet, in blocks of 10 or 20. The cells
were
covered by a wooden roof, but open at the sides to the elements.
"We slept, ate, prayed and went to the toilet in that small space," Mr.
Shah said. Each man had two blankets and a prayer mat and slept and ate
on
the ground, he said...
In interviews at their homes, weeks after being released, he and the
freed
Pakistani detainee talked of what they said was the overwhelming
feeling of
injustice among the approximately 680 men detained indefinitely at
Guantánamo Bay...
-----
DON'T STOP TALKING ABOUT PATRIOT ACT
Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star, 6/17/03
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/news/opinion/6101977.htm
Jackson County Legislator Bob Spence asked important questions
regarding
the county's resolution on the USA Patriot Act and its stepped-up
secret
surveillance methods.
The resolution died of neglect Monday. It was kicked off the docket
because
it failed to prompt an action in the eight weeks since it was
introduced by
Legislator Scott Burnett.
The proposal mirrored efforts already passed by more than 120
governmental
bodies, including three states -- Hawaii, Alaska and Vermont.
The resolutions differ locale to locale, but most endorse the idea that
the
government must not abuse the innocent in its quest to root out
terrorists.
It's the conversation that counts. And those should continue.
Resolutions
hold no legal power anyway.
Spence, in a letter to Burnett, posed the challenge: "try and convince
me
that the Patriot Act has eroded my freedom and has not helped protect
us."
It is very likely the Patriot Act has not negatively affected Spence.
Spence is probably like most Americans. The only government scrutiny he
will ever draw is perhaps a question on a tax return, a minor traffic
infraction or a key chain setting off a metal detector in a government
building.
But not everyone is so blessed....
-----
BRIDGES TV TO CATER TO AMERICAN MUSLIMS
Khurram Saeed, Journal News, 6/17/03
http://www.nyjournalnews.com/newsroom/061703/a0117bridgestv.html
On Memorial Day, U.S. citizen Ruia Elley, a Muslim, was treated like an
outcast in her own country.
Elley said an older man collecting money for war veterans in front of a
Yonkers grocery store called her a terrorist. She believes he singled
her
out because she was wearing the hijab, a scarf used by some Muslim
women to
cover their hair.
It was the first time the 32-year-old Yonkers mother of two had
experienced
such bigotry.
The experience fortified her belief that more understanding between
Americans and American Muslims is needed. That's why Elley and her
husband,
Arsalan, are supporting a new TV channel for American Muslims called
Bridges TV.
"I'm so excited about this," Ruia Elley said of the channel, which is
at
least a year away from going on the air. "People will get to see what
real
Muslims are all about. Hopefully, it will show the public we are not
all
terrorists, that we are regular people, that we share the same values."
The channel, to be broadcast entirely in English, would be the first of
its
kind in the nation. It plans to feature a blend of talk shows, dramas,
cartoons, documentaries and religious shows targeted at the 6 million
to 8
million Muslims living in the United States and Canada, about 2.3
million
households.
Area Muslims said the channel was especially needed since the Sept. 11,
2001, terrorist attacks changed the way people treated them. American
Muslims since then have routinely been subjected to false arrests,
removed
from airplanes and viewed with suspicion, they said...
-----
LATINO MUSLIMS A GROWING PRESENCE IN AMERICA
Lisa Viscidi, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, 6/03
http://www.wrmea.com
On January 21, 2003, the United States Census Bureau officially named
the
nation's 37 million Latinos the largest minority population in the
country-outnumbering African Americans by 0.3 percent. This demographic
shift, coupled with Islam's status as one of the fastest growing
religions
in the nation, has contributed to the significant growth of a
newly-emerging demographic: Latino Muslims.
Lacking an organized network and longstanding cultural background
within
the United States, Latino Muslims are not as visible as other U.S.
minority
groups, but evidence of their existence has sprouted around the
country.
The Latino Muslim presence is particularly prominent in New York,
Southern
California and Chicago - places where both Hispanics and Muslims reside
in
great numbers. These cities boast Latino mosques and organizations
exclusively directed toward the Latino Muslim community. The Islamic
Society of North America's annual conference on Latino Muslims and
recently
established Latino Coordinating Committee attest to the growing
importance
of this group in American Muslim society.
Although the exact number of Latino Muslims is difficult to determine,
estimates ranging from 25,000 to 60,000. This includes second- or
third-generation Hispanic Americans as well as a diverse population of
new
immigrants.
While some Latinos were raised Muslim, many have converted from
Catholicism. Latinos convert to Islam for a great variety of reasons,
including disenchantment with the practices of Catholicism and the
Church
establishment. Repelled by the religion's preoccupation with Saints,
perceived contradictions in the Catholic tenets, and the Church
hierarchy,
many Latinos are lured by Islam's contrasting simplicity and directness
to
God...
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #384
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS BLACKLIST MUSLIMS
Companies use USA Patriot Act to justify closing accounts
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/18/03) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today expressed deep concern over continuing reports that
financial
institutions have been canceling the accounts of American Muslims
without
cause based on what they believe to be provisions of the USA Patriot
Act.
CAIR says those same institutions, including American Express, HSBC,
Fleet
Bank, and Western Union, are also making unreasonable requests for
private
information about Muslim account-holders.
In most cases, Muslims were asked to provide large amounts of
documentation
without cause, and regardless of credit history. Requests included tax
and
banking information, financial statements, residency documentation, and
proof of identity.
Officials with the institutions canceling Muslim accounts cited random
selection and reports from credit agencies, even when individuals had
impeccable credit. An HSBC representative told one Muslim
account-holder:
"We are collecting this information to comply with the USA Patriot Act,
and
this is a bank-wide project reaching to all customers." A spokesperson
for
the American Banking Association explained to CAIR that the
cancellations
are standard procedure in attempts to block money going to terrorists
or
terrorist groups.
Banks and financial institutions check names against a 103-page list of
Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Individuals (SDN), provided
by
the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Many
victims of account cancellations are apparently singled out because
their
names are similar to those that appear on the list. Other unofficial
and
inaccurate lists have also been used for the same purpose.
"This is just another indication that the USA Patriot Act is being
misused
to infringe on the rights of law-abiding Americans, particularly
American
Muslims," said CAIR Legal Adviser Khurram Wahid. "A system must be set
up
to allow those who are unfairly targeted to clear their names and
continue
making financial transactions."
Wahid said this issue came to light in January when Muhammad Ali of
Brooklyn, N.Y., contacted CAIR after he attempted to send $80 to
relatives
in Connecticut from a Western Union site in Brooklyn. After returning
home,
the African-American customer says he received a call from Western
Union's
main office demanding that, because of his name, he must provide photo
identification and state his country of birth, otherwise the funds
would
not be delivered. When the customer protested that policy and requested
a
refund, he was told that the funds would not be returned unless he met
the
company's demands.
Western Union officials cooperated with CAIR and attempted to negotiate
a
solution to the problem of misidentification, but the lack of
regulatory
guidance from the Department of Treasury prevented the company from
making
any changes to its policy.
On a related issue, CAIR recently applauded a new Transportation
Security
Administration (TSA) policy that grants relief to airline passengers
who
are prevented from flying because their names are similar to those of
terror suspects on a "No-Fly List."
SEE ALSO: LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT
https://secure12.cfxhosting.com/citylimitsorg/content/articles/articleView.cfm?articlenumber=988
BUSINESS BLACKLISTS
http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/2003/19/ma_377_01.html
ACTION REQUESTED:
1. Contact CAIR if you have been subjected to any unwarranted
cancellations, transactional delays or requests for information by
American
Express, HSBC, Fleet Bank, Western Union, or any other financial
institution. E-mail cair@cair-net.org, call 202-488-8787 or fax
202-488-0833.
2. See if you may become a potential target for account cancellation.
Look
at the OFAC-SDN list to see if your name may be similar to a name on
the list.
GO TO: http://www.ustreas.gov/offices/eotffc/ofac/sdn/t11sdn.pdf
- PLEASE POST, COPY AND DISTRIBUTE -
--- CLIP AND MAIL/FAX/E-MAIL ---
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$___________. Enclosed is my check, payable to CAIR. Basic CAIR
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SEND TO: CAIR, 453 New Jersey Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
FAX: 202-488-0833 E-MAIL: membership@cair-net.org
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/18/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: WEALTH IS A TEST
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6064
- CAIR'S 'Washington Live' Satellite Talk Show
- CAIR Ads Combat Anti-Muslim Stereotypes (Arab News)
- Save November 29 for CAIR's Annual Dinner
* JUSTICE DEPT. PROHIBITS RACIAL PROFILING (USA Today)
- Federal Officers Banned from Profiling (Reuters)
- Bush Issues Ban on Racial Profiling (NY Times)
* N.Y. JUDGE QUITS OVER 'TERRORIST' REMARK (AP)
* FEDS WANT FBI FILES ON DOCTOR SEALED (AP)
* PANELISTS FIND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN FAITHS (Chronicle)
- Incitement Watch: B. Graham Official Says Islam has "Dark Side"
* TARGETED DEPORTATIONS RISE (Phil. Inquirer)
- Arrest of Arab Student an Overreaction (Post-Gazette)
- Indefensible Secrecy (Wash. Post)
* PATRIOT ACT II: DEVIL IN THE DETAILS (Village Voice)
- Supervisors Urged to Pass Anti-Patriot Act (Press Democrat)
- First Case in Region Under Patriot ACT (OC Register)
* US TROOPS KILL TWO IRAQI PROTESTERS (AP)
- Iraqis say U.S. Fired Indiscriminately (AP)
- Troops 'Used Excessive Force' at Protest (Independent)
- Soldiers Frisking Women Alarms Iraqis (AP)
- Iraqis Fear Signing Away Their Identity (LA Times)
* MUSLIM STUDENTS HONOR AMERICAN SOCIETY (Wall Street Journal)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: WEALTH IS A TEST
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Every nation has a test
to
undergo. My nation will be tried through wealth."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 178
The Prophet also said: "Two hungry wolves, if let loose among a flock
of
sheep, will not do more damage (to a person's faith) than that which is
caused by avarice for wealth and status."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 180
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6064 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6064 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
"We will be adding most of these materials to our library. The titles
we
already own we will offer to our local high school library...Thank you
very
much, this is an excellent project." - Amherst, MA
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR ADS COMBAT ANTI-MUSLIM STEREOTYPES IN US
Barbara Ferguson, Arab News, 6/18/03
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=0§ion=9&article=27574&d=18&m=6&y=2003
WASHINGTON - To combat negative stereotyping of Muslims and Islam in
the
US, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has launched an
advertising campaign in leading US newspapers to inform Americans about
the
realities of Islam and Muslims.
"The campaign is in direct response to more than 200,000 e-mails we
received from Americans throughout the United States requesting
information
about Islam and Muslims," said Nihad Awad, CAIR's executive director.
Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the US, Awad said many
Americans contacted CAIR in an effort to understand where Islam "stands
on
important issues such as terrorism, violence, women and human rights,
and
many people wanted to know what Islam stands for as a religion in terms
of
spirituality and honesty."
CAIR is also working hard against what he called an organized campaign
launched in the US to defame Islam. "There is an orchestrated, vicious
campaign against Muslims in the media and within rightwing groups here
that
have started to scare people from thinking anything positive about
Islam."
Awad said, "Many people feel that these attacks against Islam have
obscured
the true picture and confuses people. As American Muslims, we want to
set
the record straight and help our fellow Americans know who we are and
what
we stand for, and provide accurate information about the Islamic
community
and Islam in general..."
He said the ads were available to Islamic centers around the country to
download and use free of charge, to run in their local newspapers,
magazines, or even post in their work place, bulletins, or elsewhere -
such
as schools, offices and even churches...
But is the campaign a successful tactic to win the hearts and minds of
American citizens?
Alex Kronemer, a writer and film producer who produced the acclaimed
video
film "Muhammad, Legacy of a Prophet," believes it's a necessary step...
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
SAVE NOV. 29 FOR CAIR'S ANNUAL DINNER
CAIR's 9th annual fundraising dinner will be held Saturday, November
29,
2003, at the Sheraton Premiere, Tysons Corner, Va.
-----
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PROHIBITS RACIAL PROFILING
Toni Locy, USA Today, 6/17/03
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-06-17-profiling-usat_x.htm
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration banned federal law enforcement
officers from racial profiling in routine police work Tuesday, but said
agents may use race and ethnicity to identify suspected terrorists.
A 10-page guidance drafted by the Justice Department was approved by
President Bush and sent to all federal law enforcement agencies. It
does
not apply to state and local police.
Ralph Boyd, assistant attorney general for civil rights, said the Bush
administration is the first to issue a formal policy on racial
profiling.
Before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, local and state police
were
accused of racial profiling far more often than federal agents.
But that changed after hundreds of Middle Eastern men were detained in
the
Sept. 11 probe.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department's inspector general found
that
the detentions were legal but said they lasted far longer than
necessary...
Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in
Washington
said the administration deserves credit for issuing a policy. "But we
have
to wait to see how it is implemented."
The guidelines forbid federal officers from using race or ethnicity "to
any
degree" in routine police work except when such information
specifically
describes a suspect. In longer-term investigations, federal officers
can
use race and ethnicity only if the information they have received from
informants or developed by studying crime trends is "trustworthy..."
SEE ALSO:
FEDERAL OFFICERS BANNED FROM RACIAL PROFILING
Deborah Charles, Reuters, 6/17/03
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2944702
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday issued guidelines
that
ban federal law enforcement officers from racial profiling in routine
police work but allow the use of race and ethnicity to identify
terrorist
suspects.
With the approval of President Bush, the department sent all federal
law
enforcement agencies the guidelines forbidding officers from using race
as
a factor when they are conducting routine investigations.
"Today's guidance ... is the clearest and most comprehensive statement
and
guidance regarding the consideration of race and ethnicity in law
enforcement activities from any administration ever," said Ralph Boyd,
assistant attorney general for civil rights.
The guidelines forbid racial profiling in regular police work, even
where
such profiling would otherwise be permitted by the U.S.
Constitution. For example, under the new rules, federal officers cannot
use
race or ethnicity when deciding which motorists to stop for traffic
violations.
But the rules allow race or ethnicity to be used when there is
"trustworthy
information" that links persons of a particular race or ethnicity to a
criminal incident or organization...
---
BUSH ISSUES FEDERAL BAN ON RACIAL PROFILING
Eric Lichtblau, New York Times, 6/17/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/18/politics/18PROF.html
WASHINGTON - President Bush issued guidelines today barring federal
agents
from using race or ethnicity in their routine investigations, but the
policy carves out clear exemptions for investigations involving
terrorism
and national security matters...
In investigations involving national security and border integrity, the
new
policy adopts a lower standard, saying federal agents "may consider
race,
ethnicity and other relevant factors to the extent permitted by our
laws
and the Constitution..."
The racial information that the authorities can use in such cases does
not
have to be very specific. The policy notes that because terrorists have
the
ability to strike almost anywhere, "there can be no expectation that
the
information must be specific to a particular locale or even to a
particular
identified scheme."
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
said the new policy would do little to mollify Arab-Americans.
"There seem to be a lot of `buts' and `howevers' here that would allow
profiling of Arabs and Muslims to continue," Mr. Hooper said.
He said he found the policy paradoxical in light of a report from the
Justice Department this month criticizing the detentions of hundreds of
illegal immigrants, most of them Middle Eastern, after the 9/11
attacks.
"This is a problem that's certainly widespread, and I don't think this
policy does anything to help the situation," Mr. Hooper said.
-----
N.Y. JUDGE QUITS OVER 'TERRORIST' REMARK
Associated Press, 6/18/03
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/newyork/sns-ap-brf-ticket-terror,0,4294763.story
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. - A judge who admitted asking an Arab-American woman if
she
was a terrorist when she went to court last month to fight a parking
ticket
has stepped down.
Village Justice William Crosbie, 79, resigned in a letter Monday to the
mayor. The incident led the woman to file a complaint with the state
Commission on Judicial Conduct.
Anissa Khoder, a Lebanese who has lived in the United States 14 years,
said
she went to court because she received two tickets within an hour for
the
same parking violation and believed only one was valid.
Khoder, 46, said Crosbie asked if she was a terrorist, then said
"something
like, 'You have money to support the terrorists, but you don't want to
pay
the ticket.'"
Khoder then fainted; both tickets were dismissed.
Crosbie said he was "probably kidding" when he made the terrorist
remark.
He denied accusing Khoder of financially supporting terrorism.
Tarrytown is 12 miles north of New York City.
-----
FEDS WANT FBI FILES ON DOCTOR SEALED
Associated Press, 6/18/03
http://www.statesman.com/aponline/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/National/AP.V1040.AP-Apartment-Searc.html
PITTSBURGH - Federal prosecutors are trying to keep an Egyptian-born
doctor
from seeing sealed files that he hopes will bolster the lawsuit he
filed
against his landlord following an FBI search of his apartment on Sept.
11,
2001.
Basem Hussein, 37, filed a civil rights lawsuit against Sherri Lynn
Wilson,
the manager of his apartment, and Universal Development Management
Inc.,
the building's Ohio real estate firm. He says that following the
terrorist
attacks that day, Wilson told authorities there was an expensive
computer
and a flight manual for a Boeing 737 in the radiologist's apartment.
In fact, said Hussein's attorney, Craig Fishman, the flight manual was
for
a popular flight simulator computer program. The computer program,
Microsoft Flight Simulator, is widely available commercially and is
used
for entertainment purposes.
Authorities cleared Hussein within a couple of days and he was never
charged with a crime, but he says he lost his job as a result of the
government actions.
In his lawsuit, Fishman contends that U.S. Magistrate Judge Francis
Caiazza
had issued a search warrant of Hussein's apartment ``based on false and
misleading information...''
-----
PANELISTS FIND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ISLAM, CHRISTIANITY
Clayton Hardiman, Chronicle, 6/18/03
http://www.mlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news-2/1055947516280840.xml
The Rev. Glenn Wagner began warming up for Tuesday night's interfaith
dialogue three decades ago.
Wagner was a committed evangelical Christian when he arrived in Lebanon
in
1973 for two years of study at the American University of Beirut. His
roommate was a devout Sunni Muslim.
"I wanted to convert him in the first 10 minutes," Wagner recalled.
"And he sought to convert me. After a day, we decided that wasn't going
to
work too well.
"We decided I would be the best Christian I could be, and he would be
the
best Muslim he could be."
Thirty years later, Wagner's roommate, Afis Ayyub, is still a Muslim.
He is
also Lebanon's ambassador to the republic of Qatar. And Wagner, pastor
of
Community United Methodist Church in North Muskegon, is still
practicing
the same formula for interfaith dialogue.
Tuesday night, he was one of three Christian panelists engaging in
dialogue
with local Islamic leaders in an interfaith forum. About 75 people
attended
the forum at First Lutheran Church in North Muskegon.
They discussed principles of their faiths -- the Muslim's
uncompromising
monotheism and the Christian's portrait of God's love as revealed in
Jesus
Christ. They talked about the role of women, the history of conflict
and
the way language and culture have affected in faith communities and
society
And they discussed the challenge of remaining true to one's own faith
tradition while finding points of connection with others...
---
INCITEMENT WATCH: BILLY GRAHAM OFFICIAL SAYS ISLAM HAS 'DARK SIDE'
Evangelicals Advise on Muslim Dialogue
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/007/13.21.html
Roy Oksnevad, director of the Ministries to Muslims department at the
Billy
Graham Center at Wheaton College, said dialogue with Muslims is good
but of
limited value. "There is a dark side to Islam, and, frankly, I've never
met
a Muslim who understood the concept of the Trinity."
-----
TARGETED DEPORTATIONS RISE:
The Number of Arabs and Muslims Ousted from the U.S. Nearly Doubled
Thomas Ginsberg, Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/18/03
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/6111125.htm
Federal agents trying to prevent terrorism deported 75 percent more
undocumented Arabs and Muslims last year than the year before, a marked
shift in immigration enforcement.
At the same time, officials booted out 16 percent fewer illegal
immigrants
overall as they shifted their focus away from non-Muslims, notably
Mexicans, according to an Inquirer analysis of 1993-2002 deportation
data.
The ethnic makeup of deported foreigners shows how far
immigration-enforcement officials went to tailor their focus by
nationality
after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Now the selectivity based on national origin is posing a dilemma about
broader immigration enforcement. While praising the focus on people
they
say fit the profile of the 9/11 hijackers, supporters of stricter
immigration laws want the Bush administration to expand the hunt to all
illegal immigrants, regardless of background.
"It does make sense to start with people from terrorist states," said
Rosemary Jenks, director of government relations for Numbers USA, a
nonprofit group that advocates curtailing immigration. "But we haven't
seen
any indication that we're moving beyond those terrorist-sponsor states
yet.... This White House has very, very mixed feelings about the whole
immigration issue..."
SEE ALSO
LA ROCHE COLLEGE OFFICIAL: ARREST OF ARAB STUDENT AN OVERREACTION
Bill Schackner and Lillian Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6/18/03
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03169/193938.stm
A La Roche College administrator says the federal government has
overreacted by detaining a Jordanian student since last week for
missing a
special registration deadline that applies to males from mostly Arab
and
Muslim countries.
The official, Ken Service, executive vice president of the Pacem in
Terris
Institute, said yesterday that he and the college's president,
Monsignor
William Kerr, are willing to travel to York, Pa., to testify on behalf
of
the student, Abdelqader K. Abu-Snaineh. He has been held without bail
for
eight days and has a hearing scheduled for Monday.
Service, whose campus has now finished its internal review of the
matter,
said, "We never expected this level of reaction on the part of
immigration
officials. We feel this is an overreaction on the part of the people
who
made the decision to make the arrest. From our perspective, this is a
student who came forward voluntarily to correct a mistake he had made."
The college contacted the federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement about the student's failure to meet the April 25 deadline.
Service said the student had informed the college that he had forgotten
to
register, and the school was trying to help the student, who wasn't
sure
what he should do.
In the future, Service said, the school intends to deal with such cases
"more cautiously, probably checking with legal counsel first before
contacting immigration officials..."
---
INDEFENSIBLE SECRECY
Washington Post, 6/18/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7662-2003Jun17.html
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit handed
down
a dreadful decision yesterday affirming the government's authority to
keep
secret basic information concerning the hundreds of people detained
during
the Sept. 11 investigation -- information such as their names, dates of
arrest and release and the names of their lawyers. The government has
publicly tallied the number of people detained on immigration charges,
few
of whom remain in custody. Others it has charged criminally, and it has
detained an unknown number of people as material witnesses. But to this
day, even in the face of allegations of abuse, the public lacks any
comprehensive sense of who was arrested and how they were treated.
When a coalition of civil liberties and other groups sued under the
Freedom
of Information Act for better information, supported in a friend of the
court brief by The Washington Post Co. and other media organizations, a
district court judge ordered disclosure of the names of the detainees
and
their attorneys. Now the court of appeals has reversed in a 2 to 1
decision
that sets an ugly precedent: The government need only whisper the words
"national security," the court says in effect, and the courts will roll
over...
-----
PATRIOT ACT II, AND MEANS TO WEIGH IT, EMERGE IN BITS: DEVIL IN THE
DETAILS
Chisun Lee, Village Voice, 6/18/03
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0325/lee.php
Adrenaline coursing, civil liberties watchers have anticipated the
coming
of Patriot Act II for months. The Bush administration was expected to
demand a colossal package of new anti-terrorism powers from Congress as
early as this spring, according to a draft of legislation leaked in
February and a Justice Department statement to the Voice in March.
Scores of local citizens' groups across the country and a bipartisan
bunch
of congress members got on the alert. They insisted the administration
account for its use of existing authorities before demanding a
sweeping,
new Patriot Act II. They waited.
Now the moment has arrived, just not with the expected bang. Both
Patriot
Act II and the means for evaluating it have begun to materialize, in
scattered pieces. On June 5, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft
slipped a
wish list of major new anti-terrorism powers into a day of
congressional
testimony that ranged widely from Al Qaeda to intellectual property to
DNA
evidence. A wealth of revelations about the Bush administration's
anti-terrorism conduct has also emerged, not in one grand exposé but
sprinkled among various reports, court outcomes, and congressional
Q&As.
The public now has access to a great deal of information to rate the
administration's conduct in the war on terrorism and to tell its
representatives in Congress whether to pass or block a Patriot Act II.
Yet
some of the most telling tidbits, especially from two major
developments in
recent weeks, have not been reported as such...
SEE ALSO:
SUPERVISORS URGED TO PASS ANTI-PATRIOT ACT RESOLUTION
Ucilia Wang, Press Democrat, 6/18/03
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/local/news/18patriot_b3.html
LAKEPORT - Lake County residents on Tuesday urged the Board of
Supervisors
to pass a resolution opposing the USA Patriot Act, which has sparked
heated
debates across the North Coast over its impact on civil liberties.
Lake County supervisors voted 5-0 to draft a resolution that would
specify
why they consider the Patriot Act a violation of the civil rights
granted
by the U.S. Constitution...
Most of the 16 people who spoke at Tuesday's meeting said the law gives
authorities too much power to spy on people without good cause and
threatens to silence critics of government.
"It (the act) allows the government agents to hide behind it," said
Victoria Brandon, a Clearlake resident. "Secrecy is something that
scares me."
More than 120 cities and counties in the country -- including the
states of
Alaska, Hawaii and Vermont -- have voiced their fears of the act's
broad
investigative powers...
---
FIRST CASE IN REGION UNDER PATRIOT ACT
Greg Hardesty, Orange County Register, 6/18/03
http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=44234
SANTA ANA - A Garden Grove man injured when a nail-packed pipe bomb
exploded in his lap while he sat in a car outside Rep. Loretta
Sanchez's
office was charged Tuesday with using a weapon of mass destruction -
the
first time a Southern Californian has been accused of violating the
Patriot
Act.
If convicted, Hai Duc Le, 34, faces a possible life sentence under the
federal statute passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks -
and a
mandatory minimum of 35 years to life in prison, said John Hueston,
chief
of the U.S. Attorney branch in Santa Ana.
Under state law, Le would have faced a maximum seven years in prison,
District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said.
"Anything like this is pursued aggressively as a possible terrorist act
until we know otherwise," said Matt McLaughlin, an FBI spokesman in Los
Angeles. "That's where we are these days."
The target of Sunday's blast remains a mystery, however. Officials
conceded
that no direct link has been established between the bomb and the fact
that
Le and his brother were seeking immigration help from Sanchez.
-----
U.S. TROOPS KILL TWO IRAQI PROTESTERS
Arthur Max, Associated Press, 6/18/03
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2947215
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops opened fire at former Iraqi soldiers
demonstrating to demand back wages outside the American headquarters in
Baghdad Wednesday, killing two protesters during a chaotic,
rock-throwing
melee.
Military officers initially reported two people were wounded, while
Iraqis
at the scene said two were killed and one wounded. U.S. troops took two
fallen Iraqis to an army aid station inside the compound, and U.S.
Marine
Corps Maj. Sean Gibson confirmed the two Iraqis had died.
The shooting came one day after a human rights group accused U.S.
troops of
using excessive force during a protest in the town of Fallujah in
April.
Another military spokesman said the incident began when the
demonstrators
threw stones at a convoy of military police vehicles moving toward the
arched gateway of the Republican Palace, Saddam Hussein's former
presidential compound and now the headquarters of the U.S.-led
administration.
``A soldier did fire his weapon,'' in response to the stoning, said
Capt.
John Morgan, the spokesman.
SEE ALSO:
IRAQIS SAY US FIRED INDISCRIMINATELY
Sabah Jerges, Associated Press, 6/18/03
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/coxnet/iraq/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V9557.AP-Iraq-Convoy-Att.html
MUSHAHIDAH, Iraq - When a convoy of Fourth Infantry Division soldiers
was
caught in an ambush on Sunday, the soldiers opened fire to protect
themselves and an Iraqi civilian bus was caught in the crossfire, the
military said a day after the incident.
The communique said six soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously,
as
the convoy passed through this agricultural town 22 miles north of
Baghdad.
It said the number of casualties on the bus was not known.
But the bus driver, Abdul Rahman Mohammed Ali, 25, told The Associated
Press on Tuesday he was passing a convoy of six or seven vehicles when
he
heard an explosion and the Americans fired wildly on the bus and on the
roadside. Witnesses agreed with his account.
Seven people on the bus were wounded, at least one of them by U.S.
gunfire,
in addition to a bystander on the roadside, said the witnesses and the
driver.
The conflicting versions speak to the differences between the dry
language
of a military communique about the actions of American troops and the
impassioned stories from Iraqis caught in the crossfire...
---
US TROOPS 'USED EXCESSIVE FORCE' AT FALLUJAH PROTEST
Phil Reeves, Independent, 6/18/03
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=416478
The United States should hold a "full, independent and impartial"
inquiry
into the "apparent use of excessive force" by American troops who
allegedly
opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators in the Iraqi town of Fallujah,
according to a report issued yesterday by Human Rights Watch.
As debate grows over the bungled aftermath of the invasion, the group
also
accuses US authorities of following a "recipe for disaster" by placing
combat-ready soldiers in a volatile environment without adequate
training,
translators or crowd control devices.
The report's publication came as another US soldier was killed, this
time
by a sniper in Baghdad, bringing the number of American troops killed
since
the end of major combat operations to about 50. In a parallel
development,
guerrillas carried out drive-by shootings at several public buildings -
including Fallujah's mayor's office and courthouse - a new stage of
violence that seems to be an effort to deter Iraqi officials from
co-operating with the US...
---
SOLDIERS FRISKING WOMEN ALARMS IRAQIS
Borzou Daragahi, Associated Press, 6/18/03
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V0365.AP-Iraq-Frisking-W.html
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. security concerns have clashed with Iraq's
traditional
culture in a potentially volatile flap over American men frisking Iraqi
women.
The practice is not widespread, and the Americans say they use it only
as a
last resort. But tales of such incidents - and television footage of a
male
American soldier patting down a chador-clad Iraqi woman - have sparked
outrage in Iraq.
The issue is being talked about throughout the country - in homes and
cafes
and during sermons by religious readers at Friday prayers.
``There's no doubt that unrelated men even touching Muslim women is not
allowed in our religion,'' said Sheikh Muhammad Mahmoud al-Samarayee, a
cleric at Baghdad's Imam al-Adham seminary.
``If they really want to respect the Muslim people, they have to use
women
soldiers to search women...''
---
IRAQIS VOICE FEAR OF SIGNING AWAY THEIR IDENTITY
Michael Slackman, Los Angeles Times, 6/18/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq18jun18,1,4815454.story
After all that has happened in Iraq -- the bombing, the fall of the
government, the disruption of services, the looting, the crime and
foreign
troops in the streets -- the latest affront to many Iraqis is one
sentence
in one document. All citizens who work for the government are required
to
sign a document that states, "I will obey the laws of Iraq and all
proclamations, orders and instructions of the Coalition Provisional
Authority."
In an Islamic society where faith and state are intertwined, many fear
this
provision is designed to undermine their religion.
Hundreds of residents of this city about an hour's drive southeast of
Baghdad took their concerns to the streets Monday in a peaceful
demonstration, and their leaders are threatening further protests --
even a
call for a nationwide strike -- if the document is not amended. The
U.S.-led administration has refused.
"We are afraid that this is paving the way in order for the Americans
to
abolish our Iraqi and Islamic identity," said Said Adnan Unaibi, who
serves
as a local representative for one of the two main schools of Shiite
Muslim
thinking in Iraq. "This represents a provocation of the people..."
-----
MOST MUSLIM STUDENTS HONOR AMERICAN SOCIETY
Mateen A. Khan, Wall Street Journal, 6/18/03
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
I am a product of the Muslim Students' Association ("Radical Politics:
Idaho Arrest Puts Muslim Students Under Scrutiny," May 28 and Letters,
June
4 and 9). I was born in the U.S. and consider myself 100% American...
For most readers, your article provided the first impression of the
MSA. By
juxtaposing the terms "Muslim Students" and "Arrest" in your headline,
you
associate the general Muslim student population with crime. By doing
so,
you further incite discrimination against the Muslim population in
America.
The article states, "MSA chapters also have helped raise money for
Muslim
charities now accused by the U.S. government of serving as fronts for
financing terrorism abroad." Such a statement indirectly links Muslim
students with financing terrorist organizations. Such statements
further
perpetuate negative stereotypes against all Muslims...
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OHIO MUSLIMS MEET WITH FBI TO DISCUSS CONCERNS
Meeting prompted by report that local Muslim is terror suspect
(COLUMBUS, OHIO, 6/19/03) - Leaders of the Central Ohio Islamic
community
met Wednesday with representatives of the FBI and state law enforcement
to
discuss issues of mutual concern, including a report that a Muslim in
that
state is suspected of being a member of al Qaeda.
Other issues addressed at the meeting, which was facilitated by the
Ohio
office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio),
included
protection against anti-Muslim hate crimes, the FBI's counterterrorism
efforts and ways of improving cooperation between law enforcement and
the
Islamic community.
"Like all Americans, the Muslim community is concerned about the
security
of America," said CAIR-Ohio Executive Director Jad Humeidan. "The
leadership of the Ohio Muslim community is ready, willing and able to
work
with law enforcement authorities for the safety and security of this
country."
The meeting included representatives of the Columbus District Office of
the
FBI, Ohio Southern District Office of the FBI-Cincinnati Ohio, Ohio
Department of Public Safety, Ohio Office of Homeland Security, Ohio
State
Highway Patrol, and the Columbus Division of Police.
James Turgal, Chief Division Council for the Cincinnati office of the
FBI
stated: "The Muslim community is not the target of any investigation,
and
they should not feel threatened or afraid to perform their religious
obligations or their daily tasks."
"The law enforcement community is lagging behind when it comes to
building
bridges with the Muslim community," said Kenneth Morckel, Director of
the
Ohio Department of Public Safety. "There is a need to hold regular
meetings
with representatives of the Muslim community to update each other on
ongoing issues. Also there is a need to build methods to educate each
other."
Chief John Rockwell of the Columbus Police Department assured meeting
attendees that "every crime against the Muslim community will be
immediately and vigorously investigated…The city of Columbus will not
tolerate any hate crime against any of its citizens."
CAIR-Ohio will in the near future facilitate a town hall meeting
between
the Muslim community and law enforcement officials. CAIR-Ohio will also
provide sensitivity training to the FBI, state and local law
enforcement
agencies.
Meeting participants agreed that similar gatherings will be held
quarterly
to address any issues that might arise.
Representatives of CAIR-Ohio, Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio,
Islamic
Society of Greater Columbus, Sunrise Academy, and Somali Community were
present at the meeting.
CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group. It is
headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices
nationwide
and in Canada. Since its founding in 1994, CAIR has defended the civil
and
religious rights of all Americans. There are more than 30,000 Muslim in
central Ohio, 150,000 in Ohio, and some seven million in America.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Ohio Executive Director Jad Humeidan at 614-451-3232 or
614-571-2770
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FLORIDA MUSLIMS RELIEVED BY SENTENCING OF TERRORIST
(TAMPA, FL, 6/19/03) - The Florida office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) today expressed relief that a
terrorist convicted of plotting to bomb some 50 Islamic institutions in
that state was given the maximum sentence of 12½ years by a Tampa
judge.
Robert Goldstein, 38, pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to violate
civil rights, attempting to damage religious property and possession of
bombs. Goldstein, who is Jewish, said he wanted to retaliate against
Arabs
and Muslims for the 9/11 terror attacks. His ex-wife was sentenced last
week to three years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing
explosives.
Under sentencing guidelines, Goldstein could have received as little as
10
years in prison, but the judge said the seriousness of the offense
justified the maximum sentence.
"Florida's Muslim community is pleased to see this disturbing episode
come
to an end," said CAIR-FL Executive Director Altaf Ali. "We have been
assured by the Assistant U.S. Attorney that all suspects in this plot
are
now behind bars."
Ali urged Florida Muslims to go about their normal routines, but also
cautioned the community to not let down its guard. He said that in
recent
months, his group has received several complaints of harassment and
discrimination against Florida Muslims.
"We commend the members of Florida's law enforcement community for
their
professional work in averting what could have been a deadly attack. We
also
thank the judge in this case for handing Goldstein the maximum sentence
allowed under the law," said CAIR-FL Communications Director Ahmed
Bedier.
Bedier reminded Muslims to download the "Muslim Community Safety Kit"
from
CAIR-FL's website: www.cair-florida.org
CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group. It is
headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices
nationwide
and in Canada. Since its founding in 1994, CAIR has defended the civil
and
religious rights of all Americans.
- END -
CONTACT: Altaf Ali, 954-298-8214, E-MAIL: altaf@cair-florida.org; Ahmed
Bedier, 813-731-9506, E-MAIL: abedier@cair-florida.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/20/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PROPHET'S SUPPLICATION
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6091 SPONSORSHIPS
- Positive Stories Sought for CAIR'S 'Washington Live'
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* PATRIOT ACT SPARKS NEW LEGISLATION (Summit Daily)
* NIGHTMARE WITHOUT END (Beacon Journal)
- Don't Register, Go to Prison (Post-Gazette)
- Jordanian Student Released (AP)
- False Tips to FBI Uproot Lives of Suspects (NY Times)
* DOCTOR GETS 12½ YEARS FOR PLOT TARGETING MUSLIMS (Sun-Sentinel)
- Doc Sentenced for Plan to Attack on Islamic Center (AP)
* CONCERN FOR PATRIOT ACT SPARKS NEW LEGISLATION (Summit Daily)
* GOD CHALLENGING SOUTHERN BAPTISTS TO REACH MUSLIMS (BP News)
* US TROOPS 'SHOOT CIVILIANS' (Evening Standard)
- U.S. Troops Frustrated With Role in Iraq (Wash. Post)
- Iraqis Were Set to Vote but U.S. Wielded Veto (NY Times)
* MILITARY ACTION ON IRAN AN OPTION - U.S. OFFICIAL (Reuters)
* AL-ARIAN DENIED PHONE CALLS FOR 6 MONTHS
- With Quiet Resolve, She Fights for Father (St. Pete Times)
* MICHIGAN MUSLIMS PLAN MEIJER DEMO
* 'LISTENING TO ISLAM' PROMOTES INTERFAITH UNDERSTANDING (Hallmark)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAYS: THE PROPHET'S SUPPLICATION
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to offer the following
supplication to God:
"O God, by Thy knowledge of the unseen and Thy power to create, grant
me
life as long as thou knowest life to be best for me, and take me when
thou
knowest death to be best for me. O God, I ask Thee for fear (and love)
of
Thee both within my secret heart and openly. I ask Thee for the word of
truth in pleasure and anger; I ask Thee for moderation both in poverty
and
riches; I ask Thee for felicity which does not pass away. I ask Thee
for
comfort which is not cut off. I ask Thee for satisfaction with what is
decreed. I ask Thee for a pleasant life after death. I ask Thee for the
pleasure of looking at Thy face, and longing to meet Thee in a state in
which distress does not cause harm or testing lead astray. O God,
beautify
us with the adornment of faith, and make us (among those) who are
rightly
guided."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 788
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6091 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6091 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
"We appreciate this very generous donation. We would have liked to
purchase some of these books but couldn't afford them." - Sudbury, VT
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
CAIR is also looking for positive feature stories to air on our show.
If
you, or any you know, are making positive contributions to our society
either in a political, religious-cultural, or social way, please
contact
Rabiah Ahmed at rahmed@cair-net.org.
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
CONCERN FOR PATRIOT ACT SPARKS NEW LEGISLATION IN CONGRESS
Ryan Slabaugh, Summit Daily, 6/20/03
http://www.summitdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030620/NEWS/306200102
As U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft prepares his Domestic Security
Enhancement Act of 2003, or Patriot Act II, the impacts of the initial
Patriot Act are still being debated in Congress.
The American Library Association (ALA), along with groups such as the
American Civil Liberties Union, have teamed with senators and
representatives in hopes of limiting a law enforcement agency's ability
to
"manipulate the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution," said Lynne
Bradley,
director of the American Library Association's government relations...
Four bills are being introduced and sponsored by 114 congressmen,
including
U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., who represents Summit County and the 2nd
District.
The first, the Freedom to Read Protection Act of 2003, amends FISA by
requiring the attorney general to "fully inform the appropriate
congressional committees" about the requests for intelligence orders,
and
to analyze the effectiveness of each application of the Patriot Act
against
terrorism.
The second, the Domestic Surveillance Oversight Act of 2003, requires
more
reporting regarding investigations that use library records. One of the
major complaints about the Patriot Act, coming from civil libertarians
and
Congress, has been the lack of a paper trail in holding detainees and
terrorist suspects.
The third, the Library and Bookseller Protection Act, also deals with
more
reporting of issues dealing with the requests of information from
booksellers or librarians...
The final act, the Surveillance Oversight and Disclosure Act of 2003,
is a
call to a return to pre-Patriot Act laws that require more than a hunch
that a suspect is an agent of a foreign power as a basis for requesting
information...
-----
NIGHTMARE WITHOUT END
Carl Chancellor, Beacon Journal, 6/20/03
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/6130630.htm
KENT - The last seven months have been a nightmare for Michele Swenson
-- a
bad dream that just seems to keep getting worse.
The world of this Kent mother of three began to unravel when her
husband,
Ashraf Al-Jailani, 39, a permanent legal resident from Yemen, was
arrested
in October, in part because of FBI suspicions that he is a Muslim
extremist
with ties to alleged terrorists…
Al-Jailani, currently being held in a Pennsylvania prison, has been
behind
bars since his arrest. But he has never been formally charged -- a
situation thousands of Arabs and Middle Easterners have found
themselves in
since 9/11.
Mary Troutman, the FBI's senior resident agent in Akron, confirmed that
Al-Jailani had not yet been charged, but declined to comment further
because of the active nature of the case.
Without Al-Jailani's income and lacking family or friends nearby, the
family soon became destitute. And the American-born Swenson -- she and
her
husband met in Japan as exchange students -- found herself suffering
from
depression.
A concerned doctor who had been treating her felt her condition was
worsening and ordered her hospitalized on June 2. That same evening,
Kent
police came to take her to St. Thomas Hospital. Arriving with the
police
were Portage County social workers, who took custody of the couple's
children -- Amina, 6, Layla, 4, and Sami, 4...
Last March an immigration judge concluded that the FBI had failed to
present enough evidence to continue to hold Al-Jailani. The judge
ordered
that he be released on a $1,500 bond. However, federal officials
blocked
the order and continue to allege that Al-Jailani is a Muslim extremist
and
therefore a national security threat…
SEE ALSO:
DON'T REGISTER, GO TO PRISON
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6/19/03
http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/20030619edstudent0619p1.asp
There is a fine line between homeland security and homegrown paranoia,
between reasonable security measures and unreasonable overreaction,
between
protecting America's way of life and compromising it. Such distinctions
collided in the case of Abdelqader K. Abu-Snaineh, a 21-year-old
Jordanian
student at La Roche College, who was sent to prison for what in normal
times might be forgiven as a simple oversight.
Mr. Abu-Snaineh did not meet an April 25 deadline for registering with
immigration authorities, which, post-Sept. 11, 2001, is required of
thousands of foreign visitors to this country, many of them Muslim. He
should have done so, no argument.
But tardiness is one thing and a threat to the republic is another. In
this
case, the young man realized his mistake and asked a school official
what
he should do. La Roche says it told immigration officials of his status
in
the process of seeking guidance.
In the circumstances, a governmental response was reasonable, but the
nature of the action raised questions. If this was an honest oversight,
should it have been punished with immediate imprisonment? That seemed
absurd, and eventually the government agreed...
---
JORDANIAN STUDENT RELEASED
Todd Spangler, AP, 6/19/03
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=8394490&BRD=2212&PAG=461&dept_id=465812&rfi=6
PITTSBURGH - A Jordanian college student accused of failing to register
with federal authorities before a deadline expired was released
Wednesday
after being detained for more than a week, an immigration official
said.
George Hess, interim director of the federal Bureau of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement's Pittsburgh office, said Abdel Qader Abu-Snaineh,
a
21-year-old student at La Roche College, was released from federal
detention in York after $1,500 bail was posted on his behalf.
He still faces possible deportation on the charge, Hess said.
Although Abu-Snaineh had been held for a week without bail, it was
abruptly
set Tuesday by the agency with no explanation. Before bail was set, it
was
believed the student would only be released if bail was set by an
immigration judge.
Hess refused to comment on why the federal agency set bail for
Abu-Snaineh.
The $1,500 bail was paid by La Roche College, and Ken Service, vice
president for institutional relations at the school, said a bus ticket
was
sent to York to bring the student back to Pittsburgh...
---
FALSE TERRORISM TIPS TO F.B.I. UPROOT THE LIVES OF SUSPECTS
Michael Moss, New York Times, 6/19/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/19/national/19TIP.html
One evening in late April, the F.B.I. chief in Indiana, Thomas V.
Fuentes,
went to a crowded basement in an Evansville mosque to ask for help in
the
fight against terrorism. Some 100 Muslims listened politely.
Then the wife of a local restaurateur spoke up to tell him what had
happened the last time agents came calling, shortly after the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks. On a tip, her husband, Tarek Albasti, and eight
other
men were rounded up, shackled, paraded in front of a newspaper
photographer
and jailed for a week. The tip turned out to be false.
But four of the men were then listed in a national crime registry as
having
been accused of terrorism, even though they were never charged, as the
F.B.I. later conceded. The branding prevented them from flying, renting
apartments and landing jobs.
"People were crying as she describes this," Mr. Fuentes recalled. "And
at
the end, she says, 'My husband was released, and in 19 months nobody
has
ever said, I'm sorry about what happened.' "
Mr. Fuentes did more than apologize. Last week, at his behest, a
federal
judge ordered that the men's names be erased from all federal crime
records.
The unusual public move to clear the Evansville men of suspicion comes
after several terrorism cases collapsed because they were based on tips
that proved wrong...
-----
DOCTOR GETS 12½ YEARS FOR BOMB PLOT TARGETING MUSLIMS AROUND FLA.
Tanya Weinberg, Sun-Sentinel, 6/20/03
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-cterror20jun20,0,7174780.story
A Pinellas County podiatrist who amassed weapons and a list of 50
Islamic
centers throughout Florida was sentenced on Thursday to 121/2 years for
plotting to bomb a mosque in retaliation for the Sept. 11 attacks and
ongoing suicide bombings in Israel.
In his plea agreement, Robert Goldstein, 38, acknowledged telling a
co-conspirator he "wanted to do something for his people," by which he
meant Jews. In court on Thursday he tearfully apologized to the Muslim
community, saying mental illness had left him "in a very dark place,
and in
pain in my mind and soul."
U.S. District Judge James S. Moody gave the maximum term under federal
sentencing guidelines, noting "the seriousness of the offense and fear
it
struck in the community." He said he would recommend Goldstein serve
his
time at a federal mental hospital.
Goldstein was arrested in August after his then-wife became concerned
he
was acting unstable. At Goldstein's home, Pinellas County sheriff's
deputies discovered light-armor rockets, hand grenades, machine guns,
sniper rifles, more than 30 homemade bombs and 25,000 rounds of
ammunition.
Authorities soon found the list of mosques, a meticulous plan of attack
and
the stated objective: "Kill all `rags' at this Islamic Education Center
--
ZERO residual presence -- maximum effect..."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has complained that the plea
deal
eliminated a trial that could have shed light on a larger conspiracy
behind
the plot. Ahmed Bedier, who attends the Pinellas County mosque and
whose
son loves to climb the monkey bars in the playground Goldstein included
in
his diagram for attack, said the plot left his community terrorized.
"People go to the mosque or houses of worship to turn to God and for
peace
of mind," he said. "It's difficult to have those feelings when you have
this in the back of your mind."
SEE ALSO:
PODIATRIST GETS 12 1/2 YEARS IN PLANNED ATTACK ON ISLAMIC CENTER
Mitch Stacy, AP, 6/19/03
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/0619mosque.html
TAMPA, Fla. - A Pinellas County podiatrist apologized to the Muslim
community Thursday before a judge sentenced him to the maximum 12 1/2
years
in prison for building bombs and planning an attack on a neighborhood
Islamic cultural center...
Dressed in an orange jail outfit, Goldstein stood in court Thursday and
tearfully begged forgiveness from local Muslims, blaming the crimes on
his
severe mental illness. He said that when authorities foiled his plot
last
year, "I was in a very dark place, and in pain in my mind and soul."
"I was so lost at the time, but I take responsibility for what I have
done," he said.
But Ahmed Bedier, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
and a worshipper at the Islamic center, called Goldstein a "terrorist"
and
said the sentence was too lenient.
"Had the situation been reversed and it was a Muslim planning the
attacks,
we don't know if we would ever see them again," Bedier said...
Goldstein's sentencing comes nearly a week after his ex-wife, Kristi
Lee
Persinger, was sentenced to three years in prison as his accomplice.
She
pleaded guilty to possessing five bombs that were found in her bedroom
closet.
Temple Terrace dentist Michael Hardee, a family friend who agreed to
drive
Goldstein to the Islamic center for the attack, pleaded guilty to
federal
conspiracy charges and was sentenced to 41 months.
-----
GOD CHALLENGING SOUTHERN BAPTISTS TO REACH MUSLIM WORLD, RANKIN SAYS
Mark Kelly, BP News, 6/19/03,
http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=16156
PHOENIX - God is moving in amazing power all over the world, and the
question is whether Southern Baptists will rise to the extraordinary
opportunities He is giving to bless the nations, International Mission
Board President Jerry Rankin told messengers to the Southern Baptist
Convention June 18.
"We have rejoiced in the last decade to see a mighty outpouring of
God's
Spirit across Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and China, in
places we would never have imagined sending missionaries," Rankin said.
"A
phenomenal harvest is emerging with thousands of churches being
planted.
Researchers tell us that as many as 30,000 new believers a day are
coming
to faith in Jesus Christ in China."
Even in the Muslim world, where multitudes of isolated people groups
have
never heard the name of Jesus, God is breaking down barriers to the
good
news of His love, Rankin said...
Rankin cited Iraq as a case in point, introducing a Baptist worker who
had
flown directly to Phoenix from Baghdad, where IMB workers and
volunteers
are launching post-war relief efforts.
The worker told the assembly he was deeply concerned whether Southern
Baptists would "run toward" the opportunity God is giving them in Iraq
and
the Muslim world.
He told about an Islamic terrorist who had a vision of a great light
while
listening to a radio broadcast. In his vision, he was carried up into
the
light, and a voice told him to "follow the prayer." When the vision
faded,
a sermon on the Lord's Prayer was on the radio.
Today the former terrorist is a pastor of a small house church in a
Muslim
nation, bringing people to Christ, the worker said...
-----
US TROOPS 'SHOOT CIVILIANS'
Bob Graham, Evening Standard, 6/19/03
http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/5401680?source=Evening%20Standard
American soldiers in Iraq today make the astonishing admission that
they
regularly kill civilians.
In a series of disturbing interviews which throws light on the chaos
gripping the country, GIs also confess to leaving wounded Iraqi
fighters to
die, and even to shooting injured enemy soldiers. They say they are
frequently confronted by fighters dressed as civilians, including
women.
Their response is often to shoot first and ask questions later, even
when
it means killing genuine civilians. Yesterday, US troops killed at
least
one man and injured three others during a demonstration in Baghdad by
former Iraqi soldiers protesting at not being paid for two months. US
troops first fired into the air and then into the crowd after the
demonstrators began throwing stones and bricks.
In the worsening cycle of violence, American tactics like these are
feeding
the resentment of many Iraqis who object to the occupation of their
country. US troops are facing a growing number of hit and run guerrilla
attacks and more than 40 soldiers have been killed since George Bush
declared the war over seven weeks ago...
ALSO SEE:
U.S. TROOPS FRUSTRATED WITH ROLE IN IRAQ
Daniel Williams and Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post, 6/20/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14492-2003Jun19.html
BAGHDAD - Facing daily assaults from a well-armed resistance, U.S.
troops
in volatile central Iraq say they are growing frustrated and
disillusioned
with their role as postwar peacekeepers.
In conversations in a half-dozen towns across central Iraq, soldiers
complained that they have been insufficiently equipped for peacekeeping
and
too thinly deployed in areas where they are under attack from fighters
evidently loyal to deposed president Saddam Hussein. Others questioned
whether the armed opposition to the U.S. presence in Iraq may be deeper
and
more organized than military commanders have acknowledged.
"What are we getting into here?" asked a sergeant with the U.S. Army's
4th
Infantry Division who is stationed near Baqubah, a city 30 miles
northeast
of Baghdad. "The war is supposed to be over, but every day we hear of
another soldier getting killed. Is it worth it? Saddam isn't in power
anymore. The locals want us to leave. Why are we still here?"
Today, a soldier from the 804th Medical Brigade was killed when a
rocket-propelled grenade struck a military ambulance carrying a soldier
wounded in another incident, said Capt. John Morgan, a military
spokesman
here. The attack, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, produced the third
U.S.
fatality from hostile fire in four days. Two other soldiers were
wounded in
today's ambush...
---
IRAQIS WERE SET TO VOTE, BUT U.S. WIELDED A VETO
David Rohde, New York Times, 6/19/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/19/international/worldspecial/19NAJA.html
AJAF, Iraq - American marines had built makeshift wooden ballot boxes.
An
Army reserve unit from Green Bay, Wis., had conducted a voter
registration
drive. And Iraqi political candidates had blanketed the city with
colorful
fliers outlining their election platforms - restore electricity,
rehabilitate the old quarter, repave roads.
But last week, L. Paul Bremer III, the head of the American military
occupation in Iraq, unilaterally canceled what American officials here
said
would have been the first such election in Iraq since the fall of
Saddam
Hussein. Overruling the local American military commander, Mr. Bremer
decreed that conditions in Najaf were not appropriate for an election.
Several days later, American marines stormed the offices of an obscure
local political party here, arrested four members and jailed them for
four
days. The offense, the Americans said, was a violation of a new edict
by
Mr. Bremer that makes it illegal to incite violence against forces
occupying Iraq.
Mohammed Abdul Hadi, an official in the party, the Supreme Council for
the
Liberation of Iraq, accused the United States of a double standard.
"Why do you apply these constraints on us in Iraq," he said, "and they
are
not being applied by the American government on Americans?"
The events here exposed an uncomfortable truth of the American
occupation.
For now, American officials are barring direct elections in Iraq and
limiting free speech, two of the very ideals the United States has
promised
to Iraqis. American officials have said it may take up to two years for
an
elected Iraqi government to take over the country...
-----
MILITARY ACTION ON IRAN AN OPTION - U.S. OFFICIAL
Reuters, 6/20/03
LONDON- The United States reserves the right to take military action to
stop Iran developing nuclear weapons, a leading member of President
George
W. Bush's administration said on Friday.
"It has to be an option," John Bolton, under secretary of state for
arms
control and international security, told BBC radio when pressed on the
issue.
But he stressed that it was one among an array of possibilities and
relatively low down the agenda.
"The president has repeatedly said that all options are on the table,
but
that is not only not our preference it is far, far from our minds,"
Bolton
said.
The United States has steadily ratcheted up the pressure on Iran, which
with Russian help is building a nuclear power station, to abide by the
nuclear non-proliferation treaty and sign a new protocol that would
allow
snap inspections.
Washington, which suspects that Tehran is trying to develop a secret
nuclear arms programme, insists the plant could be used to produce
weapons-grade material.
Nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday
criticised Iran's failure to comply with agreements designed to prevent
the
use of civilian nuclear resources to make atomic weapons.
But its statement fell short of the damning resolution Washington had
hoped
for.
-----
Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace Action Alert
AL-ARIAN DENIED PHONE CALLS FOR 6 MONTHS
At a hearing at Coleman Federal Penitentiary yesterday, prison
officials
deprived Dr. Sami Al-Arian of phone calls to family and friends for a
period of six months. Officials said Dr. Al-Arian was being punished
because his wife connected him by telephone to his eldest son in
London.
Although Dr. Al-Arian was allowed to engage in three-way conversations
at
Orient Road Jail, where pre-trial detainees in Tampa are held, at
Coleman
Federal Penitentiary, he is treated worse than convicted felons who
have
more freedom and privileges.
This development is the latest in a series of steps taken by prison
officials to psychologically torture Dr. Al-Arian and cause him to lose
touch with the outside world. In addition to depriving him of telephone
conversations with his family, officials have denied Dr. Al-Arian
access to
a watch, and they have also removed all clocks from his vicinity. This
impedes Dr. Al-Arian's ability to determine prayer times, making it
difficult for him to perform his religious duties.
Clearly, the excessively harsh and punitive conditions in which Dr.
Al-Arian has been placed are designed to deprive him of any conception
of
space and time...
Nahla Al-Arian, Dr. Al-Arian's wife, said: "This decision is not only
affecting Sami, but it's also affecting the children. It's enough that
he
already was given very limited phone access- one call a month. We're
constantly worried about him as it is, and now we can't even know if
he's
alive or otherwise unless we visit. If we don't visit, we won't know
anything about him. This is inhumane. This is not America, where
people's
rights are protected. This is torture..."
ACTION ALERT:
Please act IMMEDIATELY to end these atrocious conditions.
Contacts to write, call, fax and phone:
1. Judge Thomas B. McCoun III, U.S. District Court, 801 North Florida
Ave., Tampa, FL 33602
Ask the judge why Al-Arian has not received permission to defend
himself.
Ask him about Al-Arian's due process rights and inhumane treatment and
ask
that he be moved closer to family and lawyers.
2. Donald McKelvy, Warden, U.S. Penitentiary, PO Box 1023, Coleman,
FL 33521 352-689-3003; fax: 352-689-3003
3. Harley G. Lappin, Director, U.S. Bureau of Prisons, 320 First
Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20534; 202-307-3250; fax: 202-514-6878
Ask why Al-Arian is in solitary, frequently strip-searched and denied
phone
calls for six months. Ask why he has only limited access to the law
library
and why there are no reference materials he needs to prepare his case.
Ask
why he cannot obtain pencils. If he is not convicted of a crime, should
he
be in Coleman?
3. Write, email or call your Senators and U.S. Representative
Ask them why Al-Arian is being inhumanely treated at Coleman and why he
is
being denied reasonable access to telephone, lawyers and family in
preparing for his trial.
FLORIDA:
--Senator Bob Graham: 850.907.1110; fax: 850.894.3222
--Bill Nelson: 888.671.4091; fax: 407.872.7165 attn; Celeste
--U.S. Rep Jim Davis: 888.266.0205; fax: 727.867.5302 or 813.354.9514
--U.S. Mike Bilirakis: 727.441.3721; fax: 727.442.8180
--U.S. Rep Bill Young 727.893.3191; fax: 202.225.9764
4. Contact the following and ask them to help:
Human Rights Watch, 350 Fifth Ave., 34th Floor, New York, NY 10118
hrwnyc@hrw.orghrwnyc@hrw.org; Center for Constitutional Rights: PH;
212-614-6464; fax: 212.614.6499; info@ccr.ny.org; Amnesty Int'l,
Atlanta
attn: Derriel Kayongo dkayongo@aiusa.org
5. Dr. Al-Arian needs financial assistance. Please contribute to his
defense fund by mailing a check to:
National Liberty Fund:
P.O. Box 22580
Alexandria, Virginia 22304
ALSO SEE:
WITH QUIET RESOLVE, SHE FIGHTS FOR FATHER
Mary Jo Melone, St. Petersburg Times, 6/19/03
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/06/19/Columns/With_quiet_resolve__s.shtml
Leena is a sophomore at USF. You would probably not notice her around
the
Tampa campus except as another of those Muslim girls in a hijab, the
traditional headcovering that manages to not just cover her hair but
also
disguise her looks.
At home, in her family's apartment, you see the rest of her, the
unveiled
Leena. The only thing that gives away her age is the mouthful of
braces.
She has an oval face, dark brown hair pulled sternly back, brown eyes
and
an almost scholarly look. Here she is, the girl with the infamous name.
Al-Arian.
As in the alleged supporter of Palestinian terrorism, Al-Arian. The
under
massive federal indictment Al-Arian.
Around USF, where he taught, the mere mention of Sami Al-Arian's name
supposedly all but sets off grenades. If that was the case, you'd
expect
his daughter would have suffered some...
You can reach Mary Jo Melone at mjmelone@sptimes.com or at 226-3402.
ACTION:
1- Please contact Mary Jo Melone and thank her for her column.
2- Please email letters@sptimes.com and commend the St. Petersburg
Times
for publishing this column.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: tampabayjustice@yahoo.com
-----
MICHIGAN MUSLIMS PLAN MEIJER DEMO
WHAT: The Arab-American Civil Rights Association is planning a march in
front of Meijer in Westland, Mich. The march is being supported by many
Area Mosques and is being organized by the Arab American Civil Rights
Association. Imad Chammout, a long time community activist is taking
the
lead in this March. Imad has been organizing Protests in the Arab
American
community for over 20 years. He has a record of bringing up to 10,000
Protestors to events.
It is alleged that a Meijer cashier refused to provide service to two
Arab
men. The cashier allegedly stated, You Arabs get out of here, we don't
want
to serve you guys, we don't have to serve you. Go back to your
country...Dirty Arabs. To add insult to injury, a Meijer spokesman was
quoted as saying, "Our team member didn't do anything wrong." Below is
more details:
WHERE: In front of Meijer, 37201 Warren Rd., Westland, Michigan
WHEN: Sunday, June 22, 2003 at 5 p.m.
CONTACT: (313) 443-0303
-----
'LISTENING TO ISLAM' LOOKS TO PROMOTE INTERFAITH UNDERSTANDING
Hallmark Channel broadcast allows viewers to hear directly from
Muslim-Americans
NEW YORK, June 16 - "Why do Muslims hate Americans?" Listening to
Islam, an
original television production, asks a cross-section of Muslim-American
young professionals and scholars to answer this and other compelling
questions posed by average Americans. The program, a rare opportunity
to
hear moderate voices of the Islamic community, airs on Sunday, June
22nd at
12 Noon ET/PT on Hallmark Channel, is presented by Faith & Values Media
and
will air in the time slot normally occupied by Faith & Values' weekly
series The World of Faith & Values...
SEE: www.LiseningToIslam.org
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/23/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: SEEK HELP FROM GOD
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6127 SPONSORSHIPS
- Positive Stories Sought for CAIR'S 'Washington Live'
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* CHILDREN'S BOOK FILLS VOID FOR MUSLIM YOUTH (Columbus Dispatch)
* BLOOM AREA CHOSEN TO HOST MUSLIM PUPILS (Press Enterprise)
- Seminar Stresses Muslim Awareness (Blade)
- Conference on Realities of Marriage, Family (Blade)
- Muslim Women Organize Topical Conference (Sun Sentinel)
* ICNA CONVENTION COMING TO PHILADELPHIA (AP)
* WIFE SAYS FBI AGENTS SEIZED SAUDI HUSBAND (AP)
- Recovery Slow for Former Detainee (Chicago Tribune)
* PATRIOT ACT STIRS FEARS FOR PRIVACY (New Haven Register)
* ADJUSTMENT DIFFICULT FOR AREA MUSLIMS (News Herald)
- Cultural tolerance urged (News Herald)
- Schwartz Writes to Incite, not Inform (NY Post)
* ISRAEL VOWS TO BUILD SETTLEMENTS (Independent)
- Soldier Made Woman Drink Cleaning Fluid-Court (Reuters)
- Israeli Wall Stirs Ghetto Comparison (St. Pete Times)
- Campaign to Criminalize Criticism of Israel (Antiwar.com)
* MISSIONARIES UNDER COVER (Time)
- Troops Smash Open Homes (Reuters)
- Iraqi Shiite Leader Uneasy With U.S. Role (Wash. Post)
* THE MINARET OF FREEDOM INSTITUTE'S FIFTH ANNUAL DINNER
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: SEEK HELP FROM GOD
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Seek help from God and
do
not lose heart. And if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you,
don't say, 'If I had not done (something differently), (the troubles)
would
not have happened,' but (instead) say, 'God did that what He had
ordained
to do.' Your 'if' opens the (gate for Satan.)"
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1227
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6127 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6127 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Comments from libraries that have sponsored the package:
"Thank you for your donation of materials that will greatly enhance our
collection for our community." - Cape Girardeu, MO
"These are very good quality materials. We probably don't have many
things
about Islam. I hope they will help increase understanding." -
Hopkins, IL
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world. This
week's
show will look at the Goldstein bomb plot case and the Patriot Act II.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
CAIR is also looking for positive feature stories to air on our show.
If
you, or any you know, are making positive contributions to our society
either in a political, religious-cultural, or social way, please
contact
Rabiah Ahmed at rahmed@cair-net.org.
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
DOCTOR HOPES CHILDREN'S BOOK FILLS VOID FOR MUSLIM YOUTHS
Sherri Williams, Columbus Dispatch, 6/23/03
http://libpub.dispatch.com/cgi-bin/documentv1?DBLIST=cd03&DOCNUM=27272
When she looked for books that were relevant to Muslim children in
America,
Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin grew frustrated with stereotypical stories of
sultans
and camels set in the scorching desert.
So Mobin-Uddin, a Dublin resident with three young children to nurture,
stopped looking and started writing.
While taking a break from her pediatrics practice to raise her
children,
she wrote two manuscripts and sent them to publishers in April 2001.
Her
first book, My Name is Bilal, explores the struggle of a Muslim
elementary-school student who hides his religion in order to be
accepted by
classmates. Bilal tells his school friends to call him Bill and avoids
his
sister, who wears the traditional hijab headdress.
"It's a struggle that a lot of Muslim kids experience,'' said the
36-year-old Mobin-Uddin, who attended medical school at Ohio State
University.
"They live one life at home and one life at school.''
Bilal grows to appreciate his religious background after learning more
about Islam and the man for whom he was named -- a Muslim who was
persecuted for his religion but survived to make the first Muslim call
to
prayer.
The book, Mobin-Uddin said, is intended to teach children not to be
ashamed
of their differences.
"They should realize they are different than other kids, but come to
cherish what makes them special,'' she said...
Mobin-Uddin's commitment to shattering stereotypes about Islam doesn't
stop
with children. She helped establish the Ohio chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations in 1998...
-----
BLOOM AREA CHOSEN TO HOST MUSLIM PUPILS
Michael Reich, Press Enterprise, 6/23/03
http://www.pressenterpriseonline.com/cgi-bin/liveique.acgi$rec=32569
BLOOMSBURG - Bloomsburg has been selected as one of just five pilot
sites
for a new U.S. State Department student exchange program that will
bring
kids here from countries with large Muslim populations.
The Partnership for Learning Youth Exchange and Study program (P4L YES)
was
sparked by the events of Sept. 11.
The hope is that the exchange can eliminate the unfavorable views some
in
Muslim cultures have of America and its people.
Slated to come to Bloomsburg in August are three 15- to-17-year-olds --
Poetry, a knowledgeable young lady from Indonesia; Dilan, a singing,
theater and violin lover from Turkey; and Mohamad of Egypt.
Wenda Hartzell, a Program of Academic Exchange (PAX) field
representative
from Orange Township, says her group was selected by the government as
one
of only a few to administer the $10 million P4L YES initiative.
Hartzell says the three kids coming to Bloomsburg are all excellent
English
speakers and exceptional students.
ALSO SEE:
SEMINAR STRESSES MUSLIM AWARENESS
Luke Shockman, Toledo Blade, 6/21/03
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030621/NEWS10/106210173
Aneesah Nadir said it's no wonder many Muslims are afraid to seek
counseling services, given the stereotypes many non-Muslim counselors
have
about Islam.
Many non-Muslims, for example, assume incorrectly that Islam teaches
that
women are inferior to men. So if a Muslim woman complains of spousal
abuse,
it's because of religious teachings.
"The misconception is it's inherent in the faith, and it couldn't be
that
[the husband] is just a crazy dude" in cases of spousal abuse, said Ms.
Nadir, president of the U.S. Islamic Social Services Association.
Spousal abuse, she said, "has nothing to do with the faith. Some people
just do dumb things."
It's messages like that that Ms. Nadir and other Muslim speakers were
trying to stress to about 150 non-Muslim counselors, psychologists, and
others who gathered yesterday for a seminar at the Islamic Center of
Greater Toledo in Perrysburg Township.
The seminar was part of a multiday conference at the Islamic Center...
---
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON REALITIES OF MARRIAGE, FAMILY
Blade, 6/21/03
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?SearchID=73138938610965&Avis=TO&Dato=20030621&Kategori=NEWS10&Lopenr=106210016&Ref=AR
American Muslims have been successful in building mosques and
establishing
Islamic schools, but they have yet to develop social services for
members
of their faith, according to Aneesah Nadir.
"Social services, as far as part of the Muslim community
infrastructure, is
still kind of young," said Ms. Nadir, of Mesa, Ariz., who is president
of
the Islamic Social Services Association of the United States and
Canada.
The organization is presenting its fourth annual conference, "Muslim
Marriage and Family Life: In Theory and in Practice," this weekend at
the
Islamic Center of Greater Toledo.
"We certainly need to have premarital and postmarital counseling
programs for young adults, but within the context of Islamic tradition
and
the Qur'anic text," she said. "We also need to address issues of
immigration and to provide professional assistance from someone who's
knowledgeable about Muslim traditions and etiquette..."
---
MUSLIM WOMEN ORGANIZE TOPICAL CONFERENCE
James D. Davis, Sun-Sentinel, 6/21/03
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/religion/search/sfl-fvmuslimsjun21.story
If all Muslim women are oppressed, someone forgot to tell them in South
Florida. Two groups of women have joined forces to organize a
conference on
Islamic issues this weekend at Nova Southeastern University.
And it has a hot-button title: "Islam: Contribution or Threat to
American
Society?" The women clearly don't intend to duck questions.
"We hope people will ask questions," says Irma Sulaiman of Delray
Beach,
one of the main organizers of the conference. "We hope that this will
be
the beginning of a dialogue. That it will foster trust."
The free event will run from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Nova
Southeastern's east campus, 3100 SW Ninth Ave., Fort Lauderdale.
Meeting
place will be the Knight Alumni Hall, next to the School of Business.
One keynote speaker will be Ingrid Mattson, a professor of Islamic
studies
at Hartford Seminary and vice president of the Islamic Society of North
America. The other keynote speaker will be Salwah Abd-Allah, director
of
the American Ijtihaad Institute in Boston...
-----
AMERICAN MUSLIM CONVENTION COMING TO PHILADELPHIA
Associated Press, 6/21/03
http://pennlive.com/newsflash/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-3/105620964896590.xml
PHILADELPHIA - A joint convention of the Islamic Circle of North
America
and the Muslim American Society will be held in Philadelphia over the
Independence Day holiday and is expected to bring $16 million in
revenue to
the city, officials said.
Some 15,000 American Muslims are expected to attend events at the
Pennsylvania Convention Center July 4-6. The organizations said they
are
coming to show their patriotism, celebrate the holiday and to make a
statement about "the struggle for liberty and justice," their theme.
Events include a reading by Muslims of the Bill of Rights at the
Liberty
Bell on July 4.
"The whole convention will focus on what are American ideals, what are
Islamic ideals, and how far America has really drifted away from these
ideals," Talat Sultan, Islamic Circle's president, said Friday.
Muslims say Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States,
with six million members. Those coming to Philadelphia will be
African-Americans, other American-born Muslims and those of Middle
Eastern
and South Asian descent...
-----
WIFE SAYS FBI AGENTS SEIZED SAUDI HUSBAND
Associated Press, 6/21/03
PHOENIX - A Saudi man who filed a lawsuit against America West Airlines
for
racial profiling has been taken into custody by the FBI.
Muhammad Al-Qudhai'een's wife, Mohdi, said FBI agents took her husband
on
June 13. Despite her repeated calls and questions, officials refuse to
say
why he's been taken into custody or where he is.
"Nobody's telling me nothing," the Tucson woman said through tears...
Federal authorities refused to comment about the case, The Arizona
Republic
reported.
Deedra Abboud of the Council on American Islamic Relations said she
learned
that agents acted on a Virginia complaint in taking the man into
custody.
It's unknown why or where he is being held.
Federal grand jurors in Virginia are investigating the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks.
Al-Qudhai'een is an acquaintance of Zakaria Soubra, an Arizona student
who
was named in a pre-Sept. 11 FBI memo written by Kenneth Williams, a
Phoenix
FBI agent...
Soubra said he doesn't have any connections to terrorists, doesn't know
anything about the attacks and said the FBI had ruined his life...
ALSO SEE:
RECOVERY SLOW FOR FORMER DETAINEE; MAN STILL SHAKEN BY TERROR ARREST
Karen Mellen, Chicago Tribune, 6/23/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/north/chi-0306230166jun23,1,6837457.story
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Tarek Albasti was working toward his childhood dream
of
becoming a pilot after he immigrated to the United States from Egypt to
be
with his American wife. But his goal was crushed when the FBI labeled
him a
terrorist in the sweeping investigation of Sept. 11.
Now Albasti, 31, says he has lost the nerve to fly, knowing that as an
Arab
he would immediately be suspected of wrongdoing should anything go
wrong
when he is behind the controls.
Albasti's name has been cleared: This month the federal government
expunged
the arrest records of Albasti and seven friends from Egypt, admitting
they
had false information when they took the men into custody in October
2001
as material witnesses to a terrorism plot.
It was the first time the government expunged the arrest files of
anyone
detained as part of the Sept. 11 investigation, U.S. Justice Department
officials said. An FBI official also has apologized for the hasty
arrests.
But 20 months later, sitting in his Italian restaurant in an Evansville
strip mall, waiting and hoping for the dinner crowd to stream in,
Albasti
continues to struggle with the shame of being accused and the dread
that
something may happen again.
"As much as we appreciate the support, the whole thing was wrong to
begin
with," said Albasti, who is still shell-shocked about his arrest and
notoriety...
-----
PATRIOT ACT STIRS FEARS FOR PRIVACY
Whitney Beckett, New Haven Register, 6/22/03
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=8512535&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=517515&rfi=6
Part of the reason why the Atticus Book Store-Café in downtown New
Haven is
successful is that owner Karl Ryan keeps track of what his customers
like
to read.
If a certain customer buys a lot of books from his store, Ryan can send
the
customer discount coupons.
But Ryan is considering scrapping that key part of his business. Why?
The USA Patriot Act.
The law - adopted in October 2001, less than a month after Sept. 11 in
order to increase anti-terror intelligence - gives the federal
government
broad new abilities to track suspected terrorists. Most of the act
covers
expanded wiretaps, foreign intelligence gathering and Internet usage.
A small but controversial clause gives federal authorities the right to
review records from libraries and bookstores. It also includes a "gag
order," prohibiting workers from notifying those whose records are
inquired
about.
"Some bookstores have just stopped tracking what their customers buy,"
Ryan
said.
"I might possibly do that just because I don't want to put myself in
that
situation" of being forced to turn over records...
-----
ADJUSTMENT DIFFICULT FOR AREA MUSLIMS
Amy E. Bowen, Marshfield News-Herald, 6/23/03
http://www.wisinfo.com/newsherald/mnhlocal/278308892293663.shtml
Muhammad Akmal Siddiqi remembers vividly driving into Marshfield for
the
first time a little more than a year ago.
Siddiqi had taken a job as a project scientist at the Marshfield Clinic
Research Foundation, and he and his wife, Asma Zainab, and two children
were moving from St. Louis, which has a large Muslim community.
"There were not very many surprises," Siddiqi said. "But by the time we
got
here, the sun was setting, it was like, 'Where are we?' There's no one
on
the roads, and we were the only people driving around."
As Muslims, the Siddiqis are not entirely alone in central Wisconsin.
The
area has a small but growing number of Muslims, said Dr. Qasim Raza, a
hospitalist at Marsh-field Clinic, who moved to Marshfield in 2000.
But adjusting to a new culture in rural Wisconsin can be tricky, some
area
Muslims said...
ALSO SEE:
CULTURAL TOLERANCE URGED
MUSLIMS ENCOURAGED TO BUILD MOSQUE
Amy E. Bowen, News-Herald, 6/22/03
http://www.wisinfo.com/newsherald/mnhlocal/278100915729824.shtml
Members of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths who have joined
together
to advocate for tolerance of different cultures, races and religions
say
they are backing an effort by Muslims in Marshfield to build a mosque
to
serve north central Wisconsin.
Members of Marshfield Social Justice, which was formed several months
ago
after the Marshfield Public Library had a display that contended the
Holocaust never happened, say it is important to defend the rights of
all
people of faith.
Rabbi Dan Danson of the Mount Sinai Congregation in Wausau is a member
of
the Marshfield Social Justice steering committee. He's confident that
people in central Wisconsin will accept the mosque. But some people's
anger
about terror attacks on Americans by Muslims, the war on Iraq and
ignorance
about Islam might lead them to target all Muslims and the mosque.
"The community may embrace the mosque with open arms," Danson said.
"But if
questions are raised, then we will stand together. These are fellow
Marshfield residents, and it's important to defend and support their
right
to religious freedom. When one group is threatened, all groups are
threatened."
Earlier this year, a group of Marshfield Muslims announced they intend
to
build a mosque to serve central Wisconsin. Although plans are in the
initial stages, a group of Muslim families in Marshfield regularly meet
to
discuss the plan, said Dr. Qasim Raza, who is spearheading the project.
Marshfield Social Justice is prepared to help the Muslim community in
any
way possible, said Dr. Jerry Goldberg of McMillan, who is Jewish and
one of
the group's founders. It could organize cultural events, provide
information or fend off negative attacks, he said...
---
SCHWARTZ WRITES TO INCITE, NOT INFORM
Jennifer Salan, NY Post, 6/22/03
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/letters/1442.htm
Stephen Schwartz's recent op-ed ("Perfidious PR Push," June 18) was an
inflammatory smear against the Arab American Institute (AAI) and its
president, James Zogby.
It is true that Zogby spoke at a World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY)
press conference in Saudi Arabia but Schwartz ignores the fact that the
US
Embassy in Riyadh arranged Zogby's visit and appearance.
The goal of the visit was to show support for Americans working in
Saudi
Arabia and to support efforts to apprehend those responsible for
attacks on
Americans.
Instead of shying from the problem of extremism, he explained that
Muslims
must repudiate those who preach intolerance and hatred. Since this was
reported in press accounts, why did Schwartz ignore it?
Schwartz's piece appears designed more to incite than to inform. He
makes
the flimsy claim that because Zogby said that AAI would look into the
cases
of Arab deportees, we should be investigated by the Justice Department
as a
"subversive" foreign agent. However AAI, like most American
immigrant-rights groups, always looks into such matters to ensure due
process...
-----
ISRAEL DEFIES ROAD-MAP AND VOWS TO BUILD SETTLEMENTS
Justin Huggler, Independent, 6/23/03
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=418044
Just as Colin Powell met with other members of the Middle East Quartet
on
the Jordanian shores of the Dead Sea yesterday to try to rescue the
road-map peace plan, two unexpected moves from Israel have put the
plan,
backed by President George Bush, in more trouble.
First, there was the killing by Israeli special forces of Abdullah
Kawasmeh, a senior member of the Palestinian militant group Hamas on
Saturday night, which came soon after General Powell's talks with Ariel
Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, on Friday, and despite intense
pressure
from the US on Israel to rein in its policy of assassinations to give
the
road-map a chance.
Israel said Kawasmeh was not assassinated, but was shot resisting
arrest. A
Palestinian witness said he was unarmed. The killing earned Israel a
rebuke
from General Powell, the US Secretary of State.
Then there were Mr Sharon's reported remarks to his cabinet yesterday,
in
which he was quoted as saying Israel should continue building in the
occupied territories but keep quiet about it, even though the plan
requires
Israel to stop settlement-building.
Mr Sharon was said to have made the remarks during a stormy cabinet
session. Israel's national infrastructure minister, Yosef Paritzky,
came
under attack from his cabinet colleagues for suggesting the government
could move Jewish people living in settlements that have to be
evacuated to
underpopulated areas of Israel...
ALSO SEE:
ISRAEL SOLDIER MADE WOMAN DRINK CLEANING FLUID-COURT
Reuters, 6/22/03
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters06-22-162108.asp#body
JERUSALEM - The Israeli army has charged a female soldier with forcing
a
Palestinian woman at a checkpoint to drink the cleaning fluid she was
carrying, a military spokesman said on Monday.
The military charge sheet said the incident occurred four months ago in
the
Gaza Strip when the soldier pointed her assault rifle at the
Palestinian
woman, shouted at her and demanded she drink from a bottle she was
holding.
Military sources said the soldier was arrested over the incident, and
that
the Palestinian woman received treatment in a Gaza hospital.
Palestinian civilians have complained of hundreds of cases of abuse by
soldiers at army checkpoints that have spread across Gaza and the West
Bank
since Palestinian militants began an uprising against occupation in
September 2000.
Military sources said the case was among 35 lodged against soldiers
during
the uprising.
---
ISRAEL'S BUILDING OF WALL STIRS GHETTO COMPARISON
Susan Taylor Martin, St. Petersburg Times, 6/22/03
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/06/22/Columns/Israel_s_building_of_.shtml
Among the most moving exhibits at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust
memorial,
is the story of the Warsaw Ghetto. But black and white photos can only
hint
at the horror that began in 1940 when the Nazis erected a brick wall
around
the Jewish quarter of Warsaw, Poland, and condemned thousands of Jews
to a
terrible fate.
From the somber halls of Yad Vashem, it's always a relief to step back
into the sunlight and gaze from the Mount of Remembrance at the
luminous
city of Jerusalem spread out below. But another dark story is unfolding
just a few miles away.
In the West Bank, contractors are building a 25-foot wall - twice as
high
as the one in Warsaw - as part of an elaborate barrier that eventually
will
stretch more than 200 miles and restrict Palestinian movement into
Israel.
In Gaza, 1.2-million Palestinians have been sealed into a narrow strip
of
land, and may enter or leave only with Israeli permission.
It's a good bet more than a few visitors to Yad Vashem reflect on
certain
disturbing similarities between the notorious Warsaw Ghetto and what is
transpiring in the Palestinian territories. But a British member of
Parliament, whose mother is a Jew, dared put into words what others
have
only thought...
---
THE NEW THOUGHT POLICE: THE CAMPAIGN TO CRIMINALIZE CRITICISM OF ISRAEL
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com, 6/23/03
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/justincol.html
Last week, after Israeli targeted Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi -
and,
instead, got a woman passer-by and a three year-old child, while 27
others
were injured. - George W. Bush came out with some very mild criticism
of
Israel:
"I am troubled by the recent Israeli helicopter gunship attacks. I
regret
the loss of innocent life. I also don't believe that the attacks help
Israeli security."
From the hysterical reaction, one might have thought that he had
uttered a
blood libel, or suddenly taken to wearing a kaffiyeh. Such a commotion!
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), reportedly strode into the
Oval
Office and threatened to push a resolution through Congress offering
unconditional support to Sharon and implicitly rebuking the President.
God forbid the President of the United States should mourn the death of
a
three-year-old child whom the Israelis say was inadvertently killed.
That
this troubles him troubles DeLay - and that is more than a little
troubling. I mean, what are we talking about here: aren't we supposed
to be
against the taking of innocent life? And why, pray tell, shouldn't an
American President forbidden say out loud what he really thinks about
the
immoral and self-destructive behavior of a foreign government, albeit
one
that is ostensibly our faithful ally?
We hear constantly about the supposed rise of anti-Semitic sentiments
in
Europe: this is not neo-Nazi activity, or the "old" anti-Semitism of
the
Protocols, but the "new anti-Semitism," which boils down to criticism
of
Israel and its supporters...
If you criticize "the only state controlled by Jews" you aren't
necessarily
anti-Semitic - but you probably are. And just what are these standards
that
Israel alone is held to? Any other country that separated out the
majority
of the population on the basis of ethnicity, and subjected them to
draconian controls, controlling their movements, and keeping them
penned up
in special ghettos, would long ago have been declared an international
pariah. How has Israel managed to get away with it - and, not only
that,
but how have they managed to go on the offensive, and target their
critics
as 'bigots"...
-----
MISSIONARIES UNDER COVER: GROWING NUMBER OF EVANGELICALS ARE TRYING TO
SPREAD CHRISTIANITY IN MUSLIM LANDS. BUT IS THIS WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS
NOW?
David Van Biema, Time, 6/22/03
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101030630/story.html
She wasn't a Muslim, but she would do for now. Last March, at just
about
the time American troops were massing outside Baghdad, she shuffled,
dressed in a dark burqa, into a cramped schoolroom in the New York City
borough of Queens. The class she was addressing was organized by the
U.S.
Center for World Mission and packed with eager evangelical Christian
students wanting to learn how to be missionaries in a foreign country.
The
black-clad "Shafira" was gamely trying to explain her faith.
"It is not in the heart of all the Muslims to have violence," she said
in
broken English, alluding immediately to Sept. 11. "So sorry that people
having dying. I'm wanting peace for my children. I'm thinking you
wanting
peace. It's the same." She listed Islam's five pillars of faith and
reminded her audience that holy war is not among them. "We have a lot
in
common," she said, but she did wonder about the Trinity: "God Father
plus
God Mary equals God Son?"
A student, thrilled at the opportunity to explain, jumped in. After
listening patiently, Shafira peeled back her garments and admitted that
"I
am not a true Muslim." Hardly. In fact, she was a longtime Christian
missionary in Muslim lands. She had been hired to explain at several of
150
annual "Perspectives" classes how such evangelism should be done. She
gave
her real name...
For 21 months now, Americans have been engaged in a crash course on
Islam,
its geography and its followers. It is not a subject we were previously
interested in, but 9/11 left no choice, and the U.S. military in two
countries continues its on-the-job training in sheiks and ayatullahs,
Sunni
customs and Shi'ite factionalism. Yet there is one group that has been
thinking-passionately-about Muslims for more than a decade. Its army is
weaponless, its soldiers often unpaid, its boot camps places like the
Queens classroom. It has no actual connection with the U.S. government
(except possibly to unintentionally muddy America's image). But in the
past
few months, its advance forces have been entering the still-smoldering
battlefield of Iraq, as intent on molding its people's future as the
conventional American troops already in place...
SEE ALSO:
US TROOPS SMASH OPEN HOMES TO HUNT IRAQI MILITANTS
Andrew Gray, Reuters, 6/21/03
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2966114
RAMADI, Iraq - They rammed their vehicles into metal gates to smash
them
open, rounded up Iraqi men from their homes at gunpoint and wrote a
code on
their arms with marker pens.
Hundreds of U.S. soldiers from the First Battalion of the 124th
Infantry
Regiment staged the raid in a suburb of Ramadi, 100 km (60 miles) west
of
Baghdad, after sunrise on Saturday.
The raid on the homes of suspected guerrillas was part of a campaign to
stamp out mounting armed resistance to the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
Several soldiers on the raid were wounded by a grenade and came under
gunfire in the same district around 10 days earlier.
Some were clearly braced for trouble as they returned to the area,
leaving
their base after a blast over loudspeakers of Wagner's rousing "Ride of
the
Valkyries" -- a favorite with troops for its use in the Vietnam war
film
"Apocalypse Now..."
---
IRAQI SHIITE LEADER UNEASY WITH U.S. ROLE
Anthony Shadid, Washington Post, 6/23/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21295-2003Jun22.html
BAGHDAD - Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the senior religious figure of
Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority and the community's most influential
voice,
has expressed "great unease" about the 10-week-old U.S. occupation and
demanded that the United States allow Iraqis to rule themselves.
Sistani's statements, in written responses to questions from The
Washington
Post, represent a rare foray for the Iranian-born cleric into political
affairs. Sistani, viewed by U.S. officials as a crucial force for
moderation in the turbulent postwar aftermath, stopped far short of
demanding a withdrawal. But his words seemed to signal growing anxiety
among the country's religious leadership over the direction of the U.S.
occupation.
"We feel great unease over their goals, and we see that it is necessary
that they should make room for Iraqis to rule themselves by themselves
without foreign intervention," Sistani responded from his home in the
southern city of Najaf.
A reclusive, scholarly figure in his seventies, Sistani has not been
seen
in public since before the U.S.-led invasion began in March. His
replies,
conveyed Saturday, were put in written form by his son and spokesman,
Mohammed Rida Sistani, who acts on his father's authority.
Echoing other Shiite clerics, many of whom have become increasingly
vocal
in their denunciations of Western influence, Sistani also warned that
the
biggest threat facing the Arab country is "the obliteration of its
cultural
identity..."
-----
THE MINARET OF FREEDOM INSTITUTE'S FIFTH ANNUAL DINNER
WHAT: The Minaret of Freedom Institute will host its fifth annual
Dinner,
titled "The Plight of the Kurds and the Prospects for Federalism After
the
War on Iraq." Othman Ali, writer and lecturer on Kurdish Nationalism
and
the emergence of Muslim nation-states, will be the guest speaker and a
dinner will follow.
WHEN: Saturday, June 28, 2003.
WHERE: The Four Points Sheraton, Bethesda, MD
(8400 Wisconsin Ave., three blocks south of the Medical Center station
and ½ mile north of the Bethesda station on the METRO Red Line)
NOTE: For Reservations call 301-907-0947 or send e-mail to
dinner@minaret.org. Send reservations/checks to Minaret of Freedom
Institute, 4323 Rosedale Ave. Bethesda, MD 20814
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/24/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A MANSION IN PARADISE
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6131 SPONSORSHIPS
- 'Washington Live' Looks at Fla. Bomb Plot/Patriot Act
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* GROUP HOLDS MEIJER RALLY, HAILING WIN ON LEAFLETS (Free Press)
* BURNED IRAQI CHILDREN TURNED AWAY (AP)
- Denial and Deception (NY Times)
- Hundreds of Iraqis Killed By Faulty Grenades (Newsday)
- Iraqis say Strike was Case of Mistaken Identity (Wash. Post)
- Forbidden Romances Bloom in the Iraqi Desert (Wash. Post)
- U.S. NGOs Feel squeeze from Bush Administration (Reuters)
* RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY GROWS IN MISSISSIPPI (AP)
- Steeped in Tradition (Daily Tribune)
* U.S. TREASURY TEAM WILL RECOMMEND LOAN GUARANTEES (Haaretz)
* PATRIOT ACT OPPONENTS URGE RESTRICTIONS (Democrat & Chronicle)
* TV REVIEW: THIS FAR BY FAITH (Hollywood Reporter)
* PAKISTAN AMERICAN CONGRESS ANNOUNCES FRIENDSHIP SUMMIT
- IMC-USA Convention on India-Related Issues
* MALI FESTIVAL ON CAPITOL HILL
* DOJ SPONSORS ARAB, MUSLIM, AND SIKH AWARENESS SEMINAR
- Arab and Muslim Civil Rights Issues in the Chicago Area
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A MANSION IN PARADISE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "When a child…dies, God
asks
His angels: 'Have you taken into custody the soul of a child of My
servant?...Have you taken into custody the soul of the flower of his
heart?
(The angels) answer: 'Yes.' (God) then inquires: 'What did My servant
say
(upon learning of his child's death)?' The angels answer: 'He praised
Thee
(despite his grief) and affirmed: 'To God we belong and to Him we shall
and
return.' Thereupon God said: 'Build for My servant a mansion in
Paradise
and name it `the House of Praise.'"
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 291
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6131 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6131 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
A Comment from a library that has received the package:
"Thank you very much - this gift enables us to serve our patrons
better."
Lebanon, PA
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world. Today's
show will look at the Goldstein bomb plot case and the Patriot Act II.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
CAIR is also looking for positive feature stories to air on our show.
If
you, or anyone you know, are making positive contributions to our
society
either in a political, religious-cultural, or social way, please
contact
Rabiah Ahmed at rahmed@cair-net.org.
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
GROUP HOLDS MEIJER RALLY, HAILING WIN ON LEAFLETS
Naomi R. Patton, Detroit Free Press, 6/23/03
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/prot23_20030623.htm
The Arab-American Civil Rights Association organized a small rally
Sunday
to hand out leaflets in front of the Meijer store in Westland,
celebrating
First Amendment rights.
Activist Imad Chammout organized the protest, attended by about 50
people
-- Arab-American, African-American, and white.
The rally was to bring attention to a June 5 court ruling in favor of
AACRA. The ruling from U.S. District Court in Detroit said
pamphleteering
is protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees, among others,
free
speech.
In February, a Meijer employee in Fraser was accused of shouting
anti-Arab
slurs to Arab-American customers during a confrontation. In response,
AACRA
mounted a leaflet campaign, urging a boycott of the superstore.
Meijer filed a suit to prohibit the group from handing out the leaflets
at
their stores.
Representatives from Meijer could not be reached Sunday.
The leaflets the group handed out Sunday were titled, "Meijer Attacks
Free
Speech," and detailed the February incident and the subsequent court
ruling. It urged customers to call the store's toll-free number to
support
free speech...
-----
BURNED IRAQI CHILDREN TURNED AWAY
Donna Abu-Nasr, Associated Press, 6/23/03
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/06/23/international1541EDT0668.DTL
On a scorching afternoon, while on duty at an Army airfield, Sgt. David
J.
Borell was approached by an Iraqi who pleaded for help for his three
children, burned when they set fire to a bag containing explosive
powder
left over from war in Iraq.
Borell immediately called for assistance. But the two Army doctors who
arrived about an hour later refused to help the children because their
injuries were not life-threatening and had not been inflicted by U.S.
troops.
Now the two girls and a boy are covered with scabs and the boy cannot
use
his right leg. And Borell is shattered.
"I have never seen in almost 14 years of Army experience anything that
callous," said Borell, who recounted the June 13 incident to The
Associated
Press.
A U.S. military spokesman said the children's condition did not fall
into a
category that requires Army physicians to treat them -- and that there
was
no inappropriate response on the part of the doctors.
The incident comes at a time when U.S. troops are trying to win the
confidence of Iraqis, an undertaking that has been overwhelmed by the
need
to protect themselves against attacks...
ALSO SEE:
DENIAL AND DECEPTION
Paul Krugman, New York Times, 6/24/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/24/opinion/24KRUG.html
Politics is full of ironies. On the White House Web site, George W.
Bush's
speech from Oct. 7, 2002 - in which he made the case for war with Iraq
-
bears the headline "Denial and Deception." Indeed.
There is no longer any serious doubt that Bush administration officials
deceived us into war. The key question now is why so many influential
people are in denial, unwilling to admit the obvious.
About the deception: Leaks from professional intelligence analysts, who
are
furious over the way their work was abused, have given us a far more
complete picture of how America went to war. Thanks to reporting by my
colleague Nicholas Kristof, other reports in The New York Times and The
Washington Post, and a magisterial article by John Judis and Spencer
Ackerman in The New Republic, we now know that top officials, including
Mr.
Bush, sought to convey an impression about the Iraqi threat that was
not
supported by actual intelligence reports.
In particular, there was never any evidence linking Saddam Hussein to
Al
Qaeda; yet administration officials repeatedly suggested the existence
of a
link. Supposed evidence of an active Iraqi nuclear program was
thoroughly
debunked by the administration's own experts; yet administration
officials
continued to cite that evidence and warn of Iraq's nuclear threat...
---
HUNDREDS OF IRAQIS KILLED BY FAULTY GRENADES
Thomas Frank, Newsday, 6/22/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-woclus0623,0,2922917.story
Washington - Hundreds and possibly thousands of Iraqi civilians have
been
killed or maimed by outdated, defective U.S. cluster weapons that lack
a
safety feature other countries have added, according to observers, news
reports and officials.
U.S. cluster weapons fired during the war in March and April dispersed
thousands of small grenades on battlefields and in civilian
neighborhoods
to destroy Iraqi troops and weapons systems.
But some types of the grenades fail to explode on impact as much as 16
percent of the time, according to official military figures.
Battlefield
commanders have reported failure rates as high as 40 percent.
Unexploded grenades remain potentially lethal for weeks and months
after
landing on the ground, where civilians can unwittingly pick them up or
step
on them. Many victims are children such as Ali Mustafa, 4, whose eyes
were
blown out when a grenade he played with near his Baghdad home in April
exploded in his face...
---
IRAQI VILLAGERS SAY STRIKE WAS CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY
Attack on Home, Convoy Breeds Anger
Anthony Shadid, Washington Post, 6/24/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24409-2003Jun23.html
QAIM, Iraq, - Ahmed Hamad, a burly shepherd and smuggler, awoke to his
mother's shouts. He looked at his watch. It was 1:10 a.m., he recalled.
He gazed across a horizon illuminated by destruction, where U.S.
aircraft
were raining fire on four trucks. About a half-hour later, he said, a
missile slammed into his house, killing his sister-in-law and her
1-year-old daughter.
The rest of his family, 10 in all, survived. On a hot summer night in
Iraq's western desert, they had been sleeping outside on cots.
"Praise be to God," Hamad, 27, said from his hospital bed, shaking his
head.
U.S. officials backed away from their initial assessments of whether
the
attack early Thursday near the village of Dhib killed top officials in
the
former Iraqi government, saying they had picked up no indications since
the
attack that Saddam Hussein or his sons, Uday and Qusay, had been in the
convoy.
Angry and resentful, residents of the village interviewed today at
Central
Qaim Hospital, where two people wounded in the U.S. strike were taken,
acknowledged that they could not know for certain all the occupants of
the
vehicles. And as smugglers, with a penchant for secrecy, they left some
questions unanswered -- why the trucks were apparently empty, for
instance.
But they insisted the attack was a case of mistaken identity, that
their
houses were targeted unnecessarily and that the four vehicles were part
of
a smuggling attempt gone bad.
Residents said the U.S. blitz lasted two hours under cover of night.
And
they said they were left wondering why a village -- whose biggest
change in
the wake of the government's fall is that its sheep can graze closer to
the
Syrian border -- is now occupied by American forces...
---
FORBIDDEN ROMANCES BLOOM IN THE IRAQI DESERT
Betsy Pisik, Washington Post, 6/24/03
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20030623-114253-7931r.htm
BAGHDAD - Fatin may have fallen in love with her soldier the very first
time she saw him.
She was part of the desperate line of Iraqis trying to get into the
hotel
where foreign journalists were staying. He was manning the checkpoint,
a
figure of authority and strength clad in military camouflage.
"He was not like the other soldiers; he was trying to help people, to
solve
their problems," said Fatin, an Iraqi Kurd who speaks perfect English.
"And
John was so beautiful, so patient. It took a long time to get inside,
but I
just watched him at work."
In the weeks after the fighting subsided in Baghdad, Fatin and her
soldier
had the only kind of relationship possible under the circumstances:
discrete, delicious and chaste...
John - she doesn't know his last name, his rank nor his military unit -
was
ordered by an irate captain to stop seeing Fatin. When he told her
goodbye,
she cried for hours.
"I was saving my dollars to fly to Georgia," she confided miserably.
Fatin and John are certainly not the only romance to bloom during the
Iraq
war. But in a conservative culture where even the most progressive
women do
not talk to strange men, rarely date and must not dream of marrying
non-Muslim men, their flirtation is an exception to all the rules...
---
U.S. NGOS FEEL THE SQUEEZE FROM BUSH ADMINISTRATION
Jonathan Wright, Reuters, 6/24/03
WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - The Bush administration is wielding its
financial clout to make charitable relief organizations that receive
U.S.
government money serve the interests of U.S. foreign policy, the
organizations say.
In parallel, the U.S. Agency for International Development this month
imposed new conditions on publicity activities when it negotiated a $70
million community action program in Iraq with five of the
organizations,
they say.
Three of the five organizations have reached agreements that require
them
to seek clearance from USAID before they have dealings with the media,
they
add.
A USAID official said on Tuesday that the Iraqi agreements were a
separate
issue but confirmed an NGO report that USAID administrator Andrew
Natsios
believes nongovernmental organizations should publicize the U.S.
government
financial contribution to their activities.
"This is an issue that we feel very strongly about," Jeffrey Grieco, a
senior USAID official, told Reuters.
Natsios caused a stir last month when he told a closed meeting of NGO
leaders that aid agencies in the field should identify themselves as
recipients of U.S. funding to show a stronger link to American foreign
policy.
"If this does not happen more often, Natsios threatened to personally
tear
up their contracts and find new partners," said the NGO consortium
InterAction. "NGOs...are an arm of the U.S. government," it quoted him
as
saying…
-----
RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY GROWS IN MISSISSIPPI
Deborah Bulkeley, Associated Press, 6/24/03
JACKSON, Miss. - Okolo Rashid helped establish a Muslim cultural museum
here two years ago not realizing the impact her efforts would have on a
community searching for answers after 9-11.
The opening of the International Museum of Muslim Cultures, showcasing
Spain's Islamic Moorish culture, coincided with the opening of the
popular
April 2001 "Majesty of Spain" exhibit in downtown Jackson.
"We just felt this was a niche that needed to be filled," Rashid said.
Islam is just one growing religion in a state where Evangelical
Christianity is woven into the culture, said Charles Reagan Wilson,
director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the
University
of Mississippi. Historically, Judaism and Catholicism have quietly
blended
in, he said
Because the U.S. Census Bureau does not track religious populations, it
is
hard to get a grasp of how much Mississippi's traditional Bible Belt
culture is changing...
SEE ALSO:
STEEPED IN TRADITION
Muslim women maintain familiar roles
Amy E. Bowen, Daily Tribune, 6/24/03
http://www.wisinfo.com/dailytribune/wrdtlocal/278049548490043.shtml
Rosy Raza is a great cook.
Like an expert caterer, Raza, a beautiful woman with soft brown eyes
and
cascades of heavy black hair, sets the dining room table with mounds of
spicy-smelling food. Her family of six digs into heaps of rice, chicken
and
other dishes flavored with curry and other spices.
Raza enjoys cooking. In fact, she has cooked for hundreds of people,
she
said. But it's not much work, she added, modestly.
Raza, originally from Pakistan, came to Marshfield with her husband and
family in 2000. Even though she lives in a new country, she still
maintains
the traditional role of a Muslim woman. Every day, she makes her family
elaborate meals, helps her children with their homework and teaches
them
about Islam.
This is her role, she said.
"The mother has the respect from the kids three times more than the
father," Rosy's husband, Qasim Raza, said. "She's the one who did all
the
hard work. She had you in the womb and helped your father."
Women's role in Islam have been distorted in the Western media, said
Fizza
Razvi, a Muslim who will move from Madison to Stevens Point this fall.
Women are highly respected in the religion, she said. Muslim women were
in
politics in Middle Eastern countries long before American women had the
right to vote, she said.
Only in uneducated and ignorant societies are women oppressed, Razvi
said...
-----
U.S. TREASURY TEAM WILL RECOMMEND LOAN GUARANTEES
Amir Teig and Ora Coren, Haaretz.com, 6/24/03
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=309958
At the end of successful talks before the weekend between a treasury
team,
headed by director general Ohad Marani and the U.S. Treasury, the U.S.
team
agreed to recommend to President George Bush the approval of loan
guarantees to the Israeli government. Bush is expected to approve
the first $3 billion in guarantees from a total of $9 billion.
The guarantees allow the Israeli government to raise financing on the
international markets at lower interest rates, nearer to the level of
U.S.
Fed rates, but are conditional. Primarily the government must abide by
its
commitment to keep its budget deficit to within 2.5-3 percent of gross
domestic product (GDP) next year and within 2.5 percent the year after.
The government was forgiven a similar commitment to meeting the 2003
budget
deficit target of 3.5 percent GDP. The American team accepted the
treasury's argument that while it could, and would, meet its spending
target this year, it would be difficult to predict the drop in tax
revenues, and hence the final size of budget deficit.
In addition, the U.S. team were keen to see the Israeli government
forge
ahead with privatization plans, and insisted that at least two of four
state-controled companies - El Al, Bezeq, Oil Refineries and Bank Leumi
-
should be sold off by the end of next year...
-----
LOCAL PATRIOT ACT OPPONENTS URGE RESTRICTIONS
Matthew Daneman, Democrat and Chronicle, 6/23/03
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/news/J5107CL_0624_patriotact_news.shtml
Monroe County employees, from librarians to police officers, would have
to
report when they were asked to comply with the USA Patriot Act, under a
rule proposed by two county legislators who oppose the act.
Christopher Wilmot, D-Rochester, and Bill Benet, D-Rochester, unveiled
their legislation at a press conference today in the County Office
Building. Their proposal would have any county employee asked to comply
with the Patriot Act to first report the request to such county
authorities
as the county executive, the district attorney, the county attorney and
select members of the county legislature.
The Patriot Act, which became law just weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks, gives the government new powers to obtain personal
information about U.S. citizens and allows the government to detain
aliens
deemed threats to national security and hold them without public
acknowledgment.
It also has given federal law enforcement agencies greater wiretap
authority, access to student and library records and new Internet
wiretap
powers.
Wilmot and Benet said their proposed legislation would help guarantee
the
privacy rights of county employees and citizens they say the Patriot
Act
tramples upon...
-----
TV REVIEW: THIS FAR BY FAITH
Irv Letofsky, Hollywood Reporter
LOS ANGELES - The title of this series -- "This Far by Faith:
African-American Spiritual Journeys" -- affirms that "this far" is only
"up
to now" and that the journeys go on. It's complex business, and the six
hourly episodes on L.A. pubcaster KCET, twice nightly Tuesday-Thursday,
at
least represent an engrossing start on this twisting story…
In the fifth hour (Thursday night at 9), there's an especially moving
story
about the Nation of Islam, its rise under prophet Elijah Muhammad and
its
fall and resurrection. In it, the son, Warith Deen Muhammad, selected
even
before his birth to succeed his father as the next Chosen One, reveals
his
painful journey through his growing uncertainty that his father was the
true voice of God.
-----
PAKISTAN AMERICAN CONGRESS PROUDLY ANNOUNCES
11th Annual Pak-American Friendship Summit on Capitol Hill, Washington,
DC.
NCPA Welcomes PAC's Pakistan Day on the Hill
WASHINGTON, DC, June 23, 2003: Pakistan American Congress(PAC),
America's
premier umbrella group of Pakistani organizations, will hold the
11th annual event on Capitol Hill to mark Pakistan-US friendship. The
two-day event will begin this week on Thursday, June 27th with a
congressional reception on the Hill.
"Pakistan American Congress over the years has established a sound
tradition of assembling Pakistani Americans on the Hill from around the
country to exercise their most basic democratic right of educating
their
representatives on issues important to the Pakistani American
community,"
said Faiz Rehman, NCPA President. Welcoming the participants of the
11th
Annual Conference to Washington, Mr. Rehman added: "We applaud PAC's
efforts of bringing the Pakistani community to mainstream American
political process."
Ms. Christina Rocca, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, will
be
the keynote speaker at the annual banquet dinner on Friday.
For further info contact:
Ashraf Abbasi e-mail: abbasipccusa@hotmail.com
Chief Coordinator & President-elect
Fax: 281-530-8282 Mobile: 832-788-8181
The National Council of Pakistani Americans
Tel: 202-544-1898 Fax: 202-544-1897
e-mail: media@ncpa.info website: www.ncpa.info
SEE ALSO:
IMC-USA TO HOLD FIRST EVER CONVENTION OF ITS KIND ON INDIA-RELATED
ISSUES
For Immediate Release
Washington D.C.
The Indian Muslim Council - USA, a Washington D.C. based advocacy group
formally launched less than an year ago, is all set to host the first
ever
convention of its type on India-related issues, in Santa Clara,
California
on June 28th, 2003. The theme of the convention is "India After
Gujarat -
Democracy or Religious Fanaticism".
The convention is unique is a number of ways. It comes at a time of
widespread concern across the world about the changing nature of Indian
society due to the rise of a divisive and hate-based ideology called
Hindutva. IMC-USA is emphasizing the significance of this timing and
the
context of the convention, by making it the closure point of its
campaign
to commemorate the events in Gujarat, India, last year...
The IMC-USA Convention thus provides the perfect platform for those
concerned about the rise of divisive and hate-based ideologies such as
Hindutva, and the repercussions this holds for secular democracies such
as
India and the United States. "Anyone with a specific interest in
India-related issues, or with a broader interest in understanding the
siege
of democratic and secular societies by divisive and hate-based
ideologies,
will find this convention stimulating," said IMC-USA President, Dr.
Shaik
Ubaid, sending a warm note of welcome to all.
Some prominent speakers attending the convention are:
Fr. Cedric Prakash, a Jesuit priest, working for human rights and
harmony
in India for over 30 years
Praful Bidwai, one of India's most widely read columnists
Lise McKean, prominent scholar and researcher on 'Hindutva'
Angana Chatterji, researcher and activist on social issues
Smita Narula, senior researcher for Asia Division of Human Rights Watch
Dr. K.P.Singh, Convener of the International Association for the
Advancement of Dalit People
Nishrin Hussain, daughter of slain ex-M.P., Ahsan Jafri, in the
violence in
Gujarat last year
IMC-USA Website: www.imc-usa.org
Convention Website: www.imc-usa.org/convention/
-----
MALI FESTIVAL ON CAPITOL HILL
WHAT: Festival visitors will learn of the Empires of Ghana, Mali, and
Songhai, celebrated in the songs of griots (oral historians). Visitors
will
see examples of sudanic adobe architecture under construction, hear
music
and learn the dances of the Dogon, Bambara, Fulani, and Bozo peoples,
see
the jewelry and tents of the nomadic Touareg people, taste the cuisines
of
Mali, and learn how mudcloth is made from hand-spun and hand-woven
cotton.
WHEN: June 25 - 29, July 2 - 6, 2003
WHERE: National Mall
For more information, visit:
http://www.folklife.si.edu/CFCH/festival2003/schedule_25.htm
-----
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS SERVICE (CRS) TO SPONSOR
ARAB,
MUSLIM, AND SIKH AWARENESS AND PROTOCOL SEMINAR IN MIAMI, FLORIDA
WHAT: The U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service (CRS)
will
sponsor an Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Awareness and Protocol Seminar for
law
enforcement, local officials, and community leaders.
The seminar is cosponsored by the Florida Commission on Human
Relations,
Florida State University, the Center for the Advancement of Human
Rights,
the Miami Dade Community Relations Board, the City of Miami Community
Relations Board, the Miami Dade County Independent Review Panel, and
the
National Conference for Community and Justice.
"Train the trainer" seminars are sponsored by the Community Relations
Service as a continuation of its efforts to address issues affecting
Arab,
Muslim, and Sikh populations in the aftermath of the September 11
terrorist
attacks. Community dialogues, forums, and cultural awareness and
protocol
seminars sponsored by CRS to assist and educate citizens, officials,
and
law enforcement about the Arab, Muslim, and Sikh cultures have been
effective in defusing racial tensions towards members of those
communities.
Community representatives from throughout the Southeast Region will be
attending the seminar. The cultural awareness presentations will be
made by
members of the Arab, Muslim, and Sikh communities.
WHERE: Courtyard Marriott Hotel, 200 SE Second Avenue, Miami, Florida
WHEN: Thursday, June 26, 2003 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
CONTACT: Daryl Borgquist 202-305-2966 or visit: www.usdoj.gov/crs
SEE ALSO:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Mussatt, Senior Research Analyst
Midwestern Regional Office
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
55 West Monroe Street, Suite 410
Chicago, Illinois 60603
(312) 353-8311
CIVIL RIGHTS COMMITTEE RELEASES REPORT
Arab and Muslims Civil Rights Issues in the Chicago Metropolitan Area
Post-September 11
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Illinois Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on
Civil
Rights (USCCR) will hold a press conference to release the Committee's
report, Arab and Muslim Civil Rights Issues in the Chicago Metropolitan
Area Post-September 11. The press conference will be held from 9:00
a.m. to
10:00 a.m., on Wednesday, June 25, 2003, at the Union League Club, 65
W.
Jackson Blvd., Heritage Room, Chicago, IL…
The release of the report comes immediately after President Bush
proposed
new guidelines regarding racial and ethnic profiling. In addition, the
report contributes to the number of on-going studies that investigate
government actions such as the Transportation Security Administration's
(TSA) watchlist and the Department of Justice's (DOJ) detention of
immigrants following September 11. The report includes the Committee's
observations regarding these and other actions. USCCR Regional Director
Constance Davis stated, "As the TSA considers a more stringent
passenger
profiling scheme being termed CAPPS-II and the U.S. Attorney General
asks
for greater power via the Patriot Act II, the Illinois Advisory
Committee
report provides the diverse perspectives and opinions necessary for a
meaningful public dialogue to ensue."
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MASS. MAN THOUGHT TO BE MUSLIM KIDNAPPED, STABBED
National Islamic civil rights group urges FBI to join investigation
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/25/2003) - A prominent national Islamic civil
rights
and advocacy group today called on federal authorities to aid in the
investigation of a New Bedford, Mass., incident on Sunday in which a
pizza
delivery man was kidnapped, beaten and stabbed, apparently because his
attackers thought he was Muslim.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said
Saurabh Bhalerao, 24, was tied up and gagged, burned with cigarettes
and
forced into the trunk of his car. Bhalerao was stabbed in Fairhaven,
Mass.,
during a struggle after he was released from the trunk. Police say
Bhalerao, who was hospitalized in fair condition, was targeted because
his
attackers thought he was a Muslim. Two people have been arrested and
charged with crimes ranging from kidnapping and assault, to intent to
murder. Other suspects are being sought by police.
A police official told the Standard-Times newspaper, "They mistook him
for
being Islamic and the savagery that occurred after that seemed to be
initiated from their belief that he was a Muslim."
SEE: "HATE CRIME CHARGES FILED"
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/06-03/06-25-03/a01lo005.htm
"While this is a local incident, we believe it is a symptom of a
nationwide
phenomenon in which people are attacked, harassed or discriminated
against
because they are Muslim, or even perceived to be Muslim or Middle
Eastern,"
said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "The FBI's participation in
the
investigation and prosecution of this case would send a message that
anti-Muslim hate will not be tolerated in our society."
A number of anti-Muslim incidents have been reported recently across
the
United States. CAIR attributes these events to the drumbeat of
Islamophobic
rhetoric coming from extremist right-wing commentators and from some
evangelical leaders. As an example of that rhetoric, Awad cited a
recent
article by syndicated columnist Cal Thomas warning of the "dangers"
posed
by increased Muslim political participation through voter registration
drives.
Since the beginning of this year, physical assaults against Muslims or
those perceived to be Muslim have been reported in Northern California,
Southern California, Georgia, New Jersey, and South Carolina. One
incident
in Yorba Linda, Calif., left a Muslim teenager badly beaten by a group
that
allegedly included white supremacists. In Pennsylvania, an 8-year-old
Muslim child was beaten by three 13-year-old boys who made remarks such
as
"go back to Iraq" and "Saddam Hussein helper."
In Arizona, a Sikh man who may have been mistaken for an Arab was shot
in
Phoenix. A Florida man has been charged under that state's hate crime
statute for stabbing an Iraqi-American after calling him an "Iraqi
terrorist." And in Illinois, an explosive device destroyed a Muslim
family's van.
CAIR is encouraging victims of hate crimes to fill out report forms,
which
are available for download at:
http://www.cair-net.org/ireport/Incident_Report.doc, or by calling
202-488-8787. CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group
and
has 16 regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726,
E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/25/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A SINGLE SCHOLAR
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6159 SPONSORSHIPS
- Positive Stories Sought for CAIR'S 'Washington Live'
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* UNRAVELED CHARGES SHOW PERIL OF SECRET EVIDENCE (Wash. Post)
- Ashcroft's Secrecy (St. Pete Times)
- Report Stirs Fears of Privacy Violations (Wash. Post)
* GLITCHES REPEATEDLY DELAY INNOCENT AIR TRAVELERS (USA Today)
- Immigrants Feel the Pinch of Post-9/11 Laws (NY Times)
* TEEN SENTENCED IN FIRE BOMBINGS OF TEMPLE (AP)
* EXPERT SAID HE WAS PRESSED TO DISTORT EVIDENCE (NY Times)
- Reporter's Role in Army's Actions Questioned (Wash. Post)
- Bad Planning (NY Times)
- Veil of Secrecy Around Village Hit in U.S. Raid (NY Times)
* BOROUGH MAN LAUNCHES ANTI-PATRIOT ACT PITCH (Herald Mail)
* COMIC USES HUMOR TO BREAK DOWN STEREOTYPES (Toledo Blade)
- Parents Balance Muslim, American Lifestyles (News Herald)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A SINGLE SCHOLAR
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A single scholar of
religion is more formidable against Satan than a thousand devout
people."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 73
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6159 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6159 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
A comment from a library that has received the package:
"There has been an increase in demand for materials about Islam. We
have
been purchasing some books and these donations will greatly augment our
collection. It will also help students do reports about Islam." -
Culver
City, CA
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
CAIR is also looking for positive feature stories to air on our show.
If
you, or any you know, are making positive contributions to our society
either in a political, religious-cultural, or social way, please
contact
Rabiah Ahmed at rahmed@cair-net.org.
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
N.J. JUDGE UNSEALS TRANSCRIPT IN CONTROVERSIAL TERROR CASE:
Lawyer Says Unraveled Charges Show Peril of Secret Evidence
Dale Russakoff, Washington Post, 6/25/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28469-2003Jun24.html
PATERSON, N.J., - Mohamed Atriss spent six months here in the Passaic
County Jail based on accusations by county prosecutors that he had ties
to
terrorism -- allegations prosecutors called so sensitive that they had
to
be kept secret from Atriss despite his constitutional right to confront
evidence against him.
Today, the superior court judge who took the secret evidence last
November
unsealed the hearing transcript, revealing that the allegations were
based
largely on inaccurate information that Atriss and his lawyer said they
could have rebutted, if only they had been allowed to see it.
"We are glad to expose these transcripts for what they are --
slanderous,
hearsay, double- and triple-hearsay, unsubstantiated allegations," said
attorney Miles Feinstein, with Atriss at his side in his law office.
"It
illustrates the dangers and irreparable harm that comes from secret
evidence."
Atriss said he may file a civil suit against county authorities. "To
think
they kept me in jail on this!" he said with tears in his eyes.
According to the transcript, prosecutors told Judge Marilyn Clark that
Atriss co-owned a check-cashing business in Jersey City with a man
"classified by the FBI as a terrorist." In an interview today, U.S.
Attorney Christopher Christie said the man named in the transcript was
never classified as a terrorist but was a subject in a 1996 FBI
investigation of a terrorist group...
ALSO SEE:
ASHCROFT'S SECRECY
St. Petersburg Times, 6/25/03
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/06/25/Opinion/Ashcroft_s_secrecy.shtml
Secrecy in government inevitably leads to abuse of power. A government
that
operates in the open will be far more accountable to its people. But
Attorney General John Ashcroft isn't interested in accountable
government,
just the arrogation of power to the executive branch. He has taken
every
opportunity to close off avenues for the public to know what its
government
is up to, including advising all federal agencies that his department
will
assist any effort to resist Freedom of Information Act requests.
One hope for counteracting Ashcroft's assault on liberties has been the
federal courts. But last week, a divided federal appeals court approved
the
secret detention of the hundreds of immigrants arrested and detained
following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The ruling severely handicaps
the
public's ability to oversee the way the government is exercising its
powers
of detention. It allows Ashcroft to continue to arrest people without
disclosing their names or their whereabouts - tactics worthy of a
totalitarian government.
The case arose after Ashcroft denied a FOIA request submitted by civil
liberties groups and some news organizations seeking the names of the
more
than 700 immigrants detained in the post-Sept. 11 sweeps of immigrants,
mostly Muslim and Arab men. There had been allegations of abuse of the
detainees. The Justice Department refused even to identify the
detainees,
or to allow them to communicate with family members or lawyers.
Ashcroft
claimed that releasing the names could compromise antiterrorism
investigations and expose potential witnesses and their families to
intimidation. Those concerns may justify withholding some information,
but
not the blanket secrecy the D.C. Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals
upheld...
---
REPORT STIRS FEARS OF PRIVACY VIOLATIONS
Audrey Hudson, Washington Times, 6/24/03
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030624-101720-5150r.htm
A report from the Terrorism Information Awareness program contains a
major
loophole that allows the government to data mine "everything under the
sun"
including medical and credit records, says the top Senate Democrat on
privacy issues.
The report said the program to track terrorists will use information
collected and analyzed that is "legally obtained and usable by the
federal
government under existing law."
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said vast amounts of data can be legally
obtained,
including consumer information purchased from private companies.
"That's basically everything under the sun, all kinds of stuff can be
bought from private firms. All of that can be obtained legally, and
that
would just be some of it," Mr. Wyden said.
Congress mandated the report on the program - labeled by some critics
as a
"supersnoop" - that is under design by the Pentagon to track
terrorists.
The program became such a magnet of criticism from civil-liberty
advocates
that when the report came due May 20, the program's name was changed
from
Total Information Awareness to Terrorism Information Awareness (TIA)...
-----
GLITCHES REPEATEDLY DELAY INNOCENT AIR TRAVELERS
USA Today, 6/25/03
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-06-24-edit_x.htm
On all eight flights Greg Yasinitsky booked last year, airline agents
stopped him when he tried to get a boarding pass. Each time, the
Pullman,
Wash., music professor had to endure intensive luggage searches and
pat-downs before being cleared to board. The reason: His name was
"similar
to somebody's name" on the government's terror watch list. Agents
"would
get a horrified look on their face," he says.
Yasinitsky, 49, is one of scores of travelers who say they've done
nothing
wrong, but who face repeated harassment at airports because computers
mistakenly flag them as being on a terror watch list. Larry Musarra, a
retired Coast Guard commander from Juneau, Alaska, two sons and an
uncle
have been delayed from boarding 21 flights combined in the past year. A
retired English teacher has also encountered delays, as have two San
Francisco peace activists and various fliers named David Nelson.
None actually is being sought by authorities. But because their names
are
the same as, or similar to, individuals on the lists, they are
continually
inconvenienced by a security system whose ability to flag potential
terrorists has outstripped its ability to safeguard the rights of
innocent
travelers.
Such problems raise concerns about plans by the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) to adopt a more intrusive computer-screening
system.
It would tap into personal data on every flier and assign each a
security-risk rating. The TSA is revising the plan following an outcry
in
January about its potential for invading privacy. It may be unveiled
next
week, a TSA spokesman says.
Clearly, terror watch lists and other security measures are needed to
ensure safe air travel. But before the TSA begins using a more invasive
system, it needs to show that it can handle its current security lists
without snaring innocent travelers...
Thirteen months after civil-liberties groups met with the TSA about
travelers delayed or prevented from flying, the agency has come up with
a
procedure that is supposed to help solve the problem. Yet it is
cumbersome,
confusing and - the TSA concedes - doesn't guarantee success. The onus
is
on a passenger to prove his identity by sending the government three
certified documents. And glitches persist: The TSA twice lost papers
sent
by Asif Iqbal, a Rochester, N.Y., businessman who is delayed
frequently,
according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Victims of
government mistakes deserve a simple and effective way to clear their
names…
ALSO SEE:
IMMIGRANTS FEEL THE PINCH OF POST-9/11 LAWS
Rachel L. Swarns, New York Times, 6/23/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/25/national/25IMMI.html
Jorge, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, walked into the Department
of
Motor Vehicles here this month and applied for a driver's license.
Friends
of his had in the past been granted licenses, so he was surprised when
he
was turned away, along with more than a dozen other Central American
migrant workers.
A new state law, one of many intended to increase security since Sept.
11,
2001, is squeezing legal and illegal immigrants alike -- and not only
those
from Arab and Muslim nations viewed as potential sources of terrorists.
Last month, officials tightened rules that require applicants to prove
they
have residences in the state; come January, anyone who cannot prove he
or
she is in Virginia legally will not qualify for a license.
This spells trouble for Jorge and the other Central Americans who
gather
daily on a bustling corner here, hoping contractors will come by and
hire
them. The men say many bosses reserve better-paying positions for
laborers
who can drive.
"We're just trying to survive," said Jorge, who had been advised by a
legal
advocate against allowing his last name to be published. The
authorities,
he said, "look at us like we're terrorists."
"Everywhere they're changing the law," he said. "Life is getting
harder."
Across the United States, state and federal officials acting out of
concern
for national security are applying post-9/11 measures in a way that
affects
a broad cross-section of illegal and legal immigrants.
West Virginia and Utah have recently enacted laws that will prevent or
make
it difficult for illegal immigrants to get licenses, according to the
National Conference of State Legislatures. Legislators in Georgia
blocked a
measure that would have eased such rules. All told, more than a dozen
states have considered such legislation this year, sending waves of
anxiety
coursing through Hispanic and Asian communities.
-----
TEEN SENTENCED IN FIREBOMBINGS OF TEMPLE
Associated Press
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-2830487,00.html
ST. LOUIS - One of two teenagers charged in the firebombings of a
suburban
Hindu temple was sentenced Tuesday to four months in a prison boot
camp.
Nathaniel Conner, 17, pleaded guilty to second-degree arson and
criminal
possession of a weapon in the pre-dawn firebombings of the Hindu Temple
of
St. Louis on Feb. 23 and March 1.
No one was injured in the attacks, which caused limited damage.
Officials at the temple had speculated whether the attacks involved
culprits who wrongly equated Hindus with Islamic extremists, or who
believed they were targeting a Muslim mosque…
If Conner successfully completes the boot camp, he will be placed on
probation for five years, Hadican said.
-----
EXPERT SAID TO TELL LEGISLATORS HE WAS PRESSED TO DISTORT SOME EVIDENCE
James Risen and Douglas Jehl, New York Times, 6/24/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/25/international/worldspecial/25INTE.html
WASHINGTON - A top State Department expert on chemical and biological
weapons told Congressional committees in closed-door hearings last week
that he had been pressed to tailor his analysis on Iraq and other
matters
to conform with the Bush administration's views, several Congressional
officials said today.
The officials described what they said was a dramatic moment at a House
Intelligence Committee hearing last week when the weapons expert came
forward to tell Congress he had felt such pressure.
By speaking out, they said, the senior intelligence expert, identified
by
several officials as Christian Westermann, became the first member of
the
intelligence community on active service to make this sort of admission
to
members of Congress.
The House Intelligence Committee was examining questions concerning the
Bush administration's handling of prewar reports on evidence that Iraq
had
illegal weapons and ties to terrorist groups.
ALSO SEE:
EMBEDDED REPORTER'S ROLE IN ARMY UNIT'S ACTIONS QUESTIONED BY MILITARY
Howard Kurtz, Washington Post, 6/25/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28385-2003Jun24.html
New York Times reporter Judith Miller played a highly unusual role in
an
Army unit assigned to search for dangerous Iraqi weapons, according to
U.S.
military officials, prompting criticism that the unit was turned into
what
one official called a "rogue operation."
More than a half-dozen military officers said that Miller acted as a
middleman between the Army unit with which she was embedded and Iraqi
National Congress leader Ahmed Chalabi, on one occasion accompanying
Army
officers to Chalabi's headquarters, where they took custody of Saddam
Hussein's son-in-law. She also sat in on the initial debriefing of the
son-in-law, these sources say.
Since interrogating Iraqis was not the mission of the unit, these
officials
said, it became a "Judith Miller team," in the words of one officer
close
to the situation.
In April, Miller wrote a letter objecting to an Army commander's order
to
withdraw the unit, Mobile Exploitation Team Alpha, from the field. She
said
this would be a "waste" of time and suggested that she would write
about it
unfavorably in the Times. After Miller took up the matter with a
two-star
general, the pullback order was dropped.
Times Assistant Managing Editor Andrew Rosenthal dismissed the notion
that
she exercised influence over the unit as "an idiotic proposition..."
Viewed from one perspective, Miller, a Pulitzer Prize-winning
correspondent, nationally recognized expert on weapons of mass
destruction
and co-author of a best-selling book on bioterrorism, was acting as an
aggressive journalist. She ferreted out sources, used her long-standing
relationship with Chalabi to pursue potential stories and, in the
process,
helped the United States take custody of two important Iraqis. Some
military officers say she cared passionately about her reporting
without
abandoning her objectivity, and some of her critics may be overly
concerned
with regulations and perhaps jealous of the attention Miller's unit
received...
---
BAD PLANNING
Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times, 6/25/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/25/opinion/25FRIE.html
President Bush is sure lucky no weapons of mass destruction have been
found
yet in Iraq.
Because had we found these weapons our entire focus today would be on
the
real issue: why the Bush team - which wanted this war so badly and had
telegraphed it for so long - was so poorly prepared for postwar Iraq.
I still believe that with the right effort Iraq can be made a decent
place.
But that task has been made much harder because of the Pentagon's poor
planning for postwar Iraq. If the Pentagon's lapses can be overcome -
and I
hope they will be - then we should learn from them for future wars. If
they
can't be overcome, then they will be grist for next year's
who-lost-Iraq
debate.
Let's start with the biggest analytical failure. The Bush Pentagon went
into this war assuming that it could decapitate the Iraqi army,
bureaucracy
and police force, remove the Saddam loyalists and then basically run
Iraq
through the rump army, bureaucracy and police....
---
VEIL OF SECRECY AROUND VILLAGE HIT IN U.S. RAID
Patrick Tyler, New York Times, 6/24/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/25/international/worldspecial/25CONV.html
MUGER ADDIB, Iraq,- On a desolate panorama of hardtack desert along the
Syrian border here, the United States military has cordoned off part of
this village, evicted five families whose houses were bombed six days
ago
and refused to say what is going on.
Two villagers were killed, a young woman, Hakima Khalil, and her infant
daughter, Maha, in an aerial assault that began just after 1 a.m.
Thursday.
At dusk today, a convoy of more than 20 military transports arrived
with
earth-moving equipment and pulled into the circle of Bradley fighting
vehicles that guard every approach to this sandy knoll littered with
broken
masonry and bomb-damaged homes.
"Stop right there," said Specialist Arthur Myers of New Jersey. "If you
take a picture, I will break your camera."
The attack on the village followed a strike by American Special Forces
troops on several vehicles near a Syrian border post five miles east of
here. American officials in Washington described what happened as an
operation focusing on a convoy of vehicles believed to be carrying
senior
officials of the former government of Saddam Hussein. It was not clear
what
they were seeking in this village...
-----
BOROUGH MAN LAUNCHES ANTI-PATRIOT ACT PITCH
Richard F. Belisle, Herald-Mail Online, 6/25/03
http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=56983&format=html
WAYNESBORO, Pa. - A 26-year-old Waynesboro man has been trying for
several
months to convince the Waynesboro Borough Council to buck the Bush
Administration and Congress by adopting a resolution opposing the USA
Patriot Act, which he says violates the civil rights of Americans.
Chris Fewell, of 38 W. Fourth St., asked Borough Council members last
week
to join the three states and more than 100 municipalities that have
adopted
such resolutions.
The council heard his presentation and accepted a packet of information
without comment.
The Patriot Act was passed by Congress in October 2001 on the heels of
the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. It gives controversial new powers to the
Justice Department in terms of domestic and international surveillance
of
American citizens and others within its jurisdiction...
-----
MINISTERING TO U.S. MUSLIMS: COMIC USES HUMOR TO BREAK DOWN STEREOTYPES
David Yonke, Toledo Blade, 6/21/03
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030621/NEWS10/106210073
Azhar Usman is very serious about comedy. A Muslim standup comic, he
works
hard at honing his joke-telling skills while hoping his humor will
defuse
tensions and shatter stereotypes.
"I wrote this joke," he said as an example of his dual purposes: "I get
a
lot of dirty looks these days. I want to stop people on the street and
say,
'Yes, I am a Muslim! But I'm an American Muslim. I'm very patriotic! In
fact, I would die for this country by blowing myself up!'"
The technique, known as "comedy of distortion," takes audience
preconceptions and "flips them inside out," Mr. Usman said. He compared
a
Muslim joking about terrorism to an African-American comedian using the
"n
word."
"It's an empowering thing, the ability to laugh at yourself and to poke
fun
at an oppressor," said Mr. Usman, who will perform Friday night at the
Islamic Center of Greater Toledo in Perrysburg.
The 27-year-old Chicago resident said he "sunlights" as a lawyer and
moonlights as a Muslim comic. "I have a virtual monopoly on this narrow
niche market," he said with a laugh...
ALSO SEE:
PARENTS TRY TO BALANCE MUSLIM, AMERICAN LIFESTYLES
Amy E. Bowen, Marshfield News-Herald, 6/25/03
http://www.wisinfo.com/newsherald/mnhlocal/278052318766684.shtml
Within minutes, Rosy Raza's grocery basket at Marshfield's Wal-Mart
Supercenter fills with candy, food and other items from her three
children.
But unlike most of their American counterparts, 13-year-old Hassan,
10-year-old Uswa and 7-year-old Hussain scan everything first for a
small K
or UD on the food's packaging, signifiying that its contents are halal
or
kosher.
Muslims are required by their religion to eat halal food - pork
products
are strictly forbidden, for instance - and looking for that symbol is
very
important, said their father, Qasim Raza.
Raising Muslim children in central Wisconsin can be a challenge.
Parents
struggle to make the American culture jibe with the traditions of their
homelands, said Mustafa Farooque of Marshfield. Farooque and his wife,
Ishrat Rafique, are originally from Bangladesh. They have two children,
Zafir, 10, and Alma, 6.
The Farooques speak their native tongue, Bangla. They also listen to
Bangladeshi music and watch movies from their homeland.
But at the same time, the kids enjoy cartoons, Pokémon and the Disney
Channel, Farooque said.
"It's very tough," Farooque said. "We're trying to balance it. We try
not
to forget our own culture, but we don't want to impose. It's very
hard..."
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ALERT #385
CAIR-FL PARTICIPATES IN DOJ SEMINAR
(MIAMI, FL) - The Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-FL) is applauding yesterday's Arab, Muslim and Sikh
Awareness and Protocol Seminar in Miami sponsored by the U.S.
Department of
Justice Community Relations Service. The day-long seminar, attended by
CAIR-FL Executive Director Altaf Ali, focused on training Muslim,
Arab-American and Sikh community leaders to assist law enforcement
agencies
with issues related to cultural and religious sensitivity.
SEE:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/miami/search/sfl-dculture27jun27.story
"We commend the Department of Justice for taking the lead on these
issues,"
said Ali. "The best way to prevent cultural and religious
misunderstandings
is to provide decision-makers with access to accurate and objective
information."
The seminar was co-sponsored by the Florida Commission on Human
Relations,
Florida State University, Center for the Advancement of Human Rights,
Miami
Dade Community Relations Board, City of Miami Community Relations
Board,
Miami Dade County Independent Review Panel, and the National Conference
for
Community and Justice. CONTACT: Altaf Ali, 954-298-8214, E-MAIL:
altaf@cair-florida.org; Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506, E-MAIL:
abedier@cair-florida.org
---
MUSLIM WORKERS WIN RIGHT TO ISLAMIC ATTIRE
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/27/03) - Following intervention by CAIR, Muslim
workers in Georgia, Virginia and Canada will now be allowed to wear
religiously-mandated head scarves.
In Georgia, a part-time worker at an Atlanta Coach store was sent home
June
13 because she refused to remove her religiously-mandated head scarf.
After
CAIR contacted Coach, a leading New York-based marketer of accessories
and
gifts for women and men, an accommodation was worked out in which the
Muslim employee would wear a scarf of appropriate colors in a "neat and
conservative way."
A company representative told CAIR: "Coach is firmly committed to equal
employment opportunity and does not discriminate against any employee
based
on religion or any other criterion protected by law."
In Virginia, a Muslim security guard with Pinkerton Burns International
Security has returned to work with back pay after being told her
Islamic
head scarf violated the company's dress code policy. CAIR officials say
company representatives were very helpful in reaching a
mutually-satisfactory accommodation for the Muslim employee.
In Canada, Subway restaurant chain told CAIR's Canadian office
(CAIR-CAN)
that it will take steps to ensure that franchisees comply with the
company's religious accommodation policy. That action resulted from a
complaint filed with CAIR-CAN by a Muslim trainee at a Subway franchise
in
Ontario who was informed that company policy does not allow the wearing
of
a head scarf.
Subway has since instructed its Central Ontario franchisees of its
policy
allowing religious accommodation and will remind all of its Canadian
franchisees of the policy. The company will also publish an article on
the
topic in its June newsletter. CONTACT: CAIR-CAN, 1-866-524-0004,
613-277-5307
"We appreciate the quick resolution of these incidents and hope that
other
employers will follow the example of these companies in allowing
reasonable
religious accommodation in the workplace," said CAIR Civil Rights
Manager
Joshua Salaam. CAIR publishes a booklet, called "An Employer's Guide to
Islamic Religious Practices," designed to help prevent such incidents.
(Booklets may be obtained by e-mailing: publications@cair-net.org)
- PLEASE POST, COPY AND DISTRIBUTE -
--- CLIP AND MAIL/FAX/E-MAIL ---
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$___________. Enclosed is my check, payable to CAIR. Basic CAIR
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-----
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http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/27/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: SEEK REFUGE IN GOD
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6179 SPONSORSHIPS
- Positive Stories Sought for CAIR'S 'Washington Live'
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* CAIR-CHICAGO INAUGURAL DINNER
* ANTI-MUSLIM VANDALISM REPORTED AT MOSQUE (Houston Chronicle)
- State Sen. Angers Muslims with Pig Entrails Comment (AP)
- Rights Group Seeks Federal Probe (Standard-Times)
- Zero Tolerance Urged for Hate Crime (Standard-Times)
* CAN ONLY MUSLIMS BE TERRORISTS? (Hernando Today)
* MUSLIMS' CLAIMS OF BIAS SOAR SINCE 9-11 (Daily Southtown)
- Muslims Tell Fear of Government (Chicago Tribune)
* ROLE OF MUSLIM LEADERS CHANGES TO MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS (Day)
* THE ISRAELIZATION OF AMERICAN POLICY (IHT)
- AJC Honored Indian Official Charged in Riot (Forward)
* U.S. PLEDGES TO AVOID TORTURE (Wash. Post)
- Treatment of Detainees Under Investigation (NY Times)
- U.S. No Safer After Detentions (Knight Ridder)
- Immigrants from India to Convene (Mercury News)
* AIRPORT SCREENERS MAY GET X-RAY VISION (AP)
* AUTHOR EXAMINES THE TURMOIL IN THE MUSLIM WORLD
* COMMUNITIES REJECT DISRESPECTFUL PROSELYTIZING OF MUSLIMS
- Competing for Souls (KR)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: SEEK REFUGE IN GOD
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "O God! I seek refuge in
Thee lest I stray or be led astray, or slip or be made to slip, or
cause
injustice, or suffer injustice, or do wrong, or have wrong done to me."
Sunan of Abu Dawood, Hadith 2411
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6179 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6179 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
CAIR is also looking for positive feature stories to air on our show.
If
you, or any you know, are making positive contributions to our society
either in a political, religious-cultural, or social way, please
contact
Rabiah Ahmed at rahmed@cair-net.org.
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
CAIR-CHICAGO INAUGURAL DINNER
WHAT: The Council on American-Islamic Relations Chicago Chapter
(CAIR-Chicago) will be holding its inaugural dinner and fundraising
event
on June 29, 2003. CAIR-Chicago needs your support in defending the
rights
of Muslims in the Chicago area. We will also be joined by prominent
guests
including the leadership of CAIR National.
WHEN: Sunday, June 29th 2003 at 5:30 PM
WHERE: Ashton Place, 341 75th St, Willowbrook, Illinois
For more information, please contact CAIR-Chicago at (312) 922-4720 or
by
email at info@cairchicago.org
-----
ANTI-MUSLIM VANDALISM REPORTED AT HOUSTON MOSQUE
S.K. Bardwell, Houston Chronicle, 6/26/03
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/1969076
Officials of the Council on American-Islamic Relations believe
vandalism at
a west Houston mosque over the past week is anti-Muslim in nature.
CAIR officials said today that during prayer services on June 20, air
conditioning at Masjid Al-Farouq on I-10 West near the Sam Houston
Parkway
was turned off at an outside source.
Five days later, the same thing happened at the Islamic school on the
same
property as the mosque, officials said. CAIR officials said that today
lettering on the mosque's sign was crossed out and replaced with "USA."
All three incidents are under investigation.
SEE ALSO:
STATE SEN. ANGERS MUSLIMS WITH PIG ENTRAILS COMMENT
Associated Press, 6/27/03
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/2298466/detail.html
BOSTON - State Sen. Guy Glodis has angered Muslims with a flier he sent
to
colleagues suggesting terrorist attacks would be deterred if convicted
Muslim extremists were buried with pig entrails.
The flier, which senators received on Wednesday, said Muslims believe
contact with pig entrails and blood bars them from paradise and dooms
them
to hell. It recounted that General John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing
ordered his troops before World War I to execute terrorists in the
Philippines with bullets dipped in pig's blood, then bury them with the
blood and entrails.
The flier said news of the burial deterred other terrorist attacks for
"the
next forty-two years." "Maybe it is time for this segment of history to
repeat itself, maybe in Iraq," the flier concluded. "The question is,
where
do we find another Black Jack Pershing?"
Raeed Tayeh, public affairs director of the Muslim American Society
Freedom
Foundation in Washington, said Islam doesn't teach that people are
barred
from heaven if they're buried with pig entrails, calling the notion "a
lie,
a fable."
Tayeh told The Boston Globe he would join local Muslims on Friday to
call
on Senate President Robert Travaglini to censure Glodis.
"This is just a sad commentary on the ignorance of people who are
entrusted
to represent Americans, that they would pass around such offensive,
distasteful and slanderous garbage to members of an esteemed body such
as
the Massachusetts Senate," he said...
---
RIGHTS GROUP SEEKS FEDERAL PROBE
Ray Henry, Standard-Times, 6/26/03
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/06-03/06-26-03/a01lo002.htm
NEW BEDFORD -- A national Islamic rights group asked the federal
government
yesterday to investigate the robbery and brutalization of a pizza
delivery
man who allegedly was mistaken for a Muslim.
Prosecutors also charged a third suspect in the incident yesterday
after he
surrendered to New Bedford police on Tuesday.
In Washington, D.C., the Council on American-Islamic Relations called
on
the FBI to investigate Sunday's attack on Saurabh Bhalerao, 24, a
delivery
man for Sarducci's Subs and Pizza on Pleasant Street. The advocacy
group
said the robbery and beating was just one in a series of crimes against
Muslims since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
"While this is a local incident, we believe it is a symptom of a
nationwide
phenomenon in which people are attacked, harassed or discriminated
against
because they're Muslim, or even perceived to be Muslim or Middle
Eastern,"
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement.
Special Agent Angelo Rinchiuso in the FBI's Boston office said
yesterday
that Justice Department regulations prohibit him from saying whether
the
agency is investigating the attack...
---
LOCAL LEADERS URGE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR HATE CRIME
Curt Brown and Ray Henry, Standard-Times, 6/27/03
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/06-03/06-27-03/a09lo052.htm
Community leaders from across the state yesterday denounced the robbery
and
beating of a pizza delivery man, an attack local police have
categorized as
a hate crime.
Two local Domino's Pizza franchise owners, Nelson Hockert-Lotz and
Anthony
Squizzero, offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the
arrest
and conviction of robbers who target any pizza delivery person.
"Our aggressive security practices have made robbery of Domino's
drivers
very rare in New Bedford. However, we cannot stand idle while our
competitors' delivery people are targeted for robbery, assault or the
kind
of unconscionable crime we saw here in the city earlier this week," Mr.
Hockert-Lotz said.
New Bedford detectives were still searching yesterday for a fourth
suspect,
identified only as "Chris," in the robbery and attack on Saurabh
Bhalerao,
24, a Sarducci's pizza delivery man, whom police said was robbed,
beaten,
burned with cigarettes, stuffed in a trunk, stabbed twice and dumped in
a
Fairhaven road late Sunday night.
Although suspect Christopher Pereira, 20, told detectives he ordered a
chicken pizza from Sarducci's to set up a robbery, investigators said
the
robbery escalated into an attack when several of the defendants mistook
Mr.
Bhalerao for a Muslim and shouted racial epitaphs. He is actually a
Hindu.
In addition to Mr. Pereira, two other defendants in the case -- Ryan
Marsh
and Tyrell Tavares, both 17 -- were charged earlier this week in
connection
with the crime. All three men pleaded not guilty...
-----
CAN ONLY MUSLIMS BE TERRORISTS?
Kamran Memon and Parvez Ahmed, Hernando Today, 6/26/03
http://www.hernandotoday.com/MGA3VZX0EHD.html
(Kamran Memon is a Chicago civil rights attorney. Parvez Ahmed, Ph.D.,
is
Chairman of Board for the Florida chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations).
Robert Jay Goldstein is not a "Jewish terrorist." After all, neither
God
nor his prophets ever condoned the murder of innocent human beings. If
a
Jew engages in terrorism, the blame falls on him, not on his religion.
That
much we can all agree on. But that is where our paths diverge.
In August 2002, Goldstein was arrested near his home in St. Petersburg,
Florida. In his possession were 40 weapons, 30 explosive devices, a
list of
50 mosques and a detailed plan to bomb an Islamic school.
Contrary to the suggestion from defense lawyers that Goldstein is
mentally
ill, sheriff's Detective Cal Dennie characterized him as "a smart guy"
who
"knew his stuff."
Clearly Goldstein, a terrorist, was capable of inflicting unimaginable
harm. In chilling details, his mission plan stated his desire to "open
fire
on all 'rags' and then bolt out and let the devices do the rest."
His motive was to "to do something for 'his' people," in retaliation
for
9/11 and the ongoing Israeli-Arab conflict. His goal was to "kill all
rags"
with "zero residual presence."
Despite Goldstein's impressive arsenal and obvious intent, federal
prosecutors say he is no terrorist, as his actions were not aimed at
altering government policy.
But the U.S. Patriot Act defines domestic terrorism as "acts dangerous
to
human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United
States
or of any State; and appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a
civilian population, influence the policy of a government by
intimidation
or coercion, or affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction,
assassination, or kidnapping; and occur primarily within the
territorial
jurisdiction of the United States."
Intent to alter government policy is only one part of a fairly broad
definition of domestic "terrorism."
-----
MUSLIMS' CLAIMS OF BIAS SOAR SINCE 9-11
Crimes, discrimination, denial of counsel cited
Allison Hantschel, Daily Southtown, 6/26/03
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsnews/261nd3.htm
Claims by Muslims that they were fired or discriminated against because
of
their religion or ethnicity more than doubled nationwide after Sept.
11,
2001, according to a civil rights report released Wednesday.
The report, prepared by the Illinois Advisory Committee to the U.S.
Commission on Civil Rights, detailed hate crimes and discrimination
against
Arabs and Muslims in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
"Numerous instances were cited where some of the most important people
in
our region employers discharged Arab and Muslim employees for seemingly
no
other reason besides bias," said Hugh Schwartzberg, a member of the
committee from Chicago. "In a free nation, people should not be afraid
because they share similar physical characteristics with people who
commit
horrific acts."
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, between Sept.
11,
2001, and May 29, 2002, it received 497 charges of discrimination based
on
Islam. One year earlier, during the same time period, it received 209
complaints, according to the report...
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIMS TELL FEAR OF GOVERNMENT
Deborah Horan, Chicago Tribune, 6/26/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0306260125jun26,1,5611850.story
Muslim leaders are more concerned about the government's use of secret
evidence, creation of a "watch list" of potential terrorists, and
closure
of Islamic charities than about hate crimes, according to community
leaders
and a report released Wednesday by an advisory committee for human
rights.
The report, compiled by the Illinois Advisory Committee to the U.S.
Commission on Civil Rights, chronicled 60 instances of hate crimes
against
Arab and Muslim Americans in the greater Chicago area since Sept. 11,
2001.
It also detailed alleged discrimination in employment, housing,
education
and transportation.
But the report concluded that community members were "far more
disturbed"
by fears that the government's use of secret evidence would amount to
racial profiling and would severely curb the civil rights of Arabs and
Muslims without increasing national security...
-----
ROLE OF MUSLIM PRAYER LEADERS CHANGES TO MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS
Rachel Zoll, Associated Press, 6/27/03
http://www.theday.com/eng/web/newstand/re.aspx?reIDx=5404C1F0-67A9-481A-9E05-1ED4F8809CB8
A Lebanese man living in Syria, Muhammad Musri chafed under that
nation's
restrictive laws. Then he heard a Voice of America broadcast about the
shortage of imams, or Muslim prayer leaders, in the United States.
"I was listening to it thinking, "What am I doing here?" he said, and
soon
afterward he left the country, hoping to lead a mosque in America.
Years later, Musri is an imam in Orlando, Fla., but the job is not
exactly
the one he anticipated when he emigrated from the Mideast. In the
religious
melting pot of the United States, the role of Muslim prayer leader has
transformed into something that would seem unfamiliar to people in
predominantly Muslim countries.
Imams in those nations generally have few other responsibilities than
leading prayers on Friday, the Muslim Sabbath.
But in America, they do much more. Like ministers and rabbis, imams
manage
their houses of worship, teach, provide counseling and perform
marriages
and other rituals.
Muslim leaders say the position of imams here has evolved to the point
that
they are becoming an institutionalized clergy - a remarkable shift
since
Islam has no ordained clergy and is led instead by religious scholars,
traditionally a group that is distinct from imams.
"You are at a crossroads," Muslim political scientist Muqtedar Khan
told
U.S. imams, meeting this month in Alexandria, Va. Imams need to decide
"whether you're going to end up becoming office managers at the masjid
(mosque) or becoming leaders of your community..."
-----
THE ISRAELIZATION OF AMERICAN POLICY
Marwan Bishara, International Herald Tribune, 6/27/03
http://www.iht.com/articles/100893.html
PARIS- For the past few months I have watched with bewilderment as
America
has adopted Israel's mistaken strategy in the Middle East. Will America
take as long as Israel to realize that starting a war is nothing like
finishing it, and that military occupation does not bring about peace
or
security?
Two pictures in the International Herald Tribune on the same day, June
16,
spoke volumes. One showed an Israeli soldier in Hebron pointing his
automatic rifle at civilians with their hands in the air, and another
of an
American soldier doing exactly the same thing in Falluja, Iraq. If
there
were no captions, you couldn't tell one photograph from the other.
America, like Israel, is getting increasingly bogged down by an
open-ended
military occupation, as attacks on its troops continue almost daily in
Iraq. The situation has been aggravated by America's break-up of state
institutions such as the army, rendering millions of Iraqis unemployed.
Powerful but vulnerable, America and Israel seem to bring out the worst
in
each other. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, Washington has internalized
Israel's claustrophobic view of a world full of hatred and terrorism.
Its
post-Cold War optimism has given way to vengeful pessimism.
President George W. Bush is walking down Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's
path
as he uses the dramatic events of the past two years to whip up a new
theological patriotism to strengthen his governing base and confront
those
- mostly Muslims - who "hate us for what we are..."
SEE ALSO:
AJC HONORED INDIAN OFFICIAL CHARGED IN RIOT
Ami Eden, Forward, 6/26/03
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.06.27/news10.html
Just days after being formally charged with inciting an anti-Muslim
mob,
the deputy prime minister of India was feted this month at a dinner
organized by the American Jewish community's oldest civil rights
organization.
On May 31, India's Central Bureau of Investigation charged eight
people,
including Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, with helping to incite a
mob
of Hindu protestors who destroyed a 16th-century mosque in 1992. The
incident was immediately followed by nationwide riots that left 2,000
dead.
Less than two weeks after the charge was filed in India, the American
Jewish Committee hosted a June 10 dinner in Washington for Advani, with
several congressmen, Bush administration officials and leaders of the
Indian-American community in attendance. It was not the first meeting
between AJCommittee leaders and Advani, the controversial Hindu
militant
who is the second-ranking member of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata
Party.
This time, however, the meeting took place with a formal charge hanging
over Advani's head.
Advani has said that he actually tried to discourage demonstrators from
destroying the historic Babri mosque in the northern city of Ayodhya.
Prior
to the incident, however, Advani and BJP leaders had regularly rallied
their followers around the claim that the mosque had been built on the
ruins of a sacred Hindu temple...
-----
U.S. PLEDGES TO AVOID TORTURE
Pledge on Terror Suspects Comes Amid Probes of Two Deaths
Peter Slevin, Washington Post, 6/27/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37460-2003Jun26.html
The Bush administration pledged yesterday for the first time that the
United States will not torture terrorism suspects or treat them cruelly
in
an attempt to extract information, a move that comes as the deaths of
two
Afghan prisoners in U.S. custody are being investigated as homicides.
"All interrogations, wherever they may occur," must be conducted
without
the use of cruel and inhuman tactics, the Pentagon's senior lawyer
wrote
after members of Congress and human rights groups pressed the White
House
to renounce abusive tactics reported by U.S. government officials.
On a day when President Bush asserted that his administration intends
to
lead by example in a global fight against torture, Defense Department
general counsel William J. Haynes II said that anyone found to have
broken
the law in the Afghanistan deaths will be prosecuted.
Human rights organizations welcomed the announcement, which went
further
than the Bush administration had gone before. An earlier letter from
Haynes, for example, had mentioned the prohibition against torture
without
citing the broader category of mistreatment that is against the law in
the
United States...
---
TREATMENT OF DETAINED IMMIGRANTS IS UNDER INVESTIGATION
Eric Lictblau, NY Times, 6/25/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/26/national/26DETA.html
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department's inspector general said today that
his
office was investigating possible abuses by federal prison guards in
Brooklyn against illegal immigrants detained after the Sept. 11
attacks,
but the head of the federal prison system vigorously defended his
agency's
handling of the inmates.
The inspector general, Glenn A. Fine, briefed lawmakers on a highly
critical report delivered by his office earlier this month on the
treatment
of Sept. 11 detainees, and said that investigators had "serious
concerns"
about a pattern of verbal and physical abuse faced by 84 illegal
immigrants
at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Investigators found that some guards slammed inmates against walls,
dragged
them by their arms, stepped on the chains between their ankle cuffs and
made slurs and threats like "you will feel pain" and "you're going to
die
here," Mr. Fine told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Although Justice Department officials have declined to bring criminal
charges against any corrections officers in Brooklyn so far, Mr. Fine
said
his office was conducting an internal administrative review of certain
officers, who he said numbered fewer than 10, and might recommend
disciplinary action...
-----
U.S. NO SAFER AFTER IMMIGRANT DETENTIONS, REPORT SAYS
Jack Chang, Knight Ridder, 6/26/03
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/6179815.htm
Post-Sept. 11 government detentions of hundreds of Middle-Eastern men
and
registrations of tens of thousands of others have not made the United
States any safer, according to a study released Thursday.
With two former immigration chiefs participating, the study titled
"America's Challenge" represented the highest-profile repudiation yet
of
Bush administration tactics affecting immigrants since Sept. 11. The
authors said it was the most comprehensive look at the issue to date.
The report released by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Migration Policy
Institute argues that the government has failed to achieve any
investigatory breakthroughs through its registration and wide-net
detention
policies, but has instead alienated Middle-Eastern and Muslim
communities
it should be courting.
Investigators should focus on people under suspicion for plotting
attacks
rather than rounding up people based solely on their ethnicity, the
report
says...
In one case, a Yemeni man was deported after discussing the
then-ongoing
anthrax scare with a flight attendant at an airport, according to the
report.
"Do you honestly believe this is a safety measure for national
security?"
asked Helal Omeira, spokesman for the local chapter of the Council on
American Islamic Relations. "I don't think so. Our community is just
being
asked to jump through so many hoops."
---
IMMIGRANTS FROM INDIA TO CONVENE VARIED GROUP
Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, San Jose Mercury News, 6/27/03
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/6182961.htm
Silicon Valley's Indo-American community has an influence over homeland
politics perhaps unprecedented for an immigrant group.
So it is not surprising that a convention of expatriates to be held
Saturday at the Santa Clara Marriott attempts to pull together an array
of
groups varied in religion, but with the same political aim of bringing
India, the world's largest democracy, closer to the secular ideal that
defined the nation's inception. The event is coordinated by the Indian
Muslim Council.
Secular activists contend that Silicon Valley's Indo-Americans
contribute
financially and ideologically to the same Hindu nationalist
organizations
that allowed Hindu mobs to kill more than 1,000 Muslims and rape
hundreds
of Muslim women in Gujarat, India in the spring of 2002. Those riots
were
ignited when a Muslim mob stoned and set fire to a train carrying Hindu
activists, killing 59.
''The Indian diaspora, especially in Silicon Valley, is doing much more
than funding,'' said San Jose-resident Shalini Gera, who was raised a
Hindu
and who co-authored a report indicting a Maryland-based charity as
being a
front for Hindu nationalist organizations. ''This is a major
battlefield
for political thought and action.''
The report about the India Development and Relief Fund prompted Silicon
Valley companies -- including Cisco and Oracle -- to suspend corporate
matching of employee donations because of the charities' alleged ties
to
Hindu extremist activities...
Bay Area members of Hindu nationalist groups say events such as
Saturday's
convention play a divisive role in the community and do little to move
forward. Riots like those at Gujarat have not been repeated -- a fact
Hindu
nationalists cite as proof of the power of the government to quell
sectarian violence.
-----
AIRPORT SCREENERS MAY GET X-RAY VISION, BUT MODEST PASSENGERS COULD BE
SQUEAMISH
Leslie Miller, Associated Press, 6/26/03
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/terror/20030626-0723-see-throughsecurity.html
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. A scanner the government is testing for
airport
screening reveals much more than meets the eye to be comfortable for
most
passengers.
Susan Hallowell, director of the Transportation Security
Administration's
security laboratory, sacrificed a large measure of her own modesty
Wednesday to demonstrate the problem.
She stepped into a metal booth that bounced X-rays off her skin to
produce
a black-and-white image that revealed enough to produce a world-class
blush.
Her dark skirt and blazer disappeared on the monitor, where she showed
up
naked except for the gun and bomb she had hidden under her outfit.
"It does basically make you look fat and naked, but you see all this
stuff," Hallowell said.
The agency hopes to modify the machines with an electronic fig leaf
programming that fuzzes out sensitive body parts or distorts the body
so it
does not appear so, well, graphic.
Another option would be to restrict the screener to a booth so no
passing
peepers can see the image, said Randal Null, the agency's chief
technology
officer...
-----
AUTHOR EXAMINES THE TURMOIL IN THE MUSLIM WORLD
A new book, "Islam Under Siege-Living Dangerously in a Post-Honor
World,"
by Muslim scholar Akbar S. Ahmed examines the turmoil currently facing
Islam around the globe. In the book, Ahmed explains what is going wrong
in
the Muslim world, why it is going wrong and how Muslims and non-Muslims
can
work together to create global stability.
According to Ahmed, one of the principal culprits behind the
misunderstanding between Islam and the West is the media. Ahmed
criticizes
how the media portray the debate on Islam. He writes that the debate is
"too often little more than a parading of deep-rooted prejudices."
Islam Under Siege answers many of the question Americans are asking
after
September 11: Why do they hate us? Does the Quran preach violence? Do
Muslims hate Jews and Christians? Are we at the start of a final
crusade
between Islam and the West? Ahmed responds to common criticisms: that
Islam
is a violent religion and it encourages the subjugation of women. He
also
explores how the war against terrorism is perceived in other countries.
For
many developing nations, Ahmed writes, the war against terrorism is
seen as
a violent expression of a threatening Imperial America...
-----
FAITH COMMUNITIES REJECT DISRESPECTFUL PROSELYTIZING OF MUSLIMS: Faith
Communities Uniting For Peace Joins Muslims on June 27 for Prayers and
Denounces Efforts that Divide the Community
(COLUMBUS, OH - 6/23/2003) Faith Communities Uniting for Peace calls on
people of faith to join in support of Muslims against disrespectful
proselytizing attempts by some evangelical Christians in Central Ohio.
The event is in response to the recent New York Times article of May
27,
2003 titled "Seeing Islam as 'Evil' Faith, Evangelicals Seek Converts"
about a recent all-day seminar at Southwest Grace Brethren Church in
Grove
City, and the Detour Event planned at the Vineyard Church on June 28,
2003.
The New York Times article mentioned that an evangelical teacher at the
Grace Brethren Church advocated the position that "Islam was regressive
fraudulent, and violent." A secretary at a high school in the Columbus
metropolitan area, which has had an influx of Muslim students from
Somalia,
attended the seminar. The newspaper quoted the secretary saying that as
she
walked through the hallways of her school, she regarded the students as
a
"virtual mission field" and "felt an obligation to save them from an
eternity in Hell."
"The Detour is a gathering of this generation seeking God's face on
their
journey in life. At Detour, you will be challenged to consider God's
call
to bring the peace of God to the Muslim peoples of the world," says the
advertisement for the June 28 Vineyard Church event. The Detour - SEE
http://www.thedetour.org -- is an all day event directed to proselytize
Muslims...
"We will join our Muslim friends on June 27 because we reject words and
actions that seek to divide our communities of faith," said the Rev.
Deanna
Stickley-Miner, a Co-convener of Faith Communities Uniting for Peace
and an
ordained Deacon of the United Methodist Church...
FAITH COMMUNITIES UNITING FOR PEACE JOINS MUSLIMS
WHEN: Friday, June 27, 2003, 2-3 PM
WHERE: Friday Prayers at Bill McDonald's Athletic Facility
(Intersection
of Bethel and Olentangy River Roads)
CONTACTS: Rev. Deanna Stickley-Miner, Co-convener, Faith Communities
Uniting for Peace, 614-844-6200, Dr. Tarunjit S. Butalia, Co-convener,
Faith Communities Uniting for Peace, 614-395-9830
----
COMPETING FOR SOULS
Susana Hayward, Knight Ridder, 6/27/03
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/6182920.htm
SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico - Outside this city of colonial
churches
and cobblestone streets built by Maya and Spaniards, Juan Gomez finds
shade
from a blinding afternoon sun inside his small wooden hut.
A beatific smile radiates from the young Tzotzil Maya as he haltingly
reads
the Koran in Arabic.
Gomez, 26, a former Protestant who became a Muslim in 1996, is learning
the
language as a convert to Islam. He embodies a religious phenomenon in
Chiapas, where one-quarter of the 3.9 million people are poor Maya
peasants
who practice myriad religions, often blending ancient rituals with
Roman
Catholicism.
The religious conquest of Chiapas persists five centuries after Spanish
priests fought to convert the Maya, burning their books of complex
hieroglyphics. Chiapas is unusual in mostly Catholic Mexico for its
near-constant state of religious turmoil. Anthropologists say the
historical lack of a centralized political or religious system --
combined
with a strong tradition of spirituality -- have left the Maya people
easily
swayed by missionaries, who have descended repeatedly on Chiapas in
search
of converts.
Since the arrival of U.S.-based Protestant missionaries decades ago,
this
southernmost state bordering Guatemala has been wracked by violent
clashes
as faiths compete for souls.
Islam joined the religious skirmishes in 1995 with the arrival of
Muslim
missionaries from Spain. So far, they have converted about 300 Chiapas
families. There are only a few thousand Muslims in Mexico.
''Islam is the path to the truth,'' Gomez said as his 2-year-old son,
Muhammad, giggled and his pregnant wife looked on...
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
-- MEDIA ADVISORY --
ILLINOIS MUSLIM FILES SUIT OVER HARASSMENT
WHAT: On Tuesday, July 1, the Chicago office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) will hold a noon news
conference
to announce the filing of a lawsuit on behalf of a Muslim worker who
says
he was harassed and forced out of his job following the 9/11 terror
attacks.
According to the suit, the Muslim truck driver was harassed throughout
his
employment, but the discrimination increased following the 9/11
attacks.
Supervisors allegedly called the plaintiff "terrorist," "rag head,"
"sand
nigger," "camel jockey," "Arab mother-f**ker," "f**king Arab," and
"dumb-ass Arab." Those same supervisors also allegedly attempted to
hire a
co-worker to assault the plaintiff.
The lawsuit seeks back-pay, as well as other compensatory and punitive
damages on two counts of national origin and ancestry discrimination.
"All employees, regardless of faith or national origin, have the right
to
feel safe in their place of work," said CAIR-Chicago Board Member
Kamran
Memon, the plaintiff's attorney.
CAIR, based in Washington, D.C., is America's largest Islamic civil
liberties group, with 16 regional offices nationwide and in Canada. To
obtain a copy of CAIR's "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious
Practices," e-mail: publications@cair-net.org
WHEN: Tuesday, July 1, Noon (Central)
WHERE: Outside ABC Expediting, 1152 West Carroll (Corner of Carroll and
Racine), Chicago, Illinois
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Chicago, Kamran Memon, 312-961-2354; CAIR-DC, Ibrahim
Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed,
202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/30/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: INDEPENDENCE
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6195 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR's 'Washington Live' Satellite Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* ARABS SEEN AS THE NEW VILLAINS OF HOLLYWOOD (Independent)
* ABOUT DANIEL PIPES'S NOMINATION (Boston Globe)
* AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: A TEST FOR AMERICA (Orlando Sentinel)
* SOCIETY-U.S.: MUSLIMS TAKE LEAD IN EDUCATING CITIZENS (IPS)
- Muslim Leaders Hold a Meet and Greet (News 14)
- A Happily Dateless Prom (Star)
* MUSLIMS URGE PUBLIC REPRIMAND OF SENATOR (Daily News)
* CHRISTIANS' EVANGELISM SPARKS DEBATE (Columbus Dispatch)
- Three Faiths All Believe In One Deity (Newsday)
- Finding a Home in Islam (Wichita Eagle)
* BUSINESSMAN DETAINED BY INS (Pensacola Voice)
- Name Can Set off Bells (Chicago Tribune)
* JUSTICE DENIED AT THE SOURCE (Village Voice)
- Media Walk on Ashcroft's Leash (Miami Herald)
- Ashcroft in Conference (Village Voice)
* UMD MAKES FUND TO HELP ATTACK VICTIM (Standard-Times)
* PROFESSOR BACKS LOCAL ANTI-PATRIOT ACT MOVEMENT (Triangle)
- Family Objects to Autopsy (AP)
* GROUP: U.S. IRAQI DETENTIONS VIOLATE LAW (AP)
- Israel Acknowledges Running 'Secret Jail' (AP)
- Israeli Likens BBC Program to Nazi Press (AP)
- Israeli Hold on Jerusalem Untouched (Reuters)
- Stop winks, Nods on Settlements (Sun Spots))
* A STRUGGLE FOR IRAQI CLERGY'S SOUL (Wash. Post)
- Occupation Forces Halting Elections in Iraq (Wash. Post)
* E. AFRICANS HAVE DIFFICULTY TRANSFERRING SKILLS (Star Trib)
* ICNA AND MAS 2ND ANNUAL JOINT CONVENTION
* ISNA REGIONAL CONFERENCES COMING TO DALLAS
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: INDEPENDENCE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught Ali ibn Abu Talib to
supplicate: "O God, make that which is permissible sufficient for me so
as
to make me independent of that which is forbidden."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 451
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6195 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6195 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
CAIR is also looking for positive feature stories to air on our show.
If
you, or any you know, are making positive contributions to our society
either in a political, religious-cultural, or social way, please
contact
Rabiah Ahmed at rahmed@cair-net.org.
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
ARABS SEEN AS THE NEW VILLAINS OF HOLLYWOOD
Roger Dobson, Independent, 6/29/03
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=419969
Hollywood has a new top villain, who has taken over from those old
foes,
red Indians and Communists.
Now the Apache have become respected native Americans, the Iron Curtain
gone, and Russia almost an ally, Arabs are pretty much the only
villains in
town. According to a new report, they are portrayed in a derogatory way
96
per cent of the time.
Usually typecast as nasty bombers or evil billionaires, or at best,
evil
belly dancers, Arab characters have been the baddies in more than 20
big
films in the past 10 years, including Death Before Dishonor, Navy
SEALs,
Patriot Games, The American President, Delta Force 3 and Executive
Decision.
Not, it seems, since the heyday of cowboys-and-Indians has there been
such
an epidemic of violence against one group, though Arabs have long been
a
target as well. The report in the July issue of Annals of the American
Academy of Political and Social Science says they have been depicted as
rogues for the best part of a century.
Based on a study of more than 900 films, the report says: "Moviemakers'
distorted lenses have shown Arabs as heartless, brutal, uncivilised,
religious fanatics through common depictions of Arabs kidnapping or
raping
a fair maiden; expressing hatred against the Jews and Christians; and
demonstrating a love for wealth and power."
It compares the stereotype of the hook-nosed Arab with a similar
depiction
of Jews by the Nazis. Cartoons are involved too. Even in those with
all-Arab characters the heroes are lighter-skinned - with American
accents.
-----
ABOUT DANIEL PIPES'S NOMINATION
Boston Globe, 6/29/03
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/180/letter/About_Daniel_Pipes_s_nomination+.shtml
WE WERE PARTICULARLY DISTURBED BY JEFF JACOBY'S MISLEADING AND PARTISAN
JUNE 22 OP-ED PAGE COLUMN, "PIPES'S EFFECTIVE ROUTE TO PEACE." We are
signatories to a letter delivered recently to the US Senate Committee
on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions urging it to reject the
nomination
of Daniel Pipes to the US Institute for Peace or else hold full public
hearings so his extremist views can be fully exposed to the American
people.
Pipes, as Jacoby's column implies, is widely held to have virulently
racist
views and is one of our country's leading Muslim bashers. Jacoby would
like
to try to dispel this using Pipes's own talking points to imply that
only
extremists or Islamists would believe such a thing about Pipes.
But James Zogby, whom Jacoby attacks for comparing Pipes to David Duke,
is
a well-known and widely respected moderate. The groundswell of
opposition
to the Pipes nomination is not from any fringe or marginal group from
within the Muslim or Arab-American community. He is vehemently opposed
by
every major mainstream Muslim and Arab- American group in the country.
In addition, this itself hardly exhausts the opposition. The majority
of us
are neither Muslims or Arab-Americans (and certainly not Islamists).
This
kind of labeling, direct or by implication, is not just false, it is
pernicious.
JOHN WOMACK Jr. Professor of History Center for International
Development
Harvard University EVELYN FOX KELLER Professor of History and
Philosophy of
Science MIT Cambridge
This letter was signed by 58 other professors from around the country.
-----
TEST FOR AMERICA
Parvez Ahmed, Orlando Sentinel, 6/29/03
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/orl-edple29062903jun29.story
(Parvez Ahmed is the Chairman of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
in Jacksonville, Florida.)
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's statement, "Effective
participation by members of all racial and ethnic groups in the civic
life
of our nation is essential if the dream of one nation, indivisible, is
to
be realized," as part of the Supreme Court's majority opinion favoring
affirmative action is expected to test the heart and soul of America.
While no one disagrees over O'Connor's ideals, there is quite lot of
debate
over how to achieve it. Each one of us can start by looking around and
seeing who sits at our tables and perhaps more importantly who does
not.
Under-representation of certain minorities, such as African-Americans,
Hispanics, Arabs and Muslims, remains a chronic problem in government,
media and higher education. Without a voice in the public square,
marginalization of these Americans has become too common and too easy.
The way out of this quagmire is by instituting substantive
diversity-awareness programs. Businesses, government and educational
institutions must create programs that reach out to under-represented
communities, pay careful attention to their concerns and formulate
actions
to address those concerns. Only then will affirmative action one day
soon
be relegated to the pages of history.
Let us not waste a day in working toward this new America.
-----
SOCIETY-U.S.: MUSLIMS TAKE LEAD IN EDUCATING CITIZENS
Ushani Agalawatta, Inter Press Service, 6/27/03
http://www.ips.org/
NEW YORK - In response to the crackdown on members of their communities
after Sept. 11, 2001, Arab and Muslim-American groups are striving to
demonstrate to people here that there is a difference between a
terrorist
and a person of Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern or South Asian descent.
A year long 'Islam in America' advertising campaign, a weekly talk
show, as
well as numerous resources prepared for schools, law enforcement
agencies,
employers and parents are just a few of the initiatives undertaken by
these
organizations.
The non-profit Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently
launched a year-long advertising campaign to raise awareness about the
face
of Islam in America...
CAIR spokesperson Ibrahim Hooper told IPS, "the campaign was prompted
by
the misinformation about Islam and Muslims that we hear on a daily
basis
from a number of sources, particularly right-wing, evangelical and
pro-Israel circles, bashing Islam, bashing Muslims and creating a
distorted
picture of the reality of, particularly, the American Muslim
experience."
"The reality of the American Muslim experience is that they are
millions of
people going about their daily lives as mothers fathers, students, bus
drivers, doctors, soccer moms, you name it, and will never come within
a
hundred miles of any act of violence or political instability within
their
entire lives," added Hooper, whose group has headquarters in Washington
DC
and chapters country-wide.
Since 9/11, Arab, Muslim and South Asian communities have been under
duress, marginalized and victimized in President George W Bush's "war
against terrorism"...
Earlier this week, the Justice Department issued guidelines that ban
federal employees from racial profiling in day-to-day situations, such
as
random traffic checks. But it said "race and ethnicity may be used in
terrorist identification, but only to the extent permitted by the
nation's
laws and the Constitution..."
Added Hooper: "Any law is fine as long as it does not single out people
based on their race, religion, ethnicity or national origin.
Unfortunately
we are seeing all too many policies that are based on those factors and
that is what is disturbing."
CAIR says its ad campaign and TV show are a success. "Both projects
have
been received very well by the Muslim and non-Muslim community. CNN
featured our ad campaign on one of their shows and invited Ibrahim
Hooper
to talk about it. We have hundreds of testimonies from a variety of
people
who appreciate and welcome the campaign," says Rabiah Ahmed, CAIR
communications coordinator.
"The show is also doing well. Many Muslims write in from around the
world
saying that it's about time that Muslim Americans have a show
discussing
issues affecting them and other minorities," adds Ahmed...
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM LEADERS HOLD A MEET AND GREET
News 14 Carolina, 6/29/03
http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/top_stories/Default.asp?ArID=34198
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Saturday Muslim leaders sat down, and broke bread
with
elected officials. It was all part of the Meet and Greet, at the
Islamic
Center of Charlotte. Organizers said they wanted to get help for what
they
call discrimination, and hate crimes. Most have happened since
September 11th.
A spokesperson for the Muslim Center said someone even took down the
sign,
at the center.
Guests got to taste foods from the Middle East and listen to officials
talk.
"We want stiffer penalties for people who are behind these hate crimes,
you
know behind these heinous acts," said Mujahid Idibli. "We don't want
this
to continue. So, if there's a stiffer punishment, often times, people
will
resort to not doing it."
While guests tasted food from the Middle East, Muslim leaders and
elected
officials talked about ways to improve relationships. This was the
first
event of its kind, here.
---
A HAPPILY DATELESS PROM
Muslim grads just wanna have fun
Leslie Scrivener, Star, 6/29/03
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1056838209762
For years they'd dreamed of their high school prom, and for months
they'd
planned it: the fluttery dresses in organza and satin, the flowers in
their
hair, the discreet makeup, the DJ, the banquet hall - and not a boy in
sight.
The all-girl Muslim prom is new to Canada - there have been one or two
in
recent years - and this month in the Toronto area there were four. And
one
last week for boys.
Girls who organize these dances say they want to celebrate the end of
high
school as all teens do. But many are more conservative than their
mothers,
and they want an all-girls party, to enjoy the freedom of bare arms,
uncovered heads, pretty dresses and dancing, while staying true to
their
Muslim convictions.
While the degree of observance varies, most girls at these proms follow
religious or cultural traditions that demand modesty in dress,
including
wearing hijab and long-sleeved clothing, and forbid drinking, dating
and
dancing with boys.
But girls still wanna have fun. In a surprising hybrid of North
American
party panache and Muslim decorum, they succeeded...
-----
MUSLIM-AMERICANS URGE PUBLIC REPRIMAND OF STATE SENATOR
Michael Kunzelman, Daily News 6/28/03
http://www.neponsetvalleydailynews.com/news/local_regional/glodis06282003.htm
BOSTON -- State Sen. Guy Glodis, D-Worcester, should be publicly
reprimanded for circulating a flier that suggests the United States
could
prevent terrorist attacks by executing "Muslim extremists" with bullets
covered in pig blood, a group of Muslim-Americans said yesterday.
The flier, which Glodis sent to Senate colleagues this week, purports
to
tell the story of how General John "Black Jack" Pershing captured and
executed 50 terrorists while he was a military governor in the
Philippines
in the early 1900s.
Before they shot the terrorists, the soldiers supposedly slaughtered
two
pigs and soaked their bullets in pig blood. The ritual "horrified" the
terrorists, who feared they would be "barred from paradise (and those
virgins) and doomed to hell," the flier states.
"And for the next forty-two years, there was not a single Muslim
extremist
attack anywhere in the world," the flier reads. "Maybe it is time for
this
segment of history to repeat itself, maybe in Iraq? The question is,
where
do we find another Black Jack Pershing."
On Wednesday, Glodis forwarded copies of the flier to his Senate
colleagues
with a note reading, "Thought this might be of interest to you."
"By no means did I mean to offend anyone," Glodis said. "I thought it
was a
news item of interest for their input and comment."
But the flier not only offended many of Glodis' colleagues, it also
outraged members of the Muslim American Society's Boston chapter and
officials from the Anti-Defamation League.
Sadaf Kazmi, spokeswoman for the Muslim American Society chapter, urged
Senate President Robert Travaglini to publicly censure Glodis.
"Such ignorance, recklessness and disrespect is something that our
community has come to anticipate from right-wing bigots, but not from a
Democratic state senator...who has been entrusted to represent and
inform
his people, not mislead and disgrace them," Kazmi said.
Kazmi, a Framingham resident, said the story told in the flier is
fictitious, but has been "kept alive by bigots who wish to vilify and
demonize Muslims and the Islamic faith."
State Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, said she was stunned when she read
the
flier.
"My staff and I were astounded that something like that would come out
of
the senator's office," she said. "It does nothing to further our goals
for
peace and crossing bridges, and it does defame the Muslim faith, which
is
important to many people in my district..."
-----
CHRISTIANS' EVANGELISM TO MUSLIMS SPARKS DEBATE
Felix Hoober, Columbus Dispatch, 6/27/03
http://www.columbusdispatch.com
Evangelical Christians say their attempts to convert Muslims are acts
of
love, intended to save souls in the only possible way.
To Muslims and to some other Christians, however, such approaches are
offensive intrusions, based on a false claim of religious superiority.
The disagreement is likely to heighten this weekend in Columbus, where
Islam is the fastest-growing major religion. On Saturday, four
evangelical
groups will present The Detour, a traveling seminar on how to "bring
the
peace of God to the Muslim peoples of the world."
The sponsors -- Arab World Ministries, Frontiers, Pioneers and Serving
in
Mission -- "share a deep passion and rich history in taking the gospel
to
the Muslim world," says the Detour's Web site (www.thedetour.org).
The event will be at Vineyard Church of Columbus, a large evangelical
congregation on the North Side. Detour officials declined to comment,
referring a reporter to the Web site and Vineyard...
---
THREE FAITHS ALL BELIEVE IN ONE DEITY
Rabbi Marc Gellman & Msgr. Thomas Hartman, Newsday, 6/28/03
http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-lsgod3348868jun28,0,7349048.column
Q. Do you believe that Jews, Christians and Muslims all worship the
same
God? -H., Kansas City
A. Yes! The basic, undeniable fact of all three faiths is that they
believe
in one God. Whether this God is called Elohim, Abba or Allah, the
object of
that name is the same single, all-powerful, all-knowing and benevolent
God
of all creation.
All three faiths develop their own interpretations of the mystery of
God in
their sacred Scriptures, but these are interpretations of the same God.
In
the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Testament and the Quran, the belief in
a
single creator God who loves us and commands us and saves us from sin
is
revealed with different aspects and different tones, but the underlying
belief is the same.
We call Christianity, Islam and Judaism the Abrahamic faiths because
all
trace their origins to Abraham, the first man called to a specific
covenant
by God. This God created the universe, gives all life its sanctity,
saves
us from the ensnarements of sin and will one day send (or, as
Christians
believe, send back) a savior to heal the wounds of the world.
There is some dispute among Jews and Muslims about what to make of the
Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Some might falsely conclude that
Christians worship three gods.
The truth of this deeply mysterious and profound Christian belief is
that
the three names - Father, Son and Holy Spirit (once called the Holy
Ghost)
- describe three aspects of the same unitary God worshiped by all three
faiths.
Muslims have 99 names for Allah, each expressing a different aspect of
the
infinite mystery that is God. In the Hebrew Bible, God is called by
three
main names: El Shaddai, Elohim and Adonai (literally YHWH but
pronounced
"adonai").
These differences are important - but not so important as to lead to
the
conclusion that Christians, Jews and Muslims worship three separate
gods;
it is one God viewed from three perspectives...
---
FINDING A HOME IN ISLAM
Abe Levy, Wichita Eagle
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/living/6187742.htm
The days of Damian Williams running with his fellow rappers, pursuing
fame,
women and a hip-hop image are over. The 26-year-old turned in baggy
jeans
for long robes around the house. He sports a curly beard and is
studying
Arabic with his wife so they can read the Quran together.
Williams, who now goes by Shaheed, is a convert to Islam, a religion
that
has brought a sense of truth and direction the Christianity of his
youth
and reviews of other religions didn't provide, he said.
Now, he speaks periodically at the Muslim Community Center in north
Wichita
as one of an estimated 5,000 Muslims in the Wichita area.
His discovery of Islam started with his childhood comic book
collection, he
said.
A fan of the "X-Men," Williams learned of the character "Thor," the god
of
thunder from Norse mythology.
It expanded his view of the world and religions beyond his Sunday
school
and youth group upbringing at St. Paul AME Church in Wichita...
A fellow rapper who had converted to orthodox Islam talked to Williams
about the faith.
Williams began to study Islam seriously and was soon persuaded by its
teaching that there is one God to whom he could pray without a
mediator...
-----
LOCAL BUSINESSMAN DETAINED BY INS, FACES INDEFINITE FUTURE
LaDonna Williams, Pensacola Voice, 6/28/03
http://www.pensacolavoice.com/
Friends of former Carribean Market owner, Mohammed Musa, are raising
funds
and seeking public support for the former owner of the Carribean Market
Jamaican restaurant.
"We want Mohammed to be the poster child for all the people who are
being
held without cause," says friend, Ches Kanno. "Some people have been
detained for two years and they have not been charged with any crime."
Detained by the INS, March 27th, Musa now sits indefinitely in the Clay
County jail near St. Augustine, Florida. He has not been charged with
any
crime and he is not sure when, or if, he will be deported back to Saudi
Arabia where he was born.
In a letter from Clay County, Musa denies any criminal or terrorists
activities and says his eight-year stay in Pensacola has been to
focused on
achieving the "American dream."
"Freedom is one of the pillars of this nation's constitution; that was
the
reason I moved over here and it is the reason why I love this country,"
Musa writes. "I came to the USA in August 1996 to attend school
(business
administration) at UWF, and then I met my wife. At the time, I
already
had three businesses: a restaurant, a clothing store, and a car
dealership... I want everybody to know that I was contributing my time,
money, and services to the local community and paying a lot of taxes as
well..."
ALSO SEE:
NAME CAN SET OFF BELLS WITH AIRPORT SECURITY
Rex W. Huppke, Chicago Tribune, 6/29/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-0306290304jun29,1,576703.story
David Nelson, last time he checked, is a 56-year-old investment broker
from
Barrington, a father of three grown children, an avid Cubs fan and, by
his
own assessment, a pretty decent golfer.
He is not, to the best of his knowledge, a terrorist.
Neither is David Nelson, the Northwestern University journalism
professor.
Or David Nelson, the Oregon state senator. Or even David Nelson, the
exceptionally non-threatening high school guidance counselor from rural
north-central Wisconsin.
Yet all four David Nelsons, and hundreds of others across the country,
are
having a heck of a time getting on planes these days. They're being
pulled
from ticket lines, quizzed about their identities, asked to unpack
their
bags and told to slowly pull each ID and credit card from their
wallets.
"I asked for an explanation and they said, `Your name is on a terrorist
list,'" said Nelson, the investment broker. "That's when I started to
realize I had a problem."
The root of that problem lies with the computers that some airlines use
to
cross-check passenger lists with the Transportation Security
Administration's list of suspected terrorists.
These computers will sometimes throw up a red flag when a passenger
name is
similar to a name on the "no-fly list," or even if the name of the
passenger and the name of the suspected terrorist share only a few
common
letters.
TSA officials will not say whether a suspected terrorist named David
Nelson
exists. But they do say that deficiencies in airline computer systems
have
allowed innocent people--from passengers with Arabic names to two
California peace activists named Rebecca Gordon and Janet Adams--to be
inadvertently flagged as posing what the TSA defines as a threat...
-----
JUSTICE DENIED AT THE SOURCE
Nat Hentoff, Village Voice, 6/20/03
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0326/hentoff.php
The clear lesson is that the government, in its understandable and
laudable
resolve to protect our security, cannot be relied on to protect our
basic
rights and liberties. -Lawrence Goldman, president of the National
Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, responding to the Justice
Department inspector general's report on the post-9-11 mass
imprisonment of
immigrants with roots in this country
We did not violate the law. -Attorney General John Ashcroft, testifying
before the House Judiciary Committee on June 5
For all the growing rebellion around the country against Ashcroft's
contorting of the Constitution, the conduct of his office has been most
severely attacked so far in the June 2 report of Glenn A. Fine,
inspector
general of Ashcroft's own Department of Justice.
As usual, most of the media did not stay on this story long, but the
inspector general's stingingly detailed internal exposure of Ashcroft's
reckless disregard of the Bill of Rights has finally aroused disquiet
among
enough Democrats and Republicans to lead, they say, to sustained
congressional oversight. A necessary target of scrutiny is the attorney
general's sweeping, reckless violation of due process in the dragnet
arrests and imprisonments (not just "detentions") in the months after
9-11.
Also to be questioned is his insistence-during his June 5 testimony
before
the House Judiciary Committee-on demanding even more extractions of
parts
of the Bill of Rights...
But Ashcroft's office declared, "We make no apologies for finding every
legal way possible to protect the American public from further
terrorist
attacks." Despite "no apologies," procedural changes are promised for
the
next roundup of terrorism "suspects." But no punishment yet for these
derelictions of duty for anyone, from Ashcroft on down.
ALSO SEE:
MEDIA WALK ON ASHCROFT'S LEASH
Jimmy Breslin, Miami Herald, 6/26/03
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/6170775.htm
On Friday, I rode across the Brooklyn Bridge, whose gray netting went
with
the sky, and as long as there was tension about the bridge, I was
remembering Richard Seaberg, a big cop who climbed to the top of the
bridge
so many times and pulled somebody down before he jumped. Seaberg
protected
the Brooklyn Bridge.
Now there is a charge by the government that terrorists intended to
blow up
the bridge, or pull it down. Simultaneously, while protecting the
bridge,
the government was doing frightening damage to the life of the country.
Because of it, I am thinking that it could be time for me to begin
thinking
about leaving this news business. It is not mine anymore. Let me tell
you why.
Friday, the newspapers and television reported the following matter
with no
anger or effort to do anything other than serve as stenographers for
the
government:
On March 1, give or take a day, in Columbus, Ohio, the FBI arrested an
American citizen it says is Iyman Faris. There wasn't a word uttered.
He
vanished. No lawyer was notified. He made no phone calls and wrote no
letters.
He was a U.S. citizen who disappeared without a trace into a secret
metal
world...
---
ASHCROFT IN CONFERENCE
'Let's Not Let Them Get Johnnie Cochran on the Phone'
Nat Hentoff, Village Voice, 6/27/03
http://villagevoice.com/issues/0327/hentoff.php
I came to respect Steven Brill's reporting skills years ago, when his
1978
book, The Teamsters (Simon & Schuster), exposed the scrofulous inner
workings of one of the country's strongest unions. Later, he founded
The
American Lawyer and its chain of siblings; Court TV; and Brill's
Content.
No longer associated with those influential stimuli to the media, Brill
is
now a columnist for Newsweek. He returned to reporting in his current
book,
After, which-with clear source notes-lets us in on strategy sessions at
the
Justice Department in the weeks after 9-11.
These revelations add further critical weight to the June 3 report by
the
Justice Department's inspector general, which, in my view, raises
powerful
questions about Ashcroft's fitness for office-not to mention his
revisions
of the Constitution in the subsequent USA Patriot Act and executive
orders.
The report was based on internal documents and over 100 interviews with
detainees and government officials.
In fairness to Brill, I should point out that he does not agree with my
assessment of Ashcroft, specifically the attorney general's roundup of
hundreds of detainees whom he kept in prison for weeks, sometimes
months,
often under harsh conditions, by turning the American rule of law
upside
down. Under Ashcroft's orders, the prisoners were presumed guilty until
proved innocent. But Steve Brill told the June 3 New York Times:
"We have to acknowledge that we stood the system on its head. But maybe
it
was for a good reason. It was a national emergency. Ashcroft's view was
that he would rather put 762 people away for some number of months if
two
or three of them are guilty or can prove others are guilty..."
-----
UMD MAKES FUND TO HELP ATTACK VICTIM
Curt Brown and Ray Henry, Standard Times, 6/28/03
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/06-03/06-28-03/a01lo007.htm
NEW BEDFORD - UMass Dartmouth created an aid fund yesterday to help a
student who was seriously injured in what police have characterized as
a
hate crime.
The victim, Saurabh Bhalerao, 24, a Hindu, was robbed, beaten and
burned by
four attackers on Sunday night when he delivered a pizza to a Weld
Street
apartment, police said. Investigators believe the suspects mistook Mr.
Bhalerao, who is Hindu, for a Muslim.
He was later tied up and placed in the trunk of his own car. One
suspect
drove him to Fairhaven before stabbing the graduate student twice and
leaving him in the street, police said...
Mr. Bhalerao was recovering yesterday at Rhode Island Hospital in
Providence. College officials said they expect him to be released early
next week...
The students said they haven't seen racially motivated incidents, but
some
say the violence to their classmate has made them cautious about their
own
actions...
-----
PROFESSOR BACKS LOCAL ANTI-PATRIOT ACT MOVEMENT
Norman Council, Triangle, 6/27/03
http://edop.thetriangle.org/2003/06/27/patriotact.html
"It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its
government."
- Thomas Paine
I am a member of the Borough Council in my small town of Lansdowne, Pa.
(Delaware County, population 11,044). Recently the Lansdowne Council
passed
a resolution declaring Lansdowne a "Bill of Rights Protection Zone."
Among
other things, the resolution expresses the Council's concern that The
USA
Patriot Act and certain executive orders and policy decisions made by
the
executive branch of the US government violate important constitutional
protections. Why was this action taken? Why is a little town in
Southeastern Pennsylvania concerning itself with national issues? The
answer is simple: we are patriots...
Americans claim to be a people who cherish liberty, but we are often
ambivalent about that value. This ambivalence arises from the certain
knowledge that, in a truly free society, people are as free to be bad
as
they are to be good. To minimize badness we inculcate in our citizens
the
desire to act in the larger interest of society and then restrict,
penalize
or ostracize those who choose to violate our rules and laws.
Today we are subject to acts by those who do not live by our concepts
of
rationality. They do not respect our laws or our values and make
deliberate
decisions to use the freedom of our society against us. The
unpredictability of these individuals puts them outside the reach of
our
rational system, leaving us with the apparent choice to restrict
ourselves
in order to better restrict them...
Laws like the Patriot Act and legislation creating the Homeland
Security
Department promise security. Unfortunately, there is no system of
security
designed by human beings that cannot also be defeated by them.
Determined
and clever people will always find a way to defeat security systems. If
you
doubt this, just ask anyone who has tried to develop a "hack-proof"
computer network: as soon as the "next best thing" in security comes
out, a
group of ne'er-do-wells sets out to beat it. Eventually they do. They
always do. And they always will.
The real danger to our society lies in the steps that we allow our
government to take to maintain the illusion of security. Each time
security
is breached as it inevitably will be we will be tempted to take
stronger measures to assure the unassurable...
ALSO SEE:
FAMILY OF MAN WHO DIES AFTER POLICE RAID OBJECTS TO AUTOPSY
Associated Press, 6/30/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--police-raid0630jun30,0,7640234.story
NEW YORK - Based on the objections of his family, an autopsy for a
Brooklyn
man who died 10 days after police stormed his home has been postponed
for
48 hours.
The family of Calvin Washington, 41, who died on Saturday, objected to
the
autopsy on the grounds of their Muslim faith. The autopsy was put off
pending a court hearing.
Washington was hospitalized after police went through his home in
pursuit
of a crime suspect, Eric Poulos, his family's lawyer said.
The family intends to file a wrongful-death suit against the city
accusing
the police of traumatizing Washington, threatening his son, slapping
his
daughter, locking his wife in a room and ransacking the house, Poulos
said.
The police denied the allegations and Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that
the
police department's actions in pursuing a suspect with a gun were
justified.
Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the New York Medical Examiner's office
said
that a 48-hour delay in the autopsy, which would allow a judge to
consider
the family's objections, is standard in such a case.
-----
GROUP: U.S. IRAQI DETENTIONS VIOLATE LAW
Jim Krane, Associated Press, 6/30/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/sns-ap-iraq-human-rights,0,5575637.story
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Amnesty International said Monday it has gathered
evidence
that points to U.S. violations of international law by subjecting Iraqi
prisoners to ``cruel, inhuman or degrading'' conditions at its
detention
centers here.
The report coincides with a two-day United Nations conference on human
rights that began in Baghdad on Monday. The conference, which focuses
on
abuses committed during the rule of Saddam Hussein, will coordinate
investigations into the regime's alleged killings of some 300,000
Iraqis.
London-based Amnesty International said hundreds of Iraqis held at
U.S.-run
tent camps and former Iraqi government prisons have been denied the
right
to see families or lawyers or have a judge review their detention.
The prisoners include those suspected of looting and other crimes as
well
as political suspects, including former high-ranking members of
Saddam's
regime.
Iraqis released from U.S. detention reported having wrists tightly
bound
with plastic handcuffs and sometimes denied water and access to a
toilet in
the first night of arrest. Amnesty said its investigators saw numerous
ex-detainees with wrists still scarred by the cuffs a month after their
arrests...
A U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said military officials could not
comment on the report because they had not yet received it.
ALSO SEE:
ISRAEL ACKNOWLEDGES RUNNING 'SECRET JAIL'
Gavin Rabinowitz, Associated Press, 6/30/03
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/coxnet/iraq/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V4175.AP-Israel-Secret-J.html
JERUSALEM - Israel's Shin Bet security agency has held Palestinian
prisoners incommunicado for weeks at a time at a secret detention
center,
The Associated Press has learned. Prisoners say they are blindfolded
and
kept in black, windowless cells. When they ask where they are, they are
told: ``On the moon.''
Israel refuses to say where the center is located or who is being kept
there, but hints foreigners are among the prisoners. Human rights
groups
say a secret detention center would be in violation of international
law.
The state's attorney confirmed the existence of the center, known as
facility 1391, in a June 9 response to a Supreme Court petition filed
by
the HaMoked human rights group over missing detainees Bashar and
Muhammed
Jodallah. But Israel would only say the center was located on a secret
army
base, arguing that revealing the location would jeopardize national
security...
---
ISRAELI LIKENS BBC PROGRAM TO NAZI PRESS
Steve Weizman, Associated Press, 6/29/03
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/6199583.htm
JERUSALEM - An Israeli government official said Sunday that a BBC
program
charging Israel with secretly stockpiling nuclear and chemical weapons
demonized Israel in a way reminiscent of anti-Semitic tracts published
in
Nazi Germany.
Government Press Office chief Daniel Seaman said a TV report entitled
``Israel's Secret Weapon'' was the latest in a number of programs by
the
British Broadcasting Corp. questioning Israel's right to exist. He
declined
comment on media reports that he intended to impose sanctions.
The BBC said it stood by the program.
The program, part of the ``Correspondent'' series, was aired in Britain
in
March but first shown in Israel on Saturday night. It cites experts as
saying Israel has ``the world's sixth largest nuclear arsenal with
small
tactical nuclear weapons ... as well as medium-range nuclear missiles
launchable from air, land or sea.''
It also says Israel has undeclared biological and chemical capabilities
and
used an unknown gas against Palestinians in Gaza in February 2001 that
sent
180 people to the hospital with severe convulsions...
The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday that the Government Press Office
intends
to impose visa restrictions on BBC staff and to refuse to make
officials
available for BBC interviews, or to help BBC journalists facing
problems
with army roadblocks and airport security checks...
BBC spokeswoman Kate Atkins said the broadcaster had not been
officially
informed of any pending Israeli action.
---
ISRAELI HOLD ON E. JERUSALEM UNTOUCHED BY PEACE PLAN
Maia Ridberg, Reuters, 6/29/03
JERUSALEM - On the day of this month's summit which launched the "road
map"
plan for Middle East peace, ultra-nationalist Jews hoisted Israeli
flags in
an Arab neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.
A Jewish influx into the district shows how Israel has been applying
its
claim of biblical birthright to the whole city in moves to prevent
Palestinians from claiming East Jerusalem as the capital of a state
they
seek in Israeli-occupied territory.
More than 170,000 Jews have moved into East Jerusalem since Israel
seized
and annexed the land -- seat of ancient Jewish, Muslim and Christian
shrines -- in the 1967 Middle East war.
"Israel's plan has been to put facts on the ground to keep all of
Jerusalem
under Israeli control," said Moshe Amirav, an adviser on Jerusalem
affairs
to ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Palestinians say conflict with Israel will not end without a halt to
what
they call the "Judaisation" of East Jerusalem, marked by decades of
expansion of Jewish settlements and the construction of roads built to
bypass and block the development of Arab neighbourhoods.
With the two sides so far apart over Jerusalem's future, the new
U.S.-backed peace plan has put off the issue to "final status" talks in
2005 when a provisional Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip
is supposed to be in place.
Any final deal on Jerusalem will be complicated by the long-standing
Jewish
influx into East Jerusalem to cement Israel's claim to the city as its
eternal, indivisible capital...
---
STOP WINKS, NODS ON SETTLEMENTS
G. Jefferson Price III, Sun Spot, 6/29/03
http://www.sunspot.net/news/opinion/oped/bal-pe.column29jun29,0,6496366.story
If the United States were as adamant about pressuring Israel to get rid
of
its settlements in the West Bank and Gaza as it has been on the
Palestinians to get rid of Yasser Arafat, the prospects for peace would
be
a lot better these days.
The settlements -- many of which are huge towns occupied by some
200,000
Israelis in the West Bank and Gaza -- are as great an impediment to
peace
as Arafat is.
Taking a genuine, forceful stand against them would not reflect a new
policy of the United States. Every U.S. administration since that of
Lyndon
Johnson, who was president when Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza
in
the 1967 war, has made it clear that the United States opposes Israeli
settlements in what it considers occupied territory.
And every Israeli government since that of Levi Eshkol, who was prime
minister in 1967, to the present government of Ariel Sharon -- without
exception -- has built Jewish or expanded settlements in the occupied
territories. The construction of these settlements, for a variety of
stated
reasons -- from security to biblical right -- has been carried out in
defiance of the will of most states that are friendly to Israel and in
defiance of the purported will of its greatest economic and military
benefactor, the United States.
Not a single American president has had the temerity to carry through
on a
threat to cut off money to the Israeli government for as long as Israel
continues the settlement of what most of the world views as captured
Arab
land. While successive Israeli governments have received tens upon tens
of
billions of dollars in economic and military aid, they have persisted
in
defying the U.S. policy...
-----
A STRUGGLE FOR IRAQI CLERGY'S SOUL
Anthony Shadid, Washington Post, 6/30/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48958-2003Jun29.html
NAJAF, Iraq - The old man's words were slurred, a mumble that comes
with
age and having no teeth. But his questions, the everyday, almost
incidental
reflections on how to live an upright life in an uncertain world, were
unambiguous.
"Is it permitted to use sugar that was looted?" Abu Hussein asked, his
eyes
cast upward.
"Forbidden," answered Sayyid Riyadh Nouri, a strapping, 33-year-old
Shiite
Muslim cleric and one of the leaders of what has become perhaps Iraq's
first popular political movement. Other questions followed in quick
succession. "Tea?" "Forbidden." "Rice?" "Forbidden."
Indulged, the old man went further. How about a little help to buy
tomatoes? Nouri paused. Behind his turbaned head was a portrait of one
of
Iraq's most esteemed ayatollahs, Mohammed Sadiq Sadr, the godfather of
Nouri's movement whom the government of Saddam Hussein assassinated in
1999. Ahead of him was the future of a country where Sadr's followers
are
seeking to turn his legacy into power and, en route, discover the
elusive
intersection of religion and politics that has bedeviled the Muslim
world
for a generation...
ALSO SEE:
OCCUPATION FORCES HALTING ELECTIONS THROUGHOUT IRAQ
William Booth and Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post, 6/28/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42905-2003Jun27.html
SAMARRA, Iraq - U.S. military commanders have ordered a halt to local
elections and self-rule in provincial cities and towns across Iraq,
choosing instead to install their own handpicked mayors and
administrators,
many of whom are former Iraqi military leaders.
The decision to deny Iraqis a direct role in selecting municipal
governments is creating anger and resentment among aspiring leaders and
ordinary citizens, who say the U.S.-led occupation forces are not
making
good on their promise to bring greater freedom and democracy to a
country
dominated for three decades by Saddam Hussein.
The go-slow approach to representative government in at least a dozen
provincial cities is especially frustrating to younger, middle-class
professionals who say they want to help their communities emerge from
postwar chaos and to let, as one put it, "Iraqis make decisions for
Iraq."
"They give us a general," said Bahith Sattar, a biology teacher and
tribal
leader in Samarra who was a candidate for mayor until that election was
canceled last week. "What does that tell you, eh? First of all, an
Iraqi
general? They lost the last three wars! They're not even good generals.
And
they know nothing about running a city..."
Occupation authorities initially envisioned the creation of local
assemblies, composed of several hundred delegates who would represent a
city or town's tribes, clergy, middle class, women and ethnic groups.
Those
delegates would select a mayor and city council.
-----
MINNESOTA'S EAST AFRICANS HAVE DIFFICULTY TRANSFERRING JOB SKILLS
Gwendolyn Freed, Star Tribune, 6/30/03
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3962933.html
Keeping a watchful eye on his supervisor in the taxi area of the
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Mustafa Nasser stole a
moment
to tell his story. Back home in Eritrea, he said, he was a respected
designer of clothing and housewares. He never expected to drive a cab.
Marian Hussein was a physician in her native Somalia, but here in
Minneapolis she is an interpreter. When she is not working, or
exhausted
from caring for her six children, she is keeping up her years-long
effort
to get back to doctoring, the work she loves.
In a painful tradeoff, many in the region's growing East African
community
-- now the second largest in the country -- gained freedom in America,
but
sacrificed the high professional standing they enjoyed in their home
country.
They struggle to learn the language, find jobs to support themselves
and
families back home, and acquire the technological skills needed in
today's
workplaces. Obtaining the necessary credentials to continue a career in
this country can be a Sisyphean task...
-----
ICNA AND MAS 2ND ANNUAL JOINT CONVENTION
WHAT: Over 15,000 Muslims will convene for the 2nd annual joint
convention
of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Muslim American
Society (MAS). Expected to be one of the largest Islamic conventions of
the
year, it will draw Muslims from America and around the world.
This year's theme is America at a Crossroads: The Struggle for Liberty
and
Justice.
The featured exhibit will be the world's largest Qur'an. The 4-foot by
6-foot Qur'an, which contains 606 pages and weighs 1500 pounds, was
hand-written by more than 24 artists over 7 years.
Also featured will be reading of the Bill of Rights and an open-air
arena
organized by 877-WHY-ISLAM at Liberty Bell Park and on July 4.
Other highlights include: an open-air marketplace with over 250
vendors;
programs for non-Muslims; special programs, lectures and workshops on
Islamic life; and youth programs.
WHEN: July 4 - 6, 2003
WHERE: Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
For more information visit www.icna.org, www.masnet.org or call
1-866-340-7811.
-----
ISNA REGIONAL CONFERENCES COMING TO DALLAS
WHAT: Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) will hold a series of
Conferences in Dallas, Texas from Friday July 4th thru Sunday July 6th
2003
at Wyndham Anatole Hotel in Dallas. The theme of the convention,
"Better
Muslims for a Better America," will host multiple affiliate
organizations
such as the ISNA South Central Regional Conference, Muslim Students
Association (MSA) Conference, Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA)
conference in addition to Seventh Annual Islam in America Conference,
Sixth
Annual Conference on Islam in American Prisons, Fourth Conference on
Islam
among Latino Americans and the Third Annual ISNA Conference on Muslim
Refugees in America.
WHEN: July 4 - 6
WHERE: Wyndham Anatole Hotel located at 2201 Stemmons Freeway
(intersection
of Market Center and I-35) in Dallas, TX.
NOTE: Assistance & complimentary materials to the media personnel will
be
provided by ISNA at the media booth, adjacent to the registration
counter.
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/1/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD FORGIVES
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6210 SPONSORSHIPS
- 'Washington Live' Looks at Political Participation
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* ARMY CORPS OKS MUSLIM YOUTH CAMP PLAN (AP)
- Excerpts From Public Comments on Muslim Youth Camp (AP)
- Mosque Gets Permits, But Issues Remain (Union Leader)
* ALLEGED 'JIHAD' MEMBER RELEASED WITHOUT BAIL (Wash. Post)
- Student Acquitted In Bomb Threat (Pasco)
- Mom Fights for Family; U.S. Holds Husband (Ohio News)
- Technician Had Enough Ricin to Kill 7,500 People (AP)
* DC POLICE APPOINT FIRST MUSLIM CHAPLAIN (Wash. Post)
* 22 AMERICANS IN KUWAIT EMBRACE ISLAM IN A WEEK (Online)
* ISRAEL WRECKS NAZARETH MOSQUE FOUNDATIONS (Reuters)
* IRAQI ATTACKS COULD SIGNAL WIDE REVOLT (AP)
- Iraq Cleric Condemns US Plans (BBC)
- Reservists See a Mission Impossible (Wash. Post)
- US Confidence in Iraq War Drops (Reuters)
* CRACKPOT CONSERVATISM (Wash. Post)
* MUSLIM GRAD AMONG PORCH COLLAPSE VICTIMS (Wood TV-8)
* FORUM DISCUSSES USA PATRIOT ACT'S PITFALLS (Oregonian)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD FORGIVES
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) quoted the devil who said: "By
Thy
might, my Lord, I shall continue to lead Thy servants astray as long as
their spirits are in their bodies." God replied: "(And) I shall
continue to
pardon them as long as they ask My forgiveness."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 742
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6210 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6210 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a library that was sponsored:
"We'll add (the materials) to our present collection on religions and
they
will be used in a future display on Islam." - Clinton, SC
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
'WASHINGTON LIVE' LOOKS AT POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
Tonight's program looks at the coming elections and the role American
Muslims can play in the political process.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
ARMY CORPS OKS MUSLIM YOUTH CAMP PLAN
Todd Dvorak, Associated Press, 7/1/03
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/6206034.htm
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Army Corps of Engineers has approved a plan to
build
the nation's first summer camp for Muslims - if organizers scale back
their
proposal.
Col. William J. Bayles, the corps' district engineer in Rock Island,
Ill.,
issued a report Monday, saying there would be no significant impact
from
the Muslim Youth Camps of America's plans for 106 acres along
Coralville
Lake north of Iowa City.
But the ruling asks the group to submit a new plan with a 50 percent
reduction in the project's use and size.
The proposal by the Cedar Rapids-based nonprofit group has drawn
attention
and criticism from a range of detractors since it was proposed in 1999.
Neighbors say it will alter their quiet, rural way of life and have a
negative effect on the environment. Local government officials
complained
it would stress services, while a small group of others voiced distrust
of
Islamic groups...
SEE ALSO:
EXCERPTS FROM PUBLIC COMMENTS ON MUSLIM YOUTH CAMP
Associated Press, 7/1/03
Excerpts from more than 110 public comments submitted to the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers on a $2 million proposal to build the nation's first
Muslim Youth Camp in North Liberty.
- "We are fighting Muslims throughout the world, and you to build them
a
summer camp. How dare you, after Sept. 11, decide to build a terrorist
camp
in the middle of America." Steve Farley, of California…
- "Of even greater consequence is the fact that at a time when the U.S.
is
under attack by terrorists, many of who have ethnic characteristics
similar
to this application group, the Corps would be providing a potential
camouflage site that could be used as an attack base." Jerry Kuhn, Iowa
City.
- "I was simply thrilled at the prospect that my two-year-old niece
would
one day have the opportunity to be a part of mainstream America, that
she
should have the chance to go to her very own Muslim Youth Camp."
Shereen
Sabet, Huntington Beach, Calif.
- "It seems to me that this camp would provide a positive activity for
those youth, and should be considered just as favorably as a proposal
for a
Christian or a secular youth camp." Lisa Killinger, Davenport.
---
MOSQUE GETS PERMITS, BUT ISSUES REMAIN
Mark Hayward, Union Leader,
http://www.theunionleader.com/
MANCHESTER - City planners last night granted permits for a mosque on
a sparsely populated hilltop in east Manchester, but the issue remains
far
from settled.
A neighbor has filed a lawsuit against the Islamic Society of Greater
Manchester, contesting the society's claim to a small portion of its
lot.
And yesterday, neighbor Milton Argeriou also filed a challenge to the
size
of the mosque parking lot, sending the matter to the zoning Board of
Adjustment.
Given those uncertainties, Muslims left City Hall last night more
puzzled
than happy.
Spokesman Maria Butt said stipulations imposed by the Board must be
reviewed. If built the mosque will be the first in the state of New
Hampshire...
-----
ALLEGED 'JIHAD' MEMBER RELEASED WITHOUT BAIL
Jerry Markon, Washington Post, 7/1/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55639-2003Jul1.html
A federal judge yesterday released the first member of what the
government
called a violent "Virginia jihad network" without bail, despite
arguments
from a prosecutor who labeled the man a "menace to the community."
Federal prosecutors in Alexandria said they intended to immediately
appeal
the decision of U.S. Magistrate Judge T. Rawles Jones Jr. Jones freed
Masoud Ahmad Khan at a bail hearing yesterday, three days after the
Justice
Department announced indictments against Khan and 10 other Washington
area
Islamic men charging them with training to work with terrorists to
fight
for Muslim causes abroad.
In making his decision, Jones said he took into account Khan's lack of
a
criminal record and "substantial ties to the community," in addition to
"the nature of the offenses charged." Jones also ordered that Khan, who
lives in Gaithersburg, be electronically monitored…
The urgency of the appeal underscores the rare setback for federal
prosecutors, who have generally enjoyed widespread latitude from the
judiciary in fighting terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The
high-profile case was announced Friday by high-ranking Justice
Department
officials in addition to Paul J. McNulty, the U.S. attorney in
Alexandria...
"We'll have to wait and see if this is a reflection of weaknesses in
the
prosecution's case," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the
Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"We had always hoped that the judiciary would curb some of the abuses
of
other branches of government in these matters," he added, referring to
the
widespread detentions of immigrants, many of them Muslim, in the
crackdown
that followed the Sept. 11 attacks. "It may be that that corrective
action
is now being taken..."
ALSO SEE:
STUDENT ACQUITTED IN BOMB THREAT
Missy Stoddard, Pasco, 6/25/03
http://pasco.tbo.com/pasco/MGAOFG8AFHD.html
DADE CITY - It came down to one man's word against another.
Saint Leo University security officer Robert Beasley said the voice of
a
caller threatening to blow up the school cafeteria on Dec. 19
definitely
belonged to Mehmet Emir Bozbey, a disgruntled former student from
Turkey.
Bozbey's Miami attorneys insisted their client was not the caller.
Bozbey
was out of the country at the time, they argued, and he was an easy
scapegoat because of his Muslim faith and Turkish descent.
After a half-day of lawyers' arguments and testimony Tuesday, a Pasco
jury
acquitted Bozbey, 22, of making a false bomb threat to the university.
Bozbey hugged his attorneys, David Kubiliun and Brett Newkirk, before
embracing some friends and his mother, Meral Bozbey, who came to the
United
States from Turkey after her son's arrest.
'Justice has been made," Bozbey said in a thick accent outside the
courtroom. "I said from the beginning, not everybody is racist. I
believed
in the judge and the jury. They offered me probation…and I didn't take
it..."
---
MOM FIGHTS FOR FAMILY; U.S. HOLDS HER HUSBAND
Tiffani Helberg, Ohio News Network, 6/1/03
http://www.dispatch.com/print_template.php?story=dispatch/2003/07/01/20030701-01900.html
Ashraf Al-Jailani has been confined since October when he was arrested
on
suspicion of having terrorist ties. Now, his wife, Michele Swensen, is
fighting to keep custody of their three children.
KENT, Ohio For Michele Swensen, the hubbub surrounding the arrest and
guilty plea of Columbus terrorist Iyman Faris was a painful reminder of
her
own ordeal.
Not that she needed one.
For more than eight months, Swensen has been able to think of little
but
the nation s war on terrorism and how it has affected her family.
"I feel like my guts have been ripped out," the 33-year-old mother of
three
said during an interview in her apartment.
Swensen's husband of seven years, Yemeni-born Ashraf Al-Jailani, was
arrested Oct. 23, moments after he arrived at the Akron
soap-manufacturing
plant where he had worked as a quality-control chemist for more than
two
years...
---
PROSECUTOR: TECHNICIAN IN WASH. STATE HAD ENOUGH RICIN TO KILL 7,500
PEOPLE
John K. Wiley, Associated Press, 7/1/03
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGANPHL8MHD.html
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A computer technician accused of making a
biological
weapon had enough powdered ricin in his work cubicle to kill as many as
7,500 people, the government said Tuesday at the start of his trial.
Prosecutors said Kenneth Olsen, 49, spent more than a year researching
undetectable poisons on the Internet, and have hinted that he
researched
ways to kill his wife of 28 years so he could continue an extramarital
affair.
Investigators found about 3 grams of ricin powder in two test tubes and
a
jar in Olsen's locked file cabinet, enough to kill 75 to as many as
7,500
people, depending on how it was delivered, Assistant U.S. Attorney
Stephanie Whitaker said…
Olsen has been jailed without bail since his arrest in June 2002.
-----
DC POLICE APPOINT FIRST MUSLIM CHAPLAIN
Washington Post, 7/1/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55841-2003Jul1.html
Yusuf Saleem, who has served as imam of Masjid Muhammed in Northwest
Washington for 13 years, has been appointed as the D.C. police
department's
first Muslim chaplain, a department spokesman said.
Saleem, 56, was sworn in Thursday by Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey.
The
position is unpaid.
Saleem, a native Washingtonian, said the move came after he approached
Ramsey this year to inquire about how the chief and his department
received
information about Islam. Saleem said about a dozen Muslims are on the
city's police force.
-----
22 AMERICANS IN KUWAIT EMBRACE ISLAM IN A WEEK
Saber Abdu, Islam Online, 7/1/03
http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2003-07/01/article05.shtml
KUWAIT CITY - Twenty-two Americans have converted to Islam over the
past
week in Kuwait, just as a Kuwaiti Islamic committee launched a project
aimed at helping newly Muslim converts memorize the Glorious Qur'an.
"Twenty-two Americans have embraced Islam through the 'Know Islam
Committee
' during the past week," the committee chairman, Sheikh Nader al-Nouri,
told IslamOnline.net Monday, June 30, noting that 2450 Europeans had
embraced Islam last year.
"Up to 22,000 foreign workers -- out of a total workforce of 350,000 in
Kuwait -- converted to Islam since the establishment of the committee
30
years ago in 1977," he said.
Sheikh al-Nouri said the committee offers a plethora of services to the
foreigners and U.S. troops in Kuwait through its four offices,
including
the office of the cultural exchange which receives foreigners and their
families and provide them with answers to their questions on Islam.
"The committee earmarked 60,000 Kuwaiti dinars ($200,000) to print
copies
of the Glorious Qur'an in English in order to distribute them among
interested foreigners in the emirate country," he added...
-----
ISRAEL WRECKS DISPUTED NAZARETH MOSQUE FOUNDATIONS
Reuters, 7/1/03
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=3016386
NAZARETH, Israel - Israel demolished the foundations of a planned
mosque
near Nazareth's main Christian shrine on Tuesday, ending a project that
had
angered the Vatican and raised religious tensions in the city where
Jesus
grew up.
Dozens of Muslim protesters scuffled with police protecting mechanical
wreckers carrying out a court demolition order at the site in the
shadow of
the Roman Catholic Basilica of the Annunciation.
The basilica is built on the spot where Christian faithful believe the
angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary she would bear God's son.
Israel granted the national Islamic Trust permission in 1999 to build a
mosque at a nearby site that houses the tomb of Shehab el-Din, nephew
of
the Muslim leader Saladin who ousted the Crusaders from the Holy Land
eight
centuries ago.
The prospect of a mosque rising near the basilica alarmed the minority
Christian population of Nazareth, disturbing a delicate religious
balance
in Israel's leading Arab city, where riots between the two communities
erupted in April 1999...
-----
IRAQI ATTACKS COULD SIGNAL WIDE REVOLT
Victor Caivano, Associated Press, 7/1/03
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/135125876_guerrilla30.html
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops in Iraq are getting ambushed everywhere and
every day - while guarding gas stations, investigating car thefts or on
their way to make phone calls home.
Each new attack is raising questions about whether the violence is a
last
gasp from Saddam Hussein loyalists or signs of a spreading revolt. The
Pentagon is puzzling over how many resisters there are, how well they
are
organized and how they can be stopped.
Private risk analysts are warning of an even chance of Iraq descending
into
open revolt.
And although the term is rarely used at the Pentagon, from every
description by military officials, what U.S. troops face on the ground
in
Iraq has all the markings of a guerrilla war - albeit one in which
there
are multiple opposition groups rather than a single movement.
Certainly, the statistics paint a worrisome picture. Since President
Bush
declared an end to the major combat phase of the war on May 1, 62 U.S.
troops have been killed, according to a count based on Defense
Department
press releases. Of those, 22 died as a result of enemy attacks, 36 in
accidents and four in incidents whose cause is under investigation...
ALSO SEE:
IRAQ CLERIC CONDEMNS US PLANS
BBCNews, 7/1/03
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3032988.stm
Iraq's most senior Shia cleric has issued a religious ruling, or fatwa,
opposing US plans to set up a council of Iraqis to draft a new
constitution.
Ayatollah Ali Sistani called for general elections in the country to
choose
representatives of the Iraqi people instead.
The US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, plans to set up a new
political
council as the next step towards a future Iraqi government, but BBC
regional analyst Sadeq Saba says the Ayatollah's ruling is a serious
blow
to the American plans.
Meanwhile US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Monday that
remnants
of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's regime had come together to
form a
"terrorist network" in Iraq, but he dismissed suggestions that
coalition
forces there are stuck in a quagmire.
"We're in a global war on terrorism and there are people that don't
agree
with that. If you want to call that a quagmire, do it. I don't," Mr
Rumsfeld said.
Despite the end of the war British and US troops are still being
attacked...
---
FRUSTRATED RESERVISTS SEE A MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
Anthony Shadid, Washington Post, 7/1/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54872-2003Jun30.html
BAGHDAD, June 30 -- To Staff Sgt. Charles Pollard, the working-class
suburb
of Mashtal is a "very, very, very, very bad neighborhood." And he sees
just
one solution.
"U.S. officials need to get our [expletive] out of here," said the
43-year-old reservist from Pittsburgh, who arrived in Iraq with the
307th
Military Police Company on May 24. "I say that seriously. We have no
business being here. We will not change the culture they have in Iraq,
in
Baghdad. Baghdad is so corrupted. All we are here is potential people
to be
killed and sitting ducks."
To Sgt. Sami Jalil, a 14-year veteran of the local police force, the
Americans are to blame. He and his colleagues have no badges, no
uniforms.
The soldiers don't trust them with weapons. In his eyes, his U.S.
counterparts have already lost the people's trust...
These are the dog days of summer in Mashtal, and tempers are flaring
along
a divide as wide as the temperatures are high.
Throughout the neighborhood, as in much of Baghdad, residents are
almost
frantic in their complaints about basic needs that have gone unmet --
enough electricity to keep food from spoiling, enough water to drink,
enough security on the streets...
---
US CONFIDENCE IN IRAQ WAR DROPS - POLL
Reuters, 7/1/03
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters07-01-073831.asp
WASHINGTON - U.S. confidence in the war with Iraq has slipped
dramatically
since President George W. Bush declared victory there, a new poll
showed on
Tuesday.
A USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll found 56 percent of respondents said things
were going well for U.S. forces in Iraq, a drop from 70 percent a month
ago
and 86 percent during the week of May 7, when Bush said, "The battle of
Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that still goes on."
Bush's personal ratings for leadership and character remained strong -
65
percent found Bush "honest and trustworthy" and 57 percent agreed he
"cares
about the needs of people like you" - but both these figures were down
8
percentage points from an April poll.
More than one-third of respondents, 37 percent, said the Bush
administration deliberately misled the American public about whether
Iraq
has serious weapons of mass destruction, up from 31 percent in early
June
and late May.
Confidence that the United States would eventually capture or kill
Iraqi
leader Saddam Hussein waned from 36 percent who were very confident in
March to 18 percent who felt that way in at the end of June.
The telephone poll was conducted last weekend, with an error margin of
plus
or minus 3 percentage points.
-----
CRACKPOT CONSERVATISM
Richard Cohen, Washington Post, 7/1/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55789-2003Jul1.html
I am happy to report that Ann Coulter has lost her mind. The evidence
for
this is her most recent book, "Treason," a nearly unreadable slog
through
every silly thing anyone on the left has ever said. Coulter conflates
dissent with treason, opposition with treason, being wrong with
treason,
being right with treason and just about anything she doesn't like with
treason. If the book were a Rorschach test, she would be
institutionalized.
My glee in reporting that Coulter is daft is predicated on the
prediction
that her book, like her previous one, will be a bestseller. This is
invariably the case with rants from the right. They tell the majority
(non-liberals) that they are being controlled by the minority
(liberals) --
and that most of the country's important institutions, particularly the
press, are in the hands of leftists. Coulter has now taken this
argument
one step further. This wee minority is not merely wrong. It is
traitorous.
She says the New York Times "issues traitorous editorials." She says,
"Liberals relentlessly attack their own country, but we can't call them
traitors, which they manifestly are." "Free speech," which those canny
liberals often cite to justify their wacko ideas, "is a one-way ratchet
for
traitors," and "liberals have a preternatural gift for striking a
position
on the side of treason." The book is a hoot.
It is also good news for liberals. It suggests that the right, at least
the
hard right, has finally dumbed out. This is the predictable cycle for
all
movements. They start with a genuine grievance and proceed from there
to
the totally ridiculous -- or, in some cases, to the downright macabre.
-----
HOPE COLLEGE GRAD AMONG PORCH COLLAPSE VICTIMS
WOOD-TV 8, 6/30/03
http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1341336&nav=0RceGe4b
Chicago resident Muhammed Hameeduddin graduated magna cum laude in 2001
from Hope College in Holland, majoring in economics and mathematics.
The
25-year-old native of Karachi, Pakistan, was an actuary at the Chicago
office of the Watson Wyatt financial services firm.
Authorities say up to 50 people may have been on the third-floor porch
when
it crashed down through two other decks and into a basement. More
than 50 people were injured.
-----
PUBLIC FORUM DISCUSSES USA PATRIOT ACT'S PITFALLS
Amy Martinez Starke, Oregonian, 7/1/03
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1057060636177680.xml
If terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 were attacks on Americans' freedom,
other
grave threats to freedom and civil liberties are the result of the
measures
to protect Americans from terrorism, according to organizers of a panel
discussion Monday night.
The first in a monthly series of community forums on peace and justice
issues was held at First Unitarian Church in downtown Portland. It
offered
a chance for discussion of measures such as the USA Patriot Act, a
sweeping
federal antiterrorism law signed by President Bush in October 2001 that
grants the government broad new powers in its investigations.
However, 129 communities and three states across the country have
staged a
revolt against the USA Patriot Act, saying it gives law enforcement too
much power and threatens civil rights.
Eugene, Ashland, Corvallis, Gaston and Talent, as well as Benton
County,
have passed resolutions in defense of civil liberties and in opposition
to
the USA Patriot Act. A campaign is under way to get the city of
Portland to
pass a similar resolution...
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/2/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6215 SPONSORSHIPS
- Positive Stories Sought for CAIR'S 'Washington Live'
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* COMPLYING WITH LAW COULD LEAD TO DEPORTATION (KR)
- Ruling Keeps Three Children in Foster Care (AP)
- Muslims Told to Shun CSIS (CanWest News Service)
* RELIGIONS UNITE FOR FACES OF FAITH (Herald-Leader)
- Muslim Center, Neighbors at Odds (Chicago Tribune)
- Understanding Islam (Cape Cod Times)
* SERVICE TAUNTED FORMER ARAB-AMERICAN EMPLOYEE (Sun-Times)
- Employee Claims Harassment Because He's Arab (WBBM)
* LOOK WHO'S REVOLTING AGAINST 'PATRIOT ACT'? (Mtexpress.com)
- Is 'Big Brother' Watching You? (Seacoastline.com)
* MOHAMMAD EL-MOSLIMANY: UNIFIED MUSLIM COMMUNITY (Seattle Times)
* ISRAEL TO LOBBY ABC OVER NERVE GAS DOCUMENTARY (SMH)
* U.S. SOLDIER IN IRAQ: 'WHY ARE WE STILL HERE?' (Antiwar.com)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(The significance of)
this
world (in comparison) to the Hereafter (is similar to) one of you
dipping
his finger in the ocean and then examining what has stuck to it."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1330
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6215 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6215 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
CAIR is also looking for positive feature stories to air on our show.
If
you, or any you know, are making positive contributions to our society
either in a political, religious-cultural, or social way, please
contact
Rabiah Ahmed at rahmed@cair-net.org.
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
FOR THOUSANDS OF MUSLIM MEN, COMPLYING WITH THE LAW COULD LEAD TO
DEPORTATION
Jack Chang, Knight-Ridder, 6/1/03
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/6213935.htm
SAN FRANCISCO - Hassan and Ahmad Amin didn't think twice about their
immigration status when they walked into a government office in
February to
comply with a special registration program affecting men mainly from
Muslim
countries.
Since that day, their lives have changed, perhaps irreparably.
The teenage brothers now face deportation back to Pakistan, the country
where they were born and which they left about five years ago to start
a
new life with their mother in California.
Immigrant and civil rights advocates say the government is punishing
the
Amin brothers and some 13,000 other people who complied with the
registration program by seeking to deport them for "highly technical
immigration violations."
Hassan Amin, 19, and his 17-year-old brother Ahmad are in trouble
because
they have lived in the United States without a legal visa for several
years. Their brother, a U.S. citizen, has filed an application to grant
them legal residency.
Critics charge that the government is singling out Muslims for
immigration
enforcement. The registration program required male visitors over age
16
from two dozen Muslim countries and North Korea to register with the
government...
ALSO SEE:
RULING KEEPS THREE CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE
Associated Press, 7/2/03
RAVENNA, Ohio - A court has ruled that three children should remain in
foster care, because their hospitalized mother and imprisoned father -
held
as a national security risk - are not able to care for them.
A Portage County juvenile court magistrate ruled Tuesday that neither
Michele Swenson, 33, nor her husband, Ashraf Al-Jailani, 39, is capable
of
caring for children Amina, 6; Layla, 4; and Sami, 4.
The magistrate continued the temporary custody of the children through
the
Portage County Department of Job & Family Services, which has placed
them
in foster care.
Swenson has been hospitalized at St. Thomas Hospital suffering from
what
was described in court Tuesday as severe depression.
The children's father, Al-Jailani, a permanent resident from Yemen, has
been held without charge in a Pennsylvania prison for the last eight
months
under suspicion of being a Muslim extremist with ties to alleged
terrorists.
The children have been in foster care since June 2, when Swenson was
initially hospitalized...
---
MUSLIMS TOLD TO SHUN CSIS
Kinda Jayoush, CanWest News Service, 7/2/03
MONTREAL - The Muslim Council of Montreal is calling on Muslims in
Canada
not to co-operate with the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service,
except in the presence of a lawyer or unless there is a warrant.
Council president Salam Elmenyawi on Tuesday accused CSIS of targeting
Muslims and Arabs following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on
the
United States.
"We are sending an alert to all the Muslim communities in all of Canada
not
to co-operate with CSIS except if they have warrants because if they
say
they know 'Mr. so and so,' that could make them, and other people whom
they
know, terrorist suspects," he said...
The Muslim Council's alert came on the eve of a Federal Court bail
hearing
for Adil Charkaoui, who was arrested in May on a security certificate
on
suspicion of having links to the al-Qaeda terrorist group.
The hearing for Charkaoui, who CSIS alleges is a "sleeper agent who
could
be activated any time," is expected to go ahead at the Federal Court
today...
-----
RELIGIONS UNITE FOR FACES OF FAITH
Jenny Robertson, Herald-Leader, 7/2/03
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/news/local/6215627.htm
The faces in the Kentucky Theatre last night ranged from black to white
to
brown.
Their voices represented Jews, Muslims, Christians and Catholics.
And they were all united in cheers.
"Hurrah for liberty!"
"Hooray for America!"
They were gathered for the patriotic "Faces of Faith in America" rally,
hosted by The Interfaith Alliance of the Bluegrass...
The event was held to counter the "I Love America" rally held last year
in
Applebee's Park, in which the Rev. Jeff Fugate of Clays Mill Baptist
Church
decried homosexuals, cross-dressers and religions that are
"anti-American."
Fugate's comments were never specifically addressed during last night's
rally, but there was much talk of tolerance.
Looking around the room, the Rev. Cynthia Cain, president of the local
Interfaith Alliance and minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church
on
Clays Mill Road, called the gathering "a dream come true."
"One nation, many faiths," Cain said. "That is patriotism. That is
America."
Isaac said the event highlighted Lexington's religious diversity.
"As we celebrate the Fourth of July, we talk about religious freedom,"
Isaac said shortly before the rally began. "It's important for us to
discuss how many different religions we have in Lexington."
Rabbi Marc Kline, who started work yesterday at Lexington's Temple
Adath
Israel, said he'd already seen the city's religious diversity
firsthand.
When he moved to Lexington, he used a Catholic real estate agent to
find a
house owned by a Protestant seller going through a Muslim agent.
Sayyid Muhammad Syeed, secretary general of the Islamic Society of
North
America, said he made "a pilgrimage" to the rally from the society's
headquarters in Plainfield, Ind.
He said his message of spirituality and tolerance "is not for Lexington
alone."
"It's not for Kentucky alone," he said. "It's not for the United States
and
Canada alone. It's for the whole world to hear…"
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM CENTER, NEIGHBORS AT ODDS
Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 7/2/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/nearnorthwest/chi-0307020196jul02,1,1944226.story
The parking lot at the Muslim Educational Center in Morton Grove filled
up
within minutes as the faithful gathered for Friday afternoon prayers.
Those arriving late parked in a grass field next to the school or along
residential streets nearby.
"Today isn't so bad," said Pat Kansoer, a neighbor watching the traffic
as
women wearing head scarves rushed into the northwest suburban school.
"On
heavy days, we have counted as many as 500 cars."
Neighbors have been complaining for four months about traffic and
parking
problems caused by Friday afternoon prayers at the parochial school. In
April, when center officials presented plans to add a mosque and more
parking to their property at 8601 Menard Ave., neighbors successfully
lobbied the Village Board to reject the expansion.
Now some Morton Grove residents are asking village officials to enforce
an
ordinance that effectively would end the prayer services.
At issue is a village ordinance that requires a special-use permit to
hold
large worship gatherings in a building--something the Muslim center has
never had in its 13 1/2 years. Residents have begun collecting
signatures
for petitions, and Kansoer has hired an attorney, who he hopes will
help
persuade village officials "to do their sworn duty..."
---
UNDERSTANDING ISLAM
Sean Gonsalves, Cape Cod Times, 7/2/03
http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/edits/seang.htm
Last week the Associated Press reported that the FBI is conducting a
sweep
of 40 states, looking for suspected al-Qaeda operatives and affiliated
groups. Larry Mefford, assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism
division, said: "The al-Qaeda terrorist network remains the most
serious
threat to U.S. interests both at home and overseas. That network
includes
groups committed to the international jihad movement, and it had
demonstrated the ability to survive setbacks."
I understand that Mefford is just doing his job (and I'm glad he is),
but
when I hear terrorism being connected to "jihad," my intellectual radar
warning system goes on alert and I get that sinking feeling in my
stomach -
that same sense of foreboding many black folks had when O.J. Simpson
was
threatening to commit suicide before an international audience while
crouched in the back seat of that white Bronco.
Ironically, it was the African-American, neo-con cultural critic
Stanley
Crouch who articulated it best for me. Crouch observed that when white
people commit crimes, it's widely considered to be a comment on that
one
individual or a comment on society. But when a black person commits a
crime, it's considered to be a comment on race.
In other words, when a person of color is suspected of some heinous
criminal act and it's all over the news, any black person who's had
difficulty catching a cab or who's had store security watch them as
they
shop can feel the fearful collective gaze of mainstream American
staring at
them.
I wonder what percentage of news consumers associates Islam with
terrorism.
It seems like every time you turn around there's another news story
about
some "Islamic fundamentalist" committing yet another suicide bombing or
jumping up and down in front of a camera shouting curses against
America...
-----
MESSENGER SERVICE TAUNTED FORMER ARAB-AMERICAN EMPLOYEE, SUIT CHARGES
Cathleen Falsani, Chicago Sun-Times, 7/2/03
http://www.suntimes.com/output/terror/cst-nws-harass02.html
From the first week he worked as a driver and messenger at Chicago's
ABC
Expediting, Usama Ghanayem says, he was harassed and demeaned for being
an
Arab American.
A supervisor checked under his truck to see if there was a bomb,
regularly
asked him if he'd bombed anything lately, and derided him with epithets
such as "rag head," "camel jockey" and "Arab mother-----" according to
a
federal discrimination lawsuit filed by Ghanayem's lawyer on Monday...
"America is the only home I've ever known," Ghanayem said Tuesday,
standing
a few yards from the ABC Expediting warehouse where he worked from June
1999 to October 2001.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, claims Ghanayem was
singled
out because of his ethnicity, treated unfairly and harassed all the
time he
worked for ABC.
Responding to a complaint Ghanayem filed, the U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission determined in December 2002 that there was cause
to
believe he had been harassed at the company.
A phone number listed to ABC Expediting was disconnected. Attempts to
reach
its parent company, RRH Carriers Inc. of Chicago and its registered
business contact, Ron Hillock, were unsuccessful...
"On Sept. 11, 2001, following the terrorist attacks, when I arrived at
work, supervisors and some co-workers acted like I had a bomb and ran
screaming in different directions when I approached them," Ghanayem
said...
"The worst part about this case is that it was institutional, coming
down
from his supervisor and manager to his colleagues," said Omar Haydar,
executive director of the Council of American Islamic Relations in
Chicago.
"We're coming up on the 227th anniversary of our country's founding on
freedom for all… Battles have to be waged against this kind of bigotry
and
bias."
In the last four months, more than 70 instances of anti-Arab harassment
have been reported to CAIR Chicago, Haydar said.
SEE ALSO:
FIRED EMPLOYEE CLAIMS HARASSMENT, JOB LOSS BECAUSE HE'S ARAB
WBBM Newsradio 780, 6/1/03
http://www.wbbm780.com/asp/ViewMoreDetails.asp?ID=24391
Chicago - A former driver for a near West Side freight expediting firm
has
filed a suit claiming he was harassed and eventually fired for being an
Arab.
Usama Ghanayem says he didn't mind being stuck with the jobs no one
else
wanted at ABC Expediting. But he says the racial slurs began soon after
he
was hired in 1999 and instensified when he converted to Islam in the
summer
of 2001.
Then came September 11th. Ghanayem claims that when he reported for
work,
co-workers ran screaming away and he began to be subjected to vehicle
checks from supervisors and co-workers asking if he had brought bombs
to
work. He says co-workers and supervisors were confrontational with him
while they watched TV coverage that day, even though he told them
repeatedly he did not support the terrorists...
Ghanayem is working with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Attorney Kamran Memon says the group has filed 70 such suits since
March...
-----
LOOK WHO'S REVOLTING AGAINST 'PATRIOT ACT'?
Mtexpress.com, 7/2/03
http://www.mtexpress.com/2003/03-07-02/03-07-02murphy.htm
"I am cosponsoring the Freedom to Read Protection Act, designed to
protect
libraries, bookstores and ultimately citizens from government
investigating
what we read. I also am working on additional legislation with
organizations interested in rolling back the Patriot Act's more
egregious
trespasses."
Is that a left-leaning Democratic liberal speaking before the American
Civil Liberties Union's national convention?
Nope.
It's actually the July 4 statement of Idaho's conservative Republican
First
District Congressman C.L. (Butch) Otter, one of a growing number of
Democrats and Republicans frightened by powers given to U.S. Attorney
General John Ashcroft in the so-called Patriot Act.
Panicked by Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York City and the Pentagon,
and
succumbing like sheep to slick White House marketing of legislation
with
the glitzy, flag-waving title of "Uniting and Strengthening America by
Providing Appropriate Tools Required To Intercept and Obstruct
Terrorism
Act" (first letters form "USA Patriot"), Congress passed the
legislation in
October 2001...
Second thoughts are spreading in Congress not only because members have
finally read all 1,016 sections of the bill covering thousands of
pages,
but because of how President Bush's autocratic attorney general has
treated
civil liberties with contempt--rounding up hundreds of people he merely
deems "terrorism suspects," holding them incommunicado like a Third
World
tyrant, refusing counsel, then months later releasing or charging them
with
petty immigration violations...
ALSO SEE:
USA PATRIOT ACT: IS 'BIG BROTHER' WATCHING YOU?
Jesse J. DeConto. Seacoastline.com, 7/2/03
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/07022003/news/37110.htm
PORTSMOUTH - The ACLU's New Hampshire state director said that as an
Irish
woman she's been known to exaggerate every now and then, but she
doesn't
have to exaggerate to draw attention to the civil rights violations
inherent in the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001.
"This bill is enough to make a grown man or a grown woman cry," said
Claire
Ebel, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union's N.H.
chapter...
At a forum sponsored by Seacoast Peace Response and the Seacoast
Alliance
for Democracy, Ebel speculated that members of Congress endorsed the
bill
with little debate because they were afraid to appear unpatriotic or
cowardly so soon after the terrorist attacks...
-----
MOHAMMAD EL-MOSLIMANY, 1924 - 2003: UNIFIED MUSLIM COMMUNITY
Cal Blethen and Janet I. Tu, Seattle Times, 6/2/03
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/135144172_moslimanyobit02m.html
Mohammad El-Moslimany, a pioneer, leader and unifying voice among the
area's Muslims, died Monday of a rare brain disease. He was 79.
When Mr. El-Moslimany moved to Seattle in the early 1960s, his was one
of a
handful of Muslim families in the area. He helped found some of the
institutions that are central to the lives of many local Muslims today
-
including the Islamic Center of Seattle and the Islamic School of
Seattle.
A Sunni Muslim, Mr. El-Moslimany reached out to local Shiite Muslims
and
African-American Muslims, among others, encouraging them to hold events
at
the Islamic School.
He worked as a professor in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, said Aziz Junejo,
a
friend and host of the local cable television show "Focus on Islam," on
which Mr. El-Moslimany appeared.
He believed "there shouldn't be division among Muslims, because we
believe
in one God," Junejo said. "He was a unifier of the community and wanted
all
the Muslims to be together. That was his legacy..."
-----
ISRAEL TO LOBBY ABC OVER NERVE GAS DOCUMENTARY
Sydney Morning Herald, 7/1/03
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/01/1056825386691.html
The Israeli government will lobby Australia's national broadcaster to
ditch
plans to screen a controversial BBC documentary on the Jewish state.
The program, Israel's Secret Weapon, asserts that Israel has used nerve
gas
against Palestinians and possesses an arsenal of chemical, biological
and
nuclear weapons.
ABC Television today said the program would be screened but it had not
yet
been scheduled.
Israel's ambassador to Australia, Gaby Levy, said he would ask the ABC
to
reconsider airing the program.
Head of Israel's government press service, Daniel Seaman, said the BBC
program bordered on Nazi propaganda and anti-Semitism.
Israeli officials have been banned from appearing on the BBC as a
result of
the program and visa restrictions have been imposed on BBC journalists.
But Mr Levy said no such action would be taken against the ABC because
it
was not involved in the documentary's production...
-----
AN AMERICAN SOLDIER IN IRAQ ASKS: 'WHY ARE WE STILL HERE?'
Justin Raimondo, antiwar.com, 7/2/03
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/justincol.html
Support at home for the U.S. military presence in Iraq is dropping
dramatically as our troubles mount on the battlefield. 56% of Americans
now
say Iraq was "worth going to war over," while 42% disagree - a long way
down from 73% to 23% in April. The reasons are illuminating. Quizzed as
to
what motivated their reversal, 24% of respondents to a Gallup poll said
because it looks like the administration lied about weapons of mass
destruction. An equal number say the invasion resolved nothing and was
a
"waste of human lives." 11% volunteered the opinion that we need to
stop
policing the world. Having supposedly "won" the war, Americans are
finding
the fruits of "victory" no sweeter than outright defeat.
These sentiments are probably more widespread in the U.S. military than
anywhere else. You'll remember that prominent high-level officers made
no
secret of their opposition in the run-up to this war, and their
hard-headed
pragmatism is clearly echoed in the ranks. Last week, the Washington
Post
cited the words of a sergeant in the Fourth Infantry Division, north of
Baghdad, that ought to send a chill up the nonexistent spines of the
Chickenhawk Brigade:
"What are we getting into here? The war is supposed to be over, but
every
day we hear of another soldier getting killed. Is it worth it? Saddam
isn't
in power anymore. The locals want us to leave. Why are we still here?"…
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT 386
SUPPORT ANTI-HATE RESOLUTION STUCK IN CONGRESS
(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/3/03) - Members of the American Muslim community and
other people of conscience are urged to contact their elected
representatives to support House Resolution 234, which condemns bigotry
and
violence against Arab, Muslim, South Asian and Sikh Americans. H.Res
234
also encourages authorities to work to prevent, investigate and
vigorously
prosecute bias-motivated crimes. A similar resolution has already been
passed in the Senate.
Unfortunately, H.Res 234 has not been considered a priority in the
House
Judiciary Committee and is not yet scheduled for a vote. (A similar
bill,
S.Res. 133, already passed through the Senate.)
SEE: http://capwiz.com/cair/issues/bills/?bill=2219041&size=full
Contact your representative today and encourage him or her to support
this
resolution. Congress must issue a clear condemnation of hate crimes
directed against anyone based on religion or ethnicity.
Sponsors of the bill: Darrell Issa (R-CA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Ray
LaHood
(R-IL), John Conyers (D-MI), John Dingell (D-MI), Nick Rahall (D-WV)
and
Mike Honda (D-CA)
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
1) Contact the House Judiciary Committee chairman to request that
H.Res.
234 be considered a priority and brought into immediate committee
consideration. Contact:
Representative F. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
Chairman, House Judiciary Committee
2449 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4905
Phone: (202) 225-5101
Fax: (202) 225-3190
E-Mail: Judiciary@mail.house.gov
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
2) Contact the Chairman of the Constitution Committee of the House
Judiciary Committee to request that H.Res. 234 be considered a
priority.
Contact:
Representative Steve Chabot (R-OH)
Chairman, Constitution Committee of the House Judiciary Committee
129 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-3501
Phone: (202) 225-2216
Fax: (202) 225-3012
3) Contact your elected representatives to ask for their support for
this
resolution. GO TO: http://www.house.gov/writerep/ Send copies of
correspondence to the officials above and to CAIR at: cair@cair-net.org
TALKING POINTS:
1. As a constituent, I urge you to support H.Res 234, which recognizes
the
important role Muslim, Arab, South Asian, and Sikh Americans play in
American society and condemns bigotry and hate crimes. It also calls on
federal and local law enforcement authorities to prosecute such crimes
vigorously.
2. There has been a large increase in hate crimes against
Muslims/Arabs/South Asians/Sikhs since the 9/11 terror attacks, many of
these been crimes of violence These are not isolated incidents, and
they
continue to impact our community. [Emphasize any personal experience
with
hate or hate crimes.]
3. As Americans, we are very concerned about the threat of terrorism;
yet
we have been forced to fear for our safety not only from terrorist
attacks,
but also from hate crimes.
4. It is time for Congress to send a unified message of support for the
security of all Americans, from all that would threaten their safety.
This
resolution is long overdue.
- PLEASE POST, COPY AND DISTRIBUTE -
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/3/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: HOPE AND FEAR
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6229 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR'S 'Washington Live' Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* CAIR DIALOGUE SERIES LINKS MUSLIMS, NON-MUSLIMS (This Week)
* GOOD NEWS: AN EXAMPLE OF POSITIVE MUSLIM ACTIVISM
* 4 'JIHAD' DEFENDANTS GRANTED BAIL (USA Today)
- Terror Suspects Ordered Released (NY Times)
- Federal Courts Clash Over Virginia Suspects (Wash. Post)
* LANE COUNTY DENOUNCES PATRIOT ACT (KVAL 13 News)
- City Council Opposed Patriot Act (Durango Herald)
* TAKING PAKISTAN OUT OF BROOKLYN (Next American City)
* ROBBERS CUT OFF SIKH MAN'S HAIR (Northjersey.com)
* MUSLIM LEADER CAN'T COME BACK FROM JORDAN (AP)
- Ruling says U.S. Can Keep Man Out (Chicago Tribune)
- Muslims are Disappointed at Appeals Court Ruling
* MUSLIM YOUTH CAMP IN IOWA STIRS IRE (Star Tribune)
- Talk Show Ignites Heated Debate (Press-Citizen)
* BANKS ALLEGEDLY BLACKLISTING MUSLIMS (Civil Liberties Digest)
* ISRAEL MAKES SHOW OF PEACE BUT BUILDS WALL (Scotsman)
- Israel Defies Peace Plan with Land Grab (Guardian)
- Enough Playing Games (Haaretz)
- Defiant Israel Blind to What it Has Become (Sydney Herald)
* CHIRAC DEFENDS FRENCH SECULARISM AMID SCARF DEBATE (Reuters)
* AMERICAN EXPORTS TO ARAB COUNTRIES PLUMMET
* PUBLIC FORUM ON PATRIOT ACT
* DISCRIMINATION AND THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY: A CALL TO ACTION
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: HOPE AND FEAR
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) visited a young man who was
dying
and asked him how he was feeling. The man replied: "I am hoping in
God...but I am afraid for my sins." The Prophet then said: "The two
cannot
come together in a man's heart at such a time without God giving him
what
he hopes for and granting him security from what he fears."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 504
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6229 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6229 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a sponsored library:
"They will be valuable to students writing reports on Islam and in
promoting appreciation and tolerance for diversity in our community."
-
Bartlett, IL
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
CAIR is also looking for positive feature stories to air on our show.
If
you, or any you know, are making positive contributions to our society
either in a political, religious-cultural, or social way, please
contact
Rabiah Ahmed at rahmed@cair-net.org.
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
CAIR DIALOGUE SERIES LINKS MUSLIMS, NON-MUSLIMS
Nate Ellis, This Week, 7/3/03
http://www.thisweeknews.com/thisweek.php?edition=common&story=thisweeknews/070303/gvw/News/070303-News-283418.html
An Upper Arlington organization formed to help protect civil rights and
facilitate understanding of the Muslim faith is participating in forums
this summer to promote tolerance among those with differing viewpoints
on
religion and culture.
In an effort to bring together Muslim and non-Muslim segments of the
central Ohio community, the Upper Arlington-based Council on
American-Islamic Relations is joining several local, faith-based and
ideological organizations to hold a series of forums known as "Diverse
Traditions -- Common Ideals." A goal is to encourage interaction and
mutual
learning among local people of all faiths.
"We would love to have friends from other faiths join us because the
whole
thing is about bridging gaps," said Ahmad Al-Akhras, president of CAIR
Ohio. "It's a dialogue, more than a one-way conversation."
CAIR Ohio is joining with the International Visitors Council of
Columbus,
the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio, the International Institute
for
Democracy, the North American Interfaith Network, The Ohio State
University
Middle East Studies Center, and the Sunrise Academy to sponsor the
dialogue
series. The next program, set for July 17 at the Sunrise Academy, at
5657
Scioto-Darby Rd., will focus on women in Islam.
Additional "Diverse Traditions" sessions are set for July 31 at the
Columbus Metropolitan Library, and Aug. 9 through 12 at the OSU Union.
These events, respectively, will feature discussions on identifying
American Muslims and understanding their cultures, as well as a program
titled "Journeys of Faith, Freedom and Justice."
According to Al-Akhras, CAIR's participation in the series is part of
an
effort to educate the central Ohio community about Muslims, while also
providing opportunities for those of the Islamic faith to gain a better
understanding of different religions.
"For so long, Muslims have been misrepresented and misunderstood, for
different reasons," he said. "Along with our organization's work, we
thought this series would help define who we are. We thought it was
very
important to participate in this series and use it as an educational
tool..."
-----
GOOD NEWS: AN EXAMPLE OF POSITIVE MUSLIM ACTIVISM
Zahid Kaleem of Connecticut took his family to the Science Center of
Connecticut in West Hartford, Conn. While watching a show, he heard a
remark offensive to Muslims. Kaleem took the issue to the directors of
the
museum and as a result, the offensive remarks were removed.
Kaleem sent the following e-mail to CAIR:
"We were watching laser show named 'Laser Laugh' in the 1st
segment...there
was song about Elvis Presley during that song they showed a man walking
with a shopping cart...all of a sudden Elvis appeared in front
him...and
then in the song says, 'He thought he is Allah, but he is Elvis'...and
then
they showed this man prostrating in front of Elvis...
I felt so offended and sick to my stomach, but I decided to stay to
watch
entire show to see if there are any more mockeries in the show.
At the end of the show I spoke to Peter Claffey (Assistant Guest
relation
manager), he instantly apologized and promised that he will speak to
Jason
T Archer (Planetarium Director) and the segment will be withdrawn.
On Wednesday Mr. Archer called and told me that segment has been
removed
from the show…"
-----
4 'JIHAD' DEFENDANTS GRANTED BAIL
Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 7/2/03
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-07-02-jihad-usat_x.htm
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Four men accused of being part of a "jihad network"
were
granted bail Wednesday. The move raises questions about allegations
that
they were Muslim warriors preparing to fight against U.S. allies
overseas.
U.S. Magistrate T. Rawles Jones Jr. said none of the defendants pose a
threat to the community. The men are accused of training for combat
while
on paintball outings in the Virginia countryside.
In the case of one defendant, Hammad Abdur-Raheem, 29, Jones referred
to a
solid work history, strong family ties and military service that he
said
appeared to defy the government's claims...
He ordered the men released after they met bail conditions, including a
requirement that they submit to electronic monitoring while awaiting
trial.
The decision appeared to undermine the government's terror-related
claims
in a 42-count indictment unsealed last week. The court documents allege
that the defendants were among 11 people who obtained weapons and
trained
to fight in Chechnya, Kashmir, the Philippines and elsewhere...
ALSO SEE:
4 TERROR SUSPECTS ORDERED RELEASED PENDING TRIALS
Eric Lichtblau, New York Times, 7/3/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/03/national/03TERR.html
ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 2 - A federal judge delivered an unusual rebuke
to
the Justice Department in a major terrorism prosecution today, ruling
that
four men accused of having links to a Kashmir terrorist group should be
freed from custody until their trials.
The judge, Magistrate Judge T. Rawles Jones Jr., said he was not
convinced
that the men posed a danger to the community or a risk of fleeing the
Washington area if they were released, and he raised questions about
the
strength of the government's case against them.
But the men remain in custody, pending appeals that the prosecutors
vowed
to bring in federal court. Prosecutors also persuaded another judge
today
to keep a fifth defendant in custody despite an order this week that
he,
too, be freed.
The five men, along with six others, were indicted last week on
terrorism-related and weapons charges for reportedly organizing a
paramilitary training group in the Washington area in support of a
"jihad
network" committed to driving India out of Kashmir.
The men, nine of whom are United States citizens, have depicted
themselves
as victims of anti-Muslim harassment, and defense lawyers accused the
Justice Department in court today of exploiting their Islamic
backgrounds
and their passion for engaging in paintball war games in rural Virginia
to
unfairly portray the men as terrorists.
Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, federal judges have given the
Justice
Department wide latitude in incarcerating terrorism suspects without
bail
as their cases progressed in court. Hundreds of illegal immigrants and
several people the government has declared "enemy combatants" were also
held in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks, prompting accusations
from
civil liberties advocates that they had been denied due process...
---
FEDERAL COURTS CLASH OVER VIRGINIA TERROR SUSPECTS
Jerry Markon, Washington Post, 7/3/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1963-2003Jul2.html
A federal judge yesterday granted the government's request to jail a
member
of what prosecutors call a violent Virginia jihad network, even as
another
judge ordered the release of four other alleged members of the group.
U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema in Alexandria said she accepted
the
government's argument that Masoud Ahmad Khan is "a danger to the
community"
and ordered him detained until trial. A U.S. magistrate judge, T.
Rawles
Jones Jr., earlier this week had ordered Khan released, which triggered
an
urgent government appeal to Brinkema, a higher-ranking judge.
Even as Brinkema issued her ruling, Jones ordered the release of four
other
men charged last week with training with terrorists to fight for Muslim
causes abroad. He immediately delayed the ruling as federal prosecutors
said they would again appeal the release of all but one of the men.
The unusual back-and-forth between two federal judges came on a chaotic
day
at the Alexandria courthouse and underscored the debate over the
charges.
Khan and 10 other Washington area Islamic men were charged last week
with
training with and fighting for Lashkar-i-Taiba, a group that is trying
to
drive India from Kashmir and has been designated a terrorist
organization
by the U.S. government. Authorities have said there is no evidence that
the
men were plotting attacks in the United States.
While Justice Department officials hailed the arrests as an important
step
in the war on terror, Muslim groups and lawyers for the men said the
group's actions have been misconstrued and that they have done nothing
wrong...
-----
LANE COUNTY DENOUNCES PATRIOT ACT
Mary Brandenberger, KVAL 13 News, 7/2/03
http://www2.kval.com/x30530.xml?ParentPageID=x2649&ContentID=x40751&Layout=kval.xsl&AdGroupID=x30530
A federal act to fight terrorism has county leaders crying foul.
Wednesday,
the Lane County Board of Commissioners denounced the USA Patriot Act.
A resolution against the federal act symbolizes the board's disapproval
of
the act. Congress passed the Patriot Act, after 9-11, to help federal
agencies fight terrorism.
Wednesday, the Lane County Board of Commissioners scorned the act,
claiming
it violates constitutional rights. In a four to one vote, Lane County
Commissioners passed a resolution denouncing the Patriot Act.
The act allows law enforcement agencies to search libraries, places of
worship, and other potential terrorism targets...
ALSO SEE:
CITY COUNCIL OPPOSES PATRIOT ACT
Shane Benjamin, Durango Herald, 7/2/03
http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/news030702_1.htm
After more than two hours of public testimony on Tuesday, the Durango
City
Council approved a resolution 5-0 opposing some provisions in the USA
Patriot Act.
More than 70 people packed into council chambers. Most who spoke were
against the Patriot Act and supported the resolution. At the beginning
of
the meeting, the resolution in its entirety was read aloud. There was
loud
clapping and cheering when the reading was finished...
The resolution says that provisions in the Patriot Act "may be contrary
to
the city of Durango's constitutional obligations, and they threaten the
fundamental civil rights and liberties of the citizens and visitors of
Durango."
The resolution directs city employees and the Durango Police Department
to
take no action that would conflict with or impair constitutional rights
and
civil liberties. It also directs the city manager to report in writing
to
the council any requests by federal officials that would cause the city
to
cooperate in apparent violation of any city ordinance.
Another provision states that the Durango City Council supports the
immediate repeal of unconstitutional provisions of the act and opposes
its
proposed expansion...
-----
TAKING PAKISTAN OUT OF BROOKLYN
Saurav Sarkar, Next American City, 7/03
http://www.americancity.org/Archives/Issue2/sarkar_issue2.html
The neighborhood used to be vibrant, beautiful. In the evenings, people
were walking down the street," says Asghar Choudry, an accountant and
Chairman of Midwood, Brooklyn's Pakistani American Merchants
Association.
"Now, people don't go outside. They are scared."
Midwood is the home of the country's largest residential and commercial
Pakistani neighborhood. According to MSNBC, 125,000 of the 200,000
Pakistanis in the country live there. Known to locals simply as "Coney
Island," Midwood is actually several miles from the Coney Island of hot
dog
and roller coaster fame. The working-class Pakistani neighborhood
presumably received its name from the thoroughfare that serves as its
commercial heart--Coney Island Avenue.
Awnings bearing Urdu lettering are concentrated most heavily on the few
blocks between Avenue H and Newkirk Avenue. Storefronts offer Pakistani
groceries and prepared foods, Urdu translation services, and South
Asian
music, books, and videos, interspersed with barbershops, travel
agencies,
and offices of accountants like Choudry...
The surface calm belies the reality of post-9/11 Midwood. Though it
maintains its Pakistani flavor, Midwood's growth has been arrested in
the
past two years and there is evidence that its decay has begun. The
destructive changes are palpable. Stores are closing...
No exact figures are available on the numbers of Pakistanis who have
left
Midwood. Jagajit Singh, Director of Programs at Council of Pakistan
Organizations, a community-based organization in Midwood, offers a
heuristic means to estimate a number...
-----
ROBBERS GET $5,000 FROM DRUGSTORE
Amy Klein, NorthJersey.com, 7/2/03
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1MCZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NjM5Nzk1OSZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM
NORTH ARLINGTON - Two armed men cut the power to a Schuyler Avenue
drugstore, herded employees to the back of the store, and sliced off
one
worker's hair before making off with nearly $5,000 Monday night, police
said.
One of the men waited until the CVS closed at 10 p.m. before
approaching
two employees as they rounded up shopping carts outside, said Police
Capt.
Louis Ghione.
Meanwhile, another man cut the power lines to the store, he said.
Armed with a handgun and a knife, the two robbers led the two workers
into
the store.
The robbers then cornered a Sikh employee who was wearing a turban,
pulled
off the turban, and cut off part of the man's long hair while taunting
him
with slurs, Ghione said. Sikhs are forbidden by their religion to cut
their
hair, believing it is a gift from God. The man was also slashed on the
hand
while trying to fend off the attack, Ghione said...
-----
MUSLIM LEADER CAN'T COME BACK FROM JORDAN, COURT SAYS
Mike Robinson, Associated Press, 7/3/03
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/070303_ns_muslimleader.html
CHICAGO - A federal appeals court has upheld a government decision to
bar a
Chicago-area Muslim leader who went on a visit overseas from returning
to
the United States, citing national security.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday reversed a lower
court
decision that would have allowed Sabri Samirah, head of the United
Muslim
Americans Association, to re-enter the United States.
Samirah, 36, a Jordanian citizen but a U.S. resident for 15 years, left
on
Dec. 28, saying he would visit his sick mother in Jordan. He was
stopped at
Shannon airport in Ireland en route back to the United States.
American officials there told him he was being barred not only on
national
security grounds but also because he had a problem immigration status.
Samirah, whose has three children who are U.S. citizens, returned to
Jordan
and has been trying to get back to the United States ever since to see
his
wife and children.
Federal officials did not specify why they consider Samirah a threat to
national security...
ALSO SEE:
RULING SAYS U.S. CAN KEEP MAN OUT
Matt O'Connor and Kim Barker, Chicago Tribune, 7/3/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0307030244jul03,1,2597185.story
A federal judge overstepped his authority in ruling Chicago-area Muslim
leader Sabri Samirah could return to the United States despite
unspecified
national security concerns raised by the government, a federal appeals
court decided Wednesday.
A three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled
federal
courts don't have jurisdiction to review discretionary decisions of the
attorney general such as blocking Samirah, who is not a naturalized
citizen, from returning to the U.S.
In December Samirah had obtained approval from the U.S. Immigration and
Naturalization Service, now part of the Department of Homeland
Security, to
travel to his native Jordan to visit his mother.
He was granted "advance parole," authorizing him to travel outside the
U.S.
while his application for permanent residency was pending.
But in January, the INS revoked his parole on the attorney general's
behalf, based on information he was a "security risk to the United
States."
It barred his re-entry during a stopover in Ireland...
SEE ALSO:
UMAA NEWS RELEASE
MUSLIMS ARE DISAPPOINTED AT APPEALS COURT RULING
Dr. Sabri Samirah to Consider Options to End Government's Blocking of
His
Return
(Greater Chicago, IL, July 3rd, 2003) - The American Muslim community
is
greatly disappointed at the Seventh Circuit Court yesterday's ruling in
favor of the government to block the return of Dr. Sabri Samirah to the
United States. The Appeals Court reversed a previous District Court
ruling
that ordered the INS to facilitate the immediate return of Dr.
Samirah. Muslims are facing more discriminatory governmental decisions
while the court system being afraid to be trapped in security cases.
Dr. Samirah, a prominent Muslim community leader and the president of
UMAA,
was granted permission to visit his sick mother in December 2002 by the
INS, but that permission was revoked one day before he was to return.
In
March of this year, Judge James Moran ruled that the government
violated
his constitutional rights by revoking his advance parole document that
would grant him re-entry into the United States. The government
appealed
immediately.
Dr. Samirah is in communication with his legal team to decide which
option
to pursue.
The following is a statement from Dr. Samirah: "I am so saddened and
surprised. I thought that the court will not be intimated by the
government's scary allegations connecting me to terrorism. Time will
come
where all people will see that the government is politically motivated
under pressure from pro-Israeli groups and Israel. It is obvious that
they
are sending a clear message to the Muslim and Arab community that any
challenge to the violations of their rights will be futile. The
government
is bent on doing all that it can to keep me from my work of politically
organizing American Muslims and Arabs. The only threat that I pose to
this
country is against those who wish to unstitch Islam, Muslims, and Arabs
from the American fabric, and my only weapon is the ballot box. This
is
not homeland security, it is government political insecurity, and I
reaffirm again that I will not rest until my rights are restored and my
name is cleared. Even if that happens after lengthy years. This
experience
has taken a devastating toll on me, my beloved ones, and my community,
both
emotionally and financially. I have my faith and the support of my
beloved
ones and community, which will sustain me in this struggle."
United Muslim Americans Association (UMAA)
10661 S. Roberts Rd. #202, Palos Hills, IL. 60465
Tel. (708) 974-4472 Fax (708) 974-4479 www.theumaa.org
-----
MUSLIM YOUTH CAMP IN IOWA STIRS IRE
Jill Burcum, Star Tribune, 7/3/03
http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/3969141.html
NORTH LIBERTY, IOWA -- Right now, what will be one of the nation's
first
and biggest Muslim youth camps is just a sunny southeast Iowa ridgetop
where wild roses and poison ivy flourish under tall, graceful ash
trees.
But the tranquility of the site, a former Girl Scout camp, belies the
uproar created by the lodge, prayer tower and cabins planned by the
Iowa-based Muslim Youth Camps of America. After the 9/11 attacks, the
proposed camp has rippled the waters far beyond the muddy Coralville
Reservoir, whose shoreline forms the site's southern and eastern
boundaries.
Along with environmental concerns, fears that the camp will train
terrorists have stirred up many Iowans and others across the country.
The
Army Corps of Engineers, which will lease the federal land to the
Muslim
nonprofit group, gave the go-ahead Tuesday for a scaled-down version of
the
project. That only served to fuel the controversy.
Weeks of news coverage and sometimes nasty letters to the editor were
capped Wednesday by a visit from conservative radio talk-show host Mike
Gallagher.
Turning his show into a self-proclaimed town hall forum at an Iowa City
hotel, Gallagher held court as about 250 people took turns at the
microphone and cheered or jeered guests on the New York-based show.
Muslim community leaders in the Twin Cities and across the nation have
monitored the debate over the camp, and view its approval as a key
victory
for religious tolerance in post-9/11 America.
"I think everyone would recognize that if we were talking about a
Baptist
youth camp, we wouldn't even be having this discussion," said Ibrahim
Hooper, a Burnsville man who is now director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, based in Washington, D.C. "We no longer
have
Communists to go after. Now it's the Muslim bogeyman," he said...
ALSO SEE:
TALK SHOW IGNITES HEATED DEBATE
Deidre Bello, Iowa City Press-Citizen, 7/3/03
http://www.press-citizen.com/news/070303gallagher.htm
Dialogue about a planned Muslim youth camp in North Liberty quickly
deteriorated into an argument Wednesday about whether all Muslims are
potential terrorists - all broadcast live on Mike Gallagher's national
radio talk show that originated in Iowa City.
"I have never seen a debate so full of hatred as I have today," said
Iowa
City resident Asma Taha, one of about 200 people who attended
Gallagher's
show at the downtown Sheraton Hotel...
The sometimes tense, three-hour town hall broadcast was carried live on
KXIC-AM 800.
The show came two days after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed to
accept an environmental assessment report that said the camp would not
significantly affect the site - 106 acres two miles northeast of North
Liberty near the Coralville Reservoir - but only if it was scaled back.
The report was issued Monday by Col. William J. Bayles, the Corps' Rock
Island, Ill., district commander. The Muslim Youth Camps of America, a
Cedar Rapids-based organization, is deciding whether to scale back its
proposal by 50 percent.
The scaled-back design would provide for 60 campers and staff per day
for
10 weeks during the summer months, with intermittent recreational and
educational use by up to 1,500 participants during the rest of the
year...
-----
BANKS ALLEGEDLY BLACKLISTING MUSLIMS
Sandip Roy, Civil Liberties Digest, 7/2/03
http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=0387c0def57e1cc42daf809c7b23216b
American financial institutions are using extreme interpretations of
the
U.S.A. Patriot Act to justify blacklisting Muslim account holders,
reports
An-Nahar, an Arabic weekly based in Southern California in its recent
issue
ending July 2.
According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR,
Muslims
are complaining that some of the biggest banks and credit agencies in
the
United States, such as American Express, HSBC, Fleet Bank, and Western
Union, are canceling accounts and making intrusive demands for private
information.
Many of the cancellations seem to be inspired by the similarity of the
account holder's name to names that appear on a Treasury Department
list of
Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Individuals (SDN). In one
high-profile case in early 2003, Western Union denied service and a
refund
to a Muslim African-American from New York unless he provided photo
identification and information about his country of birth.
The financial institutions justify their actions as being in accordance
with federal policy. "We are collecting this information to comply with
the
USA Patriot Act, and this is a bank-wide project reaching to all
customers," an HSBC representative told CAIR. But CAIR describes the
practice as institutional racism.
"This is just another indication that the Patriot Act is being misused
to
infringe on the rights of law-abiding Americans, particularly American
Muslims," said CAIR Legal Adviser Khurram Wahid. "A system must be set
up
to allow those who are unfairly targeted to clear their names and
continue
making financial transactions."
-----
ISRAEL MAKES COSMETIC SHOW OF PEACE AS IT BUILDS THE BETHLEHEM WALL
Ben Lynfield, Scotsman.com, 7/3/03
http://www.news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=723012003
IN MANGER Square, the young Palestinian policemen in their blue
uniforms
smiled as the journalists converged.
Bethlehem was returned to Palestinian control yesterday. But in an
ambiguous advance for the Middle East peace process, a cosmetic Israeli
army withdrawal left its forces in control of all entrances to the
biblical
city.
Across town, near Rachel's Tomb, a yellow Israeli bulldozer ploughed
the
earth as part of preparations for a massive wall that will cut off
Bethlehem from neighbouring Jerusalem in what Israel says is an
essential
security step...
Israeli troops have stayed out of the Bethlehem city centre for months,
and
will remain at their checkpoints at entrances to the city.
Near Rachel's Tomb, grocery store owner Jalal Rashmawi complained that
"the
Israeli withdrawal means something for the media, not for us..."
The sight of Palestinian police on the streets has some psychological
significance. It expands the peace efforts from Gaza, where Israeli
troops
withdrew and Palestinian police moved in on Monday, to the main
Palestinian
territories of the West Bank. But Israel's construction of security
walls
slicing through Palestinian land has led to a de facto annexation of
large
chunks of the West Bank...
ALSO SEE:
ISRAEL DEFIES PEACE PLAN WITH LAND GRAB ON WEST BANK
BETHLEHEM PULLOUT IS A COVER FOR NEW SETTLEMENTS, SAY PALESTINIANS
Chris McGreal, Guardian, 7/3/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,989844,00.html
The Israeli government has confiscated hundreds of acres of Palestinian
land on the West Bank this week - for the purpose, Palestinians allege,
of
building settlements - in flagrant breach of commitments under the
US-led
road map to peace.
Yesterday, an Israeli official and soldiers were marking out swaths of
olive groves and other ground outside the villages of Beit Eksa and
Beit
Souriq, north of Jerusalem.
"State land. Entry prohibited," read a sign erected on village land in
the
name of the civil administration of Judea and Samaria, the Israeli body
that oversees military rule in the West Bank.
The Palestinians say the Israelis plan to build settlements to link two
Jewish towns constructed on land seized from the Arab villages in the
1980s. The accusation would fit with existing Israeli plans for a
"greater
Jerusalem".
The new land seizure came on the day Israel handed over the West Bank
city
of Bethlehem to Palestinian police. Church bells pealed in celebration
and
Palestinian police patrolled the town with their sirens blaring.
One Palestinian cabinet minister, Yasser Abed Rabbo, said Mr Sharon was
using the military's withdrawal from Bethlehem yesterday, and Gaza
earlier
in the week, as a cover for land seizures...
---
ENOUGH PLAYING GAMES
Haaretz, 7/3/03
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=313589
The dismantling of outposts episode is turning into a parody. For every
"unauthorized outpost" ostensibly dismantled by the IDF, two others are
constructed by settlers. Just like the former were mainly uninhabited,
so
are the latter. The game is one of appearances in an attempt to make a
favorable impression on public opinion. The director-general of the
Yesha
Council of Jewish settlements, Adi Mintz, told Haaretz yesterday that
the
struggle he and his colleagues are waging "is an attempt to sear into
the
[public] consciousness what it means to evacuate Jews from their
homes." To
judge from public opinion polls, this attempt has failed miserably so
far.
As part of their effort, the settlers are keeping the justice system
busy
- both the civil administration courts and the High Court of Justice -
with
a flood of requests and petitions clearly aimed at embarrassing the
army
and playing for time. There is nothing inherently wrong in resorting to
these legal channels, which are widely available to any citizen. But in
this particular case, it seems as if the army and government are
cooperating with those who seek to embarrass them. Is there a kind of
wink
here from the political echelon to the military, which is supposed to
implement the decision to dismantle outposts? Because if this is not
the
case, it would be difficult to explain the IDF's helplessness in
preventing
the establishment of additional outposts every day...
---
DEFIANT ISRAEL BLIND TO WHAT IT HAS BECOME
Antony Loewenstein, Sydney Morning Herald, 7/3/03
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2003/07/02/1056825457864.htm
The distinguished Israeli philosopher Yeshayahu Leibovitz said in 1968
about the then recent occupation: "A state governing a hostile
population
of 1.5 to 2 million foreigners is bound to become a security service
state,
with all this implies for the spirit of education, freedom of speech
and
thought and democracy. Israel will be infected with corruption,
characteristic of any colonial regime."
Thirty-five years on, these words have become tragically prophetic.
Many
Jews can no longer sit by and watch the continuing catastrophe without
comment, and look in shame at the ways in which successive Israeli
governments have behaved in the occupied territories. The reasons
behind
this deep denial, I believe, lie in the history of the Jewish people.
Amin Saikal argued ("To be a peacemaker, America must denounce all
violence
in the Middle East", Herald, July 1) that the Bush Administration
should
condemn Israeli defence force actions in the West Bank and Gaza as
terrorism, and persuade the Jewish state to ease restrictions on
Palestinians in these areas.
He touched on the pro-Israel, neo-conservatives in Washington, and
highlighted the double standards when dealing with Israel. I believe
the
ability of the Sharon Government to convince Washington that it is
similarly fighting a war on terrorism stems from a misguided belief
that
the Jewish state is besieged by fundamentalists who want to see its
destruction, and an unspoken acceptance that
Jews are like "us", defenceless and cowering.
The "road map to peace" has been praised and criticised. Jewish writers
have talked about the optimism felt by the possible cessation of the
intifada.
Palestinian writers have been more cautious, never forgetting the
failed
Oslo peace talks in the early 1990s and Sharon's constantly bellicose
pronouncements on the size and nature of Israel. It is the Jewish
writers,
though, with whom I take issue. The debate has moved so far to the
right
that any kind of rational or human response is shouted down as giving
in to
terrorism or, worse, threatening the continued existence of the Jewish
state...
-----
CHIRAC DEFENDS FRENCH SECULARISM AMID SCARF DEBATE
Reuters, 7/3/03
PARIS, July 3 (Reuters) - President Jacques Chirac said on Thursday the
French people must respect France's commitment to secularism,
suggesting
legislation could be used to ban Muslims from wearing headscarves in
schools and at work.
At a ceremony launching an official review of how to reconcile national
unity with France's religious diversity, Chirac said secularism was the
"cement" of the country's social cohesion and "a duty...not just a
right."
"In France, there are no rules superior to the laws of the republic,"
he
said, adding that there was a need to "put limits on the public
expression
of one's own characteristics, to understand others, and to put oneself
in
their shoes."
Chirac's defence of state rules on religion came as France grapples
with
the question of how to uphold its constitutionally-enshrined commitment
to
secularism without alienating the country's four to five million
Muslims.
At Thursday's ceremony, Chirac appointed a commission to review how
secularism fits in with everyday life in France and report to him by
the
end of the year -- a move that puts off any decision on how to resolve
the
explosive headscarf issue.
However, he said any proposals by the commission could form the basis
of
legislation. The group is headed by Bernard Stasi, a former minister
who
has described himself as "Christian, but profoundly secular…"
Teachers at a school in Lyon earlier this year went on strike over a
Muslim
pupil's insistence on wearing a headscarf…
-----
AMERICAN EXPORTS TO ARAB COUNTRIES PLUMMET
Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy, 7/3/03
http://www.irmep.org
WASHINGTON, July 3 - U.S. merchandise exports to the Arab market
including
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and others have plummeted.
The
hardest hit U.S. industries include civilian aircraft, passenger cars,
drilling and oilfield equipment as well as wheat, corn and technology
exports. The U.S. market share of total Arab import dollars declined
from
18% in 1997 to 13% in 2001 in spite of Arab market growth averaging 1%
per
year. Analysis about why these markets are sourcing alternative
suppliers
is highlighted in the July/August 2003 Institute for Research Middle
Eastern Policy (IRMEP) brief titled "Dividends of Fear: America's $94
Billion Arab Market Export Loss."
"Much of the backlash directed toward U.S. suppliers is driven by
negative
sentiment about U.S. foreign policies in the region," stated Grant
Smith,
research director at IRMEP. "Although the March, 2003 pullback of
Coca-Cola's headquarters from Bahrain to Greece and Saudi Arabia's
cancellation of over $25 billion in regional infrastructure projects
are
stunning examples, the report reveals that this trend is actually much
broader and deeper."
According to the policy brief, U.S. corporations and policymakers can
take
a number of steps to address supply and demand side issues. Copies of
"Dividends of Fear" are available in the current "Washington Report on
Middle East Affairs" or can be requested at http://www.irmep.org.
About the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy, Inc. -
www.irmep.org
The Institute for Research Middle Eastern Policy is a think tank
dedicated
to researching America's interests in the Middle East. Founded in 2002,
the
Institute became an independent non-profit tax-exempt organization in
2003.
The Institute's analyst network is composed of experienced research
academics and reviewers in the diplomatic and business communities.
-----
PUBLIC FORUM ON PATRIOT ACT
WHAT: The Chicagoland Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights (CCCLR)
and
Columbia College Chicago Faculty and Staff Against the War invite you
to a
public forum, ""Will Giving Up Our CIVIL LIBERTIES Make Us More
Secure," to
discuss the USA Patriot Act.
Speakers include Harvey Grossman, Legal Director, ACLU, IL; Thomas
Kneir:
Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Division FBI; Kate Martin, Director,
Center for National Security Studies.
WHEN: Thursday, July 10, 2003, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Columbia College, Chicago, Ferguson Hall, 600 S. Michigan, 1st
Floor
NOTE: Limited seating is available. For more information, please call
(312)
939 0675 or (708) 598 6640.
-----
DISCRIMINATION AND THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY: A CALL TO ACTION
WHAT: Muslims will be hosting a meeting titled, "Housing Discrimination
and
the Muslim Community: A Call to Action." This meeting is being held to
bring together community leaders and residents to discuss housing
discrimination involving Muslims and to strategize appropriate
responses. A
presentation on fair housing law and practice will precede the
discussion.
Open to all. No charge.
Speakers include Junaid Afeef, President, Muslim Bar Association; Brian
White, Director for Community Relations; Leadership Council for
Metropolitan Open Communities.
WHEN: Wednesday, July 9, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
WHERE 9730 S. Western Ave, Evergreen Park
Ground Floor Hospitality Room
For more information or to RSVP, contact Indivar Dutta-Gupta at the
Leadership Council at (312) 341-5678 or IndivarD@lcmoc.org
-----
SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/3/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD IS MERCIFUL
* AMERICAN MUSLIMS CONDEMN MOSQUE BOMBING
* FOR MUSLIMS, THIS 4TH OF JULY IS SPECIAL (Detroit Free Press)
- 'Judeo-Christian' Nation? Muslims say: Add Us (Dispatch)
- One Land, Many Joys (Tampa Tribune)
* U.S. SOLDIER HELPS HIS MUSLIM 'BROTHERS' (Baltimore Sun)
- Is There a Road Map Out of Iraq? (Wash. Post)
- Minn. Peace Group Denied Spot in Parade (Star Tribune)
- U.S. Said to Hold Turkish Forces in Iraq (AP)
* LIBRARIES SOUND ALARM AGAINST PATRIOT ACT (LA Weekly)
- Patriot Act II would strip more freedoms (Mercury News)
* US TERROR TRIALS CONDEMNED (BBC)
- US, Europe Set for Clash Over Trials (Financial Times)
- Britons Could Face Death Sentence (Telegraph)
* 'BRING 'EM ON' FETCHES TROUBLE (CBS)
- Don't Bring It On (Washington Post)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD IS MERCIFUL
A dying child was once brought to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him).
When, on seeing the child's last breaths, the Prophet began to shed
tears,
one of his companions asked why he was crying. He replied: "It is mercy
that God has put in the hearts of His servants, and God is merciful
only to
those of His servants who are merciful (to others)."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 373
The Prophet also said: "He who comforts a bereaved woman will be
clothed
with a (fine) garment in Paradise."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 543
-----
AMERICAN MUSLIMS CONDEMN MOSQUE BOMBING
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/5/03) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), a Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group,
today
condemned the bombing Friday of a mosque in southwest Pakistan that
killed
more than 40 worshipers and left many others wounded.
In its statement, the group said:
"CAIR condemns in the strongest possible terms this vicious attack on
Muslim worshipers. There can be no justification for such a crime.
"We offer our prayers for those killed and condolences to the families
of
the victims. We also pray for the swift recovery of all those injured
in
the attack.
"Anyone who planned or carried out this act of barbarism must be
apprehended and punished to the full extent of the law."
CAIR is American's largest Islamic civil liberties group. It is
headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices
nationwide
and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-MAIL:
cair@cair-net.org
-----
FOR MUSLIMS, THIS FOURTH OF JULY IS SPECIAL
ZLATI MEYER, Detroit Free Press, 7/5/03
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/arab5_20030705.htm
For the hundreds of thousands of Muslims in metro Detroit, Independence
Day
is all the more symbolic this year. As Muslims gather in mosques near
Warren Avenue or in family homes in West Bloomfield for the weekly
Muslim
holy day, they salute their two heritages -- one more than a millennium
old, the other born in 1776.
"Saturday is for the Jews, Sunday is for the Christians, and Friday is
for
us," said Al-Husainy. "Friday is the holiday."
The cleric explained that according to the Koran, Judgment Day, when
the
mahdi, or savior, comes back, will likely be a Friday.
For recent college graduate, Nina Bazzy-Aliahmad, July 4 is as much a
tradition as hajj. "I've been celebrating the Fourth of July since I
was in
diapers. I never miss Fourth of July weekend. We look forward to it
every
year. . . . I can't ever imagine not celebrating Thanksgiving or
Christmas.
I know I'm not Christian, but I celebrate it. It's part of being an
American."
The 22-year-old Lebanese-American had planned to attend an outing for
more
than two dozen relatives at a Grosse Pointe Shores park, but Mother
Nature
ignored the prayers of local meteorologists and stormed through metro
Detroit. The barbecue was moved to her mother-in-law's house, but the
food
-- hummus, tabouli, shish kebab and kafta -- was still served on flag
plates on matching tablecloths.
The American tradition of hot dogs, fireworks, cold beer, traffic jams,
picnics and a Sousa march or two requires some editing for Muslim
families.
Frankfurters must be halal, meaning the slaughterer had to face Mecca
before killing the animal, and to pronounce it in the name of God. The
same
is true for any meat on the grill -- chicken, burgers, steak. Pork is
forbidden by the Koran.
Beer is also haram, or forbidden, as are all intoxicants. Firecrackers
are
OK, "as long as you don't kill all your money on them," Al-Husainy
said.
But the coincidence of the two special days is more poignant for
Americans
of Iraqi descent, many of whom have relatives in the old country,
experiencing their own independence day for the first time in decades.
"Today is the Independence Day of the United States of America, to
become
independent of colonialism, to become independent of occupation,"
proclaimed Al-Husainy to his congregation. "It's the same thing we'd
like
to have in Iraq."
Al-Husainy wants to visit his homeland. Six of his sisters and a
brother
remain in Iraq. Al-Husainy, who was a wanted political dissident when
he
left Iraq, hasn't seen them since he fled in 1979. He said he'd like
his
five American-born children to learn more about their heritage.
"We are free, but we are not independent. We're free from Saddam, but
we
still have the burdens of his regime," Al-Husainy said. "Freedom can't
be
imposed, democracy can't be imposed by the United States. It should be
gained. It should be earned…"
SEE ALSO:
'JUDEO-CHRISTIAN' NATION? MUSLIMS SAY: ADD US, TOO
Felix Hoover, Columbus Dispatch, 7/4/03
http://www.dispatch.com/news/religion/faith-story.php?story=dispatch/2003/07/04/20030704-03901.html
Even though the United States is a nation of many religions, its image
to
the world is defined greatly by two - Judaism and Christianity - and
its
value system has come to be called ''Judeo-Christian."
Recently, American Muslims have begun to advocate expanding that term
to
include them, making ''Judeo-Christian-Islamic" or ''Abrahamic" the
label
for American morals and values.
"The Islamic contribution to (American) society is mounting, and we
need to
recognize this," said Mohammed Al-Hanooti, an Islamic scholar in Falls
Church, Va., a suburb of Washington.
He points to commonalities among Judaism, Christianity and Islam forged
through shared values espoused in the Bible, Quran and Torah.
Other scholars see more consonance than disagreement among the three
Abrahamic faiths, which all trace their heritage to the Prophet
Abraham.
The lineage of Jews and Christians flows through Abraham's son Isaac,
and
that of Muslims through his son Ismail, but all three faiths regard
Abraham
as patriarch…
John O. Voll, associate director of the Washington-based Center for
Muslim-Christian Understanding, said the country is presenting a
religious
face with more pluralistic features. The term Abrahamic makes sense to
him.
Voll said he recalls presidential candidate Jesse Jackson as being the
first prominent figure to speak inclusively of Muslims...
---
ONE LAND, MANY JOYS
Tampa Tribune, 7/4/03
http://www.tampatrib.com/MGAWEZBNPHD.html
The Founding Fathers never could have imagined the extent to which
Americans would pursue happiness.
Today, 227 years after colonial rebels launched the first Operation
American Freedom, the rights to life, liberty and equal treatment are
more
uniformly defined than that other, all- encompassing right, "the
pursuit of
happiness."
But when we asked people in the Tampa Bay area what pursuing happiness
means to them, their responses were closer to what the Founding Fathers
might have expected - even two centuries later...
"The ultimate happiness is inner peace, regardless of wealth, power or
class. Everyone can attain that peace. For some, it's family. For
others,
it's charity. The bottom line is being happy with oneself."
AHMED BEDIER, 29
St. Petersburg
Spokesman for Council on American-Islamic Relations
-----
U.S. SOLDIER HELPS HIS MUSLIM 'BROTHERS'
Baltimore-born man who embraced Islam patrols Baghdad streets
Douglas Birch, Baltimore Sun, 7/5/03
http://www.sunspot.net/news/nationworld/bal-te.curtis05jul05,0,3325357.story
BAGHDAD - As his unit prepared to prowl Baghdad's increasingly
treacherous
streets, Staff Sgt. George S. Curtis Jr. loaded his automatic rifle,
strapped his 9 mm pistol to his thigh and offered a short prayer to
Allah.
The 36-year-old Baltimore native was introduced to Islam during the
first
Persian Gulf war. Eight years ago, he became a Muslim. He says he is
proud
to be part of the American occupation forces in a city that has been a
center of Islamic culture…
SEE ALSO:
IS THERE A ROAD MAP OUT OF IRAQ?
Colbert I. King, Washington Post, 7/5/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9741-2003Jul4.html
"When are they coming home?" The question was an obvious reference to
U.S.
troops in Iraq. But the words weren't spoken by an antiwar activist at
a
peace rally on the Mall. The question, as I recall it, was raised on
the
floor of the U.S. Senate by West Virginia's Robert Byrd about two weeks
ago. Byrd's query has been on the minds and lips of more and more
Americans. And why not?
Yesterday The Post reported that Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of
ground forces in Iraq, said at a news conference that an average of 13
attacks have been launched each day against U.S. and British forces
during
the past 45 days. Some Iraqi neighborhoods are seething over the U.S.
presence, according to Post reporters on the scene. It wasn't supposed
to
turn out this way.
Daily potshots by sophisticated attackers in a supposedly defeated Iraq
aren't exactly what most Americans had in mind when their sons,
daughters,
wives and husbands shipped out to the Middle East. So it's not disloyal
for
people to ask how and when this thing is going to end.
And to say in response, "Hey, have patience, we just got there," is no
answer at all...
It's fine for the administration to talk about creating a postwar Iraq
that
enjoys the rule of law and other institutions of democracy. But what in
the
real world does that mean? The administration speaks of establishing
security for the liberated Iraqis. Does that mean an Iraq in which
there
are no more street robberies, break-ins and looting? Where people won't
be
shot to death or where homes are not invaded? Hell, we haven't managed
to
pull off that trick in the nation's capital or in most U.S. cities…
Americans who aren't exactly receiving the services and security that
they
would like from their own government are the ones who'll be forced to
shell
out for the Iraqi people. At least the administration could let us in
on
how many of our tax dollars will be traveling to Baghdad and for how
long.
That's not asking too much.
And finally, there is the human cost, the human sacrifice. What does it
really matter if U.S. commanders can handle the guerrilla-style attacks
by
Baath Party loyalists, Islamic radicals and common crooks on a daily
basis?
If the death and casualty tolls among U.S. and British coalition forces
continue to mount, and sentiment for Americans to get out of Iraq
grows,
will the Bush administration have the courage to reassess our presence
in
that country?...
---
BRAINERD PEACE GROUP DENIED A SPOT IN CITY'S JULY 4TH PARADE
Allen Powell II, Star Tribune, 7/4/03
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3971035.html
A Brainerd peace group has been told it can't march in today's July 4th
parade, and event organizers and police say it's because they can't
guarantee the safety of the marchers.
Members of the Brainerd Area Coalition for Peace wanted to march to
protest
the war in Iraq, but were told by Brainerd Community Action, which
organized the parade, that there weren't enough police officers
available
to protect them.
Police Chief John Bolduc said his department will be spread too thin to
have an officer march with the coalition in case of violence, and was
notified too close to the event to make additional arrangements.
"We have no way of regaining control once we lose control," said
Bolduc,
about a possible riot. "There is no other help."
He said his office will have 22 local officers and about five Crow Wing
County deputies monitoring the roughly 33,000 people expected in
Brainerd
for the weekend's events.
The possibilities that some crowd members will probably be drinking
alcohol
and that some military veterans at the parade might not react well to a
peace protest also were considered, Bolduc said.
But Sara Dunlap, a coalition member and wife of a retired Marine, said
the
group supports U.S. troops and would not display incendiary signs.
The coalition was offered its own booth near the police station and
entry
into next year's parade instead of marching, Bolduc said.
But Larry Fisk, a coalition member from Fort Ripley, Minn., said the
group
rejected the offer because it would not give the group adequate
exposure.
He said the city would have protected minority marchers if there were a
racist element in the crowd, and it should protect coalition members.
"Either we're being discriminated against because of our ideology, or
Brainerd is claiming that they have this event and can't control the
crowd..."
---
U.S. SAID TO HOLD TURKISH FORCES IN IRAQ
ESRA AYGIN, Associated Press, 7/5/03
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) - U.S. forces raided a Turkish special forces
office
in northern Iraq and detained 11 soldiers, Turkish officials said
Saturday.
A Turkish newspaper said the arrests aimed to stop a plot by Turks to
kill
the Kurdish governor of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
The detentions further strained ties between the longtime allies, who
fell
out over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip
Erdogan demanded the soldiers' release.
A government official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity,
said
some 100 U.S. soldiers detained three Turkish officers and eight
noncommissioned officers in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah
Friday
afternoon. They were taken to Kirkuk.
The U.S. forces were acting on intelligence reports that some Turks in
Kirkuk were planning to assassinate the Kurdish governor of Kirkuk, the
newspaper Hurriyet said.
"This is an ugly incident," Erdogan said. "It should not have
happened."
"For an allied country to behave in such a way toward its ally cannot
be
explained," he added…
"The fact that a 50-year-old ally has reverted to such an action has
saddened us deeply. That such an action was carried out against an ally
is
a serious situation," Hurriyet quoted Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, the deputy
chief of staff as saying.
-----
LIBRARIES QUIETLY SOUND ALARM AGAINST PATRIOT ACT
Christine Pelisek, LA Weekly, 7/4-10/03
http://www.laweekly.com/ink/03/33/features-pelisek.php
Libraries throughout Southern California are quietly but determinedly
fighting against the federal law that makes it easier for authorities
to
find out what patrons are reading.
In Santa Monica, librarians have posted signs warning readers that:
"The
FBI has the right to obtain a court order to access any records we have
of
your transactions." Such signs also have gone up at libraries in South
Pasadena, Monterey Park, Whittier, Santa Monica and West Hollywood.
Some
libraries also are deleting records as often as every day. To these
librarians, at least, there is a limit to how much the domestic war on
terrorism should be allowed to intrude on privacy and freedom of
expression.
"We have an obligation to let the public know," said Wini Allard, Santa
Monica's city librarian. She characterized federal anti-terrorism
provisions that affect libraries as an assault on individual rights.
That view was seconded by South Pasadena city librarian Terri Maguire.
"Privacy and access to information are important to libraries," she
said.
"Do we have an obligation to inform our patrons? We decided that yes,
we did."
What has fueled the ire of librarians is Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT
Act, passed in late 2001, which makes it easier for law-enforcement
agencies to see what books people check out or request and what
Internet
sites they visit while at the library. Formerly, police or federal
agents
would need a court order to get library records, and they also would
typically have to satisfy a higher legal standard of evidence to
justify
this intrusion. Now, these records can be obtained via a special
federal
court that, according to critics, grants search rights virtually
without
scrutiny. The new rules apply to bookstores as well as libraries.
Indeed, it isn't just librarians who are troubled. Thirty-two
businesses
and organizations, including Borders, Barnes & Noble, the PEN American
Center, the Association of American Publishers, the American Library
Association (ALA) and the California Library Association have publicly
decried this PATRIOT Act provision. The ALA has advised members to
destroy
records of book borrowing and Internet visits by patrons.
Three state governments and more than 100 cities, counties and
municipalities also have taken up the cause. The Northern California
city
of Arcata has publicly stated that it will not comply with the PATRIOT
Act.
Its library and police will not cooperate with federal officials if
they
come a-knocking…
SEE ALSO:
PATRIOT ACT II WOULD STRIP MORE FREEDOMS
L.A. Chung, Mercury News, 7/4/03
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/6233964.htm
It's funny, this Bill of Rights thing. It just keeps coming up in
conversation these days. Must be the holiday.
Must be the times.
The Declaration of Independence rightfully has had a lot of attention
as we
approached today. But the Bill of Rights is on people's lips as a major
campaign prepares to focus attention next week on the Domestic Security
Enhancement Act, also known as Patriot Act II.
The original Patriot Act was a result of the attacks on New York and
the
Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. It granted the authorities sweeping powers
to
place wiretaps, search homes and offices without warrants, and compile
personal data about anyone. In proposing Patriot Act II, Attorney
General
John Ashcroft wants to expand those powers to allow the secret
accessing of
credit reports and library records and in some cases, to strip U.S.
citizenship from those engaged in First Amendment activity.
It gives Julie Anzaldo, an admirer of constitutional law, the creeps.
It is unlike the Bill of Rights, which says Americans should be
protected
from unreasonable searches (the Fourth Amendment), may assemble and
speak
their minds (the First), and have a right to a public and speedy trial
(the
Sixth)…
-----
US TERROR TRIALS CONDEMNED
BBC, 7/4/03
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3044278.stm
There are at least 680 people being held at Guantanamo Bay Human rights
groups have expressed outrage at the planned use of military tribunals
to
try terror suspects being held in Guantanamo Bay.
There are at least 680 suspected al-Qaeda and Taleban members at the US
naval base in Cuba.
President Bush decided on Thursday that six of them, including Britons
Moazzam Begg and Feroz Abbasi and Australian David Hicks should face
trial
in a military tribunal rather than in a regular court.
But the decision has been criticised by human rights group who say the
tribunals are a "legal black hole".
Neil Durkin, a spokesman for the human rights organisation Amnesty
International said the detainees could not have a fair trial.
"It is being done outside the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court without
the
protection of the US constitution," he told BBC News Online.
"They will have no entitlement to lawyers unless they, or their
governments
can afford them. It's irregular, improper and concerning…"
Stephen Jakobi, director of the British pressure group Fair Trials
Abroad,
said his concerns over the use of tribunals related to the most
fundamental
concepts of international law.
"After 18 months, six people out of over 600 are to be tried and the
rules
have to be fixed, otherwise there might be no convictions," he said.
"The US Department of Defence will appoint the judges and prosecutors,
control the defence and make up the rules of the trial.
"It appears to have only one objective - to secure a conviction.
"If they were prepared to take these people to American soil and try
them
under normal US prosecution, the evidence wouldn't stand up."
SEE ALSO:
US AND EUROPE SET FOR CLASH OVER TERRORIST TRIALS
Jimmy Burns, Jean Eaglesham, Hugh Williamson, Financial Times, 7/4/03
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1054966681755&p=1012571727088
The US faces another damaging diplomatic row with Europe over its
decision
to try six suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in secretive military
tribunals.
The European Union's executive commission warned on Friday that
applying
the death penalty to any of the suspects detained at the US base at
Guantanamo Bay in Cuba would risk undermining international support for
the
US-led war on terrorism.
"The death sentence cannot be applied by military courts as this would
make
the international coalition lose the integrity and credibility it has
so
far enjoyed," said spokesman Diego de Ojeda.
The UK, America's closest ally in the war on terror, said it would
raise
its objections with the US government at the "highest level" after it
emerged that two of the six are British citizens.
Foreign office minister Baroness Symons said London would pursue a
"very
vigorous discussion" to satisfy its concerns that US procedures may not
guarantee a fair trial. "I think there are issues about the principle
of
using military commissions," she told BBC Radio…
Human rights lawyers said the military process was discriminatory as US
detainees can be tried by ordinary civilian courts. Those accused in
the
tribunals, which will take place behind closed doors, will have no
right to
appeal outside the military…
---
BRITONS COULD FACE DEATH SENTENCE
Sean O'Neill and David Rennie, Telegraph, 7/5/03
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/07/05/nguan05.xml
Two British al-Qa'eda suspects could face the death penalty at the
American
detention camp in Guantanamo Bay after President George W Bush ordered
that
they should stand trial before a secretive military tribunal.
The Foreign Office promised yesterday to hold "very vigorous
discussions"
with US authorities to ensure that Feroz Abbasi, 23, and Moazzam Begg,
35,
received fair trials.
Lady Symonds, the Foreign Office minister, expressed "serious
reservations"
about the military commissions that will try Abbasi, Begg and four
other
Camp Delta detainees.
The Pentagon has insisted the hearings will be "full and fair" but
refused
to say what the Britons will be charged with or how the trials will be
conducted.
They will be defended by lawyers who are required to be US citizens,
must
have security clearance and are part of a team headed by a US air force
colonel. The cases will be decided not by a jury but by a military
panel.
Officials in Washington indicated that the first inmates to be tried
may be
encouraged to plead guilty in return for a measure of leniency. The US
authorities believe they have strong evidence against the two Britons
and
the four others to be tried…
-----
'BRING 'EM ON' FETCHES TROUBLE
CBS, 7/3/03
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/03/iraq/main561567.shtml
"There are some who feel like that the conditions are such that they
can
attack us there. My answer is bring them on." President Bush
(CBS/AP) Three words directed by President Bush to fighters attacking
Americans in Iraq have triggered attacks of a different kind - from
those
critical of the president's approach to foreign affairs.
Answering press questions on Wednesday about the violence in which 26
Americans have died since major combat in Iraq ended more than a month
ago,
the president vowed to find and punish "anybody who wants to harm
American
troops," and said the attacks would not weaken his resolve to restore
peace
and order in Iraq.
"There are some who feel like that the conditions are such that they
can
attack us there. My answer is bring them on," Mr. Bush said.
At least, that's what he said according to the official White House
transcript. But reporters say the phrase actually sounded like "bring
'em on."
Either way, the tone rubbed some Democrats and foreign commentators the
wrong way.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., called the president's language
"irresponsible and inciteful."
"I am shaking my head in disbelief," Lautenberg said. "When I served in
the
Army in Europe during World War II, I never heard any military
commander -
let alone the commander in chief - invite enemies to attack U.S.
troops."
Britain's anti-war Guardian newspaper dubbed the statement a "gesture
of
presidential bravado." It did not help, in critics' eyes, that the
president made the statement with a picture of Teddy Roosevelt on a
rearing
horse - a cowboy image some people overseas associate with the current
president…
SEE ALSO:
DON'T BRING IT ON
Washington Post, 7/4/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7382-2003Jul3.html
I am horrified by President Bush's taunting remarks to the Iraqis
[front
page, July 3]. "Bring 'em on," he said arrogantly. How inappropriate at
a
time when at least one soldier is being killed every day in Iraq.
Mr. Bush is not in harm's way, yet instead of reacting in the calm,
measured way of an adult -- instead of stepping up efforts to bring
stability and basic services to Iraq -- he chooses to toss fuel on the
fire
of Iraqi anger.
This isn't leadership, and this isn't the behavior one should expect
from
our commander in chief. He should have more respect for our service
members' lives and sacrifices.
MARIANNE WERZ O'BRIEN
Falls Church
The cowboy president speaks again. President Bush's latest macho
declaration may appeal to his political base, but inviting foes to
attack
us doesn't help our national interests -- promoting democracy abroad
and
establishing security at home.
Are we next going to double-dare Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda to top
their
previous feat? Mr. Bush's tactless comments belong in a barroom, not
the
White House.
EUGENE D'ANDREA
Frederick
When is President Bush going to start acting like a responsible adult?
His
"Bring 'em on" challenge to insurgents in Iraq is only the latest
example
of the smug, arrogant attitude that makes much of the world resent the
United States. It is totally irresponsible for a president who has
already
put hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops in harm's way to further
aggravate
that situation with such an immature statement.
MARY L. GESSNER
Woodstock, Va.
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/7/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: DO NOT ASSIST IN OPPRESSION
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6240 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR's 'Washington Live' Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* A MISSION OF MERCY FOR ALI (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
* ATTITUDES TOWARD SHIA TAKE TOLERANT DIRECTION (LA Times)
* MUSLIMS MEET ON ACTIVISM, LIBERTY ISSUES (Phil. Inq.)
- Muslims Vow to Press for Civil Rights (AP)
- Muslims Celebrate Freedom (Dallas Morning News)
* TROOP MORALE IN IRAQ HITS 'ROCK BOTTOM' (CSM)
- Troops Looted, Vandalized Iraqi Airport (Time)
- U.S. Raids Offend Iraqi Sensibilities (AP)
- Lies, Half Truths Complicate Iraq Mission (AP)
- Grisly Death Enrages Anti-U.S. Town in Iraq (Reuters)
- Iraq Rumour Mill Grinds On (BBC)
* CONFESS OR DIE, US TELLS JAILED BRITONS (Observer)
- Standards for Detainees (Wash. Post)
- Tales of Torture in Uzbek Prison (AP)
* ALL ARABIC, ALL THE TIME - IN VERMONT (ST. Pete. Times)
* EEOC PLANS FORUM ON DISCRIMINATION
* AMC TV: HOLLYWOOD AND THE MUSLIM WORLD
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: DO NOT ASSIST IN OPPRESSION
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "After my time governors
will arise whose falsehood will be believed and who will be assisted in
their oppression by those who enter their presence. They have nothing
to do
with me and I have nothing to do with them...But they who do not enter
their presence, believe their falsehood and help them in their
oppression,
those belong to me and I belong to them."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1039
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6240 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6240 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a sponsored library:
"These are all great books. We don't have a DVD collection (yet) but
will
still add 'Islam: Empire of Faith somewhere." Easthampton, MA
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
A MISSION OF MERCY FOR ALI
Lewis Kamb, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 7/7/03
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/129773_ali07.html
As he stepped onto American soil with his little boy for the first time
yesterday, Mousa Soudi Ayes put his feelings simply.
"An opportunity of a lifetime," the Iraqi national said.
His arrival at Sea-Tac Airport was, indeed, the opportunity of a
lifetime
-- or rather, an opportunity at life for his 8-year-old son, Ali.
For more than five years, Ayes, a 40-year-old teacher and father of
four,
has watched helplessly as a tumor in his son's neck has grown to the
size
of a football, stealing away Ali's breath, and with each day, a little
bit
more of his heart.
"He is a shy boy," Ayes said of his son. "He feels sad when people look
at
him."
But in Ayes' homeland, there has been little the boy's father could do
to
help Ali. Since 1998, Ayes' pleas to the Iraqi Ministry of Health have
been
met with a consistent response: The operations would be too complicated
and
too costly.
"The government refused to give me any assistance," Ayes said. "Now the
tumor is growing and affecting his breathing and swallowing. Without
the
operations, he will die."
But opportunity came through the fallout of war, a father's persistence
and
compassion from a stranger...
For the next three to six weeks, while doctors examine and operate on
Ali,
he and his father will stay at Larson's home in Bellevue. Meanwhile,
Mercy
Corps, joined by the American Arab Community Coalition and the Council
of
American Islamic Relations -- Seattle Chapter, are hoping to raise
money to
defray the medical and travel costs…
HOW TO HELP
Mercy Corps is accepting contributions to defray the costs of medical
care
and travel aid for Ali Mousa. Any donations made beyond those costs
will go
toward basic health and education for other Iraqi children.
Tax-deductible donations can be made to:
Ali's Fund
Mercy Corps
P.O. Box 2669
Portland OR 97208-2669
Please notify CAIR of any donations sent to help Ali. E-mail:
cair@cair-net.org
-----
ATTITUDES TOWARD SHIA MUSLIMS TAKE MORE TOLERANT DIRECTION
Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 7/7/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-shia7jul07001419,1,7838846.story
After 37 years in America, Cerritos physician Ridha Hajjar can recite a
history of tough times for Shia Muslims, who predominate in places such
as
Iraq -- where they have long been shut out of power -- and Iran.
He recalls the harassment of the Shia, Islam's largest minority sect,
by
some majority Sunnis. He remembers the stereotypes slapped on them as
violent fanatics after the 1979 seizure of American hostages by Iranian
revolutionaries.
He ruefully relates how his wife called U.S. officials to protest the
slaughter of Shias who rose up against Saddam Hussein after the 1991
Persian Gulf War: "So what? They're just Shiites," Hajjar says she was
told.
"That's why we feel bitter -- the whole world has been ignoring us,"
Hajjar
says.
No longer. Suddenly, with the U.S. war in Iraq and subsequent
occupation,
the Shia are in the spotlight, often sympathetically portrayed as the
courageous victims of Hussein. Suddenly, their holy cities and
religious
rituals are being covered around the world. Suddenly, they are gaining
access to U.S. policymakers...
"There have been radical changes to the American perception regarding
Shias," said Imam Moustafa Al-Qawzini, a religious leader from a large
family of Islamic scholars and activists in Southern California and
Detroit.
But the spotlight has also magnified the challenges facing the nation's
Shias, a polyglot community that may make up more than 20% of the
American
Muslim population.
The nation's oldest Shia community is in the Detroit area, where
Lebanese
immigrants began settling a century ago…
"We look at the Shia-Sunni difference as historical, obsolete and
irrelevant to the challenges Islam is facing in the modern times," said
Maher Hathout, spokesman for the Islamic Center of Southern California,
which refused to accept the anti-Shia material.
In Sacramento, a new office of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
features a diverse executive committee of both Sunnis and Shias. And on
college campuses, more students say they are developing a "Pan-Muslim"
identity that embraces the richness of both major sects without
explicitly
identifying as either…
-----
MUSLIMS MEET ON ACTIVISM, LIBERTY ISSUES
Gaiutra Bahadur, Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/6/03
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/6242879.htm
Fifteen thousand members of two major Muslim organizations have
gathered
this weekend for the first time in Philadelphia, where the U.S.
Constitution was written, partly to voice their alarm that rights set
forth
in that document are under siege.
This meeting, which ends today at the Convention Center, included
sessions
on home-schooling, as well as a display of a 1,500-pound Koran, billed
as
the world's largest, and a quiz competition for teenagers to test their
knowledge of Islam.
The convention, an annual event that brings together the Islamic Circle
of
North America and the Muslim American Society, mainly has highlighted
the
experiences of Arab and Muslim immigrants since the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks and the passage of the USA Patriot Act in their aftermath.
"We are coming to Philadelphia because Philadelphia stands for the
ideals
of American liberty and freedom," said Talat Sultan, president of the
Islamic Circle of North America. "The whole convention will focus on
what
are American ideals, what are Islamic ideals, and how far America has
really drifted away from these ideals."
Speakers at a panel on civil liberties criticized a decision last week
by
President Bush to try six terror suspects who have been detained before
a
military tribunal, an extraordinary step that has not been taken since
World War II...
ALSO SEE:
AMERICAN MUSLIMS VOW TO PRESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN POST-9/11 ERA
Maryclaire Dale, Associated Press, 7/7/03
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-07062003-119625.html
PHILADELPHIA- More than a year after her husband was handcuffed and
taken
away, Carma Said still does not know why he was arrested and later
deported.
Akram Said, who was sent back to Egypt in October, is one of thousands
of
men, many of them Muslim like him, who were detained by the federal
government after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"This is a law-abiding citizen, married to an American, with children,
a
business. I'm thinking, 'This is a big mistake. This is America. This
doesn't happen.' I found out the hard way it does happen," said Carma
Said
of Bethlehem, who told her story in Philadelphia, where about 15,000
American Muslims attended a three-day conference that concluded Sunday.
The conference was co-sponsored by the Islamic Circle of North America,
based in Jamaica, N.Y., and the Virginia-based Muslim American Society.
Their leaders hope to rally the political power of the nation's
estimated 7
million to 8 million Muslims to oppose restrictions on their freedom
following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, such as the USA Patriot Act
and
the recent government order that recent immigrant men from mostly
Muslim
countries register with federal authorities.
On Friday, hundreds of their members stood outside the Liberty Bell on
Independence Hall and read aloud the Bill of Rights, to rally support
and
remind passers-by that Muslims also have rights in America...
---
MUSLIMS CELEBRATE FREEDOM AT DALLAS MEETING
Tolerance a key topic; 3,000 attend holiday conference in Dallas
Jeffrey Weiss, Dallas Morning News, 7/7/03
http://www.dallasnews.com/localnews/stories/070703dnmetmuslims.77ef8.html
The Islamic Society of North America chose the Fourth of July weekend
to
hold a regional conference in Dallas for a reason. Its leaders wanted
to
send a message to Muslims and non-Muslims that Islam is a part of the
American mosaic.
Most Muslims are immigrants who came to this country in search of
freedom
and opportunity, Azhar Azeez, media chairman for the society's local
chapter, said Sunday. "We thought the Independence Day weekend would be
a
good time to celebrate that."
The theme of the conference was "Better Muslims for a better America."
Islam can contribute to the strength of America, but only if Muslims
are
true to their faith, Imam Zaid Shakir of New York told his audience at
one
session...
Islam is particularly diverse in the United States. Many immigrants
come
from nations where styles of worship and interpretation of theology
have
little competition. But here, immigrants and American-born Muslims are
forced to deal with their differences, Imam Shakir said...
The goal was to educate and motivate, said conference chairman Mozzam
Ahmed
of Irving. He and other conference organizers on Sunday announced the
creation of a task force to help Muslims in the region coordinate
efforts
to organize.
"Governments come and go. American Muslims, whether native-born or
immigrants, do not," said Mohamed Elmougy, chairman of the Dallas-Fort
Worth chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "This is
our home."
-----
TROOP MORALE IN IRAQ HITS 'ROCK BOTTOM'
Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 7/7/03
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0707/p02s01-woiq.html
WASHINGTON - US troops facing extended deployments amid the danger,
heat,
and uncertainty of an Iraq occupation are suffering from low morale
that
has in some cases hit "rock bottom."
Even as President Bush speaks of a "massive and long-term" undertaking
in
rebuilding Iraq, that effort, as well as the high tempo of US military
operations around the globe, is taking its toll on individual troops.
Some frustrated troops stationed in Iraq are writing letters to
representatives in Congress to request their units be repatriated.
"Most
soldiers would empty their bank accounts just for a plane ticket home,"
said one recent Congressional letter written by an Army soldier now
based
in Iraq. The soldier requested anonymity.
In some units, there has been an increase in letters from the Red Cross
stating soldiers are needed at home, as well as daily instances of
female
troops being sent home due to pregnancy.
"Make no mistake, the level of morale for most soldiers that I've seen
has
hit rock bottom," said another soldier, an officer from the Army's 3rd
Infantry Division in Iraq.
Such open grumbling among troops comes as US commanders reevaluate the
size
and composition of the US-led coalition force needed to occupy Iraq. US
Central Command, which is leading the occupation, is expected by
mid-July
to send a proposal to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on how many and
what kind of troops are required, as well as on the rotation of forces
there...
ALSO SEE:
COALITION TROOPS LOOTED AND VANDALIZED THE IRAQI AIRPORT
Simon Robinson, Time, 7/6/03
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030714-463062,00.html
Much has been written about how Iraqis complicated the task of
rebuilding
their country by looting it after Saddam Hussein's regime fell. In the
case
of the international airport outside Baghdad, however, the theft and
vandalism were conducted largely by victorious American troops,
according
to U.S. officials, Iraqi Airways staff members and other airport
workers.
The troops, they say, stole duty-free items, needlessly shot up the
airport
and trashed five serviceable Boeing airplanes...
What was then called Saddam International Airport fell to soldiers of
the
3rd Infantry Division on April 3. For the next two weeks, airport
workers
say, soldiers sleeping in the airport's main terminal helped themselves
to
items in the duty-free shop, including alcohol, cassettes, perfume,
cigarettes and expensive watches.
Welsh, who arrived in Iraq in late April, was so alarmed by the
thievery
that he rounded up a group of Iraqi airport employees to help him clean
out
the shop and its storage area. He locked everything in two containers
and
turned them over to the shop's owner.
"The man had tears in his eyes when I showed him what we had saved,"
says
Welsh. "He thought he'd lost everything..."
---
U.S. RAIDS OFFEND IRAQI SENSIBILITIES
Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press, 7/7/03
http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030707_240.html
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops raiding Iraqi homes in search of weapons
and
suspects are trampling on a particularly important Muslim sensibility -
the
sanctity of the home.
Many Iraqis see the pre-dawn raids as the single most offending
practice of
the U.S. occupation. They're part of hundreds of cultural clashes that
occur daily between Iraqis and Americans.
U.S. troops have been raiding homes in search of members of Saddam
Hussein's toppled regime and illegal weapons since the fall of Baghdad.
But
the raids have become much more frequent in recent weeks, focusing on
areas
north and west of the Iraqi capital where the former dictator enjoyed
his
strongest support.
Iraqis complain the raids expose women to soldiers when they are not
properly dressed - raising questions of honor in much of Iraq - and
terrify
children. They say the soldiers force doors open rather than use keys
on
offer, go through personal belongings and humiliate the men in front of
their families by cuffing their hands and ordering them to lie face
down on
the ground.
U.S. officials counter that soldiers don't intend to mistreat Iraqis.
The
raids, they say, are carried out professionally and for genuine
security
reasons.
"They're humiliating," Mahmoud al-Samarrai, 50, said of the raids...
---
LIES, HALF TRUTHS COMPLICATE IRAQ MISSION
Steven Gutkin, Associated Press, 7/6/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/sns-ap-iraq-truth-and-lies,0,7108239.story
TIKRIT, Iraq - Zionists are spreading drugs and prostitution, they say,
and
Americans - not Saddam Hussein loyalists - bombed a procession of
U.S.-trained police cadets. U.S. occupiers also are withholding
electricity
on purpose, the story goes.
Lies and half-truths - readily believed by a nation of people who
learned
long ago to be skeptical of rulers' motives - are complicating
America's
mission in Iraq, fueling anti-U.S. sentiment as troops struggle to
quell a
growing uprising.
``They want to destabilize Iraq,'' said Ali Mohammed Said, a
26-year-old
law school graduate who blamed U.S. soldiers for a blast on Saturday
that
targeted a graduation parade of U.S.-trained police cadets in Ramadi,
west
of Baghdad. Seven were killed.
``They want to drive a wedge between us so we fight each other while
they
stand by and watch,'' he said.
U.S. officials dismiss such claims as absurd. The Ramadi blast, the
say,
was the work of pro-Saddam insurgents. The American-led provisional
administration is using radio waves, newsletters and a planned TV
station
to dispel the rumors...
---
GRISLY DEATH ENRAGES ANTI-U.S. TOWN IN IRAQ
Michael Georgy, Reuters, 7/7/03
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3046363
RAMADI, Iraq - The gruesome death of an Iraqi man whose head was shot
off
inflamed anti-American rage in the volatile town of Ramadi on Monday
after
a night of armed attacks which wounded four U.S. troops.
Several Iraqis gathered around his bullet ridden car where a piece of
skull
lay among the shattered windshield glass on the floorboard.
Another crowd walked past pools of blood at Ramadi General Hospital and
watched a doctor pull plastic sheeting off his corpse that was
punctured by
bullets they said were fired by U.S. troops occupying the town, around
100
km (60 miles) west of Baghdad.
"You will see what will happen to the Americans now. You will see what
we
will do to them," hospital administrator Taha Hussein told Reuters.
On Saturday, seven recruits to a U.S.-backed Iraqi police force were
killed
in Ramadi when a remote-controlled bomb exploded outside a police
station...
---
IRAQ RUMOUR MILL GRINDS ON
Magdi Abdelhadi, BBC News, 7/6/03
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3049300.stm
I arrived in Baghdad at night. The city was plunged into darkness. It
has
been like this for weeks.
"Power cuts are the Americans' greatest failure," the driver told me at
the
end of the seven-hour long journey through the desert from the Kuwaiti
border.
US troops are trying to win local hearts and minds...
"Electricity, electricity is so important. If they only fixed that," he
said with a look of frustration rapidly going over into a resigned
expression.
He then added: "You know what, I think they are punishing us because of
the
continued attacks on their soldiers."
I came across another version of this rumour when I visited a small but
burgeoning power generators market on the streets of the old town.
"The Americans," an Iraqi worker in Al-Rashid district told me, "drove
around in a Baghdad suburb announcing in a loudspeaker 'security for us
in
return for electricity for you'".
A later version was even more conspiratorial...
-----
CONFESS OR DIE, US TELLS JAILED BRITONS
Outrage over plight of Guantanamo detainees
Martin Bright, Kamal Ahmed and Peter Beaumont, Observer, 6/7/03
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,992467,00.html
The two British terrorist suspects facing a secret US military tribunal
in
Guantanamo Bay will be given a choice: plead guilty and accept a
20-year
prison sentence, or be executed if found guilty.
American legal sources close to the process said that the prisoners'
dilemma was intended to encourage maximum 'co-operation'.
The news comes as Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, prepares to urge
US
Secretary of State Colin Powell to repatriate the two Britons. He will
say
that they should face a fair trial here under English law. Backed by
Home
Secretary David Blunkett, Straw will make it clear that the Government
opposes the death penalty and wants to see both men tried 'under normal
judicial process'.
Lawyers acting for Moazzam Begg, 35, from Sparkbrook, Birmingham, and
Feroz
Abassi, 23, from Croydon, said that any confessions gathered while the
men
were kept without charge or access to lawyers in Bagram airbase in
Afghanistan and Camp Delta in Cuba would have no status in
international
law and would be inadmissible in British courts...
According to US legal and constitutional experts, the Final Rule, the
regulations that will govern the military commissions, has rendered a
fair
trial almost impossible...
'The trial system in Guantanamo Bay allows a whole series of serious
breaches of defendant rights that would mean that they could never come
to
trial in the US...
ALSO SEE:
STANDARDS FOR DETAINEES
Wash. Post, 7/6/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13643-2003Jul5.html
FIGHTING THE WAR on terrorism has forced the government to confront
profoundly vexing questions concerning the people it captures. Are al
Qaeda
members criminals who should be prosecuted, members of a strange
species of
foreign army, or somehow both? And if, as U.S. authorities quickly
concluded, they are both, when should they be treated as criminals in
civilian courts, when should they go before military tribunals and when
should they be held with no trial at all and under what circumstances?
We
would have hoped that nearly two years after the 9/11 attacks, the Bush
administration would have made a stab at addressing these questions.
And in
a sense, it has: It is claiming the authority to unilaterally decide
how
any captive is legally designated and held -- and to unilaterally
change
that designation at any time. This system is convenient for the
government,
offering all of the legitimacy the criminal justice system can confer
without any of its discipline. As a legal regime, however, it is
unacceptable...
---
TALES OF TORTURE IN UZBEK PRISON;
Many Inmates Are Reputed Islamic Militants
Bagila Bukharbayeva, Associated Press, 7/6/03
Many of the inmates in Uzbekistan's most notorious prison are hardened
thieves, thugs and killers, but even more were sent here as suspected
Islamic extremists.
Most of the prisoners are skittish about talking to outsiders, but a
few
look visiting reporters straight in the eye and defy the guards by
talking
openly about torture, beatings and rapes.
Akram Ikromov, one of those convicted as a religious militant in this
secular former Soviet state, asked first if the small group of
journalists
allowed a rare visit had come to find out the truth. Only then did he
begin
to talk about the physical abuses that have made Zhaslyk a sinister
symbol
of the country's abusive law enforcement and prison system...
This remote colony where the government sends political prisoners is
known
to human rights advocates as "Barsa Kelmes" -- the Place of No Return.
At least three inmates were beaten and tortured to death last year. The
bodies of two, Muzafar Avazov and Khusnuddin Olimov, were burned,
bruised
and disfigured when returned to their families for burial last August.
Both
had been jailed for belonging to a banned Islamic group.
The official investigation said they died from a fight with two other
prisoners. Several prison guards were fired for negligence and the
prison
terms of the alleged killers were extended, officials said...
-----
ALL ARABIC, ALL THE TIME - IN VERMONT
Susan Taylor Martin, St. Petersburg Times, 7/7/03
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/07/07/Worldandnation/All_Arabic__all_the_t.shtml
MIDDLEBURY, Vermont - Despite the wilting heat, a dozen students listen
intently as instructor Ghazi Abu Hakmeh fires off a series of
questions:
Does George Bush have children? Does George Bush have sons? How many
girls
does George Bush have?
The questions might seem silly, given that this is a class at
Middlebury
College, one of the nation's top liberal arts schools. But what makes
the
rapid-fire exchange unusual is that it is being conducted entirely in
Arabic. Even more remarkably, it has been just 10 days since the
students
began learning the language...
Few places could be farther removed from the deserts of the Middle East
than the verdant hills and rolling farmlands of New England. Yet in
this
incongruous setting, 97 men and women from government, academia and
other
fields are spending their summer in what's considered one of the
world's
best and most rigorous Arabic language programs.
Unique among such courses, Middlebury's Arabic School requires students
to
take a "language pledge" - vowing to speak, read and write nothing but
Arabic from the time they get up until they collapse into bed after
hours
of homework. They read Al-Hayat, watch Al-Jazeera and dine on
kashtaliya, a
Syrian dessert prepared by one of several Arabic clubs on campus...
-----
EEOC AND ARAB, SIKH, SOUTH ASIAN GROUPS PLAN FORUM ON DISCRIMINATION
WHAT: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will sponsor a
workshop
to help Arab, Sikh, and South Asian business owners and employees in
Northern Virginia prevent, recognize, and respond to employment
discrimination. The free event is open to the public.
WHEN: Wednesday, July 9.
WHERE: Mason District Government Center, 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale,
Va.
NOTE: Further information about the agency is available on its web site
at
www.eeoc.gov
-----
AMC TV: HOLLYWOOD AND THE MUSLIM WORLD
http://www.amctv.com/show/detail/0,,63117-1-EST,00.html
Ever wonder how "Friends" or J-Lo plays in Cairo? Or what a young
Muslim
mom feels about the portrayal of Muslims in American films? This
one-hour
documentary takes you to Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Qatar and here in the
U.S.,
where filmmakers interview trendy teens as well as members of
Hezbollah.
Get an in-depth look at the culture clash as American popular culture
meets
traditional mores.
-----
SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/8/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: DO NOT ASSIST IN OPPRESSION
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6247 SPONSORSHIPS
- 'Washington Live' Seeks Feedback
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* CAIR-ST. LOUIS TO HOLD RADIO TRAINING SEMINAR
* CAIR-SEATTLE JOINS IMMIGRANT-RIGHTS DRIVE (Post-Intelligencer)
* MAKING ENEMIES (Village Voice)
* FIRE AT HOME OF IOWA MUSLIM CAMP FOUNDER (AP)
- Investigation into Fire is Inactive (Press Citizen)
- CAIR-Ohio Fights Anti-Religious Vandalism (Dispatch)
* MUSLIM DOCTOR'S CHALLENGES DENIED (AP)
* LIEBERMAN SUGGESTS DROWNING PALESTINIAN PRISONERS (Haaretz)
* GRANADA'S MUSLIMS FINALLY GET A MOSQUE (Daily Telegraph)
* WOMAN DESIGNS T-SHIRTS FOR ALL (Free Press)
* GROWING BY FAITH (N&O)
* MUSLIM-BASHER FIRED FROM MSNBC (Wash. Post)
* BOMBINGS AREN'T THE WHOLE STORY (LA Times)
- Turning a Blind Eye (Toronto Star)
- The Chechen Threat (NY Times)
* ANN ARBOR CITY COUNCIL PASSES RESOLUTION ON PATRIOT ACT (AP)
- 'Patriot Act' Raises Civil Liberties Fears (VOA)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE BEST CHARITY
A man came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and asked: "What
(form of) charity is the most superior in its reward?" The Prophet
replied:
"Charity that you practice while you are healthy...afraid of poverty
and
wish to become wealthy."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 500
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6247 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6247 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a sponsored library:
"Although we do own materials on Islam your donation will greatly
expand
our collection. Thank you." South Hadley, MA
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
'WASHINGTON LIVE' SEEKS FEEDBACK
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
Tonight's show will feature an appearance by the newly-appointed Muslim
chaplain for the DC police department and a panel discussion about the
recent arrests of 11 Muslim men accused of violating the Neutrality
Act.
Panelists include attorneys for the defendants.
To ask questions about these and other issues impacting the American
Muslim
community, send an e-mail to: cair@washlive.com
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
CAIR-ST. LOUIS TO HOLD RADIO TRAINING SEMINAR
(ST. LOUIS, MO, 7/10/2003) - The St. Louis chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-St. Louis) will host a workshop on
July
11th in Ballwin, Mo., designed to introduce local Muslims to the inner
workings of the radio industry.
The workshop, called "Islam on the Air," will offer information about
how
local Muslims can respond to attacks on their faith, develop the skills
necessary to accurately and objectively present Islam and how they can
encourage youth to consider careers in broadcast journalism.
Scheduled panel members include Mike Sampson, host of KWMU's St. Louis
on
the Air, Mary Edwards, Production Manager for KWMU and Jean Jackson,
co-host of the KTRS Morning Show.
"This workshop presents a tremendous opportunity for our community to
learn
about the inner workings of the radio industry," said CAIR-St. Louis
Executive Director James Hacking. "Our goal in hosting this program is
to
put our fellow Muslims at ease in discussing their beliefs in a clear
and
objective manner."
The event will be held at the Dar ul-Islam Mosque, 417 Weidman Road in
Ballwin, Missouri. The program begins at 7 p.m. and will conclude at
8:30 p.m.
CAIR is America's largest civil liberties group. It is headquartered in
Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
Since its founding in 1994, CAIR has defended the civil and religious
rights of all Americans.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-St. Louis, James Hacking, 314-602-3794, E-mail:
admin@cair-stl.org; CAIR-National, Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-mail: cair@cair-net.org.
-----
CAIR-SEATTLE JOINS IMMIGRANT-RIGHTS DRIVE
BUSLOADS OF ACTIVISTS IN IMMIGRANT-RIGHTS DRIVE
Chris McGann, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 7/8/03
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/129926_freedom08.html
Technically speaking, buses are not the only form of transportation
suitable for a social-justice pilgrimage -- but for down-to-earth
practicality, historical resonance and symbolism they're hard to beat.
That's why an unprecedented coalition of immigrant rights advocates,
community groups and labor unionists plans to get on the bus in Seattle
and
nine other cities this fall and take their cause to the nation's
heartland
and on to Washington, D.C.
The "Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride," is intended to highlight U.S.
immigration policies that organizers say undermine workplace rights,
family
reunification and workers' progress toward legal residency and
citizenship.
Along the way they plan to rally groups made up in large part by
immigrants
ranging from meatpackers and farmworkers to high-tech employees and
university teaching assistants...
Unions are among the most recent to speak out for immigrant rights in
the
coalition that includes the King County Labor Council, the Washington
State
Labor Council, the Hate Free Zone Campaign of Washington, the Urban
League
of Washington, the United Farm Workers, the Church Council of Greater
Seattle, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, the Council on
American
Islamic Relations, the People's Coalition for Justice and dozens of
other
groups.
The bus from Seattle is scheduled to leave for Washington D.C. Sept.
23...There's more information about Freedom Ride on the
http://www.seattle-iwfr.org.
-----
MAKING ENEMIES
Solana Pyne, Village Voice, 7/8/03
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0328/pyne.php
The government's roundup and detention of U.S. citizens and immigrants
perceived to be Arab, South Asian, or Muslim is likely fostering
discrimination and prejudice above and beyond the impact of 9-11, say
social psychologists.
The violent attacks of September 11 and their aftermath have created a
real-world experiment for social scientists who usually develop their
theories in university labs. Their research, much of which is still in
progress, shows that the more positively people feel toward their
country,
the more likely they are to hold anti-Arab prejudices. Taken with
statistical evidence of hate crimes and job discrimination, the new
research suggests that while the shock of the attacks sparked bigotry
against those associated in American minds with Islam, subsequent
sweeping
crackdowns, such as the government roundup and detention of Muslims,
are
sending "social signals" that are worsening the biases.
"I would hypothesize that the aftermath of 9-11-the Patriot Act, the
war in
Afghanistan, the war in Iraq-would do more to increase anti-Arab bias
than
9-11 on its own," said University of Virginia social psychologist Brian
Nosek...
-----
OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE FIRE AT HOME OF MUSLIM CAMP FOUNDER
Associated Press, 7/7/03
http://www.kcrg.com/article.aspx?art_id=62144&cat_id=123
(Iowa City) - Cedar Rapids officials are investigating a small fire at
a
home owned by the founder of an eastern Iowa Muslim group.
Investigators say the fire set outside a brick home owned by Bill
Aossey
was fueled by paper and caused no significant damage.
Aossey is the founder of Muslim Youth Camps of America, a nonprofit
group
that recently received permission from federal officials to build a
summer
youth camp on Coralville Lake.
The plan was opposed by neighbors who complained about its impact on
their
rural life and the environment. The camp also caused anti-Muslim
feelings
around eastern Iowa and across the nation.
The Council on American Islamic Relations says officials should
carefully
investigate the fire because of the circumstances surrounding the camp.
ALSO SEE:
INVESTIGATION INTO FIRE AT MYCA HEAD'S HOME IS INACTIVE
Vanessa Miller, Iowa City Press-Citizen, 7/8/03
http://www.press-citizen.com/news/070803arson.htm
Investigation of a small fire set under the home of Bill Aossey,
founder of
the group planning to build a Muslim youth camp just outside of North
Liberty, has been declared inactive...
Brockhohn said the fire was set to a stack of paper on a small chair in
a
concrete storeroom under Aossey's house at about 8 p.m. Oct. 30.
Earlier
that day, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a proposal from
Aossey's group, Muslim Youth Camps of America, to build an overnight
camp
on 106 acres two miles northeast of North Liberty.
Brockhohn said he doubts the fire was connected to the camp's
approval...
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman of the Washington, D.C.-based Council on
American
Islamic Relations, asked investigators Monday to take a second look at
the
fire.
"Given the high-profile nature of the issue and the emotions it stirred
up,
it's at least reasonable to look at this a little closer," Hooper told
the
Associated Press. "Connections like these are not always apparent the
first
time around."
---
RELIGIOUS LEADERS UNITE AGAINST VANDALISM
Philip Ewing, Columbus Dispatch, 7/8/03
http://libpub.dispatch.com/cgi-bin/documentv1?DBLIST=cd03&DOCNUM=29538&TERMV=189:9:198:7:205:5:210:7:217:9:
Central Ohio religious leaders convened in a Bexley seminary yesterday
to
denounce anti-Semitic and anti-Roman Catholic graffiti.
About 80 people gathered at the Trinity Lutheran Seminary, where
Christian,
Jewish and Islamic representatives declared their solidarity and said
their
groups were uncowed by the messages sprayed on Jewish and Catholic
buildings last week.
"Columbus will not tolerate your intolerance,'' said Rabbi Howard Zack,
president of the Columbus Board of Rabbis, addressing the vandals.
"There
is only one effective response to these hatemongers -- an open display
of
the unity of our community.''
Last Tuesday, vandals spray-painted epithets on two synagogues, an
office
building containing Jewish organizations and a Catholic retirement
home. Columbus police believe the messages are related, but have no
suspects.
Many speakers said they thought the vandalism should be considered a
hate
crime.
"We will not allow this to happen. We must work hard to ease the
hatred,"
said Jad Humeidan, executive director of the Ohio Council on
American-Islamic Relations...
-----
MUSLIM DOCTOR'S CHALLENGES DENIED, INCLUDING THIRD BID FOR BAIL
William Kates, Associated Press, 7/7/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--charityarrests0707jul07,0,6238828.story
SYRACUSE, N.Y. --A judge has upheld the constitutionality of the
federal
government's Iraqi sanctions and for a third time refused bail for a
prominent Muslim doctor accused of illegally sending money to Iraq.
U.S. District Judge Norman Mordue also called the case against Dr.
Rafil
Dhafir "complex" and set aside the "speedy trial" provision requiring
the
government to bring the case to trial within 70 days of the indictment.
Dhafir, 55, an oncologist from Fayetteville, and three other men were
charged in February with conspiring to violate U.S. economic sanctions
against Iraq through a charity Dhafir started called Help the Needy. He
also faces nearly three dozen counts of tax and health care fraud.
Dhafir, a U.S. citizen born in Iraq, has been held without bail since
his
arrest. He has not been charged with any terrorism crimes, although
prosecutors continue to investigate him for possible links to terrorist
groups or causes...
-----
LIEBERMAN BLASTED FOR SUGGESTING DROWNING PALESTINIAN PRISONERS
Gideon Alon, Haaretz, 7/8/03
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=315541
A storm erupted in the Knesset plenum yesterday, following Transport
Minister Avigdor Lieberman's reported proposal to provide buses to take
the
Palestinian prisoners that Israel releases to a place "whence they will
not
return."
According to another report, Lieberman said the prisoners should be
drowned
in the Dead Sea and he would provide the buses to take them there.
MKs Jamal Zahalka (Balad) and Talab A-Sana and Abdelmalek Dahamsha
(United
Arab List) blasted Lieberman.
The Arab Knesst members were furious. MK Talab A-Sana said "that's the
ultimate fascist statement, shame on you."
Lieberman told MK Zahalka "Let me tell you openly. As far as I'm
concerned
you're much worse than Arafat and Abu Mazen. If it was up to me you'd
be
sitting in jail, at best..."
-----
GRANADA'S MUSLIMS FINALLY GET A MOSQUE
Isambard Wilkinson, Daily Telegraph, 7/8/03
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
GRANADA, Spain - After a wait of more than 500 years, Spanish Muslims
have
finally succeeded in building a mosque of their own in the shadow of
the
Alhambra, once the symbol of Islamic power in Europe.
The opening, by Muslim and Spanish officials on Thursday, will be rich
in
symbolism. As Al-Jazeera television broadcasts the event live, a
muezzin
will climb the minaret of Granada's Great Mosque and call the faithful
to
prayer for the first time in half a millennium.
It is, say its builders, the symbol of the revival of Islam in Europe
and
Spain's "glorious Islamic heritage'."
For that reason, though, many Spaniards are quietly unhappy. "Everybody
is
opposed to it, but they know it's politically impossible to voice their
objections," said one journalist...
-----
WOMAN DESIGNS T-SHIRTS FOR ALL
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 7/8/03
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/shirt8_20030708.htm
From "Kiss me, I'm Irish" to "Proud to be Italian," T-shirts touting
ethnic pride have been part of American kitsch since the 1970s.
And now, a Canton woman of Palestinian descent is bringing Arabs into
the
tradition with her line of T-shirts that feature Middle Eastern
countries
and labels like "Lebanese Princess" and "Palestinian King" printed
graffiti-style on the front.
At an Arab festival in Dearborn last month, she sold more than 2,000
shirts
at $12 a pop. She hopes to soon produce alternate designs for African
and
Mexican festivals in Detroit.
"I'm trying to have a line for everyone," said Suzy Farhat, 22, the
shirts'
designer. "I don't want to leave anyone out."
But for now, Farhat is selling shirts that appeal to Arab-American
pride --
something that some say is needed, given the political climate after
Sept.
11, 2001, and the Iraq war...
-----
GROWING BY FAITH
Yonat Shimron and Sarah Lindenfeld Hall, News Observer, 7/8/03
http://www.newsandobserver.com/front/story/2677357p-2482289c.html
RALEIGH -- On the surface, it was a fight over parking. Ever since
Raleigh's Islamic Center began growing, its neighbors in the Method
community near N.C. State University have complained about the logjams
on
Friday afternoon, when Muslims converge for the most important weekly
service, known as Jum'a prayer.
But underneath, it was a different sort of fight, one that pitted a
thriving immigrant community against an older neighborhood fiercely
protective of its history and tradition.
It was no surprise, then, that when the City Council recently approved
a
plan allowing the Islamic Center of Raleigh to more than double its
space
at the corner of Ligon and Atwater streets, neighbors objected. The
expansion, which will add classrooms to the Al-Iman school and worship
space for the mosque, was described by some neighbors as an attempt to
wipe
out a community founded 133 years ago by freed slaves.
To the Method neighbors, mostly African-Americans of modest means, the
Muslims' arrival seemed like an invasion. Some expressed concern that
the
community's heritage would be lost.
For Muslims, the neighborhood opposition was a lesson in American
civics.
For the first time since the center opened 18 years ago, Muslims
learned
how to fight city hall -- and win. They also discovered that American
democracy is a messy thing, that fights are inevitable and that it's
impossible to please everyone...
-----
MUSLIM-BASHER FIRED FROM MSNBC
NOTE: The Coalition Against Hate Radio, a group of more than 20
faith-based
and community organizations, has reported that Michael Savage's
statements
against Muslims include declaring that the 1.2 billion world Muslim
population could handle the extermination of 200 million. Over the
years,
CAIR has received a number of complaints about Savage's Islamophobic
statements.
---
SAVAGE LIVES UP TO HIS NAME -- AND THAT'S ALL FOR HIM AT MSNBC
Washington Post, 7/8/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23997-2003Jul7.html
MSNBC was shocked -- shocked, I tell you -- to learn that its
well-known
homophobe host Michael Savage is actually -- gasp! -- homophobic, and
the
network has sacked him, effective immediately.
The firing came two days after Savage's most recent MSNBC telecast,
during
which he suggested to a gay caller that he should "get AIDS and die"
or,
alternatively, "go eat a sausage and choke on it -- get trichinosis."
This afternoon, MSNBC Vice President Jeremy Gaines was telling
reporters
that "in reaction to a hostile caller, Savage made an extremely
inappropriate comment and the decision to cancel the program was not
difficult."
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation was dancing the Happy
Dance, taking credit for having brought Savage's comments to the
attention
of MSNBC suits, who, the group concludes, must not have been among the
350,000 or so who actually watched "The Savage Nation." GLAAD had been
aggressively campaigning to get Savage booted off MSNBC since the
network
announced his hire in February.
MSNBC, however, insists it was fully aware of the comments Savage made
on
Saturday, and that's why the news division acted so promptly today.
Apparently, Sunday is not a workday at NBC News...
-----
CHECHEN TERRORIST ATTACKS GRAB THE HEADLINES,
BUT RUSSIA'S BRUTALITY ALSO FUELS THIS NASTY WAR
Rajan Menon, Los Angeles Times, 7/8/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-menon8jul08,1,4348779.story
This weekend's carnage in Moscow -- where two Chechen women laden with
explosives blew themselves up at a music festival, killing 16 and
wounding
50 -- is further evidence that the Chechen resistance (itself a
fragmented
and fractious gaggle with varying political orientations) contains an
extremist wing that hews to a militant version of Islam and which has
embraced suicide bombings to further its cause.
Last October, extremists took hostages in a Moscow theater, an episode
that
ended with the deaths of 129 captives and 41 Chechen commandos, most of
them killed by a gas that Russian security forces piped into the
building
to incapacitate the guerrillas. There have also been four other suicide
bombings in Chechnya and the neighboring republic of North Ossetia and
a
spate of assassinations of local officials in Chechnya.
Chechens in one form or another have been fighting the Russian state
ever
since they were defeated and annexed to the empire in the 19th century.
The
current struggle between Chechen separatists and Russia dates to the
last
days of the Soviet Union.
Much of what the outside world knows about Chechnya today comes from
the
Russian authorities. They have shaped the story line successfully by
portraying the struggle as a war against terrorists and Islamic
fanatics,
and by linking the militants with Al Qaeda. This has played
particularly
well in Washington since 9/11: Criticism of Russia's brutal war has all
but
ended, and President Vladimir Putin has been feted as an ally in the
Bush
administration's war on terrorism...
ALSO SEE:
TURNING A BLIND EYE
Gwynne Dyer, Toronto Star, 7/8/03
http://www.torontostar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1057615811510
"All terror acts committed on Chechen territory are financed by
international terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda," claimed
Col.
Ilya Shabalkin, head of the Russian FSB security service's operations
in
Chechnya, in May.
Yes, indeed, said Russian President Vladimir Putin, and everything
Russia
does in Chechnya is "a contribution to the global war on terror."
Does that mean that the suicide bombers who killed 17 young Russians at
a
rock concert outside Moscow on Saturday were agents of Osama bin Laden?
No,
of course not. But that is what the Russian authorities want us to
believe,
and elsewhere there is remarkable willingness to go along with it.
India accepts Russia's definition of the problem because it also faces
a
terrorist campaign by Muslim separatists in the state of Kashmir.
Nine months ago the United States and Britain still condemned the
murder of
civilians by Russian troops in Chechnya (at least 60 people "disappear"
each month) and called for Moscow to negotiate a "political solution"
with
the separatists. But then they invaded Iraq...
---
THE CHECHEN THREAT
New York Times, 7/8/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/08/opinion/08TUE3.html
Murder by suicide bombing has become the abhorrent tool of radicals,
secessionists and rebels around the world. Among the Chechens it is the
women who have become the agents of death - the attack by two suicide
bombers who struck at a Moscow rock concert last weekend was the sixth
time
Chechen women have struck this way. There is no justification for what
they
did.
Yet the matter cannot be left there. Terrorism everywhere is nourished
in
injustice and wielded in hatred. Though terror networks must be
destroyed,
each set of circumstances must be addressed separately. Invocations of
an
indiscriminate "global terrorism" serve only to provide justification
for
governments to avoid confronting the causes of murderous hatreds.
The Russian Army's behavior in Chechnya often amounts to no more than
banditry and murder. Untold numbers of Chechen men have disappeared;
many
have been later found tortured to death. Russian officers and soldiers
who
have committed atrocities have avoided prosecution. On the other side,
the
Chechen militia bands have done much to forfeit whatever support they
may
have once had among Russian liberals or in the outside world...
-----
ANN ARBOR CITY COUNCIL PASSES RESOLUTION ON PATRIOT ACT
Associated Press, 7/8/03
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/newsflash/get_story.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?g6208_BC_MI--PatriotAct&&news&newsflash-michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The city council has passed a resolution designed to
safeguard civil liberties some say are threatened by the USA Patriot
Act.
The city council on Monday passed the resolution before an overflow
crowd
of 150 people. Other municipalities around the country have passed
similar
resolutions.
The measure could limit Ann Arbor police enforcement of immigration
laws,
but was revised to give the police chief more discretion, The Ann Arbor
News reported.
The resolution requires the city administrator to request from federal
officials information about some search warrants executed within the
city
and monitor how library records and bookstore records are checked.
It also requires the city administrator to get information on the
extent to
which federal authorities are monitoring political meetings and
religious
gatherings....
-----
US 'PATRIOT ACT' ANTI-TERROR LAW RAISES CIVIL LIBERTIES FEARS
Carolyn Weaver, Voice of America, 7/7/03
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=A91D6DB3-6A70-4C7D-BE262F303FAC23FA
Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and
Washington, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly passed a law called the
USA
Patriot Act, which gives federal investigators more powers to root out
terrorists. But the act has been controversial from the beginning, and
has
sparked activism among those who feel it infringes on civil rights.
Carrboro, North Carolina, is a traditional old mill town, where the
town
barber still cuts hair for the old-fashioned price of $5. It's hardly a
hotbed of anti-government activism, yet some residents fear the federal
Patriot Act threatens their constitutional rights...
Carrboro's residents were most worried about the government's new right
under the Patriot Act to conduct secret searches of homes and
workplaces.
So, with a vote of the town council, Carrboro became one of about 100
cities and towns around the country that have passed "Bill of Rights
defense" resolutions.
-----
SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
N.C. MUSLIMS RESPOND TO PROTESTS WITH INTERFAITH EVENT
Extremist group plans protests outside Charlotte-area mosques
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/9/03) - On Friday, July 11, Muslims, Christians
and
public officials in Charlotte, N.C., will gather for an interfaith
dinner
designed to promote tolerance among people of all faiths and to counter
planned protests at local mosques by an extremist group.
WHEN: Friday, July 11, 7 p.m. (A news conference is scheduled for
earlier
in the day. Call the ICC number listed below for more information.)
WHERE: Islamic Society of Greater Charlotte, 7025 The Plaza Rd.,
Charlotte,
NC (Within a block of the intersection with Harris Boulevard.)
CONTACT: Islamic Center of Charlotte (ICC) Spokesperson Mujahid Idlibi,
980-721-6625.
The dinner was prompted by police reports that the anti-abortion group
Operation Save America (formerly Operation Rescue) plans demonstrations
at
area mosques during the week of July 12-20. SEE:
http://www.operationsaveamerica.org/streets/nc/charlotte/NE2003/schedule.htm
An e-mail to Muslim community leaders from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Police
Department stated: "…much of [Operation Save America's] rhetoric is
extremely inflammatory, and there is always the potential for
individual
members to carry their actions to an extreme."
"The goal of this interfaith event is to acknowledge and welcome the
diversity present in Charlotte, and to forge positive relationships
with
members of the local community," said Zahid Tajik, president of the
Islamic
Society of Greater Charlotte (ISGC). The dinner is hosted by the ISGC
and
co-sponsored by the Masjid Ash-Shaheed, the Islamic Center of Charlotte
and
Muslim Women of the Carolinas.
"The Charlotte Muslim community shows great wisdom and forbearance in
its
positive response to such provocative intentions," said Nihad Awad,
executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
"We
can only hope that mosque protest organizers, who do not represent true
Christian values or the good people of North Carolina, respond with
equal
wisdom and peaceful actions."
CAIR is American's largest Islamic civil liberties group. It is
headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices
nationwide
and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/9/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: RESPECT EACH OTHERS RIGHTS
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6253 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR'S 'Washington Live' Satellite Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* CAIR-SEATTLE MONTHLY COMMUNITY MEETING
* INCITEMENT WATCH: E-MAIL FROM A DANIEL PIPES SUPPORTER
- Background on Daniel Pipes Nomination to USIP
* MUSLIMS TARGETED BY ANTI-TERROR BUSINESS POLICIES (Wash. Post)
- Teenager Accused of Retaliation (Phil. Inquirer)
* MAN HELD AS 'COMBATANT' PETITIONS FOR RELEASE (NY Times)
- Guantanamo Move Puts US on Trial (IPS)
- USDOJ Muslim, Arab, Sikh Seminar
* WAS ISRAEL SOURCE OF IRAQ NUKE FORGERY? (Anti-War)
- A Costly Friendship (The Nation)
* AMC TACKLES 'HOLLYWOOD AND MUSLIM WORLD' (Wichita Eagle)
- Cartoons Presents Muslim Perspective (Berkeley Daily)
- Documentary on Music and Islam to be Aired on PBS
* SCOUTING FOR A PATH BETWEEN FAITHS (Kansas City Star)
* PATRIOT ACT STIRS CONCERN AT LIBRARIES (Daily Star)
* SKEPTICAL IRAQIS WATCH NEW POLICE IN GUNFIGHT (Reuters)
* 9TH CIRCUIT WEIGHS SOMALI DEPORTATION CASE (AP)
* WITNESSES IN GUJARAT RIOT SAY THEY LIED OUT OF FEAR (AFP)
- NCPA Welcomes Kashmir Conference on Capitol Hill
* EDITOR SEEKS HELP TO LAUNCH COMMUNITY MAGAZINE
* MUSLIM FAMILY DAY AT SIX FLAGS - MARYLAND
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: RESPECT EACH OTHERS RIGHTS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "I am only a human
being,
and you people have disputes. Maybe some one amongst you can present
his
case in a more eloquent and convincing manner than the other, and I
give my
judgment in his favor according to what I hear. Beware! If ever I give
(by
error) somebody something of his brother's right, then he should not
take
it as I have only given him a piece of Fire."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Hadith 97
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6253 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6253 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a sponsored library:
"(These materials) will be of great use. They are high quality. Thank
you." - Pensacola, FL
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
CAIR-SEATTLE MONTHLY COMMUNITY MEETING
TOPIC: "The Role of Muslims in Building Community Bridges"
WHEN: Saturday, July 19, 2003, from 3 to 5 p.m.
WHERE: University of Washington, Kane Hall Room 210
A suggested donation of $5.00 is requested to cover meeting costs.
Refreshments will be served. Cosponsored by the UW MSA Chapter.
For information please contact: CAIR-Seattle at 206-465-0977 or email
info@cair-seattle.org.
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: E-MAIL FROM A DANIEL PIPES SUPPORTER
The following email was sent to CAIR, with the subject line: I Support
Daniel Pipes.
"Daniel Pipes has the clearest vision of any national voice. That's why
you
are so afraid of him. He tells it like it is! Kiss my allah, you devil
worshipping pigs."
FOR BACKGROUND, SEE:
SCHOLAR CRITICIZES BUSH'S CHARACTERIZATION OF ISLAM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18277-2003Apr22.html
WASHINGTON POST SLAMS DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53900-2003Apr18.html
DALLAS PAPER SAYS DANIEL PIPES IS 'BAD CHOICE' FOR USIP
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/stories/041903dnediscorecard.ff05.html
MUSLIMS PROTEST BUSH NOMINEE
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42881-2003Apr6.html
FOREIGN POLICY SCHOLARS CRITICIZE PIPES NOMINATION
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.04.11/news5.html
-----
MUSLIMS IN U.S. FEEL TARGETED BY ANTI-TERROR BUSINESS POLICIES
Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 7/9/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29610-2003Jul8.html
Dokhi Fassihian is passionate about Iran, and her resume reflects it.
The
policy analyst has written articles on Iran, helped with a book about
the
country and even worked there. So she was stunned when the Monster
online
service informed her recently that it would remove the word "Iran" from
her
resume to comply with U.S. sanctions against that country.
"How can you be an Iran specialist and not have the word 'Iran' on your
resume?" demanded Fassihian, 27, of Arlington, who immigrated to
Virginia
at age 3 and holds a master's degree in international studies from
Johns
Hopkins University. "I'm an American. I've lived in this country all my
life . . .This is the first time I'm feeling discriminated against."
The e-mail notices sent to Fassihian and thousands of other Monster
customers provoked an uproar. The popular Internet career site quickly
clarified that it intended to target resumes only from people living or
job
hunting in the seven countries designated by U.S. authorities as
sponsors
of terrorism, including Iran.
But Iranian Americans, including members of the largely middle-class
community in the Washington area, are fighting to have the company drop
the
practice altogether...
The controversy reflects a new concern rippling through Muslim and Arab
American communities, already on edge because of hate crimes and a law
enforcement crackdown since the 2001 terror attacks. Now some Muslims
say
they fear that businesses are singling them out unfairly in an effort
to
comply with U.S. anti-terrorism measures.
In recent weeks, national Islamic groups have expressed alarm about
reports
of Muslims in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and other states
facing
demands by banks and credit card companies for extra information -- or
finding their accounts closed without explanation. The customers had
been
asked to provide tax and banking records, residency documentation and
proof
of identity, the organizations said. And some immigrants in Washington
and
other areas say they have been distressed by extra questioning they
have
faced at money-transferring institutions.
National Muslim groups are trying to put together a registry of
incidents
to gauge the extent of the situation....
"We see evidence that the wolf has been in the neighborhood, but we
want to
confirm it," said Khurrum Wahid, legal adviser to one such group, the
Council on American-Islamic Relations. "We want to see if this is truly
a
systemic problem or just one or two banks that might have gone about it
the
wrong way..."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations recently took up the case of
a
New Yorker named Muhammad Ali, who had tried to send $80 to his brother
in
Connecticut from a Western Union office in Brooklyn. The company's main
office subsequently called Ali, an African American, and told him his
order
would be blocked until he provided more identification...
SEE ALSO:
TEENAGER ACCUSED OF RETALIATION
Dwayne Campbell, Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/9/03
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/6260826.htm
Just days before a Bucks County judge is expected to hear the case of
three
juveniles accused of committing a hate crime against an Arab American
boy,
the boy's older brother has been accused of assaulting one of them.
The Bucks County District Attorney's Office and Bensalem police said a
petition was recently filed accusing the 17-year-old brother of
retaliating
against one of the boys on May 12, hours after the three allegedly beat
8-year-old Ahmed Hadi.
In juvenile cases, petitions are filed before formal charges are made,
explaining those charges and setting a date for an interview with the
court.
Police said the petition, filed with Bucks County Juvenile Court,
accuses
the teen of simple assault. Police would not release the sibling's name
or
give details of the alleged assault...
The initial crime caught the attention of national media and a few
civil
rights groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
based
in Washington. Ibrahim Hooper, the group's spokesman, said the incident
is
one of many attacks on Arab Americans since Sept. 11, 2001, and just
before
the war in Iraq this year.
Hooper said that he had not heard about the alleged retaliation but
that
his group encourages victims to seek justice through the courts...
-----
MAN HELD AS 'COMBATANT' PETITIONS FOR RELEASE
Eric Lichtblau, New York Times, 7/9/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/09/politics/09COMB.html
WASHINGTON,- Lawyers for a Qatari student who was jailed by the
military
last month asked a federal court today to free him and challenged
President
Bush's authority to treat terrorism suspects as "enemy combatants."
Lawyers for the student, Ali Saleh Kahlah Al-Marri, argued in an appeal
filed in federal court in Illinois that Mr. Bush's June 23 order
declaring
Mr. Marri to be an operative for Al Qaeda and an enemy combatant
represented an act of "unbridled authority" that was illegal and
unconstitutional.
Specialists in military law said that the legal challenge, coming just
days
after the Bush administration announced it was considering the use of
military tribunals against six terrorism suspects, could present an
important test of the executive branch's power to imprison suspects
outside
the reach of the civilian court system...
---
GUANTANAMO MOVE PUTS US ON TRIAL
Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service, 7/9/03
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EG09Ag01.html
WASHINGTON - The United States' announcement on Friday that six of its
foreign captives in its "war on terrorism" are eligible to be tried
before
military tribunals - where they could potentially be given the death
penalty - appears likely to annoy some of its strongest allies,
especially
the United Kingdom.
The announcement came just as the administration of President George W
Bush
has begun mending fences damaged by the US war in Iraq in hopes that
other
countries will contribute peacekeepers to Washington's troubled
occupation.
Reports that two of the six to be tried are British citizens captured
in
Afghanistan prompted expressions of concern over the weekend from
London,
where Prime Minister Tony Blair has been battered by weeks of
controversy
over whether he misled the British public about the imminence of any
threat
posed by Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.
The London Observer reported on Sunday that Britain's foreign
secretary,
Jack Straw, will ask his US counterpart, Secretary of State Colin
Powell,
to repatriate the two men, rather than to permit them to be tried by a
US
military court whose procedures, according to US and international
human-rights groups, do not meet minimum due-process standards and
which is
empowered to impose the death penalty...
---
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2003 CONTACT: Daryl Borgquist
202/305-2966, www.usdoj.gov/crs
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS SERVICE (CRS) TO SPONSOR
ARAB, MUSLIM, AND SIKH AWARENESS AND PROTOCOL SEMINAR IN DENVER,
COLORADO
http://www.usdoj.gov/crs/pramstotdenvercolorado07092003.htm
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations
Service (CRS) will sponsor an Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Awareness and
Protocol
Seminar for law enforcement, local officials, and community leaders at
the
Tivoli Student Union, Metropolitan State College of Denver, 900 Auraria
Parkway, Baerresen Room 320, Auraria Campus, in Denver, Colorado, on
Wednesday July 9, 2003, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The morning session
and
opening remarks are open to the media. The "train-the-trainer" seminar
in
the afternoon is open to registered participants only…
This is one of a series of educational "train the trainer" seminars for
community leaders, law enforcement, Federal, State, and local
officials.
"Train the trainer" seminars are sponsored by the Community Relations
Service as a continuation of its efforts to address issues affecting
Arab,
Muslim, and Sikh populations in the aftermath of the September 11
terrorist
attacks. Community dialogues, forums, and cultural awareness and
protocol
seminars sponsored by CRS to assist and educate citizens, officials,
and
law enforcement about the Arab, Muslim, and Sikh cultures have been
effective in defusing racial tensions towards members of those
communities.
Community representatives from throughout the Southeast Region will be
attending the seminar. The cultural awareness presentations will be
made by
members of the Arab, Muslim, and Sikh communities.
This is the fifth national seminar of this series. Seminars were held
on
May 29, 2003 in Reading, Pennsylvania, June 6, 2003 in San Francisco,
and
June 12 in Sayreville, New Jersey, and June 26 in Miami, Florida.
CRS is a unique federal agency dedicated to preventing and defusing
racial
and ethnic conflicts. For more information about the Community
Relations
Service, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice, see its web
site
at: www.usdoj.gov/crs.
-----
WAS ISRAEL SOURCE OF IRAQ NUKE FORGERY?
MOSAIC OF LIES
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar, 7/9/03
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/justincol.html
Anyone with elementary computer skills and a few minutes to spare could
have debunked the Niger uranium story: yet the White House was
bamboozled.
Bush-haters of a partisan hue are inclined to believe the forgery was
concocted by the President's men, but the Washington Post report on the
official investigation took a different and far more interesting tack:
"The FBI is looking into the forgery of a key piece of evidence linking
Iraq to a nuclear weapons program, including the possibility that a
foreign
government is using a deception campaign to foster support for military
action against Iraq."
The author of the Post piece was silent on the question of which
foreign
government. However, CNN was quick to cite government officials who
said:
"They got the documents from the intelligence service of another
country,
which was not Britain and was not Israel, which they will not name."
That was another lie.
The source of much disinformation seems to have been a unit of the
Defense
Department set up by Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and lorded over by his
deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, the "Office of Special Plans." But Robert
Dreyfuss,
writing in The Nation, cites a former U.S. ambassador with strong ties
to
the CIA who says there is another layer to the onion
"According to the former official, also feeding information to the
Office
of Special Plans was a secret, rump unit established last year in the
office of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel. This unit, which
paralleled Shulsky's - and which has not previously been reported -
prepared intelligence reports on Iraq in English (not Hebrew) and
forwarded
them to the Office of Special Plans. It was created in Sharon's office,
not
inside Israel's Mossad intelligence service, because the Mossad - which
prides itself on extreme professionalism - had views closer to the
CIA's,
not the Pentagon's, on Iraq. This secretive unit, and not the Mossad,
may
well have been the source of the forged documents purporting to show
that
Iraq tried to purchase yellowcake uranium for weapons from Niger in
West
Africa, according to the former official."
What could be plainer?
This war has, from the beginning, been a war for Israel's sake. In
spite of
the President's rather comic bookish scenario of unmanned drones
catching
NORAD unawares, Saddam's WMD, if they ever existed, never represented a
credible threat to the U.S. Our massive and ongoing projection of
military
power in the region is clearly meant to secure some breathing space for
our
beleaguered ally…
ALSO SEE:
A COSTLY FRIENDSHIP
Kennedy's Middle East and the Making of the US-Israel Alliance
Patrick Seale, Nation, 7/2/03
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030721&s=seale
Much of the talk in Europe these days--in newspaper offices, at dinner
parties, in foreign ministries--is about how the United States and
Britain
were conned into going to war against Iraq, or perhaps how they conned
the
rest of us into believing that they had good reasons for doing so. It
is
now widely suspected that the war was a fraud, but who perpetuated the
fraud and on whom? Were Bush and Blair fed fabricated intelligence, or
did
they knowingly massage and doctor the intelligence to exaggerate the
threat
from Iraq so as to justify an attack? Everyone agrees that Saddam
Hussein
was a monster, but the military invasion to depose him is seen by many,
and
certainly on this side of the Atlantic, as illegitimate and unprovoked,
and
a blatant violation of the UN Charter, setting an unfortunate precedent
in
international relations. Henceforth, in the jungle, only might is
right.
Various intelligence and foreign affairs committees of the British
Parliament and the US Congress have started inquiries into how the
decision
to go to war was taken--when, why and on what basis. But it will
require a
superhuman effort to penetrate the murky thicket of competing
government
bureaucracies, spooks, exiles, defectors and other self-serving
sources,
pro-Israeli lobbyists, magazine editors, think-tank gurus and assorted
ideologues who, in Washington at least, have a massive say in the
shaping
of foreign policy.
How did it all begin? An important part of the story, though not the
whole
of it, is the special relationship between the United States and
Israel...
-----
AMC TACKLES TOUCHY TOPIC OF 'HOLLYWOOD AND MUSLIM WORLD':
Wichita Eagle, 7/9/03
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/entertainment/6259718.htm
In 1990 there was only one Arab cable television channel. Now there are
more than 100, and the Muslim world doesn't quite know how to react.
That's the point of AMC's bold and engrossing new documentary,
"Hollywood
and the Muslim World," that airs at 9 p.m. Monday on Cable 55.
The program, by filmmaker Charles C. Stuart, points out that "Friends"
is
seen routinely in Lebanon, "Will & Grace" is watched in Qatar and even
"Sex
and the City" -- a no-no on so many fronts about independent women and
casual sex -- is readily available in Egypt.
The communications revolution has hit the Middle East with the impact
of a
megaton cultural bomb, and Arab and Muslim identity is being
threatened.
And yet, says Stuart, whose films have been on PBS, ABC, CBS, HBO and
Discovery, the people can't stop watching.
The result is a love-hate relationship with TV that's as volatile as
politics. Arabs love modern television technology but want to see Arab
culture on their screens, not Hollywood...
ALSO SEE:
NEW POLITICAL CARTOON COLLECTION PRESENTS MUSLIM PERSPECTIVE
Susan Parker, Berkeley Daily Planet, 7/8/03
http://www.berkeleydaily.org/text/article.cfm?issue=07-08-03&storyID=16964
Berkeley resident Khalil Bendib, a cartoonist, sculptor and news
commentator (KPFA "Voices of the Middle East") has just published a
collection of cartoons called "It Became Necessary to Destroy the
Planet In
Order to Save It." Described as the "first ever book of political
cartoons
written from a Muslim-American perspective," Bendib works hard to
demystify
widely held beliefs about Arabs and Muslims, including the notion that
"Muslims don't have a sense of humor."
A naturalized citizen born and raised in North Africa, at the age of 15
his
first cartoons appeared in Algeria's national weekly, Les Actualities.
His
initial (but not final) brush with censorship occurred at the Daily
Trojan,
the student newspaper at USC where he earned a master's degree in
Japanese
language and culture. He then went on to a full-time job as a political
cartoonist with the San Bernardino Sun. While there he received
national
attention for his work.
Since leaving the Gannett newspaper chain, his cartoons have been
featured
in hundreds of small and mid-sized Muslim, Arab, African-American,
Jewish
and progressive on-line and print publications, including the Daily
Planet.
"It Became Necessary to Destroy the Planet In Order to Save It"
contains
cartoons previously published and many that have not yet been in print.
The book is divided into 10 chapters that comment on elections, Sept.
11,
the Middle East, social justice, militarism, government, economy,
environment, sin and the almighty media. The chapters that worked best
were
sin and economy. The election cartoons were dated, the environment
section
overwhelming and the chapter on the Middle East was both
thought-provoking
and disturbing...
---
DOCUMENTARY ON MUSIC AND ISLAM TO BE AIRED ON PBS
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/about/film_s2_f2.html
The Rock Star and the Mullahs, produced and directed by Angus Macqueen
and
Ruhi Hamid will be airing on Thursday, July 17, 9pm (check the TV
schedule
for local listings).
The documentary will feature, Salman Ahmad, the charismatic lead
guitarist
for the popular Pakistani rock group Junoon. Inspired by the ancient
Sufi
tradition, the band's music and lyrics reflect the moderate, liberal
side
of Islam. WIDE ANGLE follows Salman as he journeys from the tolerant
streets of Lahore to Peshawar, where politically powerful and
conservative
mullahs want to ban music. This film presents a rich and intimate
portrait
of modern day Pakistan, a pivotal nation in the war against terror.
-----
SCOUTING FOR A PATH BETWEEN FAITHS
Vern Barnet, Kansas City Star, 7/9/03
www.kansascity.com
Last month I attended an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for three
remarkable
boys - one wants to say "young men." The ceremony at St. Peter's
Episcopal
Church began with a Christian prayer by the rector.
As each of the candidates spoke, it was clear how much their families,
their friends, the scouting program and their faiths meant to them.
The featured speaker was Terry Dunn, president and CEO of J.E. Dunn
Construction, himself a nationally prominent Scout leader. Dunn
believes
that more important than building buildings is "building people."
One of the Scouts was Muslim. The event ended with a recitation from
the
Qur'an.
What seemed remarkable was that no one seemed to think this was
remarkable.
The Boy Scouts have long welcomed boys of most spiritual paths as part
of
their scouting experience.
Recently at Village Presbyterian Church, Jewish leader Alan Edelman and
Muslim leader Ahmed El-Sherif hugged as they greeted each other before
speaking about the Abrahamic faiths and embraced again as they
departed.
Whether this was remarkable or not, such a sign of amity between those
of
faiths that are too often portrayed as in conflict is always welcome...
-----
SKEPTICAL IRAQIS WATCH NEW POLICE IN GUNFIGHT
Michael Georgy, Reuters, 7/9/03
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3059684
BAGHDAD - U.S.-backed Iraqi police traded fire with gunmen on Wednesday
in
a confusing battle that proved only one thing -- Iraqis don't trust
Baghdad's new police force.
Police and U.S. forces clashed with gunmen holed up in a house for 45
minutes, drawing a huge crowd of Iraqis who got a first-hand view of
law
enforcement in the new Iraq.
There were no reports of casualties but the firefight in busy central
Baghdad was a dramatic example of how Iraqi police and U.S. forces are
struggling to restore law and order in a country where Iraqis see both
criminals and police as bad guys.
Iraq has been hit by looting and lawlessness since U.S. and British
forces
launched their war in March and ended the rule of Saddam Hussein on
April 9.
Iraqis are suspicious of the new Iraqi policemen because they worked
under
Saddam's toppled Baath Party, which ruled with an iron fist for
decades...
-----
PATRIOT ACT STIRS CONCERN AT LIBRARIES
Sylvia Schon, Daily Star, 7/8/03
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1423&dept_id=169554&newsid=9451610&PAG=461&rfi=9
Area librarians are hoping they never have to come face-to-face with
one
aspect of the Patriot Act - the part that allows the government to
secretly
gather information on what people read.
"It is a very difficult dilemma. It always has been. It's privacy
versus
the country's welfare," said Eric Johnson, interim library director at
Southeastern Louisiana University.
According to television news reports, at least one of the Sept. 11
hijackers used a library computer for communication and planning the
murderous act.
Even so librarians across the nation are concerned about the privacy
guaranteed American citizens in the Fourth Amendment, "The right of the
people to be secure in their persons, papers and effects, against
unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated."
One televised report showed a librarian in Maine shredding patrons'
check
out records.
-----
9TH CIRCUIT WEIGHS SOMALI DEPORTATION CASE
Gene Johnson, Associated Press, 7/9/03
SEATTLE - Sometime soon, Somalia may have a functioning government -
one
able to handle immigration cases.
But for now, the U.S. government has no right to deport Somalis to
their
war-torn East African homeland, a lawyer argued before a three-judge
panel
of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday.
"We're just saying you can't remove aliens to Somalia under the current
state of affairs," attorney Nick Gellert told the judges, alluding to a
Somali peace conference over the weekend at which delegates agreed to
create a federal government.
A Justice Department lawyer disagreed, saying there's nothing in
federal
law that prohibits the government from deporting an illegal alien to
his or
her homeland - even if that country is in chaos, wracked by civil war,
and
lacks a functioning government to accept the deportee...
The issue stems from the government's attempts to deport five
Seattle-area
Somali men last fall. They sued the Immigration and Naturalization
Service
- which has since been blended into the new Department of Homeland
Security
- seeking to block their removal...
-----
MORE WITNESSES IN INDIA'S GUJARAT RIOT CASE SAY THEY LIED OUT OF FEAR
Praveena Sharma, Agence France Presse, 7/9/03
Following an Indian Muslim woman's admission that she lied in a trial
that
led to the acquittal of 21 Hindus for allegedly killing 12 Muslims,
other
witnesses have said they too retracted their statements out of fear.
Zaheera Sheikh, 19, was a key witness in the case of 21 Hindus,
including
many of her neighbours, accused of setting fire to the Best Bakery
owned by
her father and killing him and 11 others during communal riots in
Gujarat
last year.
But when the case came to trial in May, she retracted her statement and
refused to recognise any of the accused.
After her, 33 of the 60 witnesses turned hostile by retracting their
statements. Some even went so far as to claim that the accused had
saved
their lives.
Last month the court acquitted all 21 defendants for a "lack of
evidence".
But on Monday Sheikh told reporters she had lied in court following
threats
from local right-wing Hindu nationalist BJP party leaders, and she
demanded
the case be reopened.
Now a number of other witnesses have also spoken out...
SEE ALSO:
NCPA WELCOMES LAWMAKERS-SPONSORED KASHMIR CONFERENCE ON CAPITOL HILL
WHAT: The National Council of Pakistani Americans (www.ncpa.info)
welcomes
a Capitol Hill conference to discuss the issue of Kashmir. The
non-partisan
conference is sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin and Congressman Joseph
Pitts.
The conference is titled, "Beyond the Blame Game: Grounds for Peace and
Justice in Kashmir" and will be addressed by prominent politicians,
writers, activists, and intellectuals from both Pakistan and India. The
conference is being organized by the Association of Humanitarian
Lawyers,
and the Kashmiri American Council (KAC).
WHEN: July 24-25.
WHERE: Capitol Hill in Washington, DC..
NOTE: If you have any questions email kashmirpeaceconference@yahoo.com
or
call Nadia @ 202-361-8552 or fax at 703-295-8683.
----
EDITOR SEEKS HELP TO LAUNCH COMMUNITY MAGAZINE
CommUnity Magazine (http://www.communitymagazine.net), an online media
outlet, is looking for the following: writers and researchers,
especially
those with journalism experience or taking journalism courses; people
to
assist with publicizing the magazine in New York, New Jersey and
surrounding area; people who can sell ads for the magazine - this will
be
the only paid position, and it will be commission based. Anyone
interested
should send an email to info@communitymagazine.net.
The goal is offer the community a publication that speaks from a Muslim
perspective, and whose goal is to cover news that is pertinent to
Muslims
in the New Jersey, New York and surrounding area.
-----
MUSLIM FAMILY DAY AT SIX FLAGS
WHAT: The ticket for Six Flags is half priced, $20 per person and the
Prayer facility will be available to our community by special
arrangement.
WHEN: Saturday July 12, 2003 at 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM
WHERE: Six Flags America, Largo, MD
INFO: For further formation, please contact: MCC (301-384-3454), Mr.
Azad
Ejaz, President (301-570-8925), Dr. Khalid Masood, Public Relations
(301-680-0202).
NOTE: Six Flags sent a memo to CAIR confirming that it remains
committed to
religious nondiscrimination. Muslim women will be able to enjoy the
amusement rides while wearing their headscarves, provided the
headscarves
are secured in a manner so they cannot be entangled during the idea.
-----
SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/10/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: CONTROL YOUR ANGER
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6257 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR'S 'Washington Live' Satellite Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* CAIR-CINCINNATI HOSTS TOWN HALL MEETING WITH FBI
* MUSLIMS WANT APOLOGY FOR ANTI-ISLAM REMARKS (Newsday)
- Robertson Defends Liberia's President (Wash. Post)
* ABORTION FOES SPARK ANXIETY (Charlotte Observer)
- Mosque Protests Prompt Interfaith News Conference
* TEEN GETS PROBATION IN MOSQUE HATE CRIME (Daily Herald)
- Welcome the Muslim Camp (Des Moines Register)
* FREED GUANTANAMO PRISONER DEMANDS $10.4M (AP)
- Jailing of Hamdi Upheld (Wash. Post)
- London Man's Ordeal at Hands of NYPD (Local London)
* AMERICAN JEWS ARE KEY ADVOCATES OF U.S.-INDIA TIES (AP)
- Justice Elusive in India Violence (Wash. Post)
- Sharon Mum As Minister Slams 'Map' (Forward)
* IRAQ CIVILIAN BODY COUNT PASSES 6,000 (Reuters)
- Rumsfeld Doubles Estimate for Cost of Troops (NY Times)
- Rumsfeld: No New Weapons Evidence Before War (Reuters)
- Calif. Group Places Controversial Ad in DC Trains
* DOZENS RALLY AGAINST LEGISLATION TO EXPAND PATRIOT ACT (AP)
* MUSLIM NEWS AND VIEWS COMING TO A CHANNEL NEAR YOU (CSM)
* AL-ARIAN DISMISSES COURT-APPOINTED ATTORNEYS
* US VISA: A POLICY OF DENIAL (Dawn)
* AL-JAZEERA, A CHANNEL TO ANOTHER WORLD (Wash. Post)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: CONTROL YOUR ANGER
While the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sitting with some of
his
companions, a man insulted one of them. The person who was insulted
remained silent. He was again insulted, but controlled himself. He was
insulted a third time, and then he retaliated. At that point, the
Prophet
got up (to leave). The man who was insulted said: "Are you angry with
me?"
The Prophet replied: "(While you were not reacting to the insults) an
angel
came down from Heaven and was rejecting what had said (against) you.
(But)
when you retaliated, a devil came down. I was not going to sit when the
devil came down."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2295
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6257 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6257 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a library sponsored:
"Thank you so much for providing these materials. With such a slim
budget,
we would be unable to purchase these items. We hope that their use
will
eliminate some of the misconceptions we have about Islam." - Lexington,
GA
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
CAIR-CINCINNATI HOSTS TOWN HALL MEETING WITH FBI
WHAT: The Cincinnati chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR-Cincinnati) will host a town hall meeting on Sunday with
representatives of the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. The
event
is designed to foster greater understanding between the local Muslim
community and law enforcement officials.
WHEN: Sunday, July 13, 3-5 p.m.
WHERE: The Clarion Hotel, 5901 Pfeiffer Rd, Cincinnati, OH
CONTACT: CAIR-Ohio, 614-451-3232; CAIR-Cincinnati, Dr. Mohammad Raza
Khan,
1-800-379-5978 (pager)
-----
MUSLIMS WANT APOLOGY FOR ANTI-ISLAM REMARKS
Bryan Virasami, NY Newsday, 7/9/03
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/queens/nyc-mus0710,0,4454118.story
A national Muslim organization demanded an apology Wednesday from a
Flushing Buddhist priest who allegedly made disparaging remarks about
Islam
that were posted on the Internet.
Ghazi Khankan, executive director of the Council on American Islamic
Relations-New York, said the Rev. Jisei Nagasaka made disparaging
statements, including "Islam is a false religion." His comments came
after
another Buddhist priest made similar statements, including Allah "is a
figment of the imagination."
"I was surprised because I know Buddhists are peaceful people," he
said.
"Why attack others? It didn't make sense to me."
After a news conference in front of the Buddhist temple - Nichiren
Shoshu -
on Beech Avenue in Flushing, Khankan and other Muslim leaders delivered
a
petition containing 388 signatures to a temple official.
The petition called on Nagasaka, the Flushing temple's chief priest, to
apologize for his remarks, which were made to an audience and later
posted
on the temple's Web site, Khankan said.
While the statements in question were promptly removed from the Web
site
after letters and phone calls from Muslims, the council said Nagasaka's
comments can only be rectified with better understanding and an
apology...
ALSO SEE:
ROBERTSON DEFENDS LIBERIA'S PRESIDENT
Alan Cooperman, Washington Post, 7/10/03
http://www.msnbc.com/news/936829.asp
Charles Taylor, the Liberian president who has been indicted by an
international court for crimes against humanity, has few remaining
supporters in the United States. But one prominent American who has
stuck
with the West African leader is religious broadcaster and Christian
Coalition founder Pat Robertson.
In recent broadcasts of his cable TV show "The 700 Club," watched by an
estimated 1 million households, Robertson has defended Taylor as a
fellow
Baptist and Liberia's "freely elected" leader. The "horrible bloodbath"
taking place in Liberia, he has repeatedly said, is the fault of the
State
Department.
"So we're undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim
rebels to take over the country. And how dare the president of the
United
States say to the duly elected president of another country, 'You've
got to
step down,'" Robertson said to his viewers on Monday.
What Robertson, 73, has not discussed in these broadcasts is his
financial
interest in Liberia. In an interview yesterday, he said he has "written
off
in my own mind" an $ 8 million investment in a gold mining venture that
he
made four years ago under an agreement with Taylor's government.
Yet, he added: "Hope springs eternal. Once the dust has cleared on this
thing, chances are there will be some investors from someplace who want
to
invest. If I could find some people to sell it to, I'd be more than
delighted."
Other Baptist and evangelical Christian leaders said they do not share
either Robertson's support for Taylor or his criticism of President
Bush's
call for the Liberian leader to go into exile. "I would say that Pat
Robertson is way out on his own, in a leaking life raft, on this one,"
said
Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention's public policy
arm...
-----
ABORTION FOES SPARK ANXIETY
8 days of rallies planned at mosques and clinics
Cristina Breen, Charlotte Observer, 7/10/03
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/6270072.htm
Members of local Islamic mosques, some churches and abortion-rights
organizations are banding together in anticipation of a weeklong visit
from
hundreds of members of a controversial anti-abortion group that
denounces
abortion, Islam and homosexuality.
About 300 supporters of Operation Save America will gather in the
Charlotte
area starting Saturday for eight days of prayer services and rallies in
front of abortion clinics, churches, mosques and other city landmarks.
The group's director, the Rev. Philip "Flip" Benham, moved the
organization
from Dallas to Concord in the past year, and has planned dozens of
events
from Kannapolis to Charlotte.
They include a demonstration July 18 with nine caskets for each of the
nine
Supreme Court justices to protest the court's ruling overturning Texas
sodomy law.
Benham denounces violence, but his confrontational platform and
rhetoric
concern enough churches and other groups that they have been meeting
with
police and forming alliances to plan their responses to this week's
events.
Benham dismisses their concerns.
"That's all silliness," he said. "What they're worried about is that
the
word of God is going to expose the lie that they are under. That's
called
love."
ALSO SEE:
MOSQUE PROTESTS PROMPT INTERFAITH NEWS CONFERENCE
Extremist group plans protests outside Charlotte-area mosques
What: On July 11, 2003, at 11:00 a.m., local Muslim leaders, along with
a
member from the Mecklenburg Ministries, City Councilwoman Nancy Carter,
and
other invited public officials, will hold a news conference at the
International House. The press conference was prompted by police
reports
that the anti-abortion group "Operation Save America" (formerly
Operation
Rescue) plans demonstrations at area mosques during the week of July 12
-
20. SEE:
http://www.operationsaveamerica.org/streets/nc/charlotte/NE2003/schedule.htm
An e-mail to Muslim community leaders from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Police
Department stated: "…much of [Operation Save America's] rhetoric is
extremely inflammatory, and there is always the potential for
individual
members to carry their actions to an extreme." "The goal of this
interfaith event is to acknowledge and welcome the diversity present in
Charlotte, and to forge positive relationships with members of the
local
community," said Mujahid Idlibi, spokesperson for the Islamic Center of
Charlotte (ICC).
Idlibi added, "We hope and pray that all Charlotteans and residents of
neighboring cities will respond in a sensitive and receptive manner to
our
campaign for peace, understanding, and tolerance."
WHEN: Friday, July 11, 2003 @ 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: The International House, 322 Hawthorne Lane, Charlotte, NC
28204.
CONTACT: Call ICC Spokesperson, Mujahid Idlibi, at (980) 721-6625.
Photo/Sound Opportunity: This will be conducted in the format of a
press
conference, whereupon Muslim leaders, a member from the Mecklenburg
Ministries, and City Councilwoman Nancy Carter will issue
statements. Subsequently, the floor will be opened for the opportunity
to
pose questions.
-----
TEEN GETS PROBATION IN MOSQUE HATE CRIME
Christy Gutowski, Daily Herald, 7/10/03
http://www.dailyherald.com/dupage/main_story.asp?intID=3781237
Instead of seeking a tough sentence, leaders of a suburban mosque
showed
compassion Wednesday for a teen who smashed one of their windows.
The 15-year-old Villa Park teen apologized before a judge sentenced him
to
probation. The youth had pleaded guilty several weeks earlier in
juvenile
court to committing a hate crime.
"I realize what I did was wrong and inappropriate," he said, his
parents at
his side.
He admitted breaking the window with a metal baseball bat March 11
during
an evening prayer service at the Islamic Foundation in Villa Park.
Prosecutors had sought a four-weekend stint in a youth home to teach
the
teen a lesson.
DuPage Associate Judge Nicholas Galasso instead ordered the teen to
perform
200 hours of public service, undergo counseling, and write an apology
letter and a 250-word essay about respecting other people's ethnicity
and
religion.
The Villa Park teen faced probation or, as a maximum punishment, he
could
have been confined in a state detention facility until age 21...
Naim Mansour, an Islamic Foundation representative, said the group
wrote a
letter urging the judge against imprisoning the youth. Members also
invited
the teen to join them during some of their upcoming functions to better
understand their culture...
SEE ALSO:
WELCOME THE MUSLIM CAMP
Des Moines Register, 7/9/03
http://desmoinesregister.com/opinion/stories/c2125555/21697425.html
Opposition to establishing the first summer camp for Muslim youth in
the
nation by Coralville Lake may be based on concerns about protecting the
environment, the cost of government services needed and increased
traffic,
but that's not all.
Suspicion is a factor, too. The only question is how much.
Iowans pride themselves on being tolerant, respectful, neighborly.
Before
9/11, it's likely that Muslims were widely viewed as just another
religious
minority contributing to the mix. Since 9/11, there's less good will
toward
Muslims, which is deeply disturbing.
When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sought public comment on the
proposed
$2 million camp earlier this year, most of the responses and a
200-signature petition opposed the camp. There were some allusions to
terrorism.
Then, a small fire was reported June 30 outside the home owned by the
founder of Muslim Youth Camps of America, Bill Aossey.
The Associated Press reported Cedar Rapids fire officials say they have
run
out of leads in the investigation. Damage is described as
insignificant,
and supposedly no criminal intent was involved.
Let's hope not. But the call by Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on
American
Islamic Relations, based in Washington, D.C., for a second look should
be
heeded. Anti-Muslim sentiment can create an atmosphere that feeds
hatred.
Iowa can't let itself be that kind of place. It shouldn't be necessary
to
point out that most Muslims here are loyal Americans as devastated by
9/11
as anyone else…
The camp -tentatively called Camp Horizon -should be a place to foster
better understanding of interfaith and intercultural issues, and it
should
be welcomed.
-----
FREED GUANTANAMO PRISONER DEMANDS $10.4M
Kathy Gannon, Associated Press, 9/10/03
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/6270586.htm
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A Pakistani man who was released after 10 months
at
the U.S. detention center on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is demanding $10.4
million for suffering he claims he endured at the hands of his American
guards.
Mohammed Sanghir said he was caged in a tiny cell, kept in solitary
confinement for days, and unwillingly given alcohol-laced drinks during
his
10 months at the prison. He was freed last November, the first
Pakistani
released from the prison that now holds about 600 inmates...
Sanghir's legal notice, served by Pakistan lawyer Mohammed Ikram
Chaudhry
in Rawalpindi to the U.S. Embassy, was seen Wednesday by The Associated
Press.
It claims that Sanghir ``suffered mental shock, financial loss,
physical
victimization, estrangement and religious victimization'' while in
American
custody at Guantanamo...
He wants $10 million for mental agony and another $400,000 for debts
incurred by his family while he was in jail and damage to his sawmill
business, it said.
The notice demands a reply within four weeks. If he doesn't get any
compensation, Chaudhry said a lawsuit would be filed in either a U.S.
or
Pakistani court or both.
ALSO SEE:
JAILING OF HAMDI UPHELD AS REHEARING IS DENIED
Jerry Markon, Washington Post, 7/10/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35499-2003Jul9.html
A federal appeals court yesterday denied a rehearing for a U.S. citizen
captured with Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan, letting stand a ruling
that
the man can be jailed indefinitely without an attorney.
The decision by the Richmond-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th
Circuit came in the case of Yaser Esam Hamdi, a Louisiana-born man
designated an "enemy combatant" by the military. In January, a
three-judge
panel of the 4th Circuit gave the government an important victory in
the
war on terrorism by ruling that the Constitution gives the executive
branch
the responsibility to wage war and the courts must yield to the
military in
making such determinations.
Hamdi's attorney and a coalition of more than 100 law professors and
legal
organizations asked for a rehearing. By an 8 to 4 vote, the full slate
of
active judges let the decision stand. Two judges on each side of the
rehearing issue wrote strong opinions evoking centuries-old
constitutional
issues.
Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, who co-wrote the original Hamdi
decision,
was even more forceful yesterday. "The ingredients essential to
military
success -- its planning, tactics, and intelligence -- are beyond our
ken,
and the courtroom is a poor vantage point for the breadth of
comprehension
that is required to conduct a military campaign on foreign soil," he
wrote
in arguing that the separation of powers in the Constitution keeps the
judiciary out of warmaking...
Judge Diana Gribbon Motz was just as forceful in writing a dissent:
"The
panel's decision marks the first time in our history that a federal
court
has approved the elimination of protections afforded a citizen by the
Constitution solely on the basis of the Executive's designation of that
citizen as an enemy combatant."
-----
LONDON MAN'S ORDEAL AT HANDS OF NYPD
Local London, 7/10/03
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/display.var.391376.0.london_mans_ordeal_at_hands_of_nypd.php
A South Norwood man has spoken of his horror at being falsely arrested,
beaten and racially abused by the New York Police Department (NYPD),
who
believed the tourist was a terrorist.
London-born Turkish Muslim Mehmet Mahmut, of Brooklyn Road, says he
became
a victim of the "terrorist paranoia" sweeping America when the British
citizen was accused of being an Islamic fundamentalist.
Mehmet says he was chained up, scraped across the ground and accused of
being an Iranian fanatic in the 28 hours he was held in NYPD custody.
The 41-year-old computer programmer has been on anxiety medication
since
his return from the US two weeks ago and has contacted New York's
Police
complaints bureau. He is also planning to start criminal and civil
action
against the NYPD.
The couple's five-day holiday turned sour when they were accused of
evading
a bus fare on their return from a shopping trip, despite having a
credit
card receipt for their tickets...
-----
AMERICAN JEWS ARE KEY ADVOCATES OF U.S.-INDIA TIES
Carol Giacomo, Reuters, 7/10/03
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=3063406
WASHINGTON - When India's deputy prime minister was in Washington last
month, his brief visit included dinner at the elite Cosmos Club,
courtesy
of the American Jewish Committee.
Although L.K. Advani had come to town largely for talks with President
George W. Bush and his key aides, he made time for the influential
pro-Israel lobbying group and thus underscored intensified relations
among
the three democracies.
As ties between India and the United States, on the one hand, and India
and
Israel, on the other hand, have improved significantly in recent years,
the
AJC has been a steady, largely unheralded, advocate of this trend.
"It's a natural alliance between Israel and India," said Jason
Isaacson,
the committee's director of government and international affairs.
"It's about trade and common interests between democracies (and),
complimenting that is the growing relationships between Indian
Americans
and American Jews," as well as between the United States and India, he
said
in a telephone interview.
The committee had staged many meetings with leading Indian figures,
Isaacson has visited India seven times since 1995 and the AJC plans to
set
up a liaison office in India this year...
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM SAYS SHE TESTIFIED FALSELY BECAUSE OF HINDUS' THREATS
John Lancaster, Washington Post, 7/10/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35105-2003Jul9.html
BOMBAY - Peering through a concrete trellis, Zahira Sheikh said, she
watched a Hindu mob murder 14 relatives, neighbors and employees of her
family's bakery during a night of anti-Muslim violence last year.
The 19-year-old became the star witness in one of the most high-profile
trials to emerge from India's worst communal violence in a decade, but
when
the moment of truth arrived, she could not bring herself to speak it.
She testified -- falsely, she now says -- that she could not identify
any
of the attackers. The judge dismissed the charges against the 21
accused,
citing insufficient evidence.
The outcome highlighted what human rights activists say is the failure
of
Indian authorities to hold accountable those responsible for the
killings,
which sullied the country's reputation as a secular democracy and left
a
deep reservoir of anger and fear among India's 140 million Muslims.
Bloodshed in the state of Gujarat last year claimed the lives of
between
1,000 and 2,000 people, most of them Muslims.
Now Sheikh, who went into hiding after her court appearance, is
speaking
out. At a news conference on Monday and in an interview at a hotel here
this morning, she said she testified falsely after local Hindu
politicians
repeatedly threatened her family -- usually by calling her brother on
his
mobile phone -- and after concluding that prosecutors, who made no
effort
to meet with her before the trial, were not serious about gaining
convictions...
---
SHARON MUM AS MINISTER SLAMS 'MAP' IN N.Y. TALK
Ori Nir, Forward, 9/11/03
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.07.11/news3.html
WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Sharon has no plans to rebuke a senior
minister
in his Cabinet who publicly lambasted President Bush's Middle East
policy
in a New York briefing this week and stated - incorrectly, it appears -
that he had the support of a ranking presidential adviser.
The minister, Effi Eitam of the National Religious Party, slammed
Bush's
Middle East "road map" Monday in a talk to the Conference of Presidents
of
Major American Jewish Organizations, declaring that the president's
plan
was "worse than the Oslo accords." According to attendees, Eitam told
the
30 communal leaders present that Israel could never accept a
Palestinian
state, a key element in Bush's "vision" for the Middle East.
Moreover, attendees said, Eitam declared that he had been encouraged to
fight the road map by no less a figure than Richard Perle, the former
chairman of the Defense Policy Board, a Pentagon advisory panel.
Perle, in an interview, denied having sent such a message to Eitam. He
told
the Forward that he was generally supportive of Bush's Middle East
policies. "I don't know where that comes from," Perle said. "I find
this
very puzzling. That is much too crude a statement for me to make..."
-----
IRAQ CIVILIAN BODY COUNT PASSES 6,000
Reuters, 7/10/03
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=335889
LONDON - New information from remote locations of Iraq has pushed up
the
civilian death toll from the U.S.-led war by 500 in the last month to
at
least 6,000, an Anglo-American research group says.
The Iraq Body Count's (IBC) latest figures, based on media reports and
more
than a dozen counting projects from independent investigators in and
outside Iraq, put the minimum number of civilians dead at 6,055 and the
maximum at 7,706.
"Both the U.S. & the U.K. said they were taking every effort to
minimise
civilian casualties and talked a lot about smart, precision weapons,"
IBC
researcher John Sloboda told Reuters...
The latest IBC toll has risen by about 500 after information arrived
from
areas that had not been reached before by outsiders. The group says its
statistics are the most comprehensive collation of civilian deaths
available.
"If you look at a map of Iraq, there are still a lot of places, that
you
would imagine allied troops have gone through, where there have been no
reports of killings yet, simply because no journalist or researcher has
gone there," said Sloboda, a psychology professor from Britain's Keele
University...
ALSO SEE:
RUMSFELD DOUBLES ESTIMATE FOR COST OF TROOPS IN IRAQ
Thom Shanker, New York Times, 7/10/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/10/international/worldspecial/10MILI.html
WASHINGTON - Gen. Tommy R. Franks said today that violence and
uncertainty
in Iraq made it unlikely that troop levels would be reduced "for the
foreseeable future," and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld nearly
doubled the estimated military costs there to $3.9 billion a month.
"We have about 145,000 troops in there right now," General Franks told
the
Senate Armed Services Committee. He said he had talked to "commanders
at
every level inside Iraq," and found that the size and structure of
those
forces were appropriate for the current situation.
Mr. Rumsfeld has never laid out a timetable for bringing American
troops
home, and has repeatedly pledged that the forces would stay as long as
required, but no longer. Even so, the acknowledgement today of the
scope of
the long-term military commitment to Iraq was the strongest indication
to
date that the reconstruction effort requires the continued deployment
of
large numbers of troops - and that the undertaking carries a hefty
price tag.
Under intense questioning from Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West
Virginia, Mr. Rumsfeld or his aides telephoned Pentagon financial
officers
during a break and reported back to the committee that cost estimates
for
the Iraq campaign had reached $3.9 billion per month, on average from
this
past January through September...
---
RUMSFELD: NO NEW IRAQ WEAPONS EVIDENCE BEFORE WAR
Reuters, 7/9/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32260-2003Jul9.html
WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday the
United
States did not go to war with Iraq because of dramatic new evidence of
banned weapons but because it saw existing information on Iraqi arms
programs in a new light after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
"The coalition did not act in Iraq because we had discovered dramatic
new
evidence of Iraq's pursuit" of weapons of mass destruction, Rumsfeld
told
the Senate Armed Services Committee. "We acted because we saw the
evidence
in a dramatic new light -- through the prism of our experience on
9-11."
Rumsfeld appeared before the committee a day after the White House
acknowledged that President Bush's claim in his State of the Union
speech
that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Africa was based on forged
information.
While Bush justified the invasion to topple former Iraqi President
Saddam
Hussein largely on his alleged chemical and biological weapons and
possible
pursuit of nuclear weapons, such arms have not been found in the 10
weeks
after the war.
Congressional committees are evaluating whether the administration may
have
used faulty or exaggerated intelligence on Iraq's weapons to justify
the war.
Rumsfeld said Iraq "had 12 years to conceal its programs," and
"uncovering
those programs will take time..."
---
CALIFORNIA PEACE ACTION PLACES CONTROVERSIAL AD IN DC METRO TRAINS
http://www.californiapeaceaction.org/campaigns/rumsfeld/theads.htm
BERKELEY, Calif., July 10 -- California Peace Action (CAPA), the
largest
affiliate of the national organization Peace Action, has launched a
controversial nationwide advertising campaign throughout Washington's
Metro
transit system. The ads are part of a national campaign featured in
the
New York Times, Los Angeles Times and throughout major mass transit
systems. In Washington, more than 150 ads are up as interior cards in
trains, and will run through the month of July. The ad expects to
garner
more than 30 million impressions across the country.
The ads have caused uproar throughout Republican ranks for its strong
statement, which features a controversial historical photograph
declassified by the National Security Archives, of Donald Rumsfeld
shaking
hands with Saddam Hussein. The photo was taken when Rumsfeld traveled
to
Iraq as a special envoy for the Reagan Administration to arrange US
support
for Hussein in 1983. Prior to this visit, US intelligence had confirmed
that Iraq was using chemical weapons "almost daily." The headline of
the ad
reads, "Who Are We Arming Now?"
The ad kicks off a three-part campaign aligned with Peace Action's
Campaign
for a New American Foreign Policy -- the first plank in their three
point
platform is a call to end US military aid to human rights-abusing
governments and dictatorships.
"The photo and the record both speak for themselves," said Peter
Ferenbach,
Executive Director of California Peace Action. "We supported Saddam on
the
theory that he would be a safeguard against Islamic fundamentalism. We
armed Osama bin Laden on the theory that it was worth supporting his
radical "jihadis" to disrupt the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Now,
we're
doing it all again with huge increases in military aid to gross human
rights abusers..."
-----
DOZENS RALLY AGAINST LEGISLATION TO EXPAND USA PATRIOT ACT
Beth Fouhy, Associated Press, 7/7/03
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030707/APN/307070965
SAN FRANCISCO -- Proclaiming "we don't need to trade our freedoms to be
safe," several dozen activists rallied in front of the federal building
Monday to voice their opposition to Patriot Act II, the expanded
domestic
security legislation awaiting Congressional consideration.
"Protesters are not terrorists!" Bob Kearney, associate director of the
ACLU of Northern California, told the crowd, which included members of
the
ACLU, Amnesty International, and the Gray Panthers. "We need to say no
to
Patriot II before it is even introduced."
The Domestic Security Enhancement Act, drafted by Justice Department
officials as a follow-on to the USA Patriot Act passed by Congress
after
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, would grant the government broad new
powers
to investigate, detain, and interrogate suspected terrorists.
Among other things, it would remove court-ordered prohibitions against
police spying on domestic groups; expand the FBI's ability to conduct
searches and surveillance without first obtaining a court order; and
create
a DNA database of suspected terrorists.
Civil liberties groups and others have opposed the Patriot Act and any
effort to broaden it, calling it an unfair suppression of
constitutional
freedoms. The Justice Department has said such powers are necessary to
infiltrate and dismantle terrorist organizations operating within U.S.
borders...
-----
MUSLIM NEWS AND VIEWS COMING TO A CHANNEL NEAR YOU
Kim Campbell, Christian Science Monitor, 7/10/03
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wxxi/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=519873
When the World Trade Center was attacked almost two years ago, it
changed
some aspects of the media almost immediately. News tickers began
running
across the bottom of TV screens, quickly becoming a permanent fixture
on
many channels, for example.
But other changes are just now kicking in, including some growth in the
number of new outlets offering information about the Middle East and
Persian Gulf, and the practices of Muslims.
Americans are notoriously fickle about news of the world, tending to
gravitate toward it primarily when their own interests are at stake -
as
has been the case in Afghanistan and Iraq in recent months. But media
newcomers say the time is right to offer more information to Americans
who
are trying to better understand events and cultures on the other side
of
the globe. How long these ventures survive - or if they even get off
the
ground - may offer more insight into how interested Americans truly
are.
One of the newcomers is Muzzammil Hassan. The Buffalo businessman is
trying
to launch Bridges TV, a lifestyle channel targeted at American Muslims
-
but also hopes to educate others who are curious about Muslim culture.
"The idea is to build bridges both within the community and with
non-Muslim
mainstream America," he says. "There definitely appears to be a
significant
secondary market of non-Muslim Americans who are just extremely curious
about Islam and Muslim cultures."
Mr. Hassan is conducting a membership drive to show satellite and cable
operators that there will be an audience for the channel. He hopes to
launch it within a year of attracting 10,000 members; just over 2,000
people have signed up since April...
-----
DR. AL-ARIAN DISMISSES COURT-APPOINTED ATTORNEYS
Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace, 7/9/2003
On Wednesday, court-appointed attorneys for Dr. Sami Al-Arian filed a
motion with Judge James Moody that would dismiss them from the case and
allow Dr. Al-Arian to represent himself.
Dr. Al-Arian made the decision to dismiss his attorneys earlier this
week,
following a number of unauthorized actions by the attorneys which
undermined his defense and sent the wrong message to the community…
Hopefully, through his self-representation, Dr. Al-Arian's
constitutional
right to due process will be protected, particularly his right to
confront
his accusers and see evidence against him.
Unfortunately, this has not been the case so far. Dr. Al-Arian was
denied
his right to a speedy trial and was placed in solitary confinement in
Coleman Federal Penitentiary, 70 miles away from Tampa.
Additionally, Dr. Al-Arian has been denied access to 99 percent of the
evidence in this case, preventing his ability to mount a meaningful
defense...
To protest his political persecution, Dr. Al-Arian has been on a hunger
strike since his unjust detention 139 days ago. He has since lost 45
pounds.
CONTACT: tampabayjustice@yahoo.com
-----
US VISA: A POLICY OF DENIAL
Awais Nemat, Dawn, 7/10/03
http://www.dawn.com/2003/07/10/letted.htm#4
I would like to point out the systematic denial of J-1 visas to the
Pakistani physicians seeking residency in the United Sates. In recent
weeks, more than 50 Pakistani physicians, certified as MDs by the
Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), were
refused
J-1 visas to enter the US for their advanced residency training. No
plausible reason for the refusal was cited by the US embassy officials
in
Islamabad.
In a country where sensibilities run high, an apparently systematic
denial
of medical training opportunity to the physicians cannot be trivially
explained as an exercise of discretionary powers of the US visa
officers.
To many in the Muslim world, this arguably random action of the US
appears
as an expression of the intention of a much broader US foreign policy
towards Pakistan and the Muslim world. No matter how much misguided the
people may be in their conclusions, a blanket denial to medical
training
not only makes them suspicious of the US motives but it, in fact,
undermines the very credibility of the US in the region...
----
AL-JAZEERA, A CHANNEL TO ANOTHER WORLD
Ken Ringle, Washington Post, 7/10/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35827-2003Jul9.html
For those Americans who see the Arab world only dimly across a vast
cultural gulf, "Exclusive to Al-Jazeera," a documentary showing tonight
at
10 on WMPT and WETA, is TV viewing as arresting as it is instructive...
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/11/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD WILL PROVIDE
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6272 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR'S 'Washington Live' Satellite Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* 3 JUVENILES ARRAIGNED FOR ASSAULT ON CALIF. MUSLIM
* MUSLIM FILMMAKER RELEASES 'BORN IN THE USA'
* SCHOLARS UNDER SIEGE (Pak News)
- Scholarship about Islam (Daily News)
* GROUP SUGGESTS A PATRIOT ACT FORUM (Press-Telegram)
- Librarians Urged to Fight Patriot Act (Indep. Online)
- Analysis: ACLU on DOJ 'Deceit' (UPI)
* ISLAM SAVED MY MENTAL HEALTH (PNS)
* MUSLIM GROUP SEEKING PA MOSQUE PLANS APPEAL (AP)
* US CREATES AFRICAN ENEMIES WHERE NONE WERE BEFORE (CSM)
- Bush Knew Iraq Info Was False (AP)
* 9/11 INQUIRY ALLEGES WITNESS INTIMIDATION (Guardian)
* PROTEST FOR PRO-PALESTINIAN FORUM (Jewish Standard)
- You'll See a Shift in U.S. Policy in a Month'(Haaretz)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD WILL PROVIDE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said he knew a verse that
would
suffice men if they would but apply it: "Whosoever keeps his duty to
God,
He will appoint a way out (of unhappiness) and provide for him from
(sources) he never could imagine." (Quran, 65:2-3)
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1407
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6272 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6272 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a library sponsored:
"(We plan to) circulate the materials to our patrons...Good idea -
perhaps
with better understanding of other cultures, we Americans will be more
tolerant." - Akron, OH
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
3 JUVENILES ARRAIGNED FOR ASSAULT ON CALIF. MUSLIM
(ANAHEIM, CA - 7/11/2003) - The Southern California office of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today reported that three
juveniles
allegedly involved in the bias-related beating of a Yorba Linda Muslim
teenager in February appeared July 3 before a judge at a detention
hearing,
the juvenile equivalent of an arraignment. Information about the names
and
charges have not been released because of the defendants' ages.
Rashid Alam, 18, was severely beaten February 22 in Yorba Linda,
Calif., by
a group of some twenty attackers reportedly using baseball bats and
golf
clubs. The assailants, at least two of whom were reported to be white
supremacists, allegedly shouted racial slurs such as "F**k the Arabs,"
"you
Arab pieces of s**t," and "camel jockeys." Alam sustained multiple head
injuries and stab wounds. He underwent reconstructive surgery in March
during which metal plates were used to repair facial bone fractures.
Lawyers representing Alam filed a civil lawsuit in April against the
alleged attackers.
"We are grateful to the Brea Police Department, Orange County District
Attorney's office, the Orange County Human Relations Commission, and
the
all interfaith and community organizations who worked to ensure that
such
crimes do not go unpunished," said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam
Ayloush.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847 or 714-390-0334, E-MAIL:
socal@cair.com
-----
Astrolabe Islamic Media News Release
http://www.astrolabepictures.com/
Jawad, Abdul-Rahman, 703-404-6800
MUSLIM FILMMAKER RELEASES 'BORN IN THE USA'
New documentary asks for respect, not just tolerance
Ahmed Soliman wants the entertainment industry to portray more Muslim
heroes. The New Jersey filmmaker has been hoping that the many Muslim
American heroes who have earned the respect of their fellow citizens
would
be recognized, but it hasn't happened. So he produced his own film,
Born
in the USA: Muslim Americans, which has just been released on DVD and
Video. "A majority of Muslims are highly educated and registered to
vote,"
Soliman states. "One would think that these factors would command
respect,
but they don't, the majority of Muslim Americans have suffered post
9/11
biases."
Born in the USA challenges the misrepresentation of Muslims in America,
following an American Muslim doctor and teacher in their everyday
lives,
sharing their interactions with family, friends and colleagues, even
giving
funny insights into what it means to be Muslim American.
"Muslim Americans treat our ill, teach our children, police our
streets,
prosecute our criminals and do so much more, they deserve respect,"
Soliman
states.
Thus far, feedback on the film has been very positive and the film is
getting attention. As CBS 2 New York stated, "Probably won't win at the
Oscars but might have a greater impact than any film out there,"
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: www.solimanproductions.com
-----
SCHOLARS UNDER SIEGE
Abid Ullah Jan, PakNews, 7/11/03
http://www.paknews.com/articles.php?id=1&date1=2003-07-11
The deepening controversy about Daniel Pipes nomination to the board of
the
United States Institute of Peace is both interesting and alarming.
Interesting in the sense that a person who is usually the source of
controversial issues on Muslims and Islam has now himself become a
controversial issue. It has also set off alarm bells by virtue of the
issue's potential to put not only credibility of many scholars but also
the
basic values of American democracy at stake.
Thanks to a never-ending controversy, a few Muslims have endorsed
nomination of Daniel Pipes. Everyone is entitled to his opinion.
However,
we need to analyse the post September 11 environment in which Muslim
scholars in particular feel very uncomfortable in taking a stand on
issue
such as Pipes nomination...
Recently two Muslim commentators, Hussain Haqqani and Akbar S. Ahmed
have
published articles, which can be interpreted as endorsing Pipes and
most
shockingly his viewpoint as a legitimate academic and scholarly
position...
The key question is: What is happening to American public domain that
compels Muslims to endorse anti-Islam polemicist despite the so obvious
lack of justification? Is there pressure on American Muslims to endorse
non-Muslim extremists of one kind while condemning extremists of
another
kind? Articles such as those by Haqqani and Ahmed will hurt the
legitimacy
of Muslim scholars within their own community.
Why are they taking such a big risk? Given the way most of the academia
feels about Daniel Pipes, these Muslim scholars are also risking
alienating
themselves from prominent academics and the Middle Eastern Studies
Association, which is under attack from Pipes and his colleague Martin
Kramer.
ALSO SEE:
SCHOLARSHIP ABOUT ISLAM
Akbar S Ahmed, Daily Times, 7/11/03
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_5-7-2003_pg3_3
One of the challenges facing America after Sept. 11 is how to deal with
Islam. There is a need to understand the Muslim community, its history
and
its traditions. Who is better placed to act as a bridge than the
scholar of
Islam? What better challenge for Daniel Pipes than to assist in
creating
genuine dialogue with the Muslim community?
FOR BACKGROUND, SEE:
A COMBATIVE PICK FOR PEACE PANEL
Chicago Tribune Editorial, 4/30/03
The White House ought to withdraw the [Daniel Pipes] nomination, or the
Senate should reject it...
[Pipes] criticized the president for characterizing Islam as a
"peaceful
religion" following the Sept. 11 attacks. He has advocated profiling of
all
Muslims in the U.S. as a security precaution and the monitoring of all
Muslims in law enforcement, the military and the diplomatic corps for
possible terrorist links. Mosques in the U.S., according to Pipes, are
dominated by extremists and their representatives should not be invited
to
the White House.
Pipes' Middle East Forum also sponsors "Campus Watch," to monitor "the
often erroneous and biased teachings and writings of U.S. professors
specializing in the Middle East." A particular target are academics
opposed
to the policies of Israel. The stated goal is to improve "scholarly
study
of the region" but in reality it smacks of an effort to intimidate
academics who don't toe Pipes' line on the Middle East...
The institute is a quasi-governmental think tank dedicated to
international
peace and conflict-resolution. Pipes, who seems to invite conflict, is
far
from the ideal candidate.
DANIEL PIPES, PEACEMAKER?
http://www.motherjones.com/news/update/2003/22/we_420_01.html
WASHINGTON POST SLAMS DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53900-2003Apr18.html
DALLAS PAPER SAYS DANIEL PIPES IS 'BAD CHOICE' FOR USIP
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/stories/041903dnediscorecard.ff05.html
MUSLIMS PROTEST BUSH NOMINEE
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42881-2003Apr6.html
FOREIGN POLICY SCHOLARS CRITICIZE PIPES NOMINATION
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.04.11/news5.html
SCHOLAR CRITICIZES BUSH'S CHARACTERIZATION OF ISLAM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18277-2003Apr22.html
-----
GROUP SUGGESTS A PATRIOT ACT FORUM
Tracy Manzer, Long Beach Press-Telegram, 7/10/03
http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204~21474~1506187,00.html
LONG BEACH -- Because of the growing controversy brewing in many
American
cities over the Patriot Act, the South Coast Ecumenical Council asked
the
city's Human Relations Commission Thursday for support for an
educational
forum on the post-Sept. 11 initiative.
The USA Patriot Act was adopted by Congress as part of the war on
terrorism. It has expanded the government's powers to search private
homes
in secret, impose wiretaps without a court order, monitor Internet
communications and obtain information from libraries and bookstores
about
the reading habits of patrons.
About 130 cities nationwide have officially opposed the act, said the
Rev.
Ginny Wagener at the monthly meeting of the Human Relations Commission.
While the ecumenical council has not taken an official position on the
act,
Wagener said they decided it would be a good idea to offer a public
educational forum on it before asking the city to take a stance...
ALSO SEE:
LIBRARIANS URGED TO FIGHT US' PATRIOT ACT
Philani Makhanya, Independent Online, 7/10/03
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=13&art_id=vn20030710004452697C708012&set_id=1
A leading university librarian yesterday called on the international
community of librarians to rally behind their American counterparts who
are
fighting a draconian law which permits law enforcement agencies to
monitor
the records and emails of library users.
Kay Raseroka, a librarian from the University of Botswana, was
referring to
the Patriot Act passed by the US government in response to the
September 11
2001 terrorist attacks.
The Act has raised concern among librarians in developing countries,
including South Africa, which is working on a national policy framework
for
school libraries. The Act has angered the American Library Association
and
other international librarian organisations who said it was a
"draconian
censorship law which violates individuals' rights to privacy and
freedom of
expression..."
---
ANALYSIS: ACLU ON DOJ 'DECEIT'
Michael Kirkland, United Press International, 7/9/2003
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030709-115637-5145r
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department and the American Civil Liberties
Union
are at war over what the ACLU says are deliberate misrepresentations of
the
USA Patriot Act.
The department strongly denies ACLU allegations that it is misleading
the
public about the sweeping surveillance provisions of the massive
anti-terrorism law.
The battle between the civil liberties group and the department is
fully
joined as Congress considers the proposed USA Patriot II Act, which
would
extend some of the domestic spying provisions of its predecessor.
At stake is public opinion and the opinion of members of Congress who
are
being asked to enact or block the proposed law.
The ACLU released a report Wednesday, "Seeking Truth from Justice,"
that
concludes the Justice Department participated in a "pattern of deceit"
about the effects of the first USA Patriot Act on average Americans...
-----
ISLAM SAVED MY MENTAL HEALTH AND RETURNED MY SOUL
Christopher Patrick Nelson, Pacific News Service, 7/10/03
http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=64c087b95310573d83c2568d20fb053b
Editor's Note: For one sufferer of mental illness, Islam -- not Western
medicine -- is the answer.
I am a 26-year-old Irish American who converted from Christianity to
Islam
in order to save myself.
Although I never had a problem taking the Prophet Jesus as a role model
for
a way of life, I needed more specific guidance with day-to-day behavior
--
my own was out of control. After studying Jainism, Buddhism and
Hinduism, I
concluded that the example of the Prophet Muhammad served as a
blueprint
for a comprehensive spiritual life.
And that saves me. Literally...
-----
MUSLIM GROUP SEEKING MONROEVILLE MOSQUE PLANS APPEAL
Associated Press, 7/10/03
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/2324655/detail.html
MONROEVILLE, Pa. - A Muslim group says it will take a municipality to
court
over the right to start a mosque.
The Imamia Organization has been trying to start a mosque in a
Monroeville
house for about 18 months. According to a variance the Monroeville
zoning
board approved in September, the mosque would be able to hold up to 68
people and have 17 parking spaces.
But Monroeville Council on Tuesday rejected the group's applications
for a
conditional use permit, approval of the mosque's site plan and a
subdivision request.
Some council members raised concerns about parking, driveway access and
landscaping that could adversely affect the atmosphere of the
community...
-----
US CREATES AFRICAN ENEMIES WHERE NONE WERE BEFORE
David Gutelius, Christian Science Monitor, 7/11/03
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0711/p11s01-coop.html
PALO ALTO, CALIF. - President Bush repeatedly highlighted the
importance of
democracy, peace, and security during his African tour this week. But,
administration mismanagement of the war on terror has deeply undermined
stability across Africa in the past year.
In its African incarnation, that war has managed to produce almost
exactly
the opposite of what was intended. The administration has allowed
African
partner regimes to crack down on a wide range of Muslim groups over the
past 18 months, creating enemies where they previously didn't exist.
The
majority of Muslim leaders in Africa abhor violence as a response to
government repression and coercion. They have little or nothing in
common
with Al Qaeda. Yet US foreign policy in Africa has inspired radicalism,
discredited moderate African Muslims, and fomented political
instability in
key nations.
Since 2001, the administration has told African governments that they
must
curb Islamic terrorist groups, and that future political and economic
relations weigh in the balance. The US has encouraged several
governments
in North, West, and East Africa to place suspected radical Muslim
leaders
under close watch.
Although the administration hasn't revealed details of US aid to these
governments, the effects are becoming apparent. Several African
governments
have used the war on terror as an excuse to coerce legitimate
opposition
groups. Many Muslim leaders have been arrested on dubious evidence.
Others
have suffered threats and police beatings...
ALSO SEE:
BUSH KNEW IRAQ INFO WAS FALSE
CBS News and Associated Press, 7/10/03
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/25/iraq/main560449.shtml
CIA officials warned members of the President's National Security
Council
Staff the intelligence was not good enough to make the flat statement
Iraq
tried to buy uranium from Africa.
President Bush, with South African President Thabo Mbeki at his side,
predicted that proof of Saddam's weapons programs would yet be found.
Blair's support for the U.S.-led war appears to be costing him
politically
at home.
(CBS) Senior administration officials tell CBS News the President's
mistaken claim that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Africa was included
in
his State of the Union address - despite objections from the CIA.
Before the speech was delivered, the portions dealing with Iraq's
weapons
of mass destruction were checked with the CIA for accuracy, reports CBS
News National Security Correspondent David Martin.
CIA officials warned members of the President's National Security
Council
staff the intelligence was not good enough to make the flat statement
Iraq
tried to buy uranium from Africa...
-----
9/11 INQUIRY ALLEGES WITNESS INTIMIDATION
Julian Borger, Guardian, 7/10/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/september11/story/0,11209,994933,00.html
A US panel investigating the September 11 terrorist attacks yesterday
accused the Pentagon and the justice department of obstructing the
inquiry
and said witnesses were being intimidated.
The federal commission of inquiry was appointed eight months ago by the
White House, which was under intense congressional pressure to look
into
allegations that the CIA, the FBI and the Pentagon could have done more
to
prevent the 2001 al-Qaida attacks.
Among a string of apparent intelligence failures, the commission will
be
asking why the FBI failed to heed warnings from some of its agents that
al-Qaida could be planning to hit targets with hijacked airliners.
The investigation has been hampered by the withdrawal of its original
chairman, Henry Kissinger, on grounds of conflict of interest, and
funding
difficulties. The bipartisan panel now says its work has been blocked
by
the bureaucracy...
-----
PROTEST PLANNED FOR PRO-PALESTINIAN FORUM
Joanne Palmer, Jewish Standard, 7/9/03
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Middle+East+conflict+comes+to+campus&intcategoryid=4
TEANECK, N.J. - Posted on www.njsolidarity.org: "Any organizations that
believe divestment from Israeli apartheid is a necessary and worthwhile
strategy, that stand for an end to the Israeli occupation of
Palestinian
land, the right of return for Palestinian refugees to their homes and
homeland, and full equality under law and the abolition of Israeli
apartheid; and that reject racism and all forms of oppression are
welcome
to be part of the organizing process for the Third Conference!"
That's the Web site of New Jersey Solidarity, which plans to host the
National Student Conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement on
Rutgers
University's New Brunswick campus in October.
As a start, the group would like the university to divest from the all
investments in Israel...
New Jersey Solidarity's tactics were on display on a Thursday night
during
the spring semester, according to Getraer "The university is in all
likelihood compelled under the first amendment to allow the conference
to
occur," said Shai Goldstein, New Jersey regional director of the
Anti-Defamation League. He's not asking the school not to allow the
meeting. But, he said, his group is asking "that the university condemn
any
anti-Semitic or anti-Zionist statements that are made by any group on
campus as a manifestation of racism and bigotry. Rutgers must
disassociate
itself from the rhetoric and indicate they're allowing the conference
only
because they feel compelled by the First Amendment. They must not stand
silent in the face of the anti-Semitic rhetoric..."
ALSO SEE:
`YOU'LL SEE A SHIFT IN U.S. POLICY IN A MONTH'
Shmuel Rosner, Ha'aretz, 7/11/03
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=316875
The coalition that brought U.S. President George W. Bush to power
consists
mostly of devout white Protestants, Christian evangelicals and slightly
less devout white Protestants. Together, these three groups made up
three-quarters of Bush's voters in 2000. One of their prominent
representatives, Gary Bauer, attended an intelligence briefing
yesterday on
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at Defense Ministry headquarters in
Tel Aviv.
When he returns home, following meetings with MKs Limor Livnat, Uzi
Landau,
Benny Elon and others (requests to meet left-wing politicians went
unanswered), he will be able to present facts supporting his claims
against
what he calls "the widening gap" between Bush's vision from his speech
on
June 24 last year and U.S. policy as reflected in the road map, at the
Aqaba summit, and in trips to the region by Colin Powell, Condoleezza
Rice
and John Wolf.
"Politely but firmly, we shall see to it that the president corrects
the
flaws in American policy," says Bauer. On the eve of an election year,
he
is "counting on the smart Karl Rove," Bush's political adviser, to
understand the first message...
Bauer wants to stop the custom of officials "sitting in their
comfortable
offices in Washington [who] think they have a right to tell Israel what
it
should do." He will not tolerate even a hint of coercion or American
pressure on Israel.
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/3/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
* N.C. MUSLIMS PLAN FOR MOSQUE PROTESTS
- Groups Prepare for Operation Save America (News 14)
* JUDGES LOOKING SKEPTICALLY AT TERROR CHARGES (Balt. Sun)
- Illinois Group Protests the Patriot Act (WTVO)
* ISRAELI ARAB WINS ASYLUM IN U.S. (San Francisco Chronicle)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once heard some of his
companions
discussing Abraham, Moses, Adam, and Jesus (peace be upon them all).
One of
the companions said God had taken Abraham as a friend, another said He
spoke directly to Moses, another said Jesus was God's word and spirit,
and
another said God chose Adam. The Prophet then said: "I have heard what
you
said, and you wonder that Abraham was God's friend, as indeed he was;
that
Moses was God's confidant, as indeed he was; that Jesus was His spirit
and
word, as indeed he was; and that Adam was chosen by God, as indeed he
was."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1518
The Prophet also said: "Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am
the
nearest of all the people to Jesus, the son of Mary. The prophets are
paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is
one."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Hadith 652
-----
MUSLIMS PLAN FOR PROTESTS
Leaders anticipate Operation Save America events
CRISTINA C. BREEN, Charlotte Observer, 7/12/03
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/6287285.htm
Leaders of Charlotte's Muslim community say they're trying to put a
positive spin on what they see as an attack on their religion by an
anti-abortion group that also denounces Islam and homosexuality.
Hundreds of supporters of Concord-based Operation Save America are
expected
to gather in the Charlotte area today for a week of events that will
include rallies in front of area mosques, abortion clinics and gay and
lesbian churches.
On Friday, members of three mosques hosted an interfaith dinner and a
news
conference geared at educating non-Muslims about Islam and addressing
Operation Save America's position about their faith.
Some 200 people, including Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims,
gathered at the Islamic Society of Greater Charlotte in northeast
Charlotte
for a meal designed to strengthen the ties between the Muslim community
and
those of other religions…
At the morning news conference at the International House, local Muslim
leaders were joined by supporters, including members of Mecklenburg
Ministries, a national spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, as well as city councilwoman Nancy Carter and
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board member Louise Woods.
Islamic Center of Charlotte spokesman Mujahid Idlibi said his group
isn't
planning any actions for next week because "we feel doing a
counterprotest
might result in counterattacks...We believe he just wants to incite
anger
out of us."
SEE ALSO:
WARNED GROUPS PREPARE FOR OPERATION SAVE AMERICA
news14.com, 7/11/03
http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/local_news/?ArID=35329&SecID=2
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Police in Charlotte are preparing for eight days of
protests by a group that some say are religious extremists.
Police have warned Islamic centers, abortion clinics and the gay
community
to be on alert for the Concord-based Operation Save America. Its
primary
tenets are that abortion is murder, homosexuality is a sin and that
Islam
is a lie. The group said they view themselves as a Christian crusade.
Operation Save America said it is expecting hundreds of protesters in
town
for demonstrations beginning Saturday. The protests will be aimed at
groups
that Operation Save America said are lost in a life of sin.
At the Islamic Center of Charlotte, the 12:30 prayer services went on
as
usual Friday because they were not afraid of the group and their
leader.
Muslim leaders said they are prepared.
"We've done our research on this group," said Islamic Center of
Charlotte
spokesman Mujahid Idlibi. "Just from a verbal confrontation violence
can
erupt out of it and we just don't want any type of possibility of that
to
arise"
Idlibi said Charlotte's mosques are working closely with police in case
Operation Save America protesters overstep their bounds. A yellow
privacy
fence surrounds the Islamic Center and markers are in front of the
Southwest Charlotte abortion clinic where police arrested Benham last
Saturday…
-----
JUDGES LOOKING SKEPTICALLY AT SOME TERRORISM CHARGES
Laura Sullivan, Baltimore Sun, 7/11/03
http://www.sunspot.net/news/custom/attack/bal-te.justice11jul11,0,4551021.story
WASHINGTON - When Justice Department officials held a news conference
two
weeks ago to say they had broken up a "Virginia jihad network," they
called
the group violent and dangerous and "a stark reminder that terrorist
organizations of various allegiances are active in the United States."
But a week later, in what was expected to be a series of routine
hearings,
a federal magistrate judge, T. Rawles Jones Jr., ordered that five of
the
men be freed without bond until trial. Challenging their evidence,
Jones
rebuffed prosecutors' claim that the men posed a serious threat.
Three of the five have since been released. A fourth will appear today
before Judge Leonie M. Brinkema in U.S. District Court in Alexandria,
Va.,
to contest prosecutors' appeal of his release. Brinkema has said she is
inclined to let the man go until trial. She freed one of his
co-defendants
Tuesday.
For two judges, from one of the nation's most conservative federal
courts,
to free defendants in what prosecutors billed as a high-profile
terrorism
case was a rebuke to the Justice Department. It marked the first time
the
department had failed in its efforts to hold suspects on
terrorism-related
charges.
Some legal analysts suggest that after a long period since Sept. 11,
2001,
during which the government enjoyed broad discretion to bring terrorism
cases and to hold suspects, the pendulum is starting to swing the other
way, with greater scrutiny of the government's evidence.
"The administration is having something of a boy-who-cried-wolf
problem,"
said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University
who
has been involved in national security cases as a lawyer.
"The administration has been making these fairly outlandish claims to
the
public ... and it's caught up with them. The courts are beginning to
balk."
The court's action follows a sharply critical report issued last month
by
the Justice Department's inspector general. The report found
"significant
problems" in the seizure of illegal immigrants after Sept. 11. It said
many
suspects who had no links to terrorists were jailed under severe
conditions
without access to a lawyer.
The inspector general also found that some senior Justice officials
dismissed concerns raised by others in the department about whether
such
actions were legal…
SEE ALSO:
GROUP PROTESTS THE PATRIOT ACT
http://www.wtvo.com/Global/story.asp?S=1357234&nav=0RePGr9i
Local activists protested in downtown Rockford today.
About a dozen members of the Rockford Social Justice Initiative were
protesting the Patriot Act that was passed in October of 2001.
The group says the act gives law enforcement officials too much power
in
their efforts to stop terrorism and violates the rights of most
Americans.
Protestors say a second Patriot Act is being considered by Congress
that
would provide even greater power to law enforcement agencies, including
deporting anyone suspected of supporting terrorism.
-----
ISRAELI ARAB WINS ASYLUM IN U.S.
Court finds Jewish nation's navy persecuted man who now lives in San
Jose
Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/12/03
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/07/12/MN37369.DTL
An Israeli Arab who lives in San Jose was found eligible for political
asylum Friday by a federal appeals court, which said Israeli naval
forces
attacked and harassed him for a decade in his homeland as the child of
a
mixed marriage.
The attacks on Abrahim Baballah in the Israeli town of Akko on the
Mediterranean, where he worked as a fisherman, included firing shots
over
his fishing boat, destroying the boat in a purported rescue and
wrecking
his livelihood, said the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San
Francisco. The court said Baballah was persecuted because of his
religion
and ethnicity.
The ruling bars deportation of Baballah, his wife, Ula, and their
Israeli-born son. The case is rare and perhaps unique; both the
family's
lawyer, Haitham Ballout, and Karen Musalo, an immigration expert and
resident scholar at UC's Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco,
said
they knew of no previous ruling granting asylum to an Israeli Arab...
Baballah was the child of a Jewish mother and a Muslim father, the only
mixed marriage in Akko, the court said. He said employers refused to
hire
him when they learned about his parents, so he worked as a fisherman
and
became a target of daily harassment by the Israeli navy.
Naval crews circled Baballah's boat, sprayed it with water hoses, fired
bullets over it, pelted him and his crew with eggs and damaged his
fishing
nets with their propellers, the court said. On one occasion, a naval
crew
boarded the boat, tied Baballah's brother to a pole, sprayed him with
water
in freezing weather, then had the brother arrested and imprisoned for
more
than a year, the court said.
Later, when Baballah's boat ran adrift, he accepted help from an
Israeli
naval crew, which pulled the boat in a way that split it apart and
laughed
as the boat broke up, the court said.
Sailors also followed Baballah in town and called him "goy," which
means
non-Jew and has a derogatory meaning to Arabs, the court said…
The constant taunt of "goy" showed that Baballah's tormentors were
motivated by his ethnicity and religion, which are legal grounds for
asylum, Paez said.
-----
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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/13/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: JUSTICE REWARDED
* HOUSTON RADIO PROGRAM FEATURES 'MUSLIM VOICES'
- CAIR-St. Louis Radio Training Workshop a Success
* COMMENTARY: SKEWED JUSTICE FOR MUSLIMS (Los Angeles Times)
- Rules for Tribunals May Deter Lawyers (NY Times)
* MYCA PRESIDENT READY TO MOVE ALONG (Iowa City Press-Citizen)
* FRENCH MUSLIM CONDEMNS SUSPENSION FOR WEARING HEADSCARF (AFP)
- Saving Muslim Women from a Piece of Cloth (Irish Times)
* NJ GOVERNOR WANTS INFO ON PALESTINE FORUM (Star-Ledger)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: JUSTICE REWARDED
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "For every day on which
the
sun rises, there is a (reward) for the one who establishes justice
among
people."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 870
-----
HOUSTON RADIO PROGRAM FEATURES 'MUSLIM VOICES'
http://www.kpft.org/
Tune in to Houston's KPFT 90.1 on Thursday, July 17th from 12-1 for a
special Open Journal featuring Muslim Voices.
We will discuss the current mass deportations as well as ramifications
of
the Patriot Act II. Our featured guests will be Dalia Hashad, the
ACLU's
Arab, Muslim, and South Asian Advocate, who will be joining us from New
York, as well as local ACLU activist Annette Lamoreaux, the East Texas
Regional Director. We will also be taking your calls live.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-ST. LOUIS RADIO TRAINING SEMINAR A SUCCESS
(ST. LOUIS, MO) - More than 70 members of the local Muslim community
turned
out on Friday for a radio training workshop hosted by the St. Louis
chapter
of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-St. Louis). The
workshop, called "Islam on the Air," was designed to introduce local
Muslims to the inner workings of the radio industry.
Speakers included Mike Sampson, host of KWMU's "St. Louis on the Air,"
Mary
Edwards, Production Manager for KWMU and Jean Jackson, co-host of the
KTRS
Morning Show.
"We were extremely pleased with the turnout and the excellent advice we
received from our panel members," said CAIR-St. Louis Executive
Director
James Hacking. "The audience received 'real world' examples of how to
present issues related to Islam in an intelligent and concise manner.
The
discussion was very well-received."
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-St. Louis, James Hacking, 314-602-3794, E-mail:
admin@cair-stl.org
-----
COMMENTARY: SKEWED JUSTICE FOR MUSLIMS
Jonathan Turley, Los Angeles Times, 7/13/03
Jonathan Turley is a law professor at George Washington University.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-turley13jul13193420,1,190983.story
Recently, an internal report of the Justice Department confirmed
long-alleged abuses of Arab Americans in detention and questioned the
basis
for their arrests. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft dismissed the findings and
stated that government efforts to detain terrorism suspects were
applied in
the same way to all citizens regardless of their ethnicity. However,
recent
cases seem to confirm a glaring double standard applied to Arab
Americans
and Muslims that can be neither denied nor defended.
Consider the cases of Earl Krugel and Robert Goldstein. Krugel is the
former West Coast coordinator of the Jewish Defense League. He was
recorded
in meetings in October 2001 with alleged co-conspirators planning a
reign
of terror on Arab Americans to give them "a wake-up call" by destroying
one
of their "filthy mosques." This conspiracy allegedly included a plan to
assassinate Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), who is of Lebanese descent.
Recently, Krugel confessed to a plot to blow up a mosque in Culver
City.
Krugel was given immunity and is reportedly sharing information on
other
attacks, including the 1985 bombing death of Arab American civil rights
leader Alex Odeh. Though Ashcroft has promised to prosecute accused
terrorists to the fullest extent of the law and to reject any deals,
Krugel
was given a generous plea bargain and immunity and is likely to receive
a
mere 13-year sentence.
In the Krugel case, the government had evidence of a conspiracy to
attack
Arab Americans and their institutions; it included bombings with the
stated
intent to terrorize. Yet, the government chose not to charge Krugel as
a
terrorist but instead charged him only with civil rights violations.
Krugel's case is not unique. In Florida, Robert Goldstein and his wife,
Kristi Lea Persinger, plotted their own terror war. When the police
were
called to their house in a domestic dispute in 2002, they discovered an
arsenal that included 30 bombs, mines, 30 to 40 guns, light-armor
rockets,
machine guns, sniper rifles and grenades. They also found plans to blow
up
50 mosques and to "liquidate" Muslims. Goldstein vowed to "kill all
'rags'
"at an Islamic education center.
Like Krugel, Goldstein was charged not with terrorism but with civil
rights
violations. Goldstein was sentenced to a paltry 12 1/2 years for
conspiracy
to violate civil rights. Persinger (who had five bombs in her closet)
was
given a mere three years in prison -- about what you might get for tax
evasion.
Is there any question what the charge would be if an Arab American or
Muslim were found with such an arsenal and plans to bomb churches or
synagogues or to kill a member of Congress?...
The latest such allegations arose in the arrest of 11 Muslims, who face
42
criminal counts, including conspiracy "to participate in a violent
jihad"
and being part of a Kashmir terrorist group. The government put great
weight on the fact that the men participated in paintball games in
Virginia. Though the government does have evidence that some of the men
had
contacts with a Kashmir terrorist group, it has no evidence of any
terrorist plot. In the cases of at least four of the men, there is
scant
evidence of anything beyond anti-Indian sentiments and weekend Rambo
fantasies…
The government may yet supply the evidence demanded by these judges,
but
the sweeping charges against these men stand in sharp contrast with the
charges against non-Muslim defendants.
Life for Arab Americans and Muslims increasingly resembles George
Orwell's
"Animal Farm," in which a society dispensed with all rights and
replaced
them with a single maxim: "All animals are equal, but some animals are
more
equal than others." When it comes to terrorism cases, all citizens are
equal but some are more equal than others.
SEE ALSO:
RULES FOR TERROR TRIBUNALS MAY DETER SOME DEFENSE LAWYERS
NEIL A. LEWIS, New York Times, 7/13/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/13/politics/13TRIB.html
WASHINGTON, July 12 - United States officials say that when they begin
military tribunals for prisoners charged with terrorism, they greatly
want
the trials to be seen as fair, both in the nation and throughout the
world.
But as the Pentagon prepares for the first such proceedings in more
than 50
years, it is encountering a potent criticism: many lawyers and bar
groups
say the conditions for civilian defense lawyers are so restrictive that
they might not agree to participate in the process and thereby lend it
legitimacy.
The issue of whether lawyers should agree to defend prisoners in
proceedings at the naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has been raised
most
forcefully so far by Lawrence S. Goldman, president of the National
Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, which has 11,000 members -
including most of the nation's prominent defense lawyers.
Mr. Goldman, a New York lawyer, wrote in the association's magazine
this
month that his group had considered soliciting people for a task force
of
experienced defense lawyers who would volunteer their services to
tribunal
defendants. But his group was troubled by restrictions on issues like
information gathering and the privacy of lawyer-client conversations.
"In view of the extraordinary restrictions on counsel, however, with
considerable regret, we cannot advise any of our members to act as
civilian
counsel at Guantánamo," he wrote. "The rules regulating counsel's
behavior
are just too restrictive to give us any confidence that counsel will be
able to act zealously and professionally…"
-----
MYCA PRESIDENT READY TO MOVE ALONG
Deidre Bello, Iowa City Press-Citizen, 7/13/03
http://www.press-citizen.com/news/071303ali.htm
CEDAR RAPIDS - Although talk of a planned Muslim youth camp in North
Liberty has generated much controversy, Manzoor Ali remains as calm as
the
tranquil location of the site.
"That is the beauty of this country," Ali said of negative opinions
expressed about the camp. "They have freedom of speech. Suppose
anything is
said against me…if I'm OK, I should not be worried. I think this will
evaporate soon. It should be OK."
In an interview Saturday at his northeast Cedar Rapids home, Ali spoke
of
Iowa's scenic landscape, rolling cornfields and strong communities.
So it seems natural for him that fellow members of the Muslim Youth
Camps
of America, of which Ali is president, saw potential for the project at
the
site. The site is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and located
two
miles northeast of North Liberty, near the Coralville Reservoir.
Little did MYCA's members know their wishes would cause so much
consternation. Some local residents have expressed environmental
concerns
while others fear the camp could harbor terrorists. National radio talk
show host Mike Gallagher even fanned the flames when he hosted a forum
in
Iowa City earlier this month that attracted about 200 people - but not
Ali
and not the Corps. Ali was out of town but had said it was a board
decision
that he not attend…
Despite the controversy, Ali still sees the North Liberty property as a
logical choice. It is close to Cedar Rapids, which has one of the
oldest
mosques in the nation, he said. Members of the mosque are descendants
of
Lebanese and Syrian families who came to the area about 70 or 80 years
ago,
Ali said. Since then, the Muslim community has grown to about 2,500
people
- many of them professionals in the community, he said...
The mosque has become a kind of cultural center catering to the elderly
and
adults but does not offer activities specifically for youths, Ali said.
That is the reason his group decided to pursue creating an organization
that would support a summer camp, he said…
On Monday, Ali and another representative for MYCA will appear on
Public
Access Television in Iowa City for a live broadcast at 7:30 p.m…
-----
FRENCH MUSLIM CONDEMNS WORK SUSPENSION FOR WEARING HEADSCARF.
Agence France Presse, 7/13/03
A Muslim civil servant suspended from her job because she refused to
remove
her headscarf on Saturday condemned the decision, saying she would
continue
to wear the religious garment on her return to work.
Nadjet Ben Abdallah, 33, who works as a civil servant in the Lyon
region in
east France, told journalists that her appeal against an initial
penalty in
2002 had been dismissed by the Lyon administrative tribunal.
Instead, the tribunal handed down a one-year suspension without pay to
the
Frenchwoman of Algerian origin, describing her action as "particularly
serious given her position".
The debate over whether Muslim women have the right to wear headscarfs
at
school, at work or even on identity photos, regularly causes a furor in
France, which is fiercely proud of the State's secular nature.
French Muslims themselves are divided over how to deal with the issue…
Ben Abdellah said she will continue to wear the headscarf when she
returns
to work, but in the meantime is launching an appeal against the
verdict.
While Ben Abdellah started her job in 1999, she only began wearing a
headscarf in late 2001, for reasons of "individual conscience and
certainly
not religious proselytism", she told AFP Saturday.
She said she was shocked by the tribunal's decision, which she
described as
an injustice.
"It is not the employee with a good record who has gone before the
tribunal, but Islam," she said.
"They're turning Islam into a religion incompatible with the Republic,
while tolerating people wearing other religions' symbols…"
SEE ALSO:
SAVING MUSLIM WOMEN FROM A PIECE OF CLOTH
Lara Marlowe, Irish Times, 7/12/03
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/opinion/2003/0712/4079938464OPLARAM12JUL.html
Nothing is as certain to make you unpopular in a French gathering -
whether
left-or right-wing - as saying you don't understand the fuss about le
foulard islamique.
I recently committed the faux pas of asking: "If a Muslim woman wants
to
wear a headscarf, what's the problem?" The decibel level of the dinner
conversation exploded. Normally rational French men and women,
including
one of Arab origin, tried to outdo each other with denunciations of
Islamic
fundamentalism. For a reporter who has worked in the Islamic Republic
of
Iran, where men are obsessed with forcing women to cover their hair, it
sometimes feels strange to live in a society where the majority seem
determined to force women to uncover their hair.
It was an example of what the former cabinet minister, Jean Glavany,
called
the "plus laic que moi tu meurs syndrome", which translates roughly as
a
nose-thumbing taunt of "I'm more secular than you are." Mr Glavany
heads
the socialist party's "Permanent University of Secularism". In an
interview, he accused the right of "trying to appropriate the issue."
Over
the past two months almost all French politicians, including President
Jacques Chirac, have become involved. The debate is meant to encompass
secularism in general, but invariably zeroes in on the headscarf.
It is partly an attempt to placate the millions who voted for the
extreme
right-wing, anti-immigrant leader Jean-Marie Le Pen last year. It may
be
related to September 11th and events in Palestine, Algeria and Iraq. In
any
case, "it's not caused by an upsurge in veiling in France," Mr Glavany
admitted. "The numbers are levelling off." At the end of July a
tribunal in
Lyons will decide whether Nadjet ben Abdallah (33), a lawyer of
Algerian
origin, has the right to wear a headscarf at her government job. She
sued
after being suspended. "I don't represent all the headscarves on the
planet," Ms ben Abdallah said after her July 3rd hearing. "I'm a work
inspector. I like my profession and I am a Muslim. I don't want to have
to
choose between the two." Other highly publicised cases have
strengthened
the perception that Muslims are attempting to impose their lifestyle on
the
secular republic. The mayor of Evry tried to shut down a grocery store
because its owners, Mohamed and Abdel Djazari, refused to sell pork or
wine. Franprix supermarkets withdrew the brothers' franchise, though a
kosher Franprix in Paris has been in business for over a decade. A
right-wing deputy of Arab origin has called on inhabitants of towns
where
swimming pools provide women-only hours at the request of Muslim
associations to sue their mayors. No one has complained about similar
arrangements for Jewish groups in Strasbourg and Sarcelles.
On July 3rd President Chirac established a commission on secularism.
Prominent politicians, including the Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre
Raffarin,
have called for a law banning the wearing of headscarves at school, and
the
presidential commission is to make a recommendation by the end of this
year. Bernard Stasi, the president of Mr Chirac's commission, was asked
by
Le Monde whether the resurgence of the debate on headscarves risked
stigmatising Islam. His response conveyed the ambiguity of the
government
position.
"We mustn't start a war against a religion, nor give them the feeling
they've been ostracised," Mr Stasi replied. "That said, everything
depends
on the image that Islam gives of itself. If a religion has an
aggressive
behaviour, one mustn't be surprised if it inspires reactions." The
"give
'em an inch and they'll take a mile" argument is used most often
against
the headscarf. It was summarised by Alain Juppe, a former prime
minister
and the head of Mr Chirac's UMP party, in an interview with Valeurs
Actuelles magazine.
Mr Juppe said legislation would be necessary "to defend secularism". He
mentioned mayors segregating swimming pools. "Why wouldn't the next
step be
separate train compartments for men and women, beaches reserved for one
sex
and forbidden to the other? This system has a name: apartheid." A few,
isolated voices have noted that a law against the wearing of
headscarves
would further impede the integration of France's Muslim children by
forcing
them into Koranic schools. And it would probably violate Article 9 of
the
European Convention of Human Rights, which the French helped draft...
Why should a scarf be so offensive on the head of a Muslim schoolgirl,
but
perfectly acceptable if it's Hermes silk worn by the British queen or a
lady from the 16th arrondissement? And why does it pose no problem in
the
US, which has often showed anti-Muslim bias?...
Why should France, the self-proclaimed country of human rights, feel
compelled to save Muslim women from a piece of cloth? Yes, protect the
secular basis of the French republic. Resist attempts by religious
groups
to impose their beliefs on others. But stop poisoning inter-faith
relations
with your headscarf obsession.
-----
NJ GOVERNOR WANTS INFO ON PALESTINE FORUM
JEFF WHELAN, Star-Ledger, 7/11/03
http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1057903097251550.xml
Gov. James E. McGreevey is pressing Rutgers University officials for
further information about a national pro-Palestine student conference
scheduled for this fall, as he weighs whether or not to cancel the
event.
Rutgers University President Richard McCormick will meet with senior
university officials this morning to gather more information on the
National Student Conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement. Micah
Rasmussen, the governor's spokesman, said McCormick and McGreevey are
then
scheduled to discuss the matter next week.
"We've asked for information on the group, what its intentions are, and
whether this is going to be a balanced, opened forum, or hate speech
calling for violence against Israel," said Rasmussen. "If it's hateful
speech and if it's calling for violence, then the governor is going to
weigh his options and decide whether or not to intervene. But we're not
going to just jump the gun here. We're going to find out all of the
facts."
Rasmussen said the governor has "grave concerns" about the event
because
there are differing accounts of the nature of the organization
sponsoring it…
Rutgers has received nearly 230 letters urging the cancellation of the
student conference, scheduled for Oct. 10-12 on the New Brunswick
campus.
State university officials have said they will not cancel the
conference
and plan to treat the gathering like any other event sponsored by a
campus
student group…
Rutgers' New Jersey Solidarity has about 25 active members and is one
of
hundreds of groups at the state university funded by mandatory fees
students pay along with their tuition.
Sen. John Bennett (R-Monmouth) sent a letter to McGreevey Wednesday
calling
the organization "abominable" and alleging the student group supports
Palestinian suicide bombings. He protested taxpayer dollars being used
for
the student group and urged McGreevey to step in. Rasmussen said
McGreevey
took action before Bennett's letter.
SEE ALSO:
http://www.njsolidarity.org/action/confalert.html
http://www.state.nj.us/governor/
http://www.president.rutgers.edu/index.shtml
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 7/14/03
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
REPORT ON U.S. MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS TO BE RELEASED
Study looks at impact of post-9/11 policies on Islamic community
WHAT: On Tuesday, July 15, the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), a Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group,
will
hold a news conference in the nation's capital to release its eighth
annual
report on the status of Muslim civil rights in the United States,
titled
"Guilt by Association."
The report - the only annual study of its kind - details a 15 percent
increase in the number of incidents and experiences of anti-Muslim
violence, discrimination and harassment during the past year. It also
outlines the civil liberties impact of government policies that target
the
American Muslim community in the post-9/11 era and looks at the rise in
Islamophobic rhetoric in our society.
"Along with an increase in the number of bias-related incidents and
experiences, we have also witnessed the negative results produced by
government policies that target ordinary Americans based on religion,
ethnicity or national origin," said CAIR Research Director Dr. Mohamed
Nimer. "It is this guilt by association that has created a sense of
siege
in the American Muslim community."
CAIR began documenting anti-Muslim incidents following the 1995 attack
on
the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
WHEN: Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 10:30 a.m. (Eastern)
WHERE: CAIR's Capitol Hill Headquarters, 1st Floor, 453 New Jersey
Avenue,
S.E., Washington, D.C.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/14/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A KIND WORD
* MEDIA REQUEST: NEW YORK MUSLIMS
* BLAZE GUTS MOSQUE IN NEW JERSEY (Star-Ledger)
- Members of Burned-out Mosque Vow to Rebuild (AP)
* MINISTER BRINGS ANTI-MUSLIM MESSAGE TO N.J. (Bergen Record)
- VT Muslims See Both Sides of Post-9/11 Scrutiny (Reformer)
- GA Muslim Women Talk of Their Faith (Gwinnett Daily Post)
* ILLINOIS COUNTY SUED OVER MUSLIM SCHOOL RULING (Daily Journal)
* PATRIOT ACT BATTLE IS FOUGHT LOCALLY (USA Today)
- Patriot Act Has Some Looking Over Their Shoulders (NBC25)
* PAKISTANI DOCTORS REFUSED VISAS (APPNA)
* N.J. FOOD LAW WORRIES MUSLIM COMMUNITY (Star-Ledger)
* COULTER AND SAVAGE TAKE A LICKING (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A KIND WORD
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Let each of you protect
himself against Hellfire, be it with even half a date (given in
charity) -
and if (you have nothing material to give), then with a kind word."
Hadith Qudsi 13
-----
MEDIA REQUEST: NEW YORK MUSLIMS
I'm a journalist with the Observer newspaper http://www.guardian.co.uk
and
I am in the process of making a documentary with Channel 4 in the UK.
The documentary will focus on New York Muslims who were directly or
indirectly affected by the attacks on Sept 11. We're not looking into
hate
crimes against Muslims post-Sept 11 but rather Muslim firemen,
policemen,
ordinary civilians who helped save lives and ordinary Muslims who are
on
those two planes or working in the two towers.
This documentary can only go ahead if I find sufficient Muslim families
who
are willing to talk about the Sept 11 experiences.
Contact: Fareena Alam, fareena_alam@yahoo.com
-----
BLAZE GUTS MOSQUE IN ELIZABETH
Maura McDermott, Star-Ledger, 7/14/03
http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1058162520200630.xml
Firefighters braved an intense fire at the Dar-Ul-Islam Mosque in
Elizabeth
yesterday to rescue a man from a second-floor window as flames consumed
the
historic building.
More than 100 people, most of whom were members of the mosque's
congregation, gathered across the street as 20 fire crews from
throughout
Union County battled the five-alarm blaze.
Mujahid Abdur-Rahman, a mosque security guard who was plucked by ladder
crews from the window, was uninjured. He made the initial call to
emergency
officials shortly after 7 p.m. to report the fire.
As firefighters continued to battle the blaze into the evening, Nadhir
Abdus-Salaam, 39, cupped his hands to his face and began to lead his
fellow
parishioners in an Islamic sunset prayer. Tears filled his eyes and
sweat
covered his brow. Veiled women used water leaking from a fire hydrant
for
the ritual washing of their hands and feet.
Salaam said he prayed as he rushed to the scene of the fire as well.
"You hope for the best while your mind is pondering the worst," Salaam
said.
Imam Ali Jaaber said the mosque took over the former Vail-Deane School
in
1995. Jaaber said it is the largest mosque in Union County and the
congregation was planning to open a school there in the fall.
"It burns away the great dreams of the young people," Jaaber said as he
watched the building burn. "This place represents the heart of the
Muslim
community in this city and in Union County."
The historic building had undergone extensive renovations on the first
and
second floors in the last decade to restore the elaborate woodwork and
marble interior, Jaaber said. Plans were under way to complete the work
on
the top level, he said.
Richard Earl, deputy chief of the Elizabeth Fire Department, said the
cause
of the blaze is unknown. Several firefighters had to be treated for
heat
exhaustion, but no major injuries were reported despite several calls
for
fire crews to evacuate the building as the roof collapsed…
SEE ALSO:
MEMBERS OF BURNED-OUT MOSQUE VOW TO REBUILD
WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press, 7/14/03
ELIZABETH, N.J. - Smoke was still wafting from the upper reaches of
Union
County's largest mosque Monday morning, hours after a fast-moving fire
gutted it, and members of the 1,000-strong congregation were already
vowing
to rebuild it.
The cause of the five-alarm blaze at the Dar-Ul-Islam mosque remained
under
investigation, but did not appear to be suspicious, said Assistant
Union
County Prosecutor Robert O'Leary.
"There's no evidence of arson or anything suspicious at this time," he
said.
A formal cause will be determined within a few days, he said.
Abdellah Abdul Qawi, a mosque member, said it had never received any
threats.
He said mosque members will probably worship at one of the city's two
remaining mosques until temporary quarters can be found.
"A situation like this does one of two things: It brings you together
or
pulls you apart," said Qawi, who conferred with fire department
investigators outside the charred three-story building that once housed
an
exclusive girls' preparatory school, the Vail-Dean Academy.
Firefighters rescued a trapped man from a second-floor window as flames
consumed the historic building. Mujahid Abdur-Rahman, a mosque security
guard, was uninjured. He made the initial call to emergency officials
shortly after 7 p.m. to report the fire.
Mosque members cried and prayed across the street as the fire raged
Sunday
evening.
"We put a lot of work into this place, a lot of work," Qawi said,
wearing
an olive green Muslim robe and white skullcap. The mosque had occupied
the
building since 1995.
The mosque had planned to open an Islamic school there in the fall, but
those plans now look impossible, Qawi said.
"I don't think we'll be able to do it," he said. "The damage is too
great."
The building's roof collapsed, as did portions of the second and third
floors. Mujahid Abdur-Rahman, a mosque security guard who reported the
fire, was trapped at a second-floor window as flames consumed the
building,
but he was soon rescued by firefighters…
-----
MINISTER BRINGS ANTI-MUSLIM MESSAGE TO N.J.
John Chadwick, Bergen Record, 7/13/03
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1OSZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NjQwMjEwMiZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=
The Rev. Dr. Norman L. Geisler doesn't like Islam.
Geisler, the president of a seminary in Charlotte, N.C., has said
repeatedly that the world's second-largest religion is dangerously
violent.
And he's finding a receptive audience in churches throughout the
nation,
including two of the largest congregations in North Jersey. When
Geisler
appeared at Hawthorne Gospel Church in March, he castigated Islam's
holy
book, the Koran, and described Islam's founder, Mohammed, as a
murderer…
For Muslims, Geisler's words are nothing new. What they find troubling
is
the number of people willing to listen.
Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, a cadre of influential evangelicals
has
publicly condemned Islam and has taken that message - via books, Web
sites,
and lectures - to Christians nationwide. Muslims, who believe they
worship
the same God as Christians and Jews, say the evangelicals present a
distorted picture of Islam by quoting the most incendiary verses of the
Koran.
"It's become a veritable cottage industry since 9/11," said Ibrahim
Hooper,
spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American Islamic
Relations.
"It used to be the bigots were rejected by the mainstream communities.
Now
we are seeing a growing acceptance, and this sends a chill through the
Muslim community…"
"It creates a lot of ill will and keeps us on the defensive," said
Waheed
Khalid, a founding member of the Darul Islah mosque in Teaneck. "Could
you
imagine someone saying these things about Judaism?" But Khalid also
said,
"I have faith that most Americans are intelligent. They can see through
this and make up their own minds."
Others say Geisler's interpretation of Islam is wrong.
The Koran, scholars say, was composed during two decades in the early
seventh century, and portions of the text reflect the struggle between
the
fledgling Muslim community and the pagan Arab tribes that opposed the
new
movement.
Holding up the violent passages as an example of Islam, one professor
said,
is like saying the slaughter of the Canaanites by the ancient Hebrews
in
the Bible represents Judaism.
"If everyone looked at text the way some of these people are doing,
then
Jews and Christians who accept the Bible would never be able to move
off
square one," said John L. Esposito, a professor at George Washington
University and the author of "What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam."
"My
feeling is these people are just playing to the crowd and exploiting
the
situation…"
SEE ALSO:
AMERICAN MUSLIMS SEE BOTH SIDES OF INCREASED SCRUTINY POST 9/11
Michael Neary, Brattleboro Reformer, 7/14/03
http://www.reformer.com/Stories/0,1413,102~8862~1511403,00.html
BRATTLEBORO -- The attention to Islam that has crystallized in the
United
States in the last several years has also brought religion into sharper
focus for Muslim Americans, sometimes overshadowing other facets of
their
identity, according to several local residents.
Speaking to about a dozen people gathered at the School for
International
Training on Friday night, five residents contemplated the way the
country's
scrutiny of Islam has affected Muslims. The discussion ended the
school's
Salaam/Shalom/Peace program, a weeklong series of presentations and
language lessons focusing on Islam and Judaism.
Abdoul Karim Samake, who grew up in Mali and who now lives in Turner's
Falls, Mass., said his religion had not been a strikingly visible
aspect of
his identity until recently.
"My religious background was not a question in anything I've done --
until
September 11 happened," he said. "It's very unusual for me to be aware
of
my religious background."
"I never thought," said Yasmeen Chaudhri, a Brattleboro resident who
was
born in Pakistan, "that you would ask me why I'm a Muslim and why I
thought
the way I did."
But Chaudhri added later that she preferred open curiosity to quiet --
and
erroneous -- presumptions.
"I actually now welcome questions about Islam," she said. "The
presumptions
about Islam are far more hurtful than a question. I prefer a question…"
---
MUSLIM WOMEN FROM GWINNETT TALK OF CULTURE, RELIGION, WESTERN VIEWS OF
THEIR FAITH AND LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES.
Christy Smith, Gwinnett Daily Post, 7/14/03
http://www.gwinnettdailyonline.com/GDP/archive/article6E1868FE86B046AAA027E701046E45DC.asp
"Images of oppressed Afghani women covered in burqas do not represent
the
true face of Islam," answered Sharon Robbins, Norcross, a former
Presbyterian who converted to Islam six years ago at the age of 45.
"The Quran says women are to be respected and protected by men. She
gives
life to men and cares for them and most Muslim men do hold women in
high
regard."
Islamic law gives women the right to own property, get an education and
work to earn a living. Most Muslim women choose their own careers and
make
their own decisions. Many choose to wear the hijab, from the Arabic
word
"hijaba" meaning "hidden." The hijab is the traditional Muslim scarf
that
covers a woman's hair, ears and neck, not to be confused with the
all-enveloping burqa or the Iranian cape-like chador.
-----
COUNTY SUED OVER MUSLIM SCHOOL RULING
Jon Krenek, Daily Journal, 7/14/03
http://www.daily-journal.com/content/?id=30587
A federal lawsuit alleging religious discrimination over denial of a
Muslim
girls' school construction permit is being leveled against the Kankakee
County Board.
Property owner Dr. Misbah Uddin Ahmed is suing to reverse a 15-8 county
board vote in June blocking construction of the facility, which would
offer
secular and religious education to girls of the Muslim faith.
The lawsuit is filed under a fairly new federal law protecting land use
for
religious purposes.
"He's a very devout man who is dedicated to his religion, and he wants
to
have the opportunity to use his property to give it back to God," said
attorney Alan Smietanski, representing Ahmed. "The county has to prove
it
had a compelling reason to deny the use for religious purposes. That
is, in
my opinion, an impossible burden for the county to sustain."
Ahmed sought to build the boarding school, which would house between 25
and
50 students, on 20 acres adjacent to the Vulcan Materials Quarry along
Illinois Route 50. County board members voting against the school in
June
expressed concerns about the safety of siting a boarding school next to
an
active quarry, and three miles away from Manteno's municipal sewer and
water lines.
Kankakee County State's Attorney Ed Smith said if the case proceeds in
court, it will likely relate to whether the county board had a
compelling
reason to deny the permit, and whether denying the permit was the least
restrictive action the county could take.
The county has 60 days to file a legal response to the lawsuit.
-----
PATRIOT ACT BATTLE IS FOUGHT LOCALLY
Debbie Howlett, USA Today, 7/13/03
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-07-13-patriot_x.htm
Activists in tiny Belfast, Maine, hope to persuade community leaders
Tuesday to join a growing number of states and cities opposed to the
USA
Patriot Act.
Passed by Congress shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks,
the
Patriot Act gives the government sweeping powers to monitor citizens
suspected of having ties to terrorists. Critics say it's a threat to
civil
liberties.
Three states - Hawaii, Alaska and Vermont - plus 134 cities and
counties
have approved resolutions calling for a repeal of the act, according to
the
Bill of Rights Defense Committee. Nearly half of those resolutions - 65
-
have been approved since April 1.
"People are finally getting it, that the Bill of Rights and the
Constitution are being threatened," says Nancy Talanian, director of
the
defense committee, which tracks the resolutions on its Internet site
and
serves as a clearinghouse for information. "They're turning to their
local
governments to make their feelings known..."
SEE ALSO:
PATRIOT ACT HAS SOME LOOKING OVER THEIR SHOULDER
Zeke Changuris, NBC 25, 7/12/03
http://www.nbc25.com/Global/story.asp?S=1358259
JULY 12- Does the government have the right to know what you
read? According to the Patriot Act, passed shortly after September
11th,
it does. And that is causing some concern.
It is hard to say that America has not changed since 9-11. There is a
National Terror Alert scale, increased security and searches at
airports,
and the power of the government to spy on its citizens has broadened as
part of the Patriot Act. That has some civil liberties groups and
librarians nervous.
Mary Baykan, Director of the Washington County Free Library, said "a
federal agent could come in and say with nothing more than a letter,
not a
court order, what they want and you must turn over a persons records
immediately…"
-----
PAKISTANI DOCTORS REFUSED VISAS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, July 13, 2003
The Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA) is
highly
concerned at the risk of having low medical staff at many of the major
training programs across the United States this July.
Beginning of July is the time when hundreds of medical graduates from
all
over the world begin their intense training in many if the busiest and
best
universities and hospitals across America. This year will be different,
as
a large number of highly qualified physicians from Pakistan have been
refused visa for no significant reasons.
These refusals have led to short staffing of the already low number of
physicians providing service in these training programs.
APPNA members have been highly concerned as they feel that the
physicians
of Pakistani origin are being singled out with respect to the visa
rejections. This across the board rejections are by no means a
coincidence.
It is to be noted that the J1 visa is issued specifically for the
purpose
of returning to the country of origin. All the applicants have to abide
by
that and there is not a single knows case of a J1 visa holder who
disappeared after the visa expired.
Pakistani American physicians have been active and significant
contributors
in research and service in the United States. Some of these physicians
of
Pakistani heritage have been acknowledged for their voluntary services
in
helping with the disaster management in the immediate post 9, 11
disaster.
Similarly the Pakistani Physicians have in some cases represented the
State
medical Societies, and achieved official citizen service awards and
also
served in the President's Advisory Commission.
The Pakistani physicians who have returned to Pakistan with their
training
are truly making the difference in Pakistan's health infrastructure…
APPNA is an organization representing over eight thousand physicians in
United States of Pakistani heritage, believes that this short sighted
policy change of visa refusals not only jeopardizes the functioning of
many
of the United states hospitals but also leads to long term loss of
educational and health growth in Pakistan. We appeal to the policy
makers
to immediately reevaluate this procedure, and begin by allowing the
physicians to begin their much needed and awaited training.
APPNA has created a taskforce to help resolve this issue. We are
compiling
a database of the affected US hospitals and Physicians.
For more details please contact Dr Asim Malik at 718-788-5588 or
appnataskforce@aol.com
-----
N.J. FOOD LAW STILL NOT IN EFFECT WORRIES MUSLIM COMMUNITY
Jeff Diamant, Star-Ledger, 7/14/03
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1058162243200630.xml
In July 2000, New Jersey became the first state to pass a law to
protect
consumers of halal food, but three years later the rules still have not
been implemented, to the dismay of the Muslim community.
The law established guidelines that sellers and distributors must
follow
when labeling food halal, the Islamic equivalent of kosher.
Many Muslims viewed the passage of the Halal Food Consumer Protection
Act
as a major step toward helping place Islamic practices on equal civic
footing with those in the Christian and Jewish faiths.
"It was the first (halal) legislation to pass ... so it was a
landmark,"
said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council of Islamic- American
Relations. "We have to protect the landmark by implementing it."
Others say the delay is an insult to the state's Muslim community,
estimated at 250,000 to 300,000.
"I don't know why it would take ... three years to even come up with a
plan
to enforce the law," said Sohail Mohammed, a Clifton attorney who
worked
with legislators on the bill. "Is the government saying to us this is
not a
priority to them?"
Genene Morris, spokeswoman for the Division of Consumer Affairs, which
is
responsible for enforcing the law, said a draft version of procedures
to
implement it is being reviewed by the Attorney General's office.
Language in the bill, signed by then-Gov. Christie Whitman on July 12,
2000, called for its implementation within 180 days.
"I don't have any explanations ... on why it's taking so long," Morris
said, adding that government analysts have questions about disclosure
requirements for sellers. "This is new territory. It's not something
that
we could do overnight. It's something that has taken time…"
-----
COULTER AND SAVAGE TAKE A LICKING
TIM CUPRISIN, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7/14/03
http://www.jsonline.com/Enter/tvradio/jul03/154850.asp
Last week was a bad one for two of the loudest mouths on the right.
First, there was Michael Savage's firing from his MSNBC TV show after a
homophobic outburst. A handful of stations suspended his radio show,
and a
couple dropped it altogether.
But the most pointed criticism was reserved for veteran TV talking head
Ann
Coulter, infamous for her pronouncement that we should invade Muslim
nations, kill their leaders and convert the people to Christianity.
This
round of criticism came from her own in response to her book,
"Treason,"
which she subtitles: "Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on
Terrorism."
Andrew Sullivan, the columnist and conservative thinker, led the
charge:
"By making huge and sweeping generalizations about all liberals,
Coulter
undermines her own arguments and comes close to making them
meaningless. If
you condemn good and bad liberals alike, how can you be trusted to make
any
moral distinctions?"
You can find the rest at www.andrewsullivan.com.
Far-lefty turned far-righty David Horowitz turned on Coulter on his
frontpagemag.com for a book that tries to canonize Sen. Joe McCarthy…
-----
SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
If you know someone who wishes to be added to CAIR-NET, send their
address
to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS UP 15 PERCENT IN PAST YEAR
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/15/03) - A report released today by a prominent
national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group indicates that
anti-Muslim
incidents in the United States increased by 15 percent over the
previous
year. (Numbers rose from 525 confirmed incidents in the 2002 report to
602
in this year's study.) The Council on American-Islamic Relations'
(CAIR)
report - the only annual study of its kind - details incidents and
experiences of anti-Muslim violence, discrimination and harassment
during
the past year.
CAIR's report covers the period from January 1, 2002, to December 31,
2002.
Excerpts and an order form for the complete report are available online
at:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/crr2003.asp
In addition to the direct acts of discrimination and violence, the
report
looks at the impact of post-9/11 government polices, usually related to
the
USA Patriot Act, that have had a negative impact on American Muslim
civil
liberties. Those government actions featured in the report include the
March 2002 raids on Muslim families and businesses in Virginia and
Georgia,
the Special Registration program for Muslim visa-holders, and the
"voluntary" interviews conducted with thousands of Iraqi-Americans. The
report also outlined the increase in Islamophobic rhetoric by
evangelical
leaders such as Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.
The largest number of incidents were reported by Muslims in California,
Florida, Virginia, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Texas, and Maryland. Along
with religious and ethnic profiling, workplace discrimination was one
of
the largest categories of complaints.
"More than any other year, the daily experiences of Muslims in schools,
the
workplace, airports, and in encounters with the courts, police and
other
government agencies included incidents in which they were singled out
because of actual or perceived religious and ethnic identity," said
CAIR
Research Director Dr. Mohamed Nimer, the report's author. Nimer said
anti-Muslim sentiment related to the 9/11 terror attacks was cited in a
number of cases.
"While this report indicates that government policies are part of the
problem, the government can also be part of the solution by refusing to
succumb to the siren song of religious and ethnic profiling," said CAIR
Executive Director Nihad Awad.
Awad noted CAIR offices around the country have been working in close
cooperation with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies through
town
hall meetings, sensitivity training sessions and even joint-news
conferences on security-related issues. He also said Muslims must
become
more involved in political and social activities at the local level
through
voter registration, coalition building and community service.
CAIR began documenting anti-Muslim incidents following the 1995 attack
on
the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The council is America's
largest Islamic civil liberties group, with 16 regional offices
nationwide
and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
SEE ALSO:
ANTI-MUSLIM VIOLENCE ON RISE IN U.S. - REPORT
Sue Pleming, Reuters, 7/15/03
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3092859
WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - Anti-Muslim violence, discrimination
and
harassment is rising in the United States, mainly due to unrelenting
fall-out and antagonism following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, said a
report
on Tuesday.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Islamic
civil
rights group, said its office alone received 602 reports of
discrimination
against Muslims in 2002, a rise of 15 percent over the previous year…
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/15/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: BEWARE OF ANGER
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6282 SPONSORSHIPS
- 'Washington Live' Feedback Sought
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* BREAKING NEWS: RABIH HADDAD DEPORTED
* LEADERS: BURNED NJ MOSQUE WILL BE REBUILT (NY Times)
* DANIEL PIPES: NEW MCCARTHYISM (Star-Telegram)
- Jewish Group Backs Palestinian Conference (News Tribune)
* TERROR SUSPECT ANGRY, DEMANDS ADDITIONAL LAWYER (AP)
* REPORT WARN REPRESSION WILL DESTABILIZE CENTRAL ASIA (RFP)
* PATRIOT ACT DEFIANCE MULLED (ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS)
- Boise Library To Warn Patrons About Patriot Act (CBS)
* PENTAGON TO DIG INTO MARKETING DATA ON CITIZENS (Wash. Times))
* CORE OF WEAPONS CASE CRUMBLING (BBC)
- Who Is Buried in Bush's Speech? (MSN)
* CONFLICT ON IRAQ-SYRIA BORDER FEEDS RAGE AGAINST U.S. (NY Times)
- U.S. Chicken Giveaway Doesn't Fly in Fallouja (LA Times)
* POLL SHOWS DECLINING ARAB AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR BUSH (US Newswire)
* PUBLIC TV IN MINNESOTA AIRS EPISODE ON ISLAMIC FINANCING
* INTERFAITH EVENT
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: BEWARE OF ANGER
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The best of you are
those
who are slow to anger and swift to cool down...Beware of anger, for it
is a
live coal on the heart of the descendants of Adam."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1331
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6282 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6282 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
'WASHINGTON LIVE' LOOKS AT CAIR'S CIVIL RIGHTS REPORT, NC MOSQUE
PROTESTS
To submit questions about these or other subjects to be read on air,
e-mail: cair@washlive.com before 8 p.m. (Easter)
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
BREAKING NEWS: RABIH HADDAD DEPORTED
CAIR has been informed that Rabih Haddad, whose closed deportation
hearings
prompted lawsuits by Detroit area newspapers, U.S. Rep. John Conyers
and
the ACLU, has been deported to Lebanon. Haddad is the co-founder of the
Muslim charity Global Relief Foundation.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, call his attorney, Ashraf Nubani, at
703-658-5151.
-----
CALLING FIRE AN ACCIDENT, LEADERS OF MOSQUE SAY THEY WILL REBUILD
Maria Newman, New York Times, 7/15/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/15/nyregion/15MOSQ.html
After a fire Sunday night badly damaged the Dar-Ul-Islam Mosque in
Elizabeth, N.J., one of the largest in Union County, its directors
vowed
yesterday to rebuild and said they would set up tents to continue
holding
prayer services.
Fire investigators said they still did not know the cause of the
five-alarm
blaze at the mosque, a three-story building on Salem Avenue, nor
whether
the structure was too badly damaged to be repaired. But mosque
officials
said they thought the fire was an accident.
The fire, reported at about 7 p.m. on Sunday, apparently started on the
first floor of the classic-style building and made its way up, said
Fire
Battalion Chief William Scott of the Elizabeth Fire Department...
The mosque is located in a historic building with classical columns
that
for several decades housed the Vail-Deane School, a prestigious girls
school. The Dar-Ul-Islam congregation settled its mosque there in 1994.
No one was injured in the fire, and there was only one person in the
building at the time, a security guard who was rescued by firefighters
through a second-floor window...
-----
NEW MCCARTHYISM
John Taylor, Fort Worth Star Telegram (Texas), 7/13/03
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/opinion/local2/6289024.htm
Apologists for Israel have clearly created a growth industry praising
each
other as they enlighten the benighted public regarding the proper
perspective on the Middle East.
Jeff Jacoby's column... praising Daniel Pipes must, however, be
considered
a new low. Pipes has been nominated to the board of the U.S. Institute
for
Peace. Jacoby thinks Pipes is just the man for the job, as if Israel's
partisans aren't already getting in one another's way in Washington.
Jacoby's suggestion that Pipes would make a good, if controversial,
member
of the Peace Institute because he would foster debate is more than
absurd.
Pipes founded a Web site called Campus Watch that asks students to make
anonymous accusations against university professors whose views of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict are to the left of Ariel Sharon.
Somehow I've just never thought that McCarthyism was a mechanism to
encourage the free exchange of ideas.
ALSO SEE:
JEWISH GROUP BACKS PALESTINIAN CONFERENCE
Sharon Waters, Home News Tribune, 7/15/03
http://www.thnt.com/thnt/story/0,21282,766252,00.html?sec=main?=central
MIDDLESEX COUNTY- A group of Jewish activists, Central Jersey Jews
Against
the Occupation, will help organize a pro-Palestinian conference
scheduled
to be held at Rutgers University in October.
The group formed in the past two weeks and has "well over a dozen
(members)
and is growing every day," said co-founder Abe Greenhouse, 25, who will
graduate from the university next year.
Jeff Perlman, an East Brunswick resident, noted the membership numbers.
"I wouldn't even call 12 people an organization," said Perlman, a
father
who works in health care. "I'm sure I could find 12 Palestinians who
are
against Palestinian terrorism. I'm sure I could find more than 12, but
that's not an organization."
The Central Jersey Jews Against the Occupation is submitting paperwork
to
be registered as a student group at Rutgers, said Greenhouse, a New
Brunswick resident.
Another Rutgers group, New Jersey Solidarity, has created a controversy
with its plans to hold the national student conference at Douglass
College
Oct. 10 to 12.
-----
TERROR SUSPECT ANGRY, DEMANDS ADDITIONAL LAWYER
Mike Robinson, Associated Press, 7/14/03
http://www.suntimes.com/output/terror/14sus.html
A charity director linked to Osama bin Laden is furious and wants legal
help because he believes prosecutors broke a promise to give him a
break in
return for help in the terrorism investigation, his attorney said
Monday.
Enaam Arnaout, 41, head of Benevolence International Foundation, is
facing
a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison after
pleading
guilty to deceiving donors to his suburban-based Islamic charity.
Arnaout pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to a racketeering count and agreed to
cooperate in the terrorism investigation. In exchange, federal
prosecutors
dropped a count accusing him of furnishing aid to al-Qaida terrorists.
But prosecutors have told U.S. District Judge Suzanne B. Conlon who
will
sentence Arnaout at an unspecified date they still believe Arnaout has
extensive ties to bin Laden and his al-Qaida network...
-----
ICG REPORTS WARN REPRESSION OF ISLAM WILL FURTHER DESTABILIZE REGION
Charles Carlson, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 7/14/03
http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2003/07/14072003162845.asp
Prague - Two reports recently published by the International Crisis
Group
(ICG), a Belgian-based organization specializing in global conflict
resolution and monitoring, advise Central Asian governments to
re-examine
the policies toward Islam and rely less on repression, which, the
authors
predict, will only fuel destabilization.
The reports include detailed recommendations to Central Asian countries
and
the West on the need to differentiate clearly between radical and
moderate
Islam.
The report, titled "Central Asia: Islam and the State," takes a broader
view of the historical role of Islam in Central Asia and the varying
forms
the Islamic revival has taken in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan since the collapse of the USSR in 1991.
The report says, "While each country has imposed different degrees of
repression, all have sought to control any appearance of political
Islam,
whether moderate or extreme, and all have sought to use Islam as a tool
of
the state..."
-----
PATRIOT ACT DEFIANCE MULLED:
Katie Pesznecker, Anchorage Daily News, 7/15/03
http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/3463847p-3494771c.html
The Anchorage Assembly could join Fairbanks, the Legislature and other
Alaska cities in standing against the USA Patriot Act, which grants
federal
authorities broad snooping and surveillance powers.
Assemblyman Allan Tesche's resolution, to be considered at tonight's
meeting, asks Anchorage police and other city agencies to refuse to
help
federal agents acting under the Patriot Act in ways that violate "the
rights and liberties guaranteed equally under the state and federal
constitutions." Assembly members Janice Shamberg, Melinda Taylor, Doug
Van
Etten, Fay Von Gemmingen and Brian Whittle are co-sponsors.
Congress passed the Patriot Act during the emotionally charged
aftermath of
Sept. 11, 2001. The law lowers the legal standards federal agents must
meet
to secure wiretaps or search homes and grants them broader access to
personal medical, financial and school records, library records and
bookstore purchases.
More than 150 state and local governments have adopted resolutions
criticizing the act...
ALSO SEE:
BOISE PUBLIC LIBRARY TO WARN PATRONS ABOUT PATRIOT ACT
Scott Logan, CBS Channel 2 Idaho, 7/14/03
http://www2.kbcitv.com/x5154.xml?ParentPageID=x5157&ContentID=x44211&Layout=KBCI.xsl&AdGroupID=x5154
BOISE - The USA Patriot Act was created from the fiery explosions of
the
September 11th terrorist attacks. But many now worry its reach has gone
too
far -- even to the shelves of local public libraries.
And next month, the Boise Public Library will put up signs, warning
patrons
their check-out records and internet search logs can be seized by the
federal government without their even knowing about it...
Much of the Patriot Act, passed with overwhelming support to help fight
terrorism, is concerned with domestic and international transfer of
funds
and related business records. But since there are no restrictions on
the
definitions of "business" in the bill, records of all entities, public
and
private, are covered -- including libraries...
-----
PENTAGON TO DIG INTO MARKETING DATA ON CITIZENS
Audrey Hudson, Washington Times, 7/14/03
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030714-113918-2868r.htm
The type of information that can be legally obtained for a new federal
government computer program ranges from political and religious
contributions to magazine subscriptions, clothing sizes and even data
about
prostate problems.
The Pentagon's Terrorism Information Awareness program is being
designed to
track terrorists, but privacy advocates say it could be misused...
Almost every conceivable tidbit of personal information is collected
and
sold by private firms to create behavioral dossiers on millions of
consumers so marketers can pitch products to them.
But a loophole created for the data-gathering computer program - dubbed
by
critics a "supersleuth" system - makes that same information fair game
for
the government...
-----
CORE OF WEAPONS CASE CRUMBLING
Paul Reynolds, BBC News, 7/13/03
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3063361.stm
Of the nine main conclusions in the British government document "Iraq's
weapons of mass destruction", not one has been shown to be conclusively
true.
The confusion evident about one of the claims, that Iraq sought uranium
from Niger despite having no civilian nuclear programme, is the latest
example of the process under which the allegations made so confidently
last
September have been undermined.
The CIA has admitted that the claim should not have been in President
Bush's State of the Union speech.
It turns out that the CIA and the British intelligence agency MI6
passed
each other like ships in the night and did not share information...
ALSO SEE:
WHO IS BURIED IN BUSH'S SPEECH?
Michael Kinsley, MSN Opinions, 7/14/03
http://slate.msn.com/id/2085612/
Once again a mysterious criminal stalks the nation's capital. First
there
was the mystery sniper. Then there was the mystery arsonist. Now there
is
the mystery ventriloquist. The media are in a frenzy of speculation and
leakage. Senators are calling for hearings. All of Washington demands
an
answer: Who was the arch-fiend who told a lie in President Bush's State
of
the Union speech? No investigation has plumbed such depths of the
unknown
since O.J. Simpson's hunt for the real killer of his ex-wife. (Whatever
happened to that, by the way?)
Whodunit? Was it Col. Mustard in the kitchen with a candlestick?
Condoleezza Rice in the Situation Room with a bottle of wite-out and a
felt-tipped pen?...
-----
CONFLICT ON IRAQ-SYRIA BORDER FEEDS RAGE AGAINST THE U.S.
Dexter Filkins, New York Times, 7/15/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/15/international/worldspecial/15BORD.html
LHERI, Syria - On this desolate stretch of desert along the Iraqi
frontier,
tensions with the American soldiers just across the border are running
so
high, Syrian soldiers say, that four villagers have been shot by
American
soldiers in the past month.
Soldiers on the Syrian side of the border said American soldiers shot
dead
two cousins, one Iraqi and one Syrian, as they crossed into Iraqi
territory
about three weeks ago. Since then, they said, two other Syrian
civilians
have been wounded in separate incidents this month. The Syrians said
that
American helicopters and planes routinely violate Syrian airspace while
patrolling.
The events described at this Syrian border post are the latest in a
series
of incidents along the frontier. They include the American attack, on
June
18, on a convoy suspected of ferrying loyalists of Saddam Hussein, the
former Iraqi leader.
That incident, along a smugglers' route about 30 miles from here, and
the
others have apparently fueled intense anti-American rage in the
villages on
the border. Among the signs of that anger is a series of video discs
circulating through the villages exhorting viewers to attack the
Americans
in Iraq...
ALSO SEE:
U.S. CHICKEN GIVEAWAY DOESN'T FLY IN FALLOUJA:
David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times, 7/15/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-chickenrun15jul15235621,1,5057886.story
FALLOUJA, Iraq - Sgt. Jason McGinn's Humvee convoy pulled up in front
of
the Saud ibn abi Wakas mosque with a load of frozen chickens Monday.
The chickens, rapidly defrosting in the midday sun, were meant for the
needy families of Fallouja. McGinn's psychological operations unit was
making the delivery as part of its efforts to win over clerics and
civilians alike in this city west of Baghdad that has been a center of
Sunni Muslim resistance to the U.S. military occupation.
The imam, a slender, bearded young man, stared hard at McGinn and shook
his
head indignantly.
"We would rather eat rocks than eat chickens from Americans," he spat
out.
"Even the poorest person in Fallouja doesn't want chickens from you."
McGinn's unit was brusquely turned away at three of the four mosques it
visited. The brushoff was yet another reminder for U.S. soldiers that
hostility to the occupation runs deep in many quarters, and that it
will
take a lot more than frozen chickens to pacify Iraq...
-----
POLL SHOWS DECLINING ARAB AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR BUSH - 7/15/03
WASHINGTON -- A poll conducted for the Arab American Institute by Zogby
International reports that support for President Bush has declined. Of
500
Arab American voters surveyed nationwide in July 2003, only one-third
said
they would vote for Bush if the presidential election were held today
(The
poll has a margin of error of plus 4.5 Percent.)
Slightly more than 14 percent of Arab American Democrats and
Independents
polled said they would vote for Senator John Kerry or former Governor
Howard Dean if the Democratic primary were held today.
"The mere 33.5 percent of Arab Americans who indicate support for the
President's reelection effort represent a significant drop in Arab
American
support for Bush who, in November 2000, beat Democrat Al Gore by a
margin
of 45.5 percent to 38 percent" said AAI President James Zogby.
"The most significant decline in support for President Bush occurred
among
the 20 plus percent of Arab Americans who are Muslim. In 2000 they
voted
for Bush by a margin of 58.5 percent to 22.5 percent. This early 2004
poll
indicates that Arab American Muslims would now support a Democrat by a
52
percent to 10 percent margin..."
Contact: Jennifer Salan of the Arab American Institute, 202-429-9210
x21;
http://www.aaiusa.org
Kerry, Dean Lead Among Democrats
-----
PUBLIC TV IN MINNESOTA AIRS EPISODE ON ISLAMIC FINANCING
WHAT: Public TV in the Twin Cities made an episode about the new
immigrant
especially about financing. Title: Coming to America, Reba Free
financing:
Learn how Muslims are financing their businesses without going against
their religion.
WHEN: It will be aired in Twin cities Saturday, July 19, at 6:30 pm Ch.
2
and on Wednesday, July 23, at 7:30pm Ch. 17. For other states, check
local
listings
-----
INTERFAITH EVENT
WHAT: Imam Yahya Hendi, Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University and
the
National Naval Center in MD along with Cardinal Walter Kasper,
President of
the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and of the Vatican
Commission for Judeo-Christian Relations, and Rabbi Terri Bookman,
Spiritual Leader of Temple Beth Am in Miami will be participating in an
interfaith meeting.
This milestone meeting, bringing together Catholic, Jewish and Muslim
participants, has been over a year in the making, but draws special
attention in the wake of current international events.
WHEN: Saturday July 19.
WHERE: College of Saint Elizabeth.
-----
SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/16/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PATH OF PEACE
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6290 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR'S 'Washington Live' Satellite Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* 2 PAKISTANIS SHOT NEAR DC, FRIENDS SUSPECT BIAS MOTIVE
* STUDY FINDS INCREASE IN BIAS COMPLAINTS BY MUSLIMS (Wash. Post)
- Violence, Discrimination Against Muslims Increases (VOA)
- Anti-Muslim acts rise 15 percent (UPI)
- Discrimination Cases Rose 15 Percent in 2002 (RNS)
- Vines, Others Added Anti-Muslim Hate (Baptist Press)
* EEOC FILES 5TH POST-9/11 BACKLASH LAWSUIT (HRnext)
* U.S. DEPORTS CHARITY LEADER IN VISA DISPUTE (NY Times)
- Ann Arbor Man Deported to Lebanon (Detroit News)
- Muslim Cleric Deported to Lebanon (AP)
- U.S. Deports Muslim Activist to Lebanon (Free Press)
* ASHCROFT COULD FACE RECKONING ON DETAINEES (Village Voice)
* CIA: ASSESSMENT OF SYRIA'S WMD EXAGGERATED (KR)
- Rumsfeld's Personal Spy Ring (Salon.com)
* READERS REACT TO INTERVIEWS WITH MUSLIM WOMEN (Daily Post)
* STATE IN SLOW MOTION ON HALAL FOOD RULES (Newhouse)
* U.S. SOLDIERS COMPLAIN OF LOW MORALE IN IRAQ (Reuters)
- Chechnya Abuses Spread Over Border (Reuters)
- Indian Judges Open New Probe in Bloodbath Trial (AFP)
* ISRAELI AIRLINE SECURITY DECRIED BY PASSENGER (Toronto Star)
* LATINO MUSLIMS DAY IN NJ
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PATH OF PEACE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "O God, join our hearts,
mend our social relationship, guide us to the path of peace, bring us
from
darkness to light, save us from obscenities, outward or inward, and
bless
our ears, our eyes, our hearts, our wives, our children, and relent
toward
us...Make us grateful for Thy blessing."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 367
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6290 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6290 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a library sponsored:
"While we have copies of the Koran and some limited children's
materials on
Islam, we are unable to purchase very many materials. These items in
our
library collection may help to explain Islam to a variety of our
Christian
library customers." - Anahuac, TX
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
2 PAKISTANIS SHOT NEAR DC, FRIENDS SUSPECT BIAS MOTIVE
Islamic civil rights group asks FBI to take part in investigation
(BETHESDA, MD., 7/16/2003) - The Maryland office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Maryland) today called on federal
authorities to help investigate the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis
in
the Washington, D.C., area.
Sair Saeed Butt, 26, and Hammad Chaudhry, 22, both from Lahore,
Pakistan,
were fatally shot at 3 a.m. on Monday in Prince George's Country, Md.
The
men were transported to a local hospital where they died. Police point
to
robbery as a motive but friends of the victims say the two could have
been
targeted because of their appearance.
An eyewitness told Pakistan's Dawn newspaper that four or five
teenagers
approached the victims while they were examining a newly-purchased car.
The
attackers allegedly pointed guns at the students, ordered them to raise
their hands and searched their pockets. "Then (they) simply started
shooting at them, without any provocation," said the eyewitness. After
shooting the two men, the attackers fled the scene.
SEE: "2 PAKISTANIS KILLED NEAR WASHINGTON"
http://www.dawn.com/2003/07/16/nat22.htm
"Because the motivation for this attack is not clear, and because there
have been a number of bias-related attacks nationwide on Muslims,
Arab-Americans or those perceived to be Middle Eastern, the
intervention of
the FBI is warranted in this case," said Seyed Rizwan Mowlana,
executive
director of CAIR-Maryland.
Since the beginning of this year, CAIR has received reports of physical
assaults against Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim in California,
Georgia, New Jersey, South Carolina and other states. One incident in
Yorba
Linda, Calif., left a Muslim teenager badly beaten by a group that
allegedly included white supremacists. In Arizona, a Sikh man who may
have
been mistaken for an Arab was shot in Phoenix. In Illinois, an
explosive
device destroyed a Muslim family's van. And just last month, a New
Bedford,
Mass., pizza delivery man was kidnapped, beaten and stabbed, apparently
because his attackers thought he was Muslim.
Only yesterday, CAIR released its eighth annual report on the status of
American Muslim civil rights indicating that anti-Muslim incidents
increased by 15 percent over the previous year.
SEE: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/crr2003.asp
CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group and has 16
regional
offices nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Seyed Rizwan Mowlana, 301-986-1900 OR 240-401-4550; Ibrahim
Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah
Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a journalist's window
to
the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called
ISLAM-INFONET, receive news releases and other materials dealing with
American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society. To
SUBSCRIBE to ISLAM-INFONET, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/islam-infonet/
-----
POST-SEPT. 11 STUDY FINDS INCREASE IN BIAS COMPLAINTS BY MUSLIMS IN
U.S.
Caryle Murphy, Washington Post, 7/16/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61443-2003Jul15.html
Muslims living in the United States were the target of more than 600
alleged incidents of discrimination, harassment and violence in 2002, a
15
percent increase over the previous year, according to a report released
yesterday by a Washington-based Islamic advocacy organization.
The annual report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations is based
on
complaints from Muslims who call the council.
Of the 602 incidents that the council recorded in 2002, 42 -- or 7
percent
-- involved violence against people or property. The most common types
of
anti-Muslim incidents were alleged employment discrimination (17
percent)
and verbal harassment (15 percent), followed by failure to accommodate
religious practices (13 percent), passenger profiling in airports (12
percent) and discriminatory action by government agents, including
"unreasonable arrest, detention, surveillance [and] search" (12
percent),
the report said.
"The fallout from September 11 continues to impact Muslim daily life,
whether at schools, in the workplace or in general public encounters,"
the
report said. "Mistreatment at the hand of federal government
personnel," it
added, "continues to be reported in substantial numbers."
The report, however, noted improvements in the area of airline
passenger
profiling, which dropped to 12 percent of all incidents from the
previous
year's 24 percent, and in "unreasonable detention, search and
interrogation" by law enforcement authorities, which fell to 12 percent
from 19 percent…
"Guilt by Association," the council's eighth annual report on Muslim
civil
rights, covers January through December 2002. The council's 2002
report,
which covered mid-March 2001 to mid-March 2002, noted 32 reported
incidents
of violence against Muslims, or 6 percent of the 525 complaints that
year.
Its 2001 report, covering mid-March 2000 through mid-March 2001, cited
14
violent incidents, or nearly 4 percent of the total of 366 incidents.
Mohamed Nimer, the council's director of research who supervised the
report, cited anti-Muslim statements by some Christian evangelical
leaders
and conservative commentators as contributing to the increase in
anti-Muslim incidents in 2002.
Virginia ranked third, after Florida and California, in the number of
incidents reported last year. Maryland tied with Texas for seventh
place,
and the District tied with New Jersey for ninth place.
ALSO SEE:
VIOLENCE, DISCRIMINATION AGAINST US MUSLIMS INCREASES, SAYS REPORT
Meredith Buel, Voice of America News, 7/15/03
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=EE8E116E-AF99-4DE9-84B014CD8236EAB2
---
ANTI-MUSLIM ACTS RISE 15 PERCENT
United Press International, 7/15/03
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20030715-072817-2546r.htm
---
MUSLIM GROUP SAYS DISCRIMINATION CASES ROSE 15 PERCENT IN 2002
Emily Dagostino, Religion News Service, 7/15/03
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/129/story_12957_1.html
---
MUSLIM GROUP SAYS VINES, OTHERS CONTRIBUTE TO ANTI-MUSLIM HATE
Hannah Lodwick and Robert Marus, Associated Baptist Press News, 7/15/03
http://www.abpnews.com/abpnews/story.cfm?newsId=3704
-----
EEOC FILES 5TH POST-9/11 BACKLASH LAWSUIT
HRnext, 7/14/03
http://www1.hrnext.com/Article.cfm/Nav/5.0.0.0.27823
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a
lawsuit
against Pesce, Ltd., a Houston-based upscale seafood restaurant, for
post-9/11 backlash discrimination. The agency alleges the restaurant
fired
Karim El-Raheb, a general manager, because of his Egyptian ancestry
shortly
after the attacks on New York and Washington.
The case is the EEOC's fifth lawsuit to date charging employers with
unlawful backlash discrimination related to the events of Sept. 11,
2001.
The EEOC's suit, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
Texas,
says that shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, Pesce's co-owner Damian C.
Mandola
began making repeated references in front of the restaurant staff and
patrons that El-Raheb could "pass for Hispanic" and should change his
name
to "something Latin." Moreover, Mandola fired El-Raheb in November 2001
after openly speculating that his Egyptian name and physical appearance
were to blame for Pesce's decline in earnings in the months following
the
terrorist attacks, the lawsuit alleges...
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the EEOC has received more than 800 charge
filings
nationwide alleging post-9/11 backlash discrimination by individual who
are
- or who are perceived to be - Muslim, Arab, Afghani, Middle Eastern,
South
Asian, or Sikh. The two most frequent issues alleged are discharge and
harassment. Nearly 100 individuals aggrieved by 9/11-related employment
discrimination have received over $1,425,000 in monetary benefits
through
EEOC's enforcement, mediation, conciliation, and litigation efforts,
according tot he agency.
-----
U.S. DEPORTS CHARITY LEADER IN VISA DISPUTE
Rachel L. Swarns, New York Times, 7/15/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/16/national/16DEPO.html
WASHINGTON - The founder of a Muslim charity accused of funneling money
to
Al Qaeda has been deported, Justice Department officials said today.
His
lawyer said he was returned to Lebanon late last night.
The man, Rabih Haddad, 41, was the chairman of the Global Relief
Foundation, a charity based in Bridgeview, Ill. The government froze
the
assets of the charity on Dec. 14, 2001, saying it was a financial
pipeline
to terrorists.
Mr. Haddad, a Lebanese citizen who had lived in Ann Arbor, Mich., was
arrested that day for overstaying his tourist visa. He was detained for
a
year and a half, and his case created a furor because he was well-known
among Muslims and because the Justice Department initially barred the
public from his immigration hearings.
Representative John Conyers Jr., Democrat of Michigan, and several
newspapers sued the government and won a court order requiring the
government to open the hearings. Mr. Conyers and others called for Mr.
Haddad's release, saying he was being unfairly targeted because he was
a
Muslim cleric.
"The fact is he has nothing to do with terrorism, nothing to do with
Sept.
11," Mr. Conyers said today.
ALSO SEE:
ANN ARBOR MAN DEPORTED TO LEBANON
David Shepardson, Detroit News, 7/16/03
http://www.detnews.com/2003/metro/0307/16/c08-219018.htm
DETROIT - An Ann Arbor man who co-founded an Islamic charity and was
detained by the federal government for 19 months on suspicion that he
supported terrorism was deported to his native Lebanon on Monday,
officials
said.
Rabih Haddad "called his family from Amsterdam to tell them he was
being
sent to Lebanon," said Karen Morgan, a spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. John
Conyers, D-Detroit.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to confirm that Haddad had been
deported.
Haddad was arrested Dec. 14, 2001, the same day the suburban Chicago
offices of the Global Relief Foundation were raided. Haddad is
co-founder
of the charity, which federal authorities accuse of funneling money to
the
al-Qaida terrorist network...
---
MUSLIM CLERIC DEPORTED TO LEBANON
By Sarah Freeman, Associated Press, 7/16/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-2912550,00.html
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The co-founder of an Islamic charity who was accused
of
overstaying his visa has been deported to Lebanon, officials said
Tuesday.
Rabih Haddad, an Ann Arbor resident and Lebanese citizen, was arrested
Dec.
14, 2001, the same day the suburban Chicago offices of the Global
Relief
Foundation were raided. Haddad is co-founder of the charity, which
federal
authorities accuse of funneling money to al-Qaida.
Neither Haddad nor Global Relief has been charged with a
terrorism-related
crime.
The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Tuesday in
a
news release that Haddad, who had been jailed since his arrest, was
deported Monday night. The rest of his family remains in the United
States...
---
U.S. DEPORTS MUSLIM ACTIVIST TO LEBANON:
Collect call from Amsterdam stuns his wife in Ann Arbor
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 7/16/03
http://www.freep.com/news/mich/haddad16_20030716.htm
The U.S. government deported Muslim activist Rabih Haddad late Monday
to
his native Lebanon, bringing to an end one of the country's most
closely
watched terrorism cases since Sept. 11, 2001.
Haddad, who helped run an Islamic center in Ann Arbor, had been jailed
for
19 months after the U.S. government accused him of overstaying a visa
and
cofounding a charity it said financed terrorism. Haddad said he was in
the
process of renewing his visa and that his charity had no connections to
terrorism. He was never charged with a crime.
Immigration agents with the Department of Homeland Security gave Haddad
a
pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, and escorted him from a Monroe jail
to
Detroit Metro Airport, according to his wife and his attorney. The
agents
flew with Haddad to Amsterdam on a Northwest/KLM plane and were
expected to
fly with him to Lebanon today, a government spokesman said Tuesday.
His wife, Salma Al-Rushaid, said she got a collect call Tuesday morning
from Haddad in Amsterdam alerting her he had been deported. Until then,
neither she nor Haddad's attorney, Noel Saleh, were aware he had been
deported. Al-Rushaid had visited Haddad in jail the day before his
deportation but said she wasn't told about it.
"He was taken away so hush-hush," Al-Rushaid said. "It was cowardly...
-----
ASHCROFT COULD FACE RECKONING ON DETAINEE MISTREATMENT
Chisun Lee, Village Voice, July 16 - 22, 2003
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0329/lee.php
A month after its release, a meticulous exposé of the Justice
Department's
troubling treatment of immigrants detained after the September 11
attacks
has spurred a burst of legal activity that could lead to a reckoning
for
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in a Brooklyn courthouse.
So far unnoticed by the press and the public, a group of detainees has
seized on the 198-page report by the Justice Department's inspector
general
as new fodder for a class action suit that had previously starved for
information from government agencies. In late June, lawyers for the
detainees filed in federal court an expanded version of their civil
complaint against Bush administration officials.
The moment Inspector General Glenn Fine released his findings on June
2,
lawyers at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) in New York City
began amplifying the year-old challenge on behalf of immigrants who had
been arrested in the September 11 probe and held in area prisons. It is
the
only known action so far to allege sweeping rights violations in these
detentions, claiming that they amounted to a systemic, top-down
wrong...
-----
CIA: ASSESSMENT OF SYRIA'S WMD EXAGGERATED
Warren P. Strobel and Jonathan S. Landay, Knight Ridder, 7/15/03
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/6310763.htm
WASHINGTON - In a new dispute over interpreting intelligence data, the
CIA
and other agencies objected vigorously to a Bush administration
assessment
of the threat of Syria's weapons of mass destruction that was to be
presented Tuesday on Capitol Hill.
After the objections, the planned testimony by Undersecretary of State
John
R. Bolton, a leading administration hawk, was delayed until September.
U.S. officials told Knight Ridder that Bolton was prepared to tell
members
of a House of Representatives International Relations subcommittee that
Syria's development of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons had
progressed to such a point that they posed a threat to stability in the
region.
The CIA and other intelligence agencies said that assessment was
exaggerated.
Syria has come under increasing U.S. pressure during and after the Iraq
war
for allegedly giving refuge to members of Saddam Hussein's regime,
allowing
foreign fighters to cross into Iraq to attack U.S. troops and for
backing
Palestinian militant groups that were conducting terrorist strikes on
Israel. After Saddam's government fell, some Bush aides hinted that the
government of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus might be the
next
U.S. target...
ALSO SEE:
RUMSFELD'S PERSONAL SPY RING
Eric Boehlert, Salon.com, 7/16/03
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/07/16/intelligence/index_np.html
During last fall's feverish ramp up to war with Iraq, the Pentagon
created
an unusual in-house shop to monitor Saddam Hussein's links with
terrorists
and his allegedly sprawling arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.
With
direct access to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's office and the
White House, the influential group helped lay out, both to
administration
officials and to the press, an array of chilling, almost
too-good-to-be-true examples of why Saddam posed an immediate threat to
America.
Six months later, with controversy mounting over the administration's
handling of war intelligence, the small, secretive cell inside the
Pentagon
is drawing closer scrutiny and may soon be the subject of a
congressional
inquiry to determine whether it manipulated and politicized key
intelligence and botched planning for post-war Iraq...
-----
READERS REACT TO INTERVIEWS WITH MUSLIM WOMEN
Gwinnett Daily Post, 7/16/03
http://www.gwinnettdailyonline.com/GDP/archive/article484F0A0B7244428F938C93ED0529D686.asp
"I'm canceling my paper effective immediately. I will not, on Sunday
morning, get up and see a bloody Muslim staring at me from your front
pages."
There was anger in the voice-mail message left at the Post Sunday
morning.
Then another, a bit more civil, but just as pointed.
"I think it's a bunch of junk. I've never seen a two-page article on
women
... of any other religion - Judaism, Catholicism or Christianity. And I
resented it very much."
The article prompting these emotions was "Women of Faith," the
centerpiece
of the Post's Page One Sunday in which Staff Correspondent Christy
Smith
interviewed three Muslim women living in Gwinnett...
FOR BACKGROUND, SEE:
MUSLIM WOMEN FROM GWINNETT TALK OF THEIR FAITH AND LIVING IN THE US
http://www.gwinnettdailyonline.com/GDP/archive/article6E1868FE86B046AAA027E701046E45DC.asp
-----
STATE IN SLOW MOTION ON HALAL FOOD RULES
Jeff Diamant, Newhouse News Service, 7/16/03
http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index.ssf?/base/news-1/105835024062400.xml
In July 2000, New Jersey became the first state to pass a law to
protect
consumers of halal food, but three years later the rules still have not
been implemented, to the dismay of the Muslim community.
The law established guidelines that sellers and distributors must
follow
when labeling food halal, the Islamic equivalent of kosher...
But for many Muslims, the purpose of the Halal Food Consumer Protection
Act
has more than just practical benefits. It also is being viewed as a
major
step toward helping place Islamic practices on equal civic footing with
those in the Christian and Jewish faiths.
"It was the first (halal) legislation to pass so it was a landmark,"
said
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council of Islamic-American
Relations. "We have to protect the landmark by implementing it."
Others say the delay is an insult to the state's Muslim community,
estimated at 250,000 to 300,000...
-----
U.S. SOLDIERS COMPLAIN OF LOW MORALE IN IRAQ
Sue Pleming, Reuters, 7/16/03
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3100641
WASHINGTON - Fed up with being in Iraq and demoralized by their role as
peacekeepers in a risky place, a group of U.S. soldiers aired their
plight
on U.S. television on Wednesday and said they had lost faith in the
Army.
Told several times they would be going home only to have their hopes
dashed
this week, a small group of soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division in
Iraq, spoke of poor morale and disillusionment with Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld.
"If Donald Rumsfeld were here, I'd ask him for his resignation," one
disgruntled soldier told ABC's "Good Morning America" show.
Asked by a reporter what his message would be for Rumsfeld, one said:
"I
would ask him why we are still here. I don't have any clue as to why we
are
still in Iraq."
About 146,000 U.S. troops are serving amid mounting security threats in
postwar Iraq. The death toll has now equaled the number killed in the
1991
Gulf War...
SEE ALSO:
CHECHNYA ABUSES SPREAD OVER BORDER - RIGHTS GROUP
Reuters, 7/16/03
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L16593427.htm
MOSCOW - A U.S.-based human rights group accused Russian forces
Wednesday
of committing widespread abuses in the southern region of Ingushetia,
which
abuts war-torn Chechnya, to scare Chechen refugees into going home.
Sweep raids involving arbitrary detentions, mistreatment and looting
had
spread from Chechnya into settlements in Ingushetia housing tens of
thousands of displaced Chechens, said Anna Neistat, director of Human
Rights Watch's Moscow office.
Refugees believed the raids were meant to scare them into going back to
Chechnya for local leadership elections in October, part of a Kremlin
plan
to bring peace to the region after a decade of separatist conflict, she
said...
Moscow says no one is forced to go...
---
INDIAN JUDGES HEARING GUJARAT RIOTS OPEN NEW PROBE IN BLOODBATH TRIAL
Praveena Sharma, Agence France Presse, 7/16/03
AHMEDABAD, INDIA - Judges probing last year's bloody riots in the
western
Indian state of Gujarat opened a new chapter Wednesday in a probe which
could implicate policemen and politicians in the killings.
Judges G.T. Nanavati and K.G. Shah began hearing depositions from
Hindus
and Muslims who witnessed the rioting which killed at least 1,000
people
across the western state in 2002.
Muslim men and women told harrowing stories of being chased by Hindu
mobs,
and of rapes, arson and murders, often in full sight of Gujarat's
police force.
Fifty-six-year-old Munshi Solanki, who owned four restaurants jointly
with
Muslim partners, said his eateries were burnt to the ground during the
rioting that continued for at least two months after erupting in
February
2002.
"There are other Hindu restaurants in the area but my restaurants were
targeted because I have Muslim partners," Solanki, a Hindu, told the
two
judges from New Delhi...
---
ISRAELI AIRLINE SECURITY DECRIED BY PASSENGER
Philip Mascoll, Toronto Star, 7/16/03
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1058307010285&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154
A Toronto woman who was criticized by some fellow Muslims when she
organized a scholarship to honour murdered Jewish American journalist
Daniel Pearl says she was "humiliated" by Israeli security officers and
staff of El Al, Israel's national airline.
Ronna Syed's trip to the Middle East for a six-week university course
in
Arabic was a two-day nightmare of suspicion, delays, bad treatment and
prejudice, she said in a telephone interview from Ramallah in the West
Bank.
"I was humiliated. My Canadian passport had less value than the paper
that
lines a bird cage," said the Pakistan-born Syed.
Syed, a former associate producer for CBC News, said she was singled
out at
London's Heathrow Airport and grilled by El Al security staff about her
laptop computer and video camera. She said she was forced to sit
shoeless
for 45 minutes while tests were done on her shoes. The ordeal lasted 13
hours.
An El Al spokesperson in Tel Aviv said in reply that "Ms Ronna Syed
arrived
only half an hour before the flight that she missed" as opposed to the
21/2
hours that is recommended.
-----
LATINO MUSLIMS DAY IN NJ
WHAT: Latino Muslim Day, a celebration for Muslims to recognize their
Islamic heritage. The program includes lectures, open discussions, free
literature and dinner. Guest Speaker is Omar Pacheco and hosted by Imam
Al
Hayey. All are welcome.
WHEN: Sunday, July 27th starting at 1:30 pm
WHERE: Islamic Educational Center of N. Hudson, 4613 Cottage Place
(47th
St. between Kennedy and Bergenline Avenues) Union City, NJ 07306
For more info email: elabd22@yahoo.com
-----
SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/17/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: PRAISE GOD
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6297 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR's 'Washington Live' Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* EEOC: MUSLIM PILOT FIRED DUE TO RELIGION
- CAIR-St. Louis Applauds EEOC Suit
* ISLAMIC GROUP WANTS SHOOTING INQUIRY (UPI)
- Hundreds Attend Funeral Slain Students (NCPA)
* MUSLIMS: GLODIS' APOLOGY `NOT SUFFICIENT' (Telegram/Gazette)
* JUDGE WON'T SENTENCE CHARITY DIRECTOR AS TERRORIST (AP)
- Palestinian Businessman Seeks Details on Charges (KR)
* CELEBRITIES SLOW TO MOBILIZE IN SUPPORT OF ISRAEL (Forward)
- Analysis: Politics of Terrorism Mature (UPI)
- French Neo-Nazis, Jews Unite in Web Hate (Reuters)
- Irish Detainee Accuses Israel of Intimidation (Reuters)
* THE SPIES WHO PUSHED FOR WAR (Guardian)
* DEBATE ON PATRIOT ACT HITS HOME (Pioneer Press)
- Anchorage Assembly Protests Patriot ACT (AP)
* HOUSE BACKS POLICY FOR BETTER MUSLIM TIES (AP)
* FOOD DRIVE SUCCEEDS (Gazette)
* SUMMER CAMP FOR MUSLIM YOUTH (Washington Post)
* MAC'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPROVES NEW BYLAWS
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: PRAISE GOD
A man once said to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "Wealthy
people have all the rewards; they pray as we pray; they fast as we
fast;
and they (also) have surplus wealth which they give in charity. But we
have
no wealth that we may give in charity (to gain reward from God)."
The Prophet replied: "Should I teach you phrases by which you may
acquire
the rank of those who excel you (in wealth)?...(Say 'God is Most
Great,'
'Praise be to God' and 'Glory be to God' after each prayer)…and end by
saying, 'There is no god but God alone, there is no partner, to Him
belongs
the Kingdom, to Him praise is due, and He has power over everything.'
(The
person who does this) will be forgiven his sins, even if they are like
the
foam of the sea."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 593
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6297 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6297 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a library sponsored:
"Staff was impressed with the selection. Terrific titles for a public
library. (We plan to) make a display to make patrons aware that we own
them
(the materials)." - Eustis, FL
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
MUSLIM PILOT FIRED DUE TO RELIGION AND APPEARANCE,
EEOC SAYS IN POST- 9/11 BACKLASH DISCRIMINATION SUIT
http://www.eeoc.gov/
ST. LOUIS - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
today
filed its sixth post-9/11 backlash discrimination lawsuit under Title
VII
of the 1964 Civil Rights Act against Trans States Airlines, Inc., a
regional commuter airline.
EEOC alleges that Trans States discriminated against Mohammed Hussein,
a
pilot employed as a First Officer, because of his Islamic religious
beliefs
and his Arabic appearance. Mr. Hussein, who is a Pacific Islander and
native of Fiji, was fired one week after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on
September 18, 2001, despite an excellent work record.
Mr. Hussein filed a charge of religious, race and national origin
discrimination with the EEOC in St. Louis after Trans States refused to
provide a reason or other justification for his discharge. During
EEOC's
investigation, Trans States asserted that it discharged Mr. Hussein
primarily because it received an anonymous report that he was in a
"drinking establishment" while in uniform. The EEOC's Complaint
alleges
that contrary to its established policy, Trans States did not
investigate
the alleged report or even identify the person who made it. They
refused to
inform Mr. Hussein of the allegations against him or provide him a
chance
to respond to the purported accusation.
In its suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of
Missouri (Case No. 4:03CV00964 TCM, EEOC v. Trans States Airlines,
Inc.),
the EEOC is seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the company from
engaging in employment discrimination.
EEOC also seeks reinstatement, back wages, compensatory damages,
punitive
damages, and other relief for Mr. Hussein. EEOC filed suit after its
conciliation efforts to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement
proved
futile…
U.S. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION
St. Louis District Office (314) 539-7800
1222 Spruce Street, Room 8.100 TTY (314) 539-7803
St. Louis, MO 63103
Contact: (314) 539-7830, (314) 539-7949
(913) 530-0394 (cell), (314) 539-7910
NOTE: CAIR publishes a booklet, called "An Employer's Guide to Islamic
Religious Practices," designed to prevent religious discrimination in
the
workplace. The booklet is available for $3 (+S/H) by e-mailing:
publications@cair-net.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-ST. LOUIS APPLAUDS EEOC SUIT
(ST. LOUIS, MO, 7/17/2003) - The St. Louis chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-St. Louis) today thanked the local
office
of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for filing
its
sixth post-9/11 backlash lawsuit.
In a letter to Lynn Bruner, director of the EEOC's St. Louis District
Office, CAIR-St. Louis Executive Director James O. Hacking III thanked
the
EEOC for seeking to protect the rights of all Americans and expressed
appreciation for the EEOC's efforts to hold corporations accountable
for
discriminating against employees on the basis of their religion.
"It is only through constant vigilance and the willingness of
courageous
individuals like Mohammed Hussein to challenge discrimination that
corporate America will learn that religious discrimination will not be
tolerated," wrote Hacking.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-St. Louis, James Hacking, 314-602-3794, E-mail:
admin@cair-stl.org; CAIR-National, Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-mail: cair@cair-net.org.
-----
ISLAMIC GROUP WANTS SHOOTING INQUIRY
United Press International, Washington Post, 7/16/03
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20030716-075508-4345r.htm
BETHESDA, Md. - The Council on American-Islamic Relations Wednesday
called
for the FBI to investigate the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis in the
Washington, D.C., area
Sair Saeed Butt and Hammad Chaudhry, both from Lahore, Pakistan, were
fatally shot at 3 a.m. Monday in Prince George's Country, Md.
Detectives believe the motive was robbery, but friends of the victims
say
the two could have been targeted because of their Middle Eastern
appearance, making their deaths a hate crime.
An eyewitness told Pakistan's Dawn newspaper that four or five
teenagers
approached the victims while they were examining a newly purchased car.
The attackers allegedly pointed guns at the students, ordered them to
raise
their hands and searched their pockets.
"Then (they) simply started shooting at them, without any provocation,"
said the eyewitness. After shooting the two men, the attackers fled.
ALSO SEE:
HUNDREDS ATTEND FUNERAL PRAYERS FOR THE SLAIN PAKISTANI STUDENTS
NCPA - The National Council of Pakistani Americans, 7/16/03
WASHINGTON, DC- An exemplary outpouring of sympathy and sorrow was
witnessed for the two slain Pakistani students at funeral prayers held
at
Darul Huda mosque, Springfield, a Washington, DC, suburb. Over 600 men
and
women attended the prayers.
The two Strayer University students, Hamad Chaudhry, 23, and Sair Saeed
Butt, 26, were fataly shot during a late night robbery Monday in
Prince
George's County, Maryland. The bodies were brought to the mosque for
prayers, and will be flown to Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday.
According to a report in Dawn, Maryland police have identified five
suspects involved in the murders. "We have all the details of what
happened. We are in the midst of getting arrest warrants and
identifying
all the suspects," Dawn reports homicide detective Kerry Jernigan as
having
said on Wednesday. Detective Jernigan, the officer-in-charge for the
case
at the Prince George's county police, said all evidence indicate it was
"a
very simple, street robbery."
The National Council of Pakistani Americans
Tel: 202-544-1898
E-mail: media@ncpa.info
-----
MUSLIMS SAY GLODIS' APOLOGY `NOT SUFFICIENT'
John J. Monahan, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
http://www.telegram.com/
BOSTON -- Representatives of a half-dozen ethnic and religious groups
yesterday called for state Sen. Guy W. Glodis, D-Worcester, to resign
or to
apologize for distributing what they described as "a fabricated hate
flier"
recounting a story about the execution of Muslim militants in the
Philippines in 1913.
At a press conference at the Statehouse yesterday, representatives of
the
Islamic Society of Boston, the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester,
the
Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and the Muslim American Society,
branded
Mr. Glodis' actions last month as "inflammatory behavior that could
lead to
violence."
Mr. Glodis has acknowledged that he distributed a disputed account of
an
incident in which American Gen. John J. Pershing executed 49 Muslim
extremists and buried them with "pig entrails" to bar them from heaven.
Mr. Glodis has said he did not intend to offend anyone, but used the
flier
to spark discussion of the need for an aggressive response to
terrorism.
"The media keeps perpetuating this as a Muslim story," he said
yesterday.
"This is an issue about terrorism. It is not about Muslims."
But his critics yesterday said they were not satisfied with Mr. Glodis'
expression of regret to anyone offended by his sending the flier to
fellow
legislators last month.
The group of objectors yesterday said they believe the execution story
is
not accurate, and complained that it "continues to be circulated by
bigots
on the Internet and via other mediums..."
In a press release calling for Mr. Glodis to apologize or resign, and
seeking a Senate Ethics Committee investigation into the incident, the
groups stated "such inflammatory behavior by public officials can lead
to
violence around the world…"
Besides the groups at the press conference, the press release was
signed by
representatives of the American Anti-Discrimination Committee of
Massachusetts, the American Friends Service Committee, the Committee to
Defend Palestinian Human Rights, the Tikkun Community of Boston,
Worcester
Peace Works and the Worcester Area Rainbow PUSH Coalition…
-----
JUDGE WON'T SENTENCE CHARITY DIRECTOR AS TERRORIST
MIKE ROBINSON, Associated Press, 7/17/03
CHICAGO (AP) - In a sharp blow to the government, a judge refused
Thursday
to add as much as a dozen years to the sentence of an Islamic charity
director linked to Osama bin Laden, saying his racketeering offense was
not
a crime of terrorism.
Enaam Arnaout, 41, would have been sentenced to 20 years under federal
guidelines calling for tougher prison terms for those convicted of
terrorism offenses.
Judge Suzanne B. Conlon ruled, however, that the terrorism guideline
does
not apply in Arnaout's case.
He was not convicted of a terrorism offense, she said, "Nor does the
record
reflect that he attempted, participated in, or conspired to commit any
act
of terrorism."
For a simple racketeering conviction he could be sentenced to eight to
10
years in federal prison. Conlon has leeway to give him more or less at
sentencing, scheduled for Aug. 18.
Defense attorney Joseph Duffy said the decision "pretty much vindicates
what the defense has claimed from the inception, and that is that
neither
he nor his charity had anything to do with terrorism…"
SEE ALSO:
PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN SEEKS DETAILS ON CHARGES IN ORLANDO,
FLA.
Pedro Ruz Gutierrez, Knight Ridder/Orlando Sentinel, 7/17/03
Jul. 17--Lawyers for Jesse Maali -- a prominent Palestinian-American
businessman awaiting trial on immigration and money-laundering charges
--
and two of his associates want more details from the U.S. government in
its
case against their clients.
In recent filings in federal court in Orlando, lawyers have complained
that
prosecutors built a broad case against the International Drive
businessman
last year without providing specifics about his alleged wrongdoing.
Without those specifics, the lawyers argue, they are unfairly hindered
in
preparing a trial defense.
"The indictment in this case...provides very few specifics," wrote
Robert
Leventhal, who represents Maali. Lawyers for Maali business partner
Mohammed Saleem Khanani and accountant David Portlock also are asking a
federal judge to intervene.
Maali, 58, and Khanani, 52, both of Orange County, were arrested last
November as about 100 federal, state and local agents raided their
homes
and businesses, which include the Big Bargain World chain and the
Sports
Dominator stores in Orange and Osceola counties.
Investigators seized numerous boxes of documents, froze their bank
accounts
and tried to confiscate their properties. Portlock was arrested a few
days
later on charges of immigration violations and money-laundering…
"Without knowing exactly what it is the defendants are charged with
doing,
it is impossible for defendants to focus their investigation and
prepare to
meet the charges at trial," Leventhal wrote.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Hawkins has refused to comment publicly
about the case. But in a document filed earlier this month she said
that
prosecutors are reviewing possible tax charges against Maali and his
associates that could help answer some of their concerns...
Veteran defense lawyer Cheney Mason of Orlando said the recent motions
by
the defense attorneys seeking more information from the government is a
common strategy in federal court.
"You want to pin the government down in its theory of prosecution,"
said
Mason. "It's. . .designed to bring some fairness and balance to a
prosecution that might not otherwise be there…"
-----
HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES SLOW TO MOBILIZE IN SUPPORT OF ISRAEL
David Finnigan, Forward, 7/18/03
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.07.18/news9.html
LOS ANGELES - Judging from his work on several gruesome Quentin
Tarantino
films, Hollywood producer Lawrence Bender seems like an obvious
candidate
to brave the intifada and visit Israel. But Bender's trip there last
month
marked the first time that the "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction"
producer
had ever been to the Jewish state.
"I'm sort of embarrassed that I've never been to Israel, because as a
Jewish person, I feel, how could you not go to Israel at least once in
your
life," Bender said. The seven-day trip, which featured meetings with
Israeli and Arab leaders, was organized by the Israel Policy Forum, an
American advocacy group that backs the Bush administration's "road map"
peace plan and strongly supported the Oslo process...
Though Bender was clearly moved by the trip, his visit represents a
rare
victory for Jewish activists seeking to boost Hollywood support for
Israel
and attempting to organize star-studded trips to the region. Israel's
consulate in Los Angeles, for example, has little to show for its
year-long
effort to recruit Hollywood stars, other than recent visits by actor
Christopher Reeves and pop diva Whitney Houston...
SEE ALSO:
ANALYSIS: POLITICS OF TERRORISM MATURE
Christian Bourge, United Press International, 7/16/03
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030716-023804-4202r
WASHINGTON -- A coalition of Jewish and Indian-American
special-interest
groups has started lobbying Congress for recognition that U.S. foreign
policy must treat terrorism consistently around the world.
Underlying the seemingly unlikely combination of these disparate ethnic
groups into a lobbying group is a maturing of the war on terrorism into
a
long-term political issue as well as the core ideologies of each group.
The U.S.-India Political Action Committee, a political action group
representing foreign-born and native Indian-American interests, along
with
two prominent pro-Israel American Jewish interest groups -- the
American
Israel Public Affairs Committee and American Jewish Committee -- have
formed a coalition advocating the spread of democracy and opposition to
terrorism worldwide.
Although such coalitions are not a new phenomenon, at the heart of
their
agenda is another goal: to gain greater American support against
Palestinian-sponsored terrorism in Israel and Kashmir
insurgency-related
terror in India...
---
FRENCH NEO-NAZIS, JEWS UNITE IN WEB HATE-REPORT
Joelle Diderich, Reuters, 7/17/03
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=3108194
PARIS - French neo-Nazis formed an alliance with extremist Jewish
groups on
the Internet to publish a torrent of hate messages directed against
Arabs
and Muslims, according to a report by a leading anti-racist group.
Members of extreme-right groups were prepared to set aside their
anti-Semitic feelings to share Web space and know-how with extremist
pro-Israeli campaigners, amid a rise in violence in the Middle East,
the
study found...
The report said 26 Web sites, traced to right-wing and Jewish
extremists
groups in France, operated from the same server in the United States
between 1999 and March this year.
Members of the groups also shared advice on how to send messages
without
leaving electronic trails.
Investigators believed the sites were taken down because of
disagreement
between the groups over the U.S.-led war in Iraq, with Jewish
extremists
supporting the action but some French far right-wingers against it...
---
N.IRISH DETAINEE ACCUSES ISRAEL OF INTIMIDATION
Alex Richardson, Reuters, 7/17/03
BELFAST (Reuters) - A Northern Irish man held for five days by the
Israelis
on suspicion of teaching IRA bomb-making secrets to Palestinian
militants
accused Israel Thursday of trying to scare foreign activists out of the
region.
John Morgan, 40, told a news conference in his hometown Belfast that he
had
no guerrilla links and was in the West Bank as part of an
Irish-Palestinian
school twinning project.
He was arrested Saturday and questioned by Israel's Shin Bet security
service until his release Wednesday, when he left for home.
Israel said he was arrested because he matched the name and description
of
a man British intelligence alleged was a former Irish Republican Army
(IRA)
bomb expert who had defected to the dissident Real IRA.
"They got the information, in the first place, probably from the
British,"
said Morgan when asked at a Belfast news conference who he blamed for
his
arrest. "But it was the Israelis who were trying to intimidate foreign
nationals out of the place, from witnessing what's going on in
Palestine…"
He said he was kept in a concrete "dungeon" with a light on 24 hours a
day,
but added he was not physically ill-treated during his time in custody.
After two days of questioning he agreed to take a polygraph test to
establish his innocence...
"I think they wanted to frighten people from coming in -- there's
another
11 people waiting to be deported now, they're still sitting there,"
said
Morgan. "I was very lucky, they were looking to get rid of me so bad
they
said 'we'll let you go if you pay for the flight home', and I said
'brilliant, I'm away'..."
-----
THE SPIES WHO PUSHED FOR WAR
Julian Borger, Guardian, 7/17/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,999737,00.html
As the CIA director, George Tenet, arrived at the Senate yesterday to
give
secret testimony on the Niger uranium affair, it was becoming
increasingly
clear in Washington that the scandal was only a small, well-documented
symptom of a complete breakdown in US intelligence that helped steer
America into war.
It represents the Bush administration's second catastrophic
intelligence
failure. But the CIA and FBI's inability to prevent the September 11
attacks was largely due to internal institutional weaknesses.
This time the implications are far more damaging for the White House,
which
stands accused of politicising and contaminating its own source of
intelligence.
According to former Bush officials, all defence and intelligence
sources,
senior administration figures created a shadow agency of Pentagon
analysts
staffed mainly by ideological amateurs to compete with the CIA and its
military counterpart, the Defence Intelligence Agency...
-----
DEBATE ON PATRIOT ACT HITS HOME
Ken Goze, Pioneer Press, 7/17/03
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/gv/07-17-03-65781.html
The USA Patriot Act, which gave law enforcement officials much broader
powers to investigate and detain people, may have gotten a free pass
through Congress in the days after Sept. 11, 2001, but the law is now
facing scrutiny from a public that fears the law will prove a greater
threat to civil liberties than to terrorists.
North Shore area residents joined the growing nationwide debate about
the
law, which has led many civic groups and local governments to press for
its
repeal and to slow consideration of even tougher measures drafted by
the
Bush administration.
A League of Women Voters forum Sunday featured U.S. Attorney for
Northern
Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald, American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois
Communications Director Ed Yohnka and several experts on library
issues,
immigration law and banking. About 350 people attended.
The Illinois League of Women Voters recently passed a resolution urging
the
national group to seek abolition of the act, but the group continued
with
earlier plans for the forum to give people a chance to inform
themselves,
said Josie Hamilton, president of the Glenview league...
ALSO SEE:
ANCHORAGE ASSEMBLY PROTESTS PATRIOT ACT
Associated Press, 7/16/03
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/071603/ala_071603ala001001.shtml
ANCHORAGE - Anchorage's governing body on Tuesday joined the state and
other Alaska communities in formally protesting the USA Patriot Act.
The wide-ranging law grants federal authorities new powers to peer into
people's personal lives. Congress passed it after the Sept. 11, 2001
terror
attacks.
The Anchorage Assembly approved member Allan Tesche's resolution, 6-3.
Tesche's resolution requests that Anchorage police and other city
agencies
refuse to help federal agents acting under the Patriot Act in ways that
violate ''the rights and liberties guaranteed equally under the state
and
federal constitutions.'' The act could demand that local police
initiate or
help with immigration investigations and surveillance, which Anchorage
police are not trained for and do not have time for, Tesche said...
-----
HOUSE BACKS POLICY FOR BETTER MUSLIM TIES
Jim Abrams, Associated Press, 7/17/03
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1058434624309260.xml
Washington- The House yesterday approved a $31 billion State Department
bill that seeks to promote better communication with Muslim countries,
outlines a plan to double Peace Corps volunteers and reaffirms the
president's authority to deny money for a U.N. family planning agency.
The legislation, passed 382-42, authorizes State Department and foreign
aid
programs over the next two years. It also endorses President Bush's
Millennium Challenge Account, which gives aid priority to countries
moving
toward open markets and political freedom.
All Cleveland area congressmen voted "yes" except Thomas Sawyer,
Democrat
of Akron, who was not recorded as voting.
The bill emphasizes the need for more public diplomacy, particularly in
Muslim nations, and approves a new network broadcasting to Middle
Eastern
countries. It approves the expansion of the Peace Corps budget with a
goal
of doubling the number of volunteers to 14,000 by 2007...
-----
FOOD DRIVE SUCCEEDS
Alycia Ambroziak, Gazette, 7/17/03
http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/
Organizers of the second annual Ummah Drive were happy to report they
were
exhausted Monday, after spending a day collecting and delivering food
and
toys for less fortunate Muslim families.
"It went very well. The turnout was amazing," said 19-year-old Fariha
Naqvi, who, along with many other Muslim young people, helped organize
the
event, which took place on Sunday at the Canadian Islamic Congress, a
mosque in Dollard des Ormeaux.
"We had 40 to 60 volunteering youth," she said. "We had various
stations
set up, depending on the donation, so if someone donated rice, for
instance, it would go to one station."
"We've compiled a resource list of the less fortunate Muslim families,"
she
said, adding that the Markaz-Al-Islam mosque in St. Hubert held a
similar
drive.
In all, there were 97 families on the list, about 30 of which were from
the
West Island...
-----
MIXING RELIGION, RECREATION
'New Kind' of Summer Camp For Young Muslim Americans
Phuong Ly, Washington Post, 7/17/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51883-2003Jul13.html
It was time for Arabic class, and the boys lounged on the carpet with
their
teacher, making jokes one minute and helping one another recite words
the
next. In another room, two little girls practiced writing the script in
pink marker.
Before long, there would be lunch and board games such as Connect Four.
Making tie-dyed shirts and cooking tacos are planned later this month,
with
lessons on the Koran, the Muslim holy book, squeezed in there
somewhere.
At the Muslim summer camp in Columbia, learning Arabic and Islamic
practices is as casual as the T-shirts and jeans that the youngsters
wear.
Nearly all of the two dozen boys and girls who attend the six-week camp
were born in the United States, and the elders at the Dar al-Taqwa
Muslim
congregation realize that camp has to be as fun as it is educational.
On the Web site for Camp Taqwa, which means "righteousness," the
experience
is touted as a "new kind of Islamic summer camp -- one that children
truly
enjoy attending." The camp mixes religion, arts and crafts, and park
outings like the vacation Bible schools held by Protestant churches and
summer sessions for Jewish and Catholic children...
-----
MAC'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPROVES NEW BYLAWS
WASHINGTON: At a meeting held in Chicago, IL on June 29, 2003 the
American
Muslim Council (AMC) and the American Muslim Alliance (AMA) have
completed
essential details for creating a new unified organization called the
Muslim
American Congress. A 12-member board of directors unanimously adopted
the
new bylaws, budget, and elected a 4-member executive council to run the
day-to-day affairs of the Muslim American Congress (MAC).
The Executive Council consists of Dr. Agha Saeed (Chairman), Dr. Yahya
Basha (President), Dr. Nedzib Sacirbey (Secretary), and Mr. Abdul
Kunbargi
(Treasurer). The Congress plans to inaugurate its DC head office by
September 1, 2003.
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #387
SENATE TO MEET ON PIPES NOMINATION
Urge your senator to reject Pipes' anti-Muslim views
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/17/2003) - CAIR has learned that the Senate
Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will meet on Wednesday, July 23
to
discuss the nomination of Muslim-basher Daniel Pipes to the board of
the
United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
SEE:
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/committees/one_item_and_teasers/committee_hearings.htm
The USIP is a federal taxpayer-funded institution created by Congress
to
promote the peaceful resolution of international conflicts. Its board
of
directors is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
Daniel Pipes is regarded by many Muslims as the nation's leading
Islamophobe. His extremist views and lack of peace-making credentials
disqualify him from serving on a board that seeks to promote peace and
conflict resolution.
Without your immediate input, Pipes' nomination could be approved.
WHY SHOULD ALL PEOPLE OF CONSCIENCE OPPOSE DANIEL PIPES' NOMINATION?
Because Pipes:
* Supports the unrestricted profiling of Muslims and Arabs.
* Refuses to condemn the internment of Japanese-Americans during World
War II.
* Suggested that Israel "raze" Palestinian villages.
* Claims 10 to 15 percent of all Muslims are "potential killers."
* Opposes President Bush's repeated statements that Islam is a religion
of
peace.
* Opposes the president's "road map" to peace in the Middle East.
* Espouses a theory of conflict resolution that rests on the assumption
that peace is achieved only by one side defeating the other with
military
force, and only rarely through reconciliation or negotiation.
* Fails to meet the USIP requirement that board members "have
appropriate
practical or academic experience in peace and conflict resolution."
* Decries any positive portrayal of Islamic history and beliefs in
public
schools.
* Termed the PBS documentary "Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet" an
"outrage."
* Stated: "I worry very much from the Jewish point of view that the
presence, and increased stature, and affluence, and enfranchisement of
American Muslims...will present true dangers to American Jews." Pipes
defended criticism of that quote by saying: "I make the same point
respectively to audiences of women, gays, civil libertarians, Hindus,
Evangelical Christians, atheists, and scholars of Islam, among others,
all
of whom face 'true dangers' as the number of Muslims increases."
* Launched Campus Watch, a web site that included "dossiers" on
professors
and academic institutions thought to be too critical of Israel or too
sympathetic to Islam and Muslims.
* Said: "Mosques require a scrutiny beyond that applied to churches,
synagogues and temples."
* Said: "The Palestinians are a miserable people...and they deserve to
be."
* Claims Muslims have no real religious attachments to the city of
Jerusalem.
* Claims to have a special mental "filter" with which he can detect
those
who want to "create a Muslim state in America."
* Compares American Muslim voter registration drives to those of the
Communist Party USA.
* Said: "As the population of Muslims in the United States grows, so
does
antisemitism," and "black converts [to Islam] tend to hold vehemently
anti-American, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic attitudes."
* Recommend that "vigilant application of social and political pressure
to
ensure that Islam is not accorded special status of any kind in this
country."
* Said: "What we need to do is snarl, not be nice. What we need to do
is
inspire fear, not affection."
* Supports Mujahedeen-e Khalq, a group designated as terrorist by the
State
Department.
(References are available for all the items above.)
WHAT DO MAJOR MEDIA OUTLETS SAY ABOUT THE PIPES NOMINATION?
* Chicago Tribune (4/30/03): "The White House ought to withdraw the
[Daniel
Pipes] nomination, or the Senate should reject it."
* Washington Post (4/19/03): "If the White House doesn't rescind
[Pipes'
nomination], Congress should have the good sense to turn it down."
* Dallas Morning News (4/19/03): "The very idea of putting an advocate
of
force over negotiation onto the board of any organization with "peace"
in
its title seems odd."
* The San Jose Mercury News said Pipes' nomination sends a "mixed
message"
on religious tolerance.
WHAT DO FOREIGN POLICY SCHOLARS SAY ABOUT PIPES?
* Judith Kipper, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, said Pipes "has very extreme views."
* Middle East scholar Don Peretz, professor emeritus of political
science
at the State University of New York at Binghamton said: "I don't think
his
views are conducive to the objectives of the U.S. Institute of Peace,
which
are to work toward peaceful resolution of conflicts."
* William Quandt, a professor who headed the Middle East desk at the
National Security Council during the Carter administration, said he
worried
that if Pipes is confirmed, the appointment would send a discouraging
message to scholars applying for USIP grants.
* Noted scholar and author Edward Said wrote that Pipes is one of a
group
of anti-Muslim pundits who seek to "make sure that the '[Islamic]
threat'
is kept before our eyes, the better to excoriate Islam for terror,
despotism and violence."
* Ted Galen Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy
studies at the Cato Institute, said Pipes is "perhaps the most extreme
hawk
that you could find."
* Prof. Ali Mazrui said that with Pipes on "the Board of this
Institute,
its decisions about Muslims both here and elsewhere would appear less
objective."
* John Womack Jr., Professor of History Center for International
Development Harvard University and Evelyn Fox Keller, Professor of
History
and Philosophy of Science MIT Cambridge: "Pipes...is widely held to
have
virulently racist views and is one of our country's leading Muslim
bashers." (This statement was signed by 58 other professors from around
the
country.)
WHAT DO OTHER MUSLIM, ARAB AND INTERFAITH GROUPS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT
PIPES'
NOMINATION?
* Muslim Public Affairs Council: "Daniel Pipes is NOT an objective
source
on the issue of Islam, Muslims, American Muslims, or Israel/Palestine,
and
has demonstrated this time and time again."
* Arab American Institute: "Throughout his career, Pipes has been a
consistent and virulent critic of the Islamic faith and Muslims in
general.
Nowhere do his writings or speeches indicate that he shares the
Institute's
goal of promoting peaceful resolutions to conflicts."
* American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee: "Daniel Pipes is
fundamentally opposed to peace and reconciliation in the Middle East,
except as a consequence of total Israeli military victory and the total
defeat and subjugation of the Palestinian people, which is a recipe for
endless conflict."
* The Islamic Free Market Institute: "Daniel Pipes has made it his
mission
to promote hate and bigotry and to divide people. The US Institute for
Peace needs a person who brings the many cultures, religions and
ethnicities of our diverse world together, not someone who seeks to
divide
people based on race or religion."
* The Association of Muslim Social Scientists: "In his most recent
writings, Pipes tried to create fear and mistrust in the Jewish and
Christian communities toward Muslim Americans, thereby undermining
interreligious peace and pitting one community against another."
* Interfaith Freedom Foundation: "Pipes likes to say that he opposes
only
'bad' Muslims, but in fact he regularly generalizes about Muslims as a
group."
* The Interfaith Alliance: "As has been made clear by his own remarks,
Daniel Pipes - an outspoken nominee who clearly harbors inherent biases
against Muslim Americans - is hardly an appropriate fit for the United
States Institute of Peace."
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL. Calls
are
best, followed by faxes and then e-mails.)
1) Contact the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
chairman to request that Daniel Pipes nomination be rejected. Contact:
Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), Chairman, Senate Health, Education, Labor
and
Pensions Committee, 428 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC
20510-6300
TEL: (202) 224-5375, Majority Staff: (202) 224-6770, Minority Staff:
(202)
224-0767 FAX: (202) 228-5044 E-MAIL: greggstaff@labor.senate.gov (Attn:
Stephanie Monroe) COPY TO: senator@kennedy.senate.gov,
cair@cair-net.org
2) Contact the committee member who represents your state to ask that
Pipes' nomination be rejected. GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/dpcommittee.asp Send copies of
correspondence
to the other members of the committee and to CAIR.
3) Contact other elected officials in your state to ask that they
oppose
the Pipes nomination. Go to: http://capwiz.com/cair/home/
4) Announce this Action Alert at Friday prayers and other meetings.
LIST OF OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
http://health.senate.gov/committee_members.html
Ranking Member: Edward Kennedy (MA)
202-224-4543 Phone
202-224-2417 Fax
Republicans:
Bill Frist (TN)
202-224-3344 Phone
202-228-1264 Fax
Mike Enzi (WY)
202-224-3424 Phone
202-228-0359 Fax
Lamar Alexander (TN)
202-224-4944 Phone
202-228-3398 Fax
Christopher Bond (MO)
202-224-5721 Phone
202-224-8149 Fax
Mike DeWine (OH)
202-224-2315 Phone
202-224-6519 Fax
Pat Roberts (KS)
202-224-4774 Phone
202-224-3514 Fax
Jeff Sessions (AL)
202-224-4124 Phone
202-224-3149 Fax
John Ensign (NV)
202-224-6244 Phone
202-228-2193 Fax
Lindsey Graham (SC)
202-224-5972 Phone
202-224-1189 Fax
John Warner (VA)
202-224-2023 Phone
202-224-6295 Fax
Democrats:
Christopher Dodd (CT)
202-224-2823 Phone
202-224-1083 Fax
Tom Harkin (IA)
202-224-3254 Phone
202-224-9369 Fax
Barbara Mikulski (MD)
202-224-4654 Phone
202-224-8858 Fax
Patty Murray (WA)
202-224-2621 Phone
202-224-0238 Fax
Jeff Bingaman (NM)
202-224-5521 Phone
202-224-2852 Fax
Jack Reed (RI)
202-224-4642 Phone
202-224-4680 Fax
John Edwards (NC)
202-224-3154 Phone
202-228-1374 Fax
Hillary Clinton (NY)
202-224-4451 Phone
202-228-0282 Fax
Independent: James Jeffords (VT)
202-224-5141 Phone
202-228-0776 Fax
Contact Information for the committee:
428 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6300
(202) 224-5375 - voice
(202) 228-5044 - Fax
Majority Staff #: (202) 224-6770
Minority Staff #: (202) 224-0767
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/18/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: ENTER PARADISE IN PEACE
* NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY ON DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION
* MCGREEVEY BACKS RUTGERS ON PRO-PALESTINE SEMINAR (NY Times)
- NJ Mosques Warn Against Interference with Forum (AP)
* NEVER MIND THE TORTURE (Mother Jones)
* MUSLIM LEADERS WANT GLODIS APOLOGY (State House)
- Glodis Defiant as Protesters Turn Up Heat (Metro West)
* YOUNG MUSLIM AMERICANS FACE MANY CHALLENGES (Voice of America)
- Muslim Exchange Students Looking for Homes (WIS-TV)
* JUDGE ACCEPTS LIFE BAN FOR 'TERRORIST' REMARK (Reuters)
* USDOJ DIRECTOR ADDRESSES INTERFAITH MEETING IN MD
* GATHERING FOR MENTALLY DISABLED MUSLIM CHILDREN IN DC AREA
* MUSLIM TV: BUILDING A BRIDGE (Newsweek)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: ENTER PARADISE IN PEACE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If you greet all whom
you
meet, provide food (to the hungry), care for the well-being of your
kindred, and pray at night when (other) people are asleep, you will
enter
Paradise in peace."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 590
-----
NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY ON DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION
Urge your senator to reject Pipes' anti-Muslim views
CAIR is urging members of the Muslim community and all people of
conscience
to join in a NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY on Monday, July 21, to urge the
Senate
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to reject the
nomination
of Daniel Pipes to the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). The
committee will meet to vote on the proposed nomination on Wednesday,
July 23.
The USIP is a federal taxpayer-funded institution created by Congress
to
promote the peaceful resolution of international conflicts. Daniel
Pipes'
extremist views and lack of peace-making credentials disqualify him
from
serving on a board that seeks to promote peace and conflict resolution.
Without your immediate input, Pipes' nomination could be approved, and
the
purpose of the Institute of Peace would be defeated.
Call the Senators on the committee and make sure your voice is heard.
Committee members' phone numbers are listed below.
WHY SHOULD ALL PEOPLE OF CONSCIENCE OPPOSE DANIEL PIPES' NOMINATION?
Because Pipes:
* Supports the unrestricted profiling of Muslims and Arabs.
* Refuses to condemn the internment of Japanese-Americans during World
War II.
* Suggested that Israel "raze" Palestinian villages.
* Claims 10 to 15 percent of all Muslims are "potential killers."
* Opposes President Bush's repeated statements that Islam is a religion
of
peace.
* Opposes the president's "road map" to peace in the Middle East.
* Espouses a theory of conflict resolution that rests on the assumption
that peace is achieved only by one side defeating the other with
military
force, and only rarely through reconciliation or negotiation.
* Fails to meet the USIP requirement that board members "have
appropriate
practical or academic experience in peace and conflict resolution."
* Decries any positive portrayal of Islamic history and beliefs in
public
schools.
* Termed the PBS documentary "Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet" an
"outrage."
* Stated: "I worry very much from the Jewish point of view that the
presence, and increased stature, and affluence, and enfranchisement of
American Muslims...will present true dangers to American Jews." Pipes
defended criticism of that quote by saying: "I make the same point
respectively to audiences of women, gays, civil libertarians, Hindus,
Evangelical Christians, atheists, and scholars of Islam, among others,
all
of whom face 'true dangers' as the number of Muslims increases."
* Launched Campus Watch, a web site that included "dossiers" on
professors
and academic institutions thought to be too critical of Israel or too
sympathetic to Islam and Muslims.
* Said: "Mosques require a scrutiny beyond that applied to churches,
synagogues and temples."
* Said: "The Palestinians are a miserable people...and they deserve to
be."
* Claims Muslims have no real religious attachments to the city of
Jerusalem.
* Claims to have a special mental "filter" with which he can detect
those
who want to "create a Muslim state in America."
* Compares American Muslim voter registration drives to those of the
Communist Party USA.
* Said: "As the population of Muslims in the United States grows, so
does
antisemitism," and "black converts [to Islam] tend to hold vehemently
anti-American, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic attitudes."
* Recommend that "vigilant application of social and political pressure
to
ensure that Islam is not accorded special status of any kind in this
country."
* Said: "What we need to do is snarl, not be nice. What we need to do
is
inspire fear, not affection."
* Supports Mujahedeen-e Khalq, a group designated as terrorist by the
State
Department.
(References are available for all the items above.)
WHAT DO MAJOR MEDIA OUTLETS SAY ABOUT THE PIPES NOMINATION?
* Chicago Tribune (4/30/03): "The White House ought to withdraw the
[Daniel
Pipes] nomination, or the Senate should reject it."
* Washington Post (4/19/03): "If the White House doesn't rescind
[Pipes'
nomination], Congress should have the good sense to turn it down."
* Dallas Morning News (4/19/03): "The very idea of putting an advocate
of
force over negotiation onto the board of any organization with "peace"
in
its title seems odd."
* The San Jose Mercury News said Pipes' nomination sends a "mixed
message"
on religious tolerance.
WHAT DO FOREIGN POLICY SCHOLARS SAY ABOUT PIPES?
* Judith Kipper, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, said Pipes "has very extreme views."
* Middle East scholar Don Peretz, professor emeritus of political
science
at the State University of New York at Binghamton said: "I don't think
his
views are conducive to the objectives of the U.S. Institute of Peace,
which
are to work toward peaceful resolution of conflicts."
* William Quandt, a professor who headed the Middle East desk at the
National Security Council during the Carter administration, said he
worried
that if Pipes is confirmed, the appointment would send a discouraging
message to scholars applying for USIP grants.
* Noted scholar and author Edward Said wrote that Pipes is one of a
group
of anti-Muslim pundits who seek to "make sure that the '[Islamic]
threat'
is kept before our eyes, the better to excoriate Islam for terror,
despotism and violence."
* Ted Galen Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy
studies at the Cato Institute, said Pipes is "perhaps the most extreme
hawk
that you could find."
* Prof. Ali Mazrui said that with Pipes on "the Board of this
Institute,
its decisions about Muslims both here and elsewhere would appear less
objective."
* John Womack Jr., Professor of History Center for International
Development Harvard University and Evelyn Fox Keller, Professor of
History
and Philosophy of Science MIT Cambridge: "Pipes...is widely held to
have
virulently racist views and is one of our country's leading Muslim
bashers." (This statement was signed by 58 other professors from around
the
country.)
WHAT DO OTHER MUSLIM, ARAB AND INTERFAITH GROUPS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT
PIPES'
NOMINATION?
* Muslim Public Affairs Council: "Daniel Pipes is NOT an objective
source
on the issue of Islam, Muslims, American Muslims, or Israel/Palestine,
and
has demonstrated this time and time again."
* Arab American Institute: "Throughout his career, Pipes has been a
consistent and virulent critic of the Islamic faith and Muslims in
general.
Nowhere do his writings or speeches indicate that he shares the
Institute's
goal of promoting peaceful resolutions to conflicts."
* American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee: "Daniel Pipes is
fundamentally opposed to peace and reconciliation in the Middle East,
except as a consequence of total Israeli military victory and the total
defeat and subjugation of the Palestinian people, which is a recipe for
endless conflict."
* The Islamic Free Market Institute: "Daniel Pipes has made it his
mission
to promote hate and bigotry and to divide people. The US Institute for
Peace needs a person who brings the many cultures, religions and
ethnicities of our diverse world together, not someone who seeks to
divide
people based on race or religion."
* The Association of Muslim Social Scientists: "In his most recent
writings, Pipes tried to create fear and mistrust in the Jewish and
Christian communities toward Muslim Americans, thereby undermining
interreligious peace and pitting one community against another."
* Interfaith Freedom Foundation: "Pipes likes to say that he opposes
only
'bad' Muslims, but in fact he regularly generalizes about Muslims as a
group."
* The Interfaith Alliance: "As has been made clear by his own remarks,
Daniel Pipes - an outspoken nominee who clearly harbors inherent biases
against Muslim Americans - is hardly an appropriate fit for the United
States Institute of Peace."
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
1) Join the NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY on Monday, July 21. On that day, call
senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and
urge
them to reject the nomination of Daniel Pipes to the US Institute for
Peace. Special emphasis should be placed on senators representing your
state. (Report to CAIR what reaction you receive from the senator's
office.)
2. Send an e-mail to committee members by going to:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/dpcommittee.asp
3. Ask friends, relatives and co-workers to call and e-mail.
Chairman: Judd Gregg (NH)
202-224-5375 Phone
202-228-5044 Fax
Ranking Member: Edward Kennedy (MA)
202-224-4543 Phone
202-224-2417 Fax
Republicans:
Bill Frist (TN)
202-224-3344 Phone
202-228-1264 Fax
Mike Enzi (WY)
202-224-3424 Phone
202-228-0359 Fax
Lamar Alexander (TN)
202-224-4944 Phone
202-228-3398 Fax
Christopher Bond (MO)
202-224-5721 Phone
202-224-8149 Fax
Mike DeWine (OH)
202-224-2315 Phone
202-224-6519 Fax
Pat Roberts (KS)
202-224-4774 Phone
202-224-3514 Fax
Jeff Sessions (AL)
202-224-4124 Phone
202-224-3149 Fax
John Ensign (NV)
202-224-6244 Phone
202-228-2193 Fax
Lindsey Graham (SC)
202-224-5972 Phone
202-224-1189 Fax
John Warner (VA)
202-224-2023 Phone
202-224-6295 Fax
Democrats:
Christopher Dodd (CT)
202-224-2823 Phone
202-224-1083 Fax
Tom Harkin (IA)
202-224-3254 Phone
202-224-9369 Fax
Barbara Mikulski (MD)
202-224-4654 Phone
202-224-8858 Fax
Patty Murray (WA)
202-224-2621 Phone
202-224-0238 Fax
Jeff Bingaman (NM)
202-224-5521 Phone
202-224-2852 Fax
Jack Reed (RI)
202-224-4642 Phone
202-224-4680 Fax
John Edwards (NC)
202-224-3154 Phone
202-228-1374 Fax
Hillary Clinton (NY)
202-224-4451 Phone
202-228-0282 Fax
Independent: James Jeffords (VT)
202-224-5141 Phone
202-228-0776 Fax
Contact Information for the committee:
428 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6300
(202) 224-5375 - voice
(202) 228-5044 - Fax
Majority Staff #: (202) 224-6770
Minority Staff #: (202) 224-0767
-----
MCGREEVEY BACKS RUTGERS ON PRO-PALESTINE SEMINAR
Maria Newman, New York Times, 7/18/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/18/nyregion/18RUTG.html
Gov. James E. McGreevey of New Jersey declined yesterday to step in to
prevent a student group from holding a pro-Palestine conference at
Rutgers
University in October, even though some Jewish leaders and others say
the
group promotes anti-Semitic views.
Mr. McGreevey met with the president of Rutgers, Richard L. McCormick,
yesterday to respond to growing criticism that the National Student
Conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement was being organized by
students with ties to terrorists.
But even before his meeting with Dr. McCormick, the governor had been
assured by the state's Office of Counterterrorism that it had no
evidence
that the student group sponsoring the forum, New Jersey Solidarity, had
ties to such groups, said Kathleen Ellis, the governor's director of
communications.
Ms. Ellis said that while the governor did not agree with the views
espoused by the group, he had decided not to try to overturn the
university
president's decision to allow the conference...
SEE ALSO:
NJ MOSQUES WARN AGAINST INTERFERENCE WITH PALESTINE FORUM
WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press Writer, 7/18/03
New Jersey's council of mosques urged state officials not to interfere
in a
planned Palestine forum this fall at Rutgers University.
Citing free speech concerns, Gov. James E. McGreevey said Thursday he
supports a decision by Rutgers to allow a student group, NJ Solidarity,
to
hold the forum in October, but urged Rutgers to monitor the situation
between now and then.
The mosque council, Majlis Ash-Shura of New Jersey, said Friday that
the
forum is for the free expression of ideas and philosophies, and should
not
be limited or restricted.
"The U.S. Constitution affords all Americans the privilege of
addressing
various diverse political issues which may or may not be accepted or
upheld
by the majority," the council said in a statement. "If the Palestine
Conference can be censored, limited or regulated, then there is no free
speech worthy of that which is mandated by the Constitution.
"The founding fathers of this nation were weary of the 'tyranny of the
majority,' and it is for this reason that they went to great lengths to
protect the rights of minorities - whether they be ethnic or
political,"
the group said. "What we are seeing today is the tyranny of the
politically
connected..."
-----
NEVER MIND THE TORTURE
Mother Jones, 7/18/03
http://www.motherjones.com/news/dailymojo/2003/29/we_479_05.html#one
These must be proud days for Islam Karimov, dictator of Uzbekistan and
newly-anointed defender of freedom and democracy in Central Asia.
Indeed, in the eyes of some on the right wing, Karimov appears to have
joined the pantheon of distinguished international freedom fighters. In
his
commitment to the war on terror, the central Asian tyrant has proved
himself the equal of right-wing heroes like Angolan warlord and
conflict
diamond smuggler Jonas Savimbi, who -- with CIA backing and apartheid
South
Africa's help -- prolonged his country's civil war for decades. Or
perhaps
he's more like Nicaragua's thuggish Contras, whom Ronald Reagan
compared to
America's Founding Fathers. Back then, of course, our unsavory allies
abroad were fighting communism. Now they're battling Islamic terrorists
--
or in Karimov's case, any political opposition at all, Islamic or not.
Karimov, an ex-Communist party boss, has worked tirelessly to crush all
domestic dissent in Uzbekistan. He imprisons entire families to punish
one
member. He boils opponents to death. Yes, that's as in immersing
victims in
boiling water. His elections, the State Department itself declared, are
"neither free nor fair." Even the Secretary General of NATO criticized
Karimov's habit of indiscriminately locking people up.
But there stands Karimov, a cornerstone in the White House's war on
terror,
palling around with Donald Rumsfeld and collecting more than $500
million
in US aid last year.
All of this is as it should be, says Stephen Schwartz, a member of the
right-wing Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (which counts
among
its advisors such neoconservative luminaries as accused war-profiteer
Richard Perle, disgraced House leader Newt Gingrich, and former CIA
director James Woolsey). Writing in the Weekly Standard, Schwartz
assures
us that Karimov's sins are nothing to worry about -- just the growing
pains
that all "aspiring democracies" go through. Furthermore, Schwartz
declares,
human rights groups that dare to criticize Karimov's overly broad
definition of "terrorist" are modern-day Neville Chamberlains…
-----
MUSLIM LEADERS WANT GLODIS APOLOGY
Michael P. Norton, State House News Service, 7/16/03
http://www.townonline.com/reading/news/local_regional/ra_relraapology07162003.htm
BOSTON - More than two weeks after a state senator circulated a flier
to
his colleagues that Muslim leaders labeled false and offensive, local
Islamic officials gathered today to again call for a public apology
from
Sen. Guy Glodis, a Worcester Democrat.
Standing outside the state capitol, Islamic leaders said Glodis met
with
them in early July, days after reports that Glodis circulated a flier
through the Senate. The flier claimed US General Jack Pershing, former
military governor in the Philippines, conducted a mass execution of
Muslim
terrorists in 1913 using bullets soaked in pig blood to deprive them
from
entering heaven.
"He said he had not intended to offend anyone," said Sadaf Kazmi, a
Muslim
American Society official who met with Glodis in his Senate office.
"It wasn't a public apology," added Gabriel Camacho of the American
Friends
Service Committee.
Islamic leaders are demanding a public apology that acknowledges the
substance of the email was false, that its contents were hurtful to
Glodis'
constituents and that circulation of the email was a reckless act.
Kazmi said Glodis has shown no remorse for circulating what she called
a
"fabricated hate flier." She and other leaders are angry with him for
asserting the Pershing story is a "historical fact" and closing the
flier
with the following: "Maybe it is time for this segment of history to
repeat
itself, maybe in Iraq?..."
SEE ALSO:
GLODIS DEFIANT AS PROTESTERS TURN UP HEAT
Michael Kunzelman, Metro West Daily News, 7/16/03
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/local_regional/glodis07162003.htm
BOSTON -- State Sen. Guy Glodis remained defiant yesterday in the face
of
renewed Pressure to publicly apologize for circulating a flier that
suggests the United States could prevent terrorist attacks by executing
"Muslim extremists."
Outside the State House yesterday, a group of Muslim-Americans called
on
the Worcester Democrat to resign unless he issues a public apology.
During an interview later in the day, Glodis said he didn't intend to
offend anybody, but he refused to apologize for distributing the flier.
"I never endorsed it. I never condoned it. I just put it out to my
colleagues for their input," he said yesterday. "I certainly don't
apologize for sparking debate and dialogue on our approach to the war
on
terrorism..."
-----
YOUNG MUSLIM AMERICANS FACE MANY CHALLENGES
Stasia deMarco, Voice of America, 7/17/03
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=CFD11660-BA2A-4159-9C8B4D93577CE3AB
This year's Independence Day celebration in Philadelphia was the
backdrop
for a gathering of ten thousand American Muslims. Each year, the
Islamic
Circle of North America and the Muslim American Society hold a joint
convention over the Fourth of July weekend, and the organizations chose
to
meet this year in Philadelphia because it is the city where U.S.
independence was declared back in 1776. They wanted to highlight the
elements of Islamic culture that reflect the same values that are
revered
by all Americans since that first Independence Day: freedom, liberty
and
justice. The official theme of the conference was America at a
Crossroads:
The Struggles for Liberty and Justice. Young Muslim Americans played a
key
role in the proceedings, and reporter Stasia DeMarco spent some time
with
them.
As a crowd gathered on the lawn in front of Philadelphia's Liberty Bell
Pavilion, a group of young Muslims kicked off the annual convention.
Their
ceremony began with a reading from the Koran, followed by a chorus of
children singing the National anthem, then a recitation of the
Constitution's first ten amendments…
For many young American Muslims, even parties with non-Muslim friends
are
off-limits, because they feel such activities move them farther away
from
God. Azra Awan says when she and her Muslim girlfriends hang out, they
do
things like read poetry or listen to nasheeds. She describes nasheeds
as an
Islamic outlet for enjoyment that doubles as a form of prayer…
Trying to be an observant Muslim in America can lead to the sort of
stress
and anxiety Saleem Khan sees often in his psychiatric practice. A
Muslim
American himself, Dr. Khan says the advice he gives American Muslim
families is no different than what he'd tell any other parent...
Although the attacks of September 11 brought the growing
American-Muslim
community into a political and sometimes negative spotlight, Sobia
Ahmab
says they also presented an opportunity. She and other young Muslims
are
committed to showing they are proud Americans, and they want to invite
their non-Muslim neighbors to share in their culture in order to expand
the
definition of what it means to be an American…
SEE ALSO:
TWO MUSLIM EXCHANGE STUDENTS LOOKING FOR HOMES IN MIDLANDS
By Craig Melvin, WIS-TV, 7/17/03
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1365072
(Columbia) July 17, 2003 - Muhammad Adhitya, 16, of Indonesia enjoys
reading and playing football. A Turkish 16-year-old named Korcan Atalay
likes playing guitar and playing basketball. Both are scheduled to
arrive
in Columbia August 7th, but there's a problem.
Brandy Johnston is the area coordinator for PAX, Program of Academic
Exchange . She's trying to find two families willing to take in
Muhammad
and Korcan. If Johnston can't find homes for the teenagers in Columbia
over
the next few weeks, she says she might take them in. Or she might try
to
convince a family member to house one of the students.
Johnston says what's most interesting about the story is why it might
be
taking so long to find homes for the two, "The Islam factor." Both
students
are Muslim, "We're not far out from 9-11. We continue to see coverage.
People are worried."
Johnston says there's nothing to worry about. She believes the family
that
decides to take them in could learn a thing or two, "Instead of basing
all
of our opinions on what we see on the news. We should actually get to
know
these children and what they believe and where they are from."
You can call 461-3823 if you're interested in acting as a host family
for
one of the students.
-----
JUDGE ACCEPTS LIFE BAN FOR 'TERRORIST' REMARK
Reuters, 7/18/03
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A suburban New York judge agreed on Thursday to a
lifelong ban from the bench for asking a Lebanese-American woman if she
was
"a terrorist" when she appeared in court over parking tickets,
officials said.
The state judicial watchdog said in a ruling that Judge William Crosbie
of
Tarrytown, New York, acknowledged he could not successfully defend the
charges of using an ethnic-based comment and agreed "he will neither
seek
nor accept judicial office at any time in the future."
Anissa Khoder, a U.S. citizen who immigrated from Lebanon 14 years ago,
filed a complaint on May 16 with the watchdog, the New York State
Commission on Judicial Conduct.
She said Crosbie asked her at her May 15 court appearance if she was "a
terrorist." Khoder was challenging two parking tickets that had been
left
on her dashboard within one hour.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, Arab-Americans and
particularly Muslims from Arab and South Asian countries, have
complained
of being stigmatized…
-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Daryl Borgquist, 202/305-2966
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS SERVICE DIRECTOR SHAREE
M.
FREEMAN ADDRESSES ISLAMIC INFORMATION CENTER INTERFAITH MEETING IN
ADELPHI,
MARYLAND
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations
Service
Director Sharee M. Freeman will address an Interfaith Meeting on
"Islam:
The Message of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Them)"
sponsored by the Islamic Information Center on Sunday, July 27, 2003,
from
2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Marriot Inn and Conference Center, University
of
Maryland/University College, 3501 University Boulevard East, Adelphi,
Maryland (301/985-7300). Seating will begin at 1:00 p.m.
Director Freeman will address the participants about the Community
Relations Service's efforts to improve race relations for Arab
Americans in
every region of the country. CRS has sponsored a series of Arab,
Muslim,
and Sikh Cultural Awareness and Protocol Seminars as a continuation of
its
efforts to address racial issues affecting these populations in the
aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001 and Operation
Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Community dialogues, forums, and cultural
awareness
seminars educating citizens, officials, and law enforcement have been
effective in defusing racial tensions towards members of those
communities.
The Islamic Information Center of Burtonsville, Maryland, is sponsoring
the
Interfaith Meeting in response to increased public attention and
interest
about Islam and Shia Muslims following Operation Iraqi Freedom. Press
who
plan to attend should preregister with Lyana Snow at the Islamic
Information Center at 410/258-3512 or on-line at the Center's web site
at
www.islamicinformationcenter.org.
The Community Relations Service, a component of the U.S. Department of
Justice, offers conflict resolution and mediation services to
communities
affected by issues of race, color, and national origin. More
information
about the Community Relations Service is available at
www.usdoj.gov/crs.
<http://www.usdoj.gov>
Daryl Borgquist
Media Affairs Officer
Community Relations Service
600 E Street, NW, Suite 6000
Washington, D.C. 20530
202/305-2966 FAX 202/305-3009
-----
GATHERING FOR MENTALLY DISABLED MUSLIM CHILDREN IN DC AREA
Assalam Alaikum,
I have a 10-year-old Down Syndrome brother named Yahya. In an effort to
find mentally disabled children in the Muslim community I am collecting
names and contact information of parents, siblings, or friends of any
child
with a mental disability. Through this I am hoping to create a network
of
Muslim children with disabilities and their families in order to create
a
system of support. The first event I am planning is a meet and greet
gathering. Depending on the level of interest and the number of
participants we can then expand this to include, regular scheduled
meetings, outdoor activities, story telling time etc.
Feel free to contact me at: Atyaf79@yahoo.com
-----
BUILDING A BRIDGE
Christina Gillham, Newsweek, 7/21/03
http://www.msnbc.com/news/938286.asp?cp1=1
Tired of seeing Muslims on American TV portrayed as terrorists or
cabdrivers, Buffalo, New York-based banker Muzzammil Hassan decided to
do
something about it. His solution: an English-language cable-TV station
for
North America's 8 million Muslims. Bridges TV-which Hassan hopes to
launch
next summer in the U. S. and Canada-is aimed primarily at young adult
viewers, who, Hassan says, don't relate to U.S. TV or to imports like
Al-Jazeera. He hopes to attract them with a combination of movies,
sitcoms
and, yes, religious programming.
Hassan already has about 2,000 subscribers and hopes to get 8,000 more
by
the time the channel launches. "There is a desire within the community
for
Muslims to express themselves and find themselves," he says. "[Bridges
TV]
will give them a national platform."
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/20/03
* MUSLIMS AND THE AMERICAN DREAM (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Utah Muslim Leaders Helps Train Law Enforcement
* PROFILE OF CAIR-FL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (Sun-Sentinel)
- Anti-Muslim Incidents Soar in '02 (Sun-Sentinel)
* FLORIDA CUTS FUNDING FOR ISLAMIC SCHOOL (AP)
* FBI ACCUSED OF BIAS BY ARAB-AMERICAN AGENT (NY Times)
* CITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS U.S. PATRIOT ACT (NBC4)
* EDITORIAL: DISSENT ON DETENTION (Washington Post)
- Some Afghan Prisoners Say U.S. Beat Them (AP)
- Detained by U.S. Without Legal Rights (KR)
- The Next Debate: Al Qaeda Link (NY Times)
* INDIA, ISRAEL INTERESTS TEAM UP (Washington Post)
- Palestinians 'Reduced to Begging' (Guardian)
* PLANNING COMMISSION SUPPORTS MUSLIM SLAUGHTERHOUSE (KARE-11)
* NEW MIDEAST MAGAZINE AIMS TO DISPEL MYTHS (Atlanta Journal)
* THREE DEAF SISTERS NAVIGATE CULTURES (SJ Mercury News)
* EDWARD SAID: BLIND IMPERIAL ARROGANCE (Los Angeles Times)
* A MUSLIM 'RE-MIX' OF COMEDY (Los Angeles Times)
-----
MUSLIM IMMIGRANTS AND THE EPHEMERAL AMERICAN DREAM
Abtihal Raji-Kubba, Salt Lake Tribune, 7/20/03
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Jul/07202003/commenta/76743.asp
I was recently at an airport waiting to board a plane when a big man in
late middle age began speaking to me in a loud, angry voice. He pointed
at
me and said, "You look like one of Saddam's people with that scarf on
your
head."
Shocked, surprised and angry, I briefly pointed out his ignorance and
then
ignored him.
But the incident struck me as an example of the religious and racial
profiling that has taken hold in this country. A man living in one of
the
most advanced, industrious and wealthiest countries, a democracy in
which
he is an eligible voter, sees a Muslim woman wearing a scarf as somehow
a
threat to him, as perhaps "one of Saddam's people."
Likewise, a majority of people who make up our society, along with the
70
federal agencies which have been given authority to engage in
profiling,
are being driven, in many cases, by ignorance and even malice to
profile
those of a certain ethnicity and religious belief…
This racial and religious profiling by our government assumes every
Muslim
is a suspect, a target worthy of investigation. Just as American
Catholics
with an Irish heritage are not automatically considered suspects of
IRA-related terrorism, Muslims should not be automatically treated as
al-Qaida suspects.
Since 9-11, many Muslims in the United States have been victims of hate
crimes and civil rights abuses. They tell stories of being arrested and
treated as guilty until proven innocent. Guilty of what? They see only
that
they are guilty of being Muslims.
Prison cells, abuse, and horror are all too familiar to those who
experienced them in their countries of birth. American Muslims face
what
they feared in their homelands -- retaliation based on ethnicity,
religious
belief and political opinion.
In the weeks prior to the war in Iraq, for example, over 10,000 Iraqi
immigrants were subjects of investigation based on their national
origin.
Another 80,000 Muslim Arab Americans were asked to register and were
fingerprinted by our government. Consequently, many Muslims avoid
declaring
their own identities, and stay away from centers of worship for fear of
being profiled as a terrorist.
The security of our country not to be questioned or taken lightly.
American
Muslims support national security policies that do not discriminate
against
or target one ethnic or religious minority. American Muslims want to
stand
proud defending their country and its policies, but how can they when
they
are being incriminated by their own country for being Muslims?
What has become of the American Dream for American Muslims? What will
become of our children whose birth certificates will forever state
"racial
profile non-exempt"? Who will decide what makes a legitimate case for
profiling and who is going to set the rules?
What group will be the next candidate for profiling? And more
important,
who will claim to have been given the right by God to point out the
next
group of suspect Americans?
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM LEADERS IN UTAH HELP TRAIN LAW ENFORCEMENT
Tim Sullivan, Salt Lake Tribune, 7/20/03
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/jul/07202003/utah/77049.asp
Over the course of the dozens of presentations he has given to college
students, churches and community groups about Muslim culture since
Sept.
11, 2001, Shuaib-Ud Din practically had become an official spokesman
for
Utah Muslims.
Now the imam at West Valley City's Khadeeja mosque is doubly certified
--
this time by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Din and three Utahns participated last week at a DOJ conference in
Denver
focusing on training law enforcement agencies to interact with Muslim
communities. While one part of the one-day event was a cultural
sensitivity
training session for law enforcement agency officials, it also trained
Muslim leaders like Din how best to present Muslim culture to officers.
Law enforcement's focus on Muslim communities has intensified with the
ongoing war on terrorism, millions of dollars pouring into "homeland
security" and rashes of hate crimes committed against Muslims,
including an
arson episode at a Muslim-owned Salt Lake City business.
Community Relations Services, an arm of the DOJ charged with defusing
racial and ethnic conflict, "determined that it would be helpful to
provide
awareness in a consistent fashion," said Philip Arreola, who is
director of
CRS Region 8 in Denver.
Din said the presentation given in Denver by Lobna Luby Ismail,
director of
Connecting Cultures, a nonprofit organization, was similar to his own.
But he added that it was helpful to analyze the process collectively
with
other Muslim leaders, looking at each slide of the PowerPoint
presentation
and discussing what questions often come from it.
Tarek Nosseir, a former general secretary for the Utah Islamic Society,
estimated that since Sept. 11 he has given an average of two
presentations
a month to various groups. "What was added [in Denver] was the
perspective
of presenting to law enforcement," he said…
-----
IN PROFILE; ALTAF ALI
James D. Davis, Sun-Sentinel, 7/19/03
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Title: Florida executive director, Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
based in Davie.
Other job experience: Former auto bodyworker, newspaper deliverer,
supervisor for the state Department of Children & Families.
Other community posts: Board member, South Florida Human Rights
Council;
2003-04 participant, Leadership Broward; independent evaluator,
Children's
Services Council of Broward County.
Education: Master's degree in social work, Florida International
University.
Personal: Age 38. Born in British Guyana. South Florida resident since
1984.
Family: Divorced. No children.
Q. How did you get into your vocation?
A. Growing up in British Guyana, before classes, we would start with
the
Lord's Prayer. From that time, I've grown up with a level of
understanding
of other religions. I've always been a person who likes to give, and to
do
community work. In fact, at 14, I taught an Islamic school for
children.
Q. Favorite part of your work?
A. I've had the opportunity to meet genuine, sincere people. Also,
whenever
I find a difficult situation, I try to create a win-win situation, so
that
both parties don't just accept it, but they're agreeable to it.
Q. What's the one most mistaken impression about Islam?
A. Most Americans think Islam is an Arab religion. So everything that
goes
on in the Middle East is a reflection on Islam. In fact, the largest
population of Muslims is in Indonesia.
Q. Don't most Americans see Islam as intolerant?
A. That is what is being played out today. The fault is on our
shoulders.
We haven't conveyed to the American public what Islam is. Most American
Muslims have been concerned with our jobs, our families, building
mosques.
Our involvement in community and civic duties was at a minimum.
Q. How do you deal with the big Jewish community here?
A. I recently addressed a group in Boca Raton. I said, "You have been
through a lot of turmoil and difficulties. Now it's our turn." I said I
would need their help, to learn how they dealt with the problems. I can
learn from them some things…
Q. What book have you been recommending lately?
A. I'm currently reading Taking Back Islam, by Michael Wolfe. It's a
collection of opinions and statements by key individuals in America. I
look
at Islam in this country as a model, how Islam should be followed.
Nowhere
in the world, except during the Hajj (annual pilgrimage to Mecca), is
there
such a collection of Muslims from different nations and backgrounds…
Q. If you could ask God one question, what would it be?
A. "Why is there so much turmoil in the world?"
Q. Your most memorable spiritual experience?
A. In Ramadan, there is a time called the Night of Power. We are told
that
whatever you ask, your prayers are answered. Many years back, I was
asking
for wisdom, and I randomly opened the Quran. And I found a verse that
said,
"Pray, O God, advance me in wisdom." It could be coincidental, but I
was
happy that it was what I was praying for.
Q. What does your faith say about other faiths?
A. A verse in the Quran says: "O mankind! You have been created into
different nations and different tribes, so that you may know one
another."
God is telling all of us -- Muslims and non-Muslims -- that we are to
know
each other and get along with each other…
Q. When things get you down, how do you reconnect with the spirit?
A. I contemplate on the creation of an ant. In that ant there are
senses, a
digestive system, a thought process. If God is so great, he can create
something like that, what more can he do? Whatever injustice is
happening,
one day, justice will be served.
Q. Have you ever doubted your faith?
A. No, because the majesty of God is all around us. I admired the
astronauts, because they had a chance to travel through the sky and
look at
creation around them. It proves to me that God is evident…
SEE ALSO:
REPORT: ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS SOAR IN '02
Tanya Weinberg, Sun-Sentinel, 7/19/03
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pcmuslim19jul19,0,6098679.story
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
released a
report Friday cataloguing 78 anti-Muslim incidents it investigated in
2002,
almost twice the number for the previous year.
"Our intent ... is to raise awareness and sensitivity such that the
treatment that's afforded other groups and individuals is afforded to
Muslims," said the chapter's spokesman, Parvez Ahmed, who wrote the
report.
Muslims have repeatedly condemned terrorism, but continue to face a
backlash after the Sept. 11 attacks, he said. The biggest increases in
incidents occurred in three categories: discrimination by state
government
agencies, which jumped from one to 14; assault or vandalism, from three
to
13; and profiling by the government, from six to 14.
The report included only the complaints that the council could
substantiate, said Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida group,
which began collecting complaints in 2001.
This year, the Florida council has received 50 complaints. The release
came
on the heels of the council's national report, which included 602
complaints in 2002, up from 525 the previous year.
Florida ranked second in complaints after California.
Ali said that the rising numbers might be attributed to a growing
willingness to report incidents to the council.
But he and other leaders said discrimination has also increased…
The report praised some government efforts to stem hate crimes, such as
public assurances by Gov. Jeb Bush that "persecution of people based on
their faith or nationality will not be tolerated."
Bush made the statement after the arrest of Robert Goldstein, a Tampa
podiatrist found with an arsenal of explosives and a plan to blow up a
local mosque.
The council recorded a number of complaints against staff at the
Department
of Motor Vehicles for verbal harassment and demanding women remove
their
headscarves, but commended the agency for working "diligently in
addressing
these problems."
After the council provided sensitivity training to DMV staff,
complaints
immediately dropped off, Ali said.
-----
FLORIDA CUTS FUNDING FOR ISLAMIC SCHOOL
Mitch Stacy, Associated Press, 7/19/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-attacks-professors-school,0,131639.story
TAMPA, Fla. - A state program that pays tuition for some low-income
private
school students will cut payments to an Islamic school co-founded by a
professor accused of terrorist ties, officials said Friday.
Parental Rights in Deciding Education will eliminate funding for the
Islamic Academy of Florida for the fall semester pending an
investigation
into how the money was spent, PRIDE chairman John Kirtley said.
About 100 of the school's 300 students were assisted by more than
$300,000
in PRIDE money last year. The students will be able to use their
scholarships at other schools, and another Islamic school in Tampa has
offered to accept them, Kirtley said.
The program's action came after Democrats in the state Senate urged
Gov.
Jeb Bush to exclude the school from the program because one of its
founders, Sami Al-Arian, is accused of leading the U.S. operations of
the
terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Kirtley said the decision to freeze funding for the school was taken to
minimize political damage to PRIDE, and added that he hoped the move
would
be temporary…
-----
F.B.I. IS ACCUSED OF BIAS BY ARAB-AMERICAN AGENT
David Johnston, New York Times, 7/19/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/20/national/20AGEN.html
WASHINGTON - The F.B.I.'s highest-ranking Arab-American agent has filed
a
racial discrimination lawsuit against the bureau, charging that he was
kept
out of the investigation of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackings because of
his
ancestry.
The agent, Bassem Youssef, filed the lawsuit on Friday in Federal
District
Court for the District of Columbia. Mr. Youssef, a naturalized American
citizen born in Egypt, said in his complaint that "no other non-Arab
F.B.I.
employee with similar background and experience was willfully blocked
from
working 9/11-related matters."
Some of the actions against him had broader implications, Mr. Youssef
said
in his complaint, undermining important counterterrorism investigations
prior to the attacks. "The F.B.I. permitted racism to interfere with
national security," Mr. Youssef said in an earlier filing with the
Federal
Bureau of Investigation's equal opportunity office.
In one incident two months before the hijackings, F.B.I. agents in
Miami
lost a prospective informant on the Qaeda terrorist network because of
what
Mr. Youssef said was an internal argument about his involvement in
interviews with the source. Whatever information might have been
learned
was lost, he said…
-----
CITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS U.S. PATRIOT ACT
More Than 130 Cities Oppose Bill
http://www.nbc4.tv/politics/2340263/detail.html
LOS ANGELES -- The South Pasadena City Council approved a resolution
Wednesday night condemning the nation's Patriot Act as a threat to
civil
liberties.
More than 130 cities nationwide have spoken against the Patriot Act,
which
was passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and granted
federal
authorities broad surveillance and investigative powers to help combat
terrorism.
The city resolution passed unanimously Wednesday night will be posted
in
all city departments and copies will be sent to California's
congressional
delegation, the U.S. attorney general and President George W. Bush…
-----
DISSENT ON DETENTION
Washington Post, 9/20/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13964-2003Jul18.html
UNTIL THE WAR on terrorism began and the military brought to American
shores a man named Yaser Esam Hamdi, Americans had no cause to worry
about
their government locking them up without charge. It was thought that
sort
of thing doesn't happen here; people can't be held without access to
lawyers, and those arrested have access to the courts. But Mr. Hamdi,
the
government claimed, was not like other Americans; he was an "enemy
combatant." Allegedly captured with a Taliban unit in Afghanistan, he
was
brought to a Navy brig in Virginia -- where he has been held
incommunicado
ever since -- after military interrogators learned that the
Louisiana-born
Saudi was probably an American citizen. Since his arrival, Mr. Hamdi
has
not been charged and has not seen a lawyer or his family. Earlier this
year
a federal appeals court panel in Richmond declared all of this legal.
The
panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled that the
military owes the courts no more justification for the indefinite
detention
of an American than a two-page affidavit by a Pentagon official. The
president can, with a sweep of the pen, designate individuals as beyond
the
protection of the Bill of Rights.
On July 9, the full 4th Circuit Court, by an 8 to 4 vote, declined to
reconsider the panel's ruling. This is no particular surprise; few were
expecting it to do so. What was surprising was the vigor of the
dissents,
which came from an ideologically eclectic group of the court's judges,
unified less by their sense of how the case should be resolved than by
a
laudable insistence on acknowledging the true stakes for liberty that
it
presents…
ALSO SEE:
SOME AFGHAN PRISONERS SAY U.S. BEAT THEM
Amir Shah, Associated Press
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V2583.AP-Afghanistan-Fre.html
KABUL, Afghanistan - Some of the 16 Afghan prisoners freed from a U.S.
military jail in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said Saturday that their
American
captors beat them, while others said they were not mistreated.
``I have been badly punished 107 times,'' Abdul Rehman, 29, told
Associated
Press Television News in an interview at Kabul Central Jail. He said
that
by ``badly punished'' he meant his captors chained his hands and feet
and
beat him with a metal rod on his legs and back.
A U.S. military spokesman at Guantanamo Bay, Lt. Col. Barry Johnson,
denied
the abuse claims. ``Physical coercion is simply not an option. We don't
do
it. There's no beating,'' he said.
The men, mostly between 20 and 30 years old, were brought to Kabul from
the
U.S. military headquarters at Bagram, north of the capital, on
Thursday,
but their presence in Afghanistan was not announced until Saturday…
---
DETAINED BY U.S. WITHOUT LEGAL RIGHTS
U.S. ignores Geneva Convention and holds prisoners indefinitely
Matthew Hay Brown, Knight Ridder, 7/20/03
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba- As the sun makes its appearance on the Caribbean
horizon, the chant of the muezzin buzzes through the cellblocks of Camp
Delta.
The recorded voice calls the Muslims among the 660 prisoners to kneel
on
their mats, bow toward Mecca and pray.
It also marks the dawn of another day in their indefinite detention,
without criminal charge or prisoner-of-war status, access to lawyers or
visits from family, by the United States.
These are the men that Pentagon officials called the "worst of the
worst"
enemies in the Bush administration's war on terror, combatants they say
are
ineligible for legal representation and unworthy of Geneva Convention
guarantees.
Commanders at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base say they will hold the
prisoners, most of them locked into 7-by-8-foot steel-grate cells for
at
least 231/2 hours a day, until they are drained of their intelligence
value, cleared of criminal wrongdoing and no longer pose a threat to
the
United States.
Now 18 months into the mission, the military is still not saying just
how
long that could take. That uncertainty, camp officials say, might be a
factor in the number of suicide attempts among detainees…
---
THE NEXT DEBATE: AL QAEDA LINK
Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, New York Times, 7/20/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/20/opinion/20BENJ.html
WASHINGTON - In all the debate over the disputed claims in President
Bush's
State of the Union address, we must not forget to scrutinize an equally
important, and equally suspect, reason given by the administration for
toppling Saddam Hussein: Iraq's supposed links to terrorists.
The invasion of Iraq, after all, was billed as Phase II in the war on
terror that began after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But was there
ever a
credible basis for carrying that battle to Iraq?
Don't misunderstand - we should all be glad to see the Iraqi people
freed
from Saddam Hussein's tyranny, and the defeat of Iraq did spell the
demise
of the world's No. 4 state sponsor of international terrorism (Iran,
Syria
and Sudan all have more blood on their hands in the last decade). But
the
connection the administration asserted between Iraq and Al Qaeda, the
organization that made catastrophic terrorism a reality, seems more
uncertain than ever…
-----
INDIA, ISRAEL INTERESTS TEAM UP
Common Needs Lead to a Growing Lobbying Alliance
Alan Cooperman, Washington Post, 7/19/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13526-2003Jul18.html
When the House passed a $ 3 billion aid package for Pakistan this week,
Jewish and Indian American lobbyists teamed up to win an amendment
pressuring Pakistan to stop Islamic militants from crossing into India.
Wearing lapel pins of the Stars and Stripes sandwiched between the
flags of
India and Israel, the amendment's supporters then gathered in a Capitol
Hill reception room to celebrate the burgeoning political alliance
between
Indians and Jews in the United States.
Women in saris mingled among men in yarmulkes, a cacophony of accents
united in a desire for access. Despite their obvious differences, the
alliance has the potential to magnify the voices of two communities
that
are small in number -- about 5.2 million Jews and 1.8 million Indians
--
but highly educated, affluent and attached to democratic homelands
facing
what they increasingly view as a common enemy.
Indians and Jews share "a passionate commitment to respect for others,
for
the rule of law and for democracy," Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), a
Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor, told the jubilant crowd after the
House
vote. "And lately we have been drawn together by our joint fight
against
mindless, vicious, fanatic Islamic terrorism…"
ALSO SEE:
PALESTINIANS 'REDUCED TO BEGGING'
Guardian, 7/19/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1001422,00.html
Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have been "reduced to begging"
by
Israeli military action, and Israel is breaching international law by
failing to provide much-needed aid, a UN expert said yesterday.
"There is a permanent, grave violation of the right to food by the
occupying forces. There is a catastrophic humanitarian situation," said
Jean Ziegler, UN special expert on the right to food.
Palestinian villages are encircled by troops, preventing food being
delivered and farmers from reaching their fields, he said. Many
villages
had to buy their water because sources had been cut off.
Mr Ziegler also cited the destruction or confiscation of fertile
Palestinian land for military zones or Jewish colonies. "We saw
thousands
of olive trees destroyed by bulldozers," he said…
-----
PLANNING COMMISSION SUPPORTS MUSLIM SLAUGHTERHOUSE
http://www.kare11.com/news/news-article.asp?NEWS_ID=49693
A man has cleared one hurdle in his quest to build a slaughterhouse
that
follows Muslim traditions near Fairbault.
Ali Giarushi's slaughterhouse would cater to the thousands of Muslims
living 45 miles away in the Twin Cities. His processing plant would use
the
halal slaughtering process -- a religious ritual similar to the kosher
process used by Jews. It involves slitting an animal's throat. Some
Rice
County residents oppose the plan, saying the slaughterhouse would
disrupt
their rural neighborhood.
-----
NEW MIDEAST MAGAZINE AIMS TO DISPEL MYTHS
Catherine E. Shoichet, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/20/03
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/0703/15arabic.html
An Arabic-language magazine hitting newsstands in the Middle East this
week
may be America's newest weapon in the war on terrorism, a White House
official said Monday.
Hi magazine, which is subsidized by the U.S. State Department, will be
sold
in countries across the Middle East -- including Lebanon, Syria,
Jordan,
Morocco and Algeria -- for roughly $2 an issue…
U.S. officials hope the new monthly magazine, targeted toward
18-to-35-year-olds, will dispel misinformation and misconceptions about
the
United States by focusing on similarities between American and Middle
Eastern cultures with articles about lifestyle, technology and health.
They say it will not be propaganda, but will offer stories, such as one
on
American college life as seen by Middle Eastern students…
-----
THREE DEAF SISTERS NAVIGATE CULTURES
T.T. Nhu, CC Times, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/6344671.htm
SAN JOSE- Naseema Ahmadzay, flanked by her mother in-law and
sisters-in-law, wept quietly as Wagma, her daughter, was honored again
and
again for her accomplishments at the California School for the Deaf
graduation.
Wagma's name was called five times last month to receive academic and
career awards, achievements even more notable because of the cultural
and
language barriers she's had to overcome.
Wagma and her two sisters -- who are also deaf -- must navigate a host
of
language and cultural barriers every day. They deal with communication
problems at home, cultural differences at school and perceptions of
their
deafness in traditional Afghan society.
If the Ahmadzay sisters had remained in Afghanistan they might have
been
confined to their home because of their gender and disability, family
members say. But in the United States they have enjoyed opportunities
unknown in their homeland…
-----
BLIND IMPERIAL ARROGANCE
Vile stereotyping of Arabs by the U.S. ensures years of turmoil
Edward Said, Los Angeles Times, 7/20/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-said20jul20,1,636144.story
The great modern empires have never been held together only by military
power. Britain ruled the vast territories of India with only a few
thousand
colonial officers and a few more thousand troops, many of them Indian.
France did the same in North Africa and Indochina, the Dutch in
Indonesia,
the Portuguese and Belgians in Africa. The key element was imperial
perspective, that way of looking at a distant foreign reality by
subordinating it in one's gaze, constructing its history from one's own
point of view, seeing its people as subjects whose fate can be decided
by
what distant administrators think is best for them. From such willful
perspectives ideas develop, including the theory that imperialism is a
benign and necessary thing…
------
A MUSLIM 'RE-MIX' OF COMEDY
Don Shirley, Los Angeles Times, 7/20/03
http://www.calendarlive.com/nightlife/comedy/cl-ca-artsnotes20jul20.story
You can't take it with you? Perhaps.
But Cornerstone Theater is betting that you can take the 1936 comedy
"You
Can't Take It With You" into a very different milieu from the one
imagined
by playwrights George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart -- and Chris Hart, son
of
Moss, has given his blessing.
"You Can't Take It With You (hel-Yome): An American Muslim Re-mix" is
the
title of the Cornerstone adaptation, to be produced in October as part
of
the company's long-running examination of faith-based communities. The
Arabic "hel-Yome" is translated as "this day."
Adapter Peter Howard's script turns the free-thinking New York family
of
the original into a contemporary Arab American and Muslim family living
in
a big Victorian house near USC in Los Angeles. The young woman who
wants to
be a ballerina in the original now wants to be a hip-hop artist, but
she
still wears her head scarf around the house. The play's stuffier second
family will be of another ethnicity, although also Muslim.
Chris Hart, a director who often stages more traditional revivals of
his
father's work in the Southland, said Howard's script "maintains the
integrity, as well as a lot of the actual writing" of the original.
"It's
good to have a play contemporized in a way that can be meaningful to a
local community…"
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/21/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: CALL TO RIGHTEOUSNESS
* REMINDER: CALL TODAY ON PIPES NOMINATION
* REPORT ON USA PATRIOT ACT ALLEGES RIGHTS VIOLATIONS (NY Times)
- Communities Shun Patriot Act (Washington Times)
* ANTI-MUSLIM RAGE IN U.S. HURTS OTHERS TOO (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: CALL TO RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "He who calls (people to
righteousness), there will be reward (assured) for him like the rewards
of
those who adhered to (that righteous behavior)."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1231
-----
TODAY IS 'NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY' ON DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION
Urge your senator to reject Pipes' anti-Muslim views
CAIR is joining with a number of other Muslim, Arab-American and
interfaith
groups to urge all people of conscience to take part in a NATIONAL
CALL-IN
DAY on Monday, July 21, to urge the Senate Health, Education, Labor,
and
Pensions Committee to reject the nomination of Daniel Pipes to the
United
States Institute of Peace (USIP). The committee will meet to vote on
the
proposed nomination on Wednesday, July 23.
The USIP is a federal taxpayer-funded institution created by Congress
to
promote the peaceful resolution of international conflicts. Daniel
Pipes'
extremist views and lack of peace-making credentials disqualify him
from
serving on a board that seeks to promote peace and conflict resolution.
Without your immediate input, Pipes' nomination could be approved, and
the
purpose of the Institute of Peace would be defeated.
CALL THE SENATORS ON THE COMMITTEE AND MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD.
Committee members' phone numbers are listed below.
WHY SHOULD ALL PEOPLE OF CONSCIENCE OPPOSE DANIEL PIPES' NOMINATION?
Because Pipes:
* Supports the unrestricted profiling of Muslims and Arabs.
* Refuses to condemn the internment of Japanese-Americans during World
War II.
* Suggested that Israel "raze" Palestinian villages.
* Claims 10 to 15 percent of all Muslims are "potential killers."
* Opposes President Bush's repeated statements that Islam is a religion
of
peace.
* Opposes the president's "road map" to peace in the Middle East.
* Espouses a theory of conflict resolution that rests on the assumption
that peace is achieved only by one side defeating the other with
military
force, and only rarely through reconciliation or negotiation.
* Fails to meet the USIP requirement that board members "have
appropriate
practical or academic experience in peace and conflict resolution."
* Decries any positive portrayal of Islamic history and beliefs in
public
schools.
* Termed the PBS documentary "Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet" an
"outrage."
* Stated: "I worry very much from the Jewish point of view that the
presence, and increased stature, and affluence, and enfranchisement of
American Muslims...will present true dangers to American Jews." Pipes
defended criticism of that quote by saying: "I make the same point
respectively to audiences of women, gays, civil libertarians, Hindus,
Evangelical Christians, atheists, and scholars of Islam, among others,
all
of whom face 'true dangers' as the number of Muslims increases."
* Launched Campus Watch, a web site that included "dossiers" on
professors
and academic institutions thought to be too critical of Israel or too
sympathetic to Islam and Muslims.
* Said: "Mosques require a scrutiny beyond that applied to churches,
synagogues and temples."
* Said: "The Palestinians are a miserable people...and they deserve to
be."
* Claims Muslims have no real religious attachments to the city of
Jerusalem.
* Claims to have a special mental "filter" with which he can detect
those
who want to "create a Muslim state in America."
* Compares American Muslim voter registration drives to those of the
Communist Party USA.
* Said: "As the population of Muslims in the United States grows, so
does
antisemitism," and "black converts [to Islam] tend to hold vehemently
anti-American, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic attitudes."
* Recommend that "vigilant application of social and political pressure
to
ensure that Islam is not accorded special status of any kind in this
country."
* Said: "What we need to do is snarl, not be nice. What we need to do
is
inspire fear, not affection."
* Supports Mujahedeen-e Khalq, a group designated as terrorist by the
State
Department.
(References are available for all the items above.)
WHAT DO MAJOR MEDIA OUTLETS SAY ABOUT THE PIPES NOMINATION?
* Chicago Tribune (4/30/03): "The White House ought to withdraw the
[Daniel
Pipes] nomination, or the Senate should reject it."
* Washington Post (4/19/03): "If the White House doesn't rescind
[Pipes'
nomination], Congress should have the good sense to turn it down."
* Dallas Morning News (4/19/03): "The very idea of putting an advocate
of
force over negotiation onto the board of any organization with "peace"
in
its title seems odd."
* The San Jose Mercury News said Pipes' nomination sends a "mixed
message"
on religious tolerance.
WHAT DO FOREIGN POLICY SCHOLARS SAY ABOUT PIPES?
* Judith Kipper, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, said Pipes "has very extreme views."
* Middle East scholar Don Peretz, professor emeritus of political
science
at the State University of New York at Binghamton said: "I don't think
his
views are conducive to the objectives of the U.S. Institute of Peace,
which
are to work toward peaceful resolution of conflicts."
* William Quandt, a professor who headed the Middle East desk at the
National Security Council during the Carter administration, said he
worried
that if Pipes is confirmed, the appointment would send a discouraging
message to scholars applying for USIP grants.
* Noted scholar and author Edward Said wrote that Pipes is one of a
group
of anti-Muslim pundits who seek to "make sure that the '[Islamic]
threat'
is kept before our eyes, the better to excoriate Islam for terror,
despotism and violence."
* Ted Galen Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy
studies at the Cato Institute, said Pipes is "perhaps the most extreme
hawk
that you could find."
* Prof. Ali Mazrui said that with Pipes on "the Board of this
Institute,
its decisions about Muslims both here and elsewhere would appear less
objective."
* John Womack Jr., Professor of History Center for International
Development Harvard University and Evelyn Fox Keller, Professor of
History
and Philosophy of Science MIT Cambridge: "Pipes...is widely held to
have
virulently racist views and is one of our country's leading Muslim
bashers." (This statement was signed by 58 other professors from around
the
country.)
WHAT DO OTHER MUSLIM, ARAB AND INTERFAITH GROUPS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT
PIPES'
NOMINATION?
* Muslim Public Affairs Council: "Daniel Pipes is NOT an objective
source
on the issue of Islam, Muslims, American Muslims, or Israel/Palestine,
and
has demonstrated this time and time again."
* Arab American Institute: "Throughout his career, Pipes has been a
consistent and virulent critic of the Islamic faith and Muslims in
general.
Nowhere do his writings or speeches indicate that he shares the
Institute's
goal of promoting peaceful resolutions to conflicts."
* American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee: "Daniel Pipes is
fundamentally opposed to peace and reconciliation in the Middle East,
except as a consequence of total Israeli military victory and the total
defeat and subjugation of the Palestinian people, which is a recipe for
endless conflict."
* The Islamic Free Market Institute: "Daniel Pipes has made it his
mission
to promote hate and bigotry and to divide people. The US Institute for
Peace needs a person who brings the many cultures, religions and
ethnicities of our diverse world together, not someone who seeks to
divide
people based on race or religion."
* The Association of Muslim Social Scientists: "In his most recent
writings, Pipes tried to create fear and mistrust in the Jewish and
Christian communities toward Muslim Americans, thereby undermining
interreligious peace and pitting one community against another."
* Interfaith Freedom Foundation: "Pipes likes to say that he opposes
only
'bad' Muslims, but in fact he regularly generalizes about Muslims as a
group."
* The Interfaith Alliance: "As has been made clear by his own remarks,
Daniel Pipes - an outspoken nominee who clearly harbors inherent biases
against Muslim Americans - is hardly an appropriate fit for the United
States Institute of Peace."
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
1) Join the NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY on Monday, July 21. On that day, call
senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and
urge
them to reject the nomination of Daniel Pipes to the US Institute for
Peace. (Ask to speak to the person responsible for taking comments on
the
Daniel Pipes nomination.) Special emphasis should be placed on senators
representing your state. (Report to CAIR what reaction you receive from
the
senator's office.
2. Send an e-mail to committee members by going to:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/dpcommittee.asp
NOTE: Contact information for each senator's state office is available
at
the "Bio & Contact Info" link at the address above. Please make a call
to
those offices as well.
3. Ask friends, relatives and co-workers to call and e-mail.
Chairman: Judd Gregg (NH)
202-224-5375 Phone
202-228-5044 Fax
Ranking Member: Edward Kennedy (MA)
202-224-4543 Phone
202-224-2417 Fax
Contact Information for the committee:
428 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6300
(202) 224-5375 - voice
(202) 228-5044 - Fax
Majority Staff #: (202) 224-6770
Minority Staff #: (202) 224-0767
Republicans:
Bill Frist (TN)
202-224-3344 Phone
202-228-1264 Fax
Mike Enzi (WY)
202-224-3424 Phone
202-228-0359 Fax
Lamar Alexander (TN)
202-224-4944 Phone
202-228-3398 Fax
Christopher Bond (MO)
202-224-5721 Phone
202-224-8149 Fax
Mike DeWine (OH)
202-224-2315 Phone
202-224-6519 Fax
Pat Roberts (KS)
202-224-4774 Phone
202-224-3514 Fax
Jeff Sessions (AL)
202-224-4124 Phone
202-224-3149 Fax
John Ensign (NV)
202-224-6244 Phone
202-228-2193 Fax
Lindsey Graham (SC)
202-224-5972 Phone
202-224-1189 Fax
John Warner (VA)
202-224-2023 Phone
202-224-6295 Fax
Democrats:
Christopher Dodd (CT)
202-224-2823 Phone
202-224-1083 Fax
Tom Harkin (IA)
202-224-3254 Phone
202-224-9369 Fax
Barbara Mikulski (MD)
202-224-4654 Phone
202-224-8858 Fax
Patty Murray (WA)
202-224-2621 Phone
202-224-0238 Fax
Jeff Bingaman (NM)
202-224-5521 Phone
202-224-2852 Fax
Jack Reed (RI)
202-224-4642 Phone
202-224-4680 Fax
John Edwards (NC)
202-224-3154 Phone
202-228-1374 Fax
Hillary Clinton (NY)
202-224-4451 Phone
202-228-0282 Fax
Independent: James Jeffords (VT)
202-224-5141 Phone
202-228-0776 Fax
-----
NOTE: CAIR'S recently-released report, "Guilt by Association," also
outlines a number of civil rights abuses related to the USA Patriot
Act.
For more information, or to order the report, got to:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1017&page=NR
REPORT ON USA PATRIOT ACT ALLEGES CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
PHILIP SHENON, New York Times, 7/21/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/21/politics/21JUST.html
WASHINGTON, July 20 - A report by internal investigators at the Justice
Department has identified dozens of recent cases in which department
employees have been accused of serious civil rights and civil liberties
violations involving enforcement of the sweeping federal antiterrorism
law
known as the USA Patriot Act.
The inspector general's report, which was presented to Congress last
week
and is awaiting public release, is likely to raise new concern among
lawmakers about whether the Justice Department can police itself when
its
employees are accused of violating the rights of Muslim and Arab
immigrants
and others swept up in terrorism investigations under the 2001 law.
The report said that in the six-month period that ended on June 15, the
inspector general's office had received 34 complaints of civil rights
and
civil liberties violations by department employees that it considered
credible, including accusations that Muslim and Arab immigrants in
federal
detention centers had been beaten.
The accused workers are employed in several of the agencies that make
up
the Justice Department, with most of them assigned to the Bureau of
Prisons, which oversees federal penitentiaries and detention centers.
The report said that credible accusations were also made against
employees
of the F.B.I., the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Immigration
and
Naturalization Service; most of the immigration agency was consolidated
earlier this year into the Department of Homeland Security…
While most of the accusations in the report are still under
investigation,
the report said a handful had been substantiated, including those
against a
federal prison doctor who was reprimanded after reportedly telling an
inmate during a physical examination that "if I was in charge, I would
execute every one of you" because of "the crimes you all did…"
The report said that the inspector general's office was continuing to
investigate a separate case in which about 20 inmates at a federal
detention center, which was not identified, had recently accused a
corrections officer of abusive behavior, including ordering a Muslim
inmate
to remove his shirt "so the officer could use it to shine his shoes…"
The report is the second in recent weeks from the inspector general to
focus on the way the Justice Department is carrying out the broad new
surveillance and detention powers it gained under the Patriot Act,
which
was passed by Congress a month after the 9/11 attacks.
SEE ALSO:
COMMUNITIES SHUN PATRIOT ACT
Guy Taylor, Washington Times, 7/21/03
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030720-115938-3269r.htm
About 165 communities nationwide have passed resolutions condemning the
USA
Patriot Act. But one little city in northern California has taken its
opposition a step further, making it a misdemeanor for city employees
to
cooperate in enforcing the federal antiterrorism measure.
In March, Arcata officials set down a $57 fine for those who don't
"promptly notify the city manager" if federal law-enforcement
authorities
contact them seeking help in an investigation, interrogation or arrest
under the provisions of the act.
But a city fine would be nothing compared with the penalties an
Arcata
official faces for obstructing a federal probe, a Justice Department
spokesman said.
"Obviously, the folks [in Arcata] who voted for this ordinance haven't
read
the law," said Justice Department spokesman Mark C. Corallo.
"This is not the FBI or the Justice Department acting unilaterally,"
Mr.
Corallo said. "Just like any other criminal investigation, these are
tools
that are not just legal, but they are constitutional and they are tools
that have been available for law-enforcement authorities for decades."
The Patriot Act's most-criticized provision, for so-called roving
wiretaps,
merely allows investigators to "track a terrorist, instead of having to
get
multiple warrants for every phone the guy uses," Mr. Corallo explained.
Still, critics say, the reason so many communities are denouncing the
Patriot Act is because they believe the measure - passed in the wake of
the
September 11 attacks - vastly expands the power of federal
investigators,
not only for investigating terrorism suspects, but also for probing
into
the lives of ordinary Americans.
Most of the resolutions being signed against the 340-page act - the
acronym
stands for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate
Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism" - condemn its
provisions that compel libraries and bookstores to assist federal
investigators in monitoring the reading habits of suspects.
Timothy H. Edgar, the legislative counsel for the American Civil
Liberties
Union, said that a far more frightening provision of the Patriot Act is
one
that "allows investigators to sneak into your house with a warrant and
conduct a search and not notify you until much later, if at all."
Further, according to a report issued earlier this month by the ACLU,
the
act gives the FBI "access to highly personal 'business records' -
including
financial, medical, mental health, library and student records - with
no
meaningful judicial oversight."
The report continues: "Federal officials actually can obtain a court
order
for records of the books you borrow from libraries or buy from
bookstores,
without showing probable cause of criminal activity or intent - and the
librarian or bookseller cannot even tell you that the government is
investigating what you read..."
-----
ANTI-MUSLIM RAGE IN U.S. HURTS OTHERS TOO
Greg Frost, Reuters, 7/21/03
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3124846
NEW BEDFORD, Mass., (Reuters) - "Go back to Iraq!" the young men
shouted as
they beat and kicked the pizza delivery man in the face, breaking his
jaw
in three places.
They bound his thin body with rope, stuffed a sock in his mouth to
muffle
his screams for help and used the back of his neck as an ashtray. They
stuffed him into the trunk of a car, where he managed to set himself
free
-- only to be stabbed.
But the victim of this Massachusetts attack was neither a Muslim nor an
Iraqi but a Hindu from the central Indian city of Indore. He tried to
make
this clear to his assailants but his entreaties fell on ignorant ears…
The attack against Bhalerao marked the second time in seven months that
non-Muslim Indians have been victims of anti-Muslim hate crimes in
Massachusetts alone.
Similar attacks or acts of discrimination have hit Indians elsewhere in
the
country. In May, a Sikh in Arizona was shot twice by assailants who
reportedly yelled "Go back to where you belong." Last year in New York,
three young men warned another Sikh "not to bomb another building."
The incidents have the Indian-American community worried.
"A segment of our community is at high risk," said Ravi Sakhuja, a
leader
of an Indian-American political group in New England. "Some people are
looking at all of us and saying 'Oh, they're all Muslims."'
DANGEROUS TIMES
Mohamed Nimer, director of research at the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, said ignorance is "rampant" in America and is among the
reasons
for a 15 percent increase in anti-Muslim violence, discrimination and
harassment in 2002.
In a report issued this month, Nimer said anger about the Sept. 11,
2001,
attacks and "discriminatory" government policies like the USA Patriot
Act
have combined to make America a risky place for Muslims and those
perceived
to be Muslim...
Stoking the flames of hate, he says, is anti-Islamic rhetoric from
Christian preachers like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Franklin
Graham,
son of the Rev. Billy Graham.
Falwell prompted deadly Hindu-Muslim clashes in India last year when he
called the prophet Mohammed a "terrorist" and Robertson made headlines
in
December when he called Muslims "worse than Nazis."
Graham, who gave the sermon at President George W. Bush's 2001
inauguration, angered Muslims after the Sept. 11 attacks when he called
Islam a "very evil and wicked religion."
"When you have leaders who talk this way ... it's no wonder you get
some
people who are willing to go and attack," Nimer said. "Some people
really
believe the Islamic mosque next door is the place where bombing attacks
are
being hatched and they say: 'Let's get them before they get us."'
-----
SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
* FBI LOOKS INTO CASE OF PAKISTANIS MURDERED IN MARYLAND
* MUSLIM GROUP CALLS PATRIOT ACT ABUSES 'DISTURBING'
- Muslims Struggle Amid Security Concerns (Tri-City Herald)
* INTERFAITH ALLIANCE OPPOSES DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION
-----
FBI LOOKS INTO CASE OF PAKISTANIS MURDERED IN MARYLAND
Move comes after Islamic civil rights group asks for intervention
(BETHESDA, MD, 7/21/2003) - The Maryland office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Maryland) today announced that the FBI
has
opened an investigation into the murder of two Pakistanis shot last
week in
that state. The move came after CAIR, a national Islamic civil rights
group, called for federal intervention in the case.
"We appreciate the FBI's willingness to look into this case and will
offer
whatever assistance we can to help apprehend the perpetrators and
determine
the motivation behind this heinous crime," said Seyed Rizwan Mowlana,
executive director of CAIR-Maryland. FBI officials tell CAIR they will
also
work in cooperation with local investigators.
Sair Saeed Butt, 26, and Hammad Chaudhry, 22, both from Lahore,
Pakistan,
were fatally shot at 3 a.m. on Monday in Prince George's County, Md.
Police
pointed to robbery as a motive but friends of the victims say the two
could
have been targeted because of their appearance.
SEE: "2 PAKISTANIS KILLED NEAR WASHINGTON"
http://www.dawn.com/2003/07/16/nat22.htm
Since the beginning of this year, CAIR has received reports of physical
assaults against Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim in California,
Georgia, New Jersey, South Carolina and other states. One incident in
Yorba
Linda, Calif., left a Muslim teenager badly beaten by a group that
allegedly included white supremacists. In Arizona, a Sikh man who may
have
been mistaken for an Arab was shot in Phoenix. In Illinois, an
explosive
device destroyed a Muslim family's van. And just last month, a New
Bedford,
Mass., pizza delivery man was kidnapped, beaten and stabbed, apparently
because his attackers thought he was Muslim.
Also last week, CAIR released its eighth annual report on the status of
American Muslim civil rights indicating that anti-Muslim incidents
increased by 15 percent over the previous year. SEE:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/crr2003.asp
CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group and has 16
regional
offices nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Seyed Rizwan Mowlana, 301-986-1900 or 240-401-4550; Ibrahim
Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah
Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
-----
MUSLIM GROUP CALLS PATRIOT ACT ABUSES 'DISTURBING'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/21/2003) - A prominent national Islamic civil
rights
and advocacy group today described as "disturbing" the new Justice
Department report on claims of civil rights violations under the
controversial USA Patriot Act passed following the 9/11 terror attacks.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called for the act's
repeal or
revision.
Many of the complaints in the report were from Muslims and Arab
detainees
who said they were beaten or verbally abused.
SEE: http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/03-07/index.htm
The dozens of reported abuses include a claim by a Muslim prisoner that
he
was ordered to "remove his shirt so that the officer could use it to
shine
his shoes'" and a report by another inmate who said a prison doctor
told
him, "If I was in charge, I would execute every one of you ... because
of
the crimes you all did."
"This disturbing report only serves to confirm the Patriot Act's
negative
impact on civil liberties and to reinforce our determination to have it
modified or repealed," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "The
Office
of the Inspector General is to be congratulated for bringing these
abuses
to the public's attention."
Awad said the Justice Department study supports CAIR's
recently-released
annual report on American Muslim civil rights, "Guilt by Association,"
that
outlined the impact of post-9/11 government polices related to the
Patriot
Act.
SEE: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1017&page=NR
A similar Justice Department report issued in June said that hundreds
of
illegal immigrants had been mistreated after they were detained
following
the 9/11 attacks.
SEE: http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/03-06/index.htm
CAIR is encouraging victims of discrimination to fill out report forms,
which are available for download at:
http://www.cair-net.org/ireport/Incident_Report.doc, or by calling
202-488-8787. CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is
headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices
nationwide
and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIMS STRUGGLE AMID SECURITY CONCERNS IN U.S.
Shirley Wentworth, Tri-City Herald, 7/21/03
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/3498809p-3530077c.html
Dr. Mohammad Sad is ready to change his name to Mike.
It would make his life a whole lot easier.
Ever since Sept. 11, 2001, the Ephrata physician said he's been a
target on
every flight he's taken. He's been searched and has even had his
personal
correspondence read.
Last week, attending a meeting in Ellensburg for a group that meets
annually to discuss human rights and cultural diversity, he spoke about
his
most recent experiences.
Sad, also a Middle Eastern scholar who frequently travels to that
region,
discussed trying to send money July 7 to a man in Baghdad to help Iraqi
war
victims. He said Western Union refused to deliver the money because of
the
recipient's name, Husein Mohammad Amin Abdullah, and insisted Husein
would
have to prove who he is.
Citing the Patriot Act, which increases the surveillance and
investigative
powers of law enforcement, Western Union said it would not deliver the
money unless Husein had a birth record. Western Union has still not
returned Sad's money.
On a recent trip to the Middle East, Sad said, he tried to send money
from
a bank in Jordan to Algerian friends. He said he was told it would take
three weeks to get the money to his friend, also named Mohammad.
He asked why and was told the name "Mohammad" is in a computer list of
names to check, on orders "from the top in the U.S."
"Then I asked, 'Can I send it to someone named Sabrina?' " he said.
No problem.
Sabrina is the wife of his friend Mohammad.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations released a report July 15
that
says anti-Muslim incidents increased by 15 percent over the last year,
rising from 525 confirmed incidents in 2002 to 602 in the 2003 report…
-----
INTERFAITH ALLIANCE OPPOSES DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION
Senate Committee to Vote on Divisive & Destructive Nominee to U.S.
Institute of Peace: White House Shocks Interfaith Community with
Nomination
of Daniel Pipes.
In an unexpected development, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee is scheduled to hold a committee vote on Daniel
Pipes on
July 23rd. As you may know, Daniel Pipes was nominated by President
Bush to
serve on the U.S. Institute of Peace despite his alarmingly anti-Muslim
and
anti-Islam writings and speeches.
The Interfaith Alliance has raised serious reservations about the
nomination with the committee and has brought diverse religious leaders
together to express concerns about the damaging rhetoric and
propagation of
false stereotypes toward the Muslim community that have become the
hallmark
of Dr. Pipe's career.
For example, in the January 22, 2003 edition of The Jerusalem Post, Dr.
Pipes was quoted as saying, "There is no escaping the unfortunate fact
that
Muslim government employees in law enforcement, the military, and the
diplomatic corps need to be watched for connections to terrorism, as do
Muslim chaplains in prisons and the armed forces…"
Pipes continued on to say, "Muslim visitors and immigrants must undergo
additional background checks. Mosques require a scrutiny beyond that
applied to churches, synagogues and temples. Muslim schools require
increased oversight to ascertain what is being taught to children…"
As has been made clear by his own remarks, Daniel Pipes an outspoken
nominee who clearly harbors inherent biases against Muslim Americans
is
hardly an appropriate fit for the United States Institute of Peace, an
independent, nonpartisan federal institution created by Congress to
"promote the prevention, management, and peaceful resolution of
international conflicts."
To take immediate action on this nomination, please go to:
http://capwiz.com/interfaith/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=2913251
To see the testimony offered by religious leaders on behalf of The
Interfaith Alliance, please visit:
http://www.interfaithalliance.org/News/News.cfm?ID=4844&c=37
-----
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/22/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: AVOID SMALL-MINDEDNESS
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6323 SPONSORSHIPS
- 'Washington Live' Feedback Sought
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* INCITEMENT WATCH: DOES DANIEL PIPES WANT TO DESTROY MECCA?
* ACTION ALERT: Stop Pipes' Nomination to Institute of Peace
- Community Members Urged To Attend Senate Meeting
- Daniel Pipes: Bionic man (Washington Times)
* INCITEMENT WATCH: Voucher Needs Questionnaire (Palm Beach Post)
* VANDALS STRIKE ISLAMIC CEMETERY (Victorville Daily Press)
- Islamaphobia Acceptable Face of Anti-Semitism Since 9/11 (PR)
* ABUSE OF POST-9/11 DETAINEES DETAILED (Chicago Tribune)
- Report Outlines Rights Violations Under 9/11 Act (USA Today)
- Dean Statement on Arab and Muslim Civil Rights
* WHITE HOUSE STRIKING BACK? (NBC News)
- Who's Unpatriotic Now? (NY Times)
- Groups Say Ire Over Iraq Claims Increasing (Wash. Post)
- The Ugly Truth of America's Camp Cropper (Independent)
* CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP CRITICIZES ISRAEL (AP)
* FILM EXPLORES CHILD'S REACTION TO LOSING MOM IN 9-11 (PR News)
* MUSLIM GROUP PROPOSES MOSQUE (Pennlive.com)
* MUSLIM BUSINESS EXCHANGE (MBX) NETWORKING EVENT
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: AVOID SMALL-MINDEDNESS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Be on your guard
against
small-mindedness for (it) destroyed those who were before you, (by
inciting) them to shed blood and to make lawful what was unlawful."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1178
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6323 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6323 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a sponsored library:
"Thank you for these materials - they are very useful for our
neighborhood." - Anaheim, CA
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
'WASHINGTON LIVE' TALKS TO PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, RACHEL CORRIE'S
PARENTS
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
Tonight's show will feature an interview with presidential candidate
Carol
Moseley Braun, a discussion of the Daniel Pipes nomination and an
interview
with Rachel Corrie's parents.
SUBMIT questions about these or other subjects to be read on air.
E-Mail:
cair@washlive.com before 8 p.m. (Eastern)
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
-----
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: DOES DANIEL PIPES WANT TO DESTROY MECCA?
DISCARDING WAR'S RULES
Daniel Pipes, New York Post, 7/22/03
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/1200.htm
Had the United States retaliated in kind for 9/11, Harris tells me, the
Islamic holy places would have been destroyed. Had Israelis followed
the
Arafat model of murderousness, the West Bank and Gaza would now be
devoid
of Palestinians. Had the West done toward Iraq as Iraq did toward
Kuwait,
the Iraqi polity would long ago have been annexed and its oil resources
confiscated.
While morally commendable, Harris argues, the West's not responding to
Muslim ruthlessness with like ruthlessness carries a high and rising
price.
It allows Muslim political extremists of various stripes to fantasize
that
they earned their power, when in fact that power derives entirely from
the
West's arch-civilized restraint…
In brief, until those Harris calls "Islamic fantasists" play by the
rules,
Washington must be prepared to act like them, without rules.
This appeal for America to act less civilized will offend some; but it
does
offer a convincing explanation for the inner logic of America's tough
new
foreign policy.
-----
ACTION ALERT: STOP PIPES' NOMINATION TO INSTITUTE OF PEACE
CAIR is joining with a number of other Muslim, Arab-American and
interfaith
in calling on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee
reject the nomination of Daniel Pipes to the United States Institute of
Peace (USIP). The committee will meet to vote on the proposed
nomination on
Wednesday, July 23.
The USIP is a federal taxpayer-funded institution created by Congress
to
promote the peaceful resolution of international conflicts. Daniel
Pipes'
extremist views and lack of peace-making credentials disqualify him
from
serving on a board that seeks to promote peace and conflict resolution.
Without your immediate input, Pipes' nomination could be approved, and
the
purpose of the Institute of Peace would be defeated. CALL THE SENATORS
ON
THE COMMITTEE AND MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
1) Call senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
and
urge them to reject the nomination of Daniel Pipes to the US Institute
for
Peace. (Ask to speak to the person responsible for taking comments on
the
Daniel Pipes nomination.) Special emphasis should be placed on senators
representing your state. (Report to CAIR what reaction you receive from
the
Senator's office.
2) Send an e-mail to committee members by going to:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/dpcommittee.asp
NOTE: Contact information for each senator's state office is available
at
the "Bio & Contact Info" link at the address above. Please make a call
to
those offices as well.
3. Ask friends, relatives and co-workers to call and e-mail.
---
ATTEND THE COMMITTEE MEETING
Members of the local Muslim, Arab and interfaith community should
attend
the committee meeting to monitor the proceedings. (Please arrive by 9
a.m.,
seats fill up fast.)
WHEN: Wednesday, July 23, 10 a.m.
WHERE: Senate Dirksen Office Building, Room 430
DIRECTIONS: The building is bounded by Constitution Avenue, Second
Street,
First Street, and C Street, N.E.; Metro stops Union Station or Capitol
South http://www.aoc.gov/cc/cc_map.htm
---
DANIEL PIPES: BIONIC MAN
John McCaslin, Washington Times, 7/21/03
http://www.washingtontimes.com/
Telephone operators on Capitol Hill will be busier than usual today as
this
country's Muslim community orchestrates a national call-in day to urge
senators Wednesday to reject the nomination of Daniel Pipes to head the
federally funded U.S. Institute of Peace.
Behind the congressional phone-in is the Washington-based Council on
American-Islamic Relations, which charges among other things that Mr.
Pipes
claims to have a special mental "filter" with which he can detect those
who
want to "create a Muslim state in America."
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: VOUCHER NEEDS QUESTIONNAIRE
Frank Cerabino, Palm Beach Post, 7/20/03
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/today/local_news_f3a13153224202c20094.html
Dear School Voucher Participant:
As you know, your Florida government is committed to the voucher
program.
We know of no better way to undermine the entitlement program known as
"public education," while instilling the values of a theocracy and
providing some attractive new tax relief opportunities for businesses.
Unfortunately, this fine program has recently become besmirched by
revelations that one of the participants is The Islamic Academy of
Florida,
a Tampa school founded by a man under indictment for his alleged ties
to
Muslim terrorists.
Let's make it clear: The voucher program was intended only to nurture
radical Christian fundamentalists in America. And in no way was it
meant to
foster beliefs that are prevalent in countries we have, and will, be
bombing during key election cycles and downturns in the economy.
So to eliminate future problems, program participants should fill out
the
following survey and respond as directed.
1. The reference material that gets used the most in your school
library is
the...
(a) encyclopedias.
(b) thesaurus.
(c) detailed maps of seaports and nuclear power plants on the East
Coast...
6. Osama Bin Laden is...
(a) on the run.
(b) on his death bed.
(c) on the school crest.
7. A, B, C, D, E, F,...
(a) G
(c) Jihad!
8. Each student is issued a...
(a) Bible.
(b) calculator.
(c) box cutter.
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)
Send polite feedback to:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/info/mail.html
COPY TO: frank_cerabino@pbpost.com, cair@cair-net.org,
florida@cair-florida.org
-----
VANDALS STRIKE ISLAMIC CEMETERY:
Damage to five grave sites in Adelanto estimated at $285; similar
incidents
reported during past year
Nikki Cobb, Victorville Daily Press, 7/22/03
http://www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-bin/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid1058880430,60710,
ADELANTO - Decorative funerary statues smashed on graves. Headstones
toppled and white paint poured over a marble grave marker.
Caretaker Ali Khawaja walks past a grave site, in background, smeared
with
paint at the United Islamic Youth Organization Cemetery in Adelanto.
That was the scene Monday after vandals damaged five graves at a Muslim
cemetery in Adelanto on Sunday night, San Bernardino County Sheriff's
officials said.
In dollar terms, the vandalism is estimated at $285. But the incident
goes
deeper than mere money.
Ali Khawaja, who manages the cemetery, said this is the second or third
such incident in a year. Prior to last year, the north Adelanto grounds
had
been undisturbed for over a decade, he said...
"I want to know why," Khawaja said. "It makes me mad and it makes me
nervous. I think it was bullies did this."
ALSO SEE:
BRITISH EXPERT: ISLAMAPHOBIA ACCEPTABLE FACE OF ANTI-SEMITISM SINCE 911
Press Release Network, 7/22/03
A British journalist specialising in Middle Eastern affairs has
identified
Islamaphobia as the acceptable face of anti-Semitism in the West in a
new
book to be published in August 2003.
Monal Seidan is the British author of the Muslim's Guide to
Islamaphobia,
one of the few published works dealing with the disturbing trend of
Western
Islamaphobia that the author says has become institutionalized since
911.
The author points out that human rights groups have already rung alarm
bells about western Islamaphobia. Notable human rights officials such
as
Mary Robinson, previous U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, have
deplored expressions of anti-Islamic, anti-Arab, and anti-Semitic
sentiment
that have been on the increase in the west following 911.
Robinson called on the international community to combat the spread of
Islamaphobia, which she defined as an obsessive fear of Islam, saying
the
phenomenon has spread mostly throughout the United States and Western
Europe.
The book by Seidan guides the reader through various previous and
recent
Islamaphobic case studies before using research by independent western
experts to demonstrate the greatness of Islam, its civilizations and
its
immense contributions to the richness of the human experience...
Recently, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR)
demanded an apology from the rightwing U.S. magazine 'National Review'
for
suggesting that the United States should consider a nuclear attack on
Mecca, Islam's holiest city, located in Saudi Arabia. "Lots of
sentiment
for nuking Mecca," Review editor Rich Lowry said in an online forum
called
'The Corner'.
SEE: http://www.islamaphobia.org
-----
ABUSE OF POST-9/11 DETAINEES DETAILED
Dan Mihalopoulos, Chicago Tribune, 7/22/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-0307220199jul22,1,773308.story
A federal prison worker admitted that he verbally abused a Muslim
inmate,
"ordering him to remove his shirt so that the officer could use it to
shine
his shoes..."
A prison doctor told an inmate, "If I was in charge, I would execute
every
one of you . . . because of the crimes you all did."
These incidents were among 34 "credible" cases of civil rights
violations
by Justice Department employees, largely against Arabs and Muslims,
according to a report released Monday by department investigators.
The complaints cited by the Justice Department's inspector general
ranged
from illegal searches of homes by FBI agents to beatings of inmates at
the
hands of federal jail officers...
While Justice Department officials characterized the complaints in the
new
report as isolated cases, civil rights advocates said the findings
confirm
that the government widely discriminates against Arabs and Muslims in
its
zeal to wage war on terrorism...
The Justice Department seems to have a "general policy of targeting
Muslims
because they are Muslims," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations in Washington.
"We're only beginning to see the abuses that have been prompted by the
hysteria after Sept. 11," Hooper said. "There are legitimate concerns
about
terrorism, but those concerns are not addressed by abusing detainees or
eliminating the civil liberties that made this country great..."
ALSO SEE:
REPORT OUTLINES RIGHTS VIOLATIONS UNDER 9/11 ACT
Toni Locy, USA Today, 7/22/03
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-07-21-justice-usat_x.htm
WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department's inspector general received 34
"credible" allegations this year of civil rights abuses by federal
agencies
involved in administering the USA Patriot Act, according to a report
released Monday.
Inspector General Glenn Fine's office deemed the 34 cases worthy of
investigation from a group of 272 complaints by mostly immigrants and
naturalized U.S. citizens. Most of the 272 complaints, which were
received
from Dec. 16 through June 15, came from inmates alleging poor medical
care.
Opponents of the Patriot Act are likely to seize on the report to
attempt
to thwart efforts by the Bush administration to seek additions to the
law.
Passed in the weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the act
broadened
government's ability to conduct electronic and physical surveillance of
suspected terrorists...
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, said the report "only serves to confirm the Patriot Act's
negative impact on civil liberties and to reinforce our determination
to
have it modified or repealed..."
---
DEAN STATEMENT ON ARAB AND MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS ABUSES
http://www.blogforamerica.com/
Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean issued the following statement on
the
forthcoming Inspector General's report documenting abuse of Arabs and
Muslims detained under the Patriot Act: "For the second time in recent
weeks, the Justice Department Inspector General will be reporting
serious
abuses of the civil rights of Arabs and Muslims in the war on terror.
These
abuses are wrong and must stop immediately. "I am appalled by
allegations -
which the Inspector General has deemed credible - that Department of
Justice employees have, among other things, beaten Muslim and Arab
detainees. "This should not happen in America. "The Inspector General's
report confirms my fear that we have unnecessarily compromised
constitutional freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism. The ongoing
abuses alienate the community whose cooperation we need most and
diminish
our moral credibility in the eyes of the world. The rule of law and due
process must continue to be the hallmarks of our judicial system. "I
urge
Congress to reconsider aspects of the Patriot Act and other anti-terror
tactics that lead to such abuses. "The government must protect
Americans
against terrorism while protecting basic civil liberties every step of
the
way."
-----
WHITE HOUSE STRIKING BACK?
Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, 7/22/03
http://www.msnbc.com/news/942095.asp?0cv=CA01
WASHINGTON, July 21 - They were just 16 words in the State of the
Union
address - words that we now know were misleading. And this man, retired
career diplomat Joe Wilson tried to warn the administration of just
that
nearly a year before the speech.
Now in an NBC News exclusive, Wilson says his family is the subject of
a
smear campaign. Wilson tells NBC News the White House deliberately
leaked
his wife's identity as a covert CIA operative, damaging her future
career
and compromising past missions after he criticized the administration
on
"Meet the Press" and in the New York Times.
He told me, "It's a shot across the bow to those who might step
forward,
those unnamed analysts who said they were pressured by the White House
for
example would think twice about having their own families names being
dragged through this particular mud."
The White House strongly denies the charge. In fact, Wilson was only
one of
three experts who warned the administration a year before the State of
the
Union that the Niger information didn't check out...
ALSO SEE:
WHO'S UNPATRIOTIC NOW?
Paul Krugman, New York Times, 7/22/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/22/opinion/22KRUG.html
Some nonrevisionist history: On Oct. 8, 2002, Knight Ridder newspapers
reported on intelligence officials who "charge that the administration
squelches dissenting views, and that intelligence analysts are under
intense pressure to produce reports supporting the White House's
argument
that Saddam poses such an immediate threat to the United States that
pre-emptive military action is necessary." One official accused the
administration of pressuring analysts to "cook the intelligence books";
none of the dozen other officials the reporters spoke to disagreed.
The skepticism of these officials has been vindicated. So have the
concerns
expressed before the war by military professionals like Gen. Eric
Shinseki,
the Army chief of staff, about the resources required for postwar
occupation. But as the bad news comes in, those who promoted this war
have
responded with a concerted effort to smear the messengers...
---
ANTIWAR GROUPS SAY PUBLIC IRE OVER IRAQ CLAIMS IS INCREASING
Evelyn Nieves, Washington Post, 7/22/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25527-2003Jul21.html
SAN FRANCISCO -- The letters are pouring in like a water main break --
fast
and, yes, furious. From Alabama: "We want to know the truth!" From
Arizona:
"If there's nothing to hide, what's the harm in a bipartisan inquiry?"
From
Mississippi: "We must get to the truth -- whatever it is!"
About 400,000 people from every state have contacted members of
Congress in
the past three weeks as part of a MoveOn.org petition that asks
Congress to
investigate the controversial claims that led to the war on Iraq, with
more
than 50,000 people signing on to the liberal activist Web site in the
past
five days alone.
"It seems more and more people who supported the war are signing on,"
said Eli Pariser, MoveOn.org's campaigns director. "They're angry.
People who in the past couple of weeks before the war decided to
support it are swinging back."
For organizations that opposed the war, these are busy days. Not since
hundreds of thousands of people across the country marched in antiwar
rallies in the weeks before the U.S.-led invasion has the rationale for
the
preemptive war come under such fire...
---
THE UGLY TRUTH OF AMERICA'S CAMP CROPPER, A STORY TO SHAME US ALL
Robert Fisk, Independent, 6/22/03
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/story.jsp?story=426520
Now here's a story to shame us all. It's about America's shameful
Prison camps in Iraq. It's about the beating of prisoners during
interrogation.
"Sources" may be a dubious word in journalism right now, but the
sources
for the beatings in Iraq are impeccable. This story is also about the
gunning down of three prisoners in Baghdad, two of them "while trying
to
escape". But most of all, it's about Qais Mohamed al-Salman.
Qais al-Salman is just the sort of guy the US ambassador Paul Bremer
And his dead-end assistants need now. He hated Saddam, fled Iraq in
1976,
then returned after the "liberation" with a briefcase literally full of
plans to help in the restoration of his country's infrastructure and
water
purification system.
He's an engineer who has worked in Africa, Asia and Europe. He is a
Danish
citizen. He speaks good English. He even likes America. Or did until 6
June
this year.
That day he was travelling in Abu Nawas Street when his car came under
American fire. He says he never saw a checkpoint. Bullets hit the tyres
and
his driver and another passenger ran for their lives. Qais al-Salman
stood
meekly beside the vehicle. He was carrying his Danish passport, Danish
driving licence and medical records.
But let him tell his own story...
-----
CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP CRITICIZES ISRAEL
Mark Lavie, Associated Press, 7/22/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2936580,00.html
JERUSALEM - Israel's leading civil rights group harshly criticized
Israeli
soldiers, accusing them in a report released Tuesday of cruel and
sadistic
behavior against Palestinians over the past year.
The annual report by the Association of Civil Rights in Israel,
complained
about military policy that bans inquiries into most deaths of
Palestinians
and decried what it called ``unprecedented harm to innocent people,
Palestinians and Israelis,'' during the third year of violence.
The report covers the period between June 2002 and June 2003. While
also
denouncing Palestinian terror attacks that killed hundreds of Israelis,
the
document's section on the West Bank concentrates on Israeli violations
of
Palestinian human rights, citing military behavior at roadblocks,
searches
of villages and assassinations of suspected Palestinian militants.
The group charges that most of the civil rights violations by Israeli
soldiers ``arise not from any operational necessity, but from
hard-heartedness of soldiers, who receive from above the message of
utter
disregard for the dignity, freedom and lives of innocent
Palestinians...''
The group, know by its acronym ACRI, was founded in 1972 as a
nonpolitical
and independent body to protect human and civil rights in Israel and in
the
territories under Israeli control, according to the group's Web site...
-----
'TELLING NICHOLAS' NOMINATED FOR EMMY AWARD JAMES RONALD WHITNEY'S
TV-FILM
EXPLORES CHILD'S REACTION TO LOSING MOM IN 9-11
7/22/03
http://www.prnewswire.com
How do you tell your son that his Mommy is never coming home? "Telling
Nicholas," an HBO TV-film that documented ten days in a child's life
after
the fall of the twin towers, has been nominated for an Emmy Award in
the
News & Documentary Outstanding Informational Program-Long Form
category. As images of falling towers, debris clouds and disaster
recede
into the annals of history, award-winning filmmaker James Ronald
Whitney
has poignantly captured one moment that seven-year-old Nicholas Lanza
will
never forget -- the moment of realization when he discovered that his
mother was never coming home from her job at Fiduciary Trust on the
97th
floor of Tower Two at The World Trade Center.
Although Whitney focuses on one American family, like so many,
Nicholas'
grandmother simply blamed all Muslims for the loss of her daughter. "I
want them all tortured," she explained, while sitting on her front
porch. "Their hair plucked out, their fingernails ripped off one by
one
Nicholas befriended Thanbir Ahmed, a 16-year-old Muslim boy whose
father
was killed in the attack, explains James Ronald Whitney, whose premiere
film "Just Melvin," won numerous awards at film festivals both
nationally
and internationally. "Ahmed became part of my film crew, and
ultimately,
these two American families -- one Christian, the other Muslim --
walked
hand in hand to the memorial of Nicholas's 36-year-old mother, Michele
Lanza..."
-----
MUSLIM GROUP PROPOSES MOSQUE:
Andrea Ciccocioppo, Pennlive.com, 7/22/03
http://www.pennlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/1058866526310440.xml
BOILING SPRINGS - A plan has been submitted to build an Islamic mosque,
community center and cemetery on 9.3 acres along Petersburg Road in
South
Middleton Twp.
The property is less than a mile south of the Carlisle Airport on the
west
side of the road.
The plan, submitted by Peace Centre Corp. of Carlisle, calls for two
buildings -- a mosque and community center totaling about 8,000 square
feet
-- with a 52-space parking lot at the front of the property, and a
cemetery
with flat markers on five acres to the rear of the site.
The land is zoned agricultural/conservation and churches are permitted
as a
conditional use, township officials said.
At a hearing held last week, about a half-dozen neighbors spoke out
against
the plan...
-----
MUSLIM BUSINESS EXCHANGE (MBX) NETWORKING EVENT SEEKING CORPORATE
SPONSORSHIPS AND POSSIBLE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
WHAT: The Muslim Business Exchange (MBX) is the first-of-its-kind
networking event aimed at Muslim businesses, professionals, and
entrepreneurs. The primary mission of MBX is to create an environment
where businesses and individuals can network to develop new contacts
and
share ideas and experiences.
We are accepting suggestions for possible Muslim CEO or executive
keynote
speaker for the event. In addition, we are currently looking for
corporate
sponsors for this event.
WHEN: Saturday, September 27th, 2003
WHERE: Community Hall of the Islamic Center of Cleveland in Parma,
OH. Global Access America, Inc. (GAA, Inc.)
For information or to receive a corporate sponsorship information
packet
please contact: Shujaat Siddiqui, Phone: 216-856-5265,
Website: http://www.gaa-consulting.com
E-mail: Shujaat@gaa-consulting.com
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
* INTERFAITH COALITION REACTS TO MEETING ON PIPES NOMINATION
* COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN REFUSES TO MEET WITH MPAC OFFICIALS
-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 7/22/03
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
INTERFAITH COALITION REACTS TO SENATE MEETING ON PIPES NOMINATION
Confirmation battle viewed as test of GOP attitude toward minorities
WHAT: On WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), along with a number of other Muslim, Arab-American and
interfaith
groups, will hold a Capitol Hill news conference following a meeting of
the
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to discuss the
nomination of Daniel Pipes to the board of the United States Institute
of
Peace (USIP).
The USIP is a federal taxpayer-funded institution created by Congress
to
promote the peaceful resolution of international conflicts. Muslims say
Daniel Pipes, who is often referred to as the nation's leading
Islamophobe,
holds extremist anti-Muslim views and lacks the peace-making
credentials
necessary to be on the USIP board.
"American Muslims and Arab-Americans view the Daniel Pipes nomination
as a
test of the Republican Party's willingness to hear and address their
concerns," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Pipes'
confirmation
would have long-term negative implications for the image of the party
domestically, and for America worldwide."
Awad noted that thousands of people have already contacted the
committee to
voice their concerns about Pipes' nomination.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
WHEN: Wednesday, July 23. 11 a.m. (Actual time depends on the
conclusion of
the meeting.)
WHERE: Outside Senate Dirksen Office Building, Room 430. The building
is
bounded by Constitution Avenue, Second Street, First Street, and C
Street,
N.E.; Metro stops Union Station or Capitol South
http://www.aoc.gov/cc/cc_map.htm
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Paula Neira, 202-256-1116
July 22, 2003
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN REFUSES TO MEET WITH MPAC OFFICIALS
Republican leader rebuffs multi-denominational groups on controversial
nomination.
Washington, DC July 22, 2003 - Senator Judd Gregg, Chairman of the
powerful
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has effectively
shut out the voices and opinions of The Muslim Public Affairs Council
(MPAC) and leaders of other multi-denominational groups seeking to
express
their discontent with Daniel Pipes who has been nominated to join the
board
of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
As a result, the groups are planning a press conference to be held
outside
the Committee Room where Mr. Pipes' nomination will be discussed. The
event will be held at 11:00 a.m. at Dirksen room 430.
Over the last several months face-to-face briefings have taken place
between Democratic members of the committee and interfaith groups,
including MPAC. For several months MPAC has requested a meeting with
the
chairman or his staff. "This action tells us that the Chairman does
not
value our opinion nor does he want to hear our reasons for opposing Mr.
Pipes' nomination," stated Salam Al-Marayati, Executive Director of
MPAC. Al-Marayati continued, "We are dismayed by the Chairman's
behavior
especially in light of the Administration's recent efforts to reach out
to
Muslims and other national faith based groups."
The Senate Committee plans to discuss the nomination of Daniel Pipes on
Wednesday, July 23, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. in Dirksen room 430. If a vote
is
taken to approve the nomination the Committee will recommend a full
vote of
the Senate. Materials from MPAC and other national faith based groups
opposing the Pipes nomination are available upon request.
MPAC is a progressive American Muslim organization dedicated to
promoting
an accurate portrayal of American Muslim values and views on national
and
state policy issues.
###
-----
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR GOOD NEWS ALERT #389
SENATORS CRITICIZE DANIEL PIPES IN COMMITTEE MEETING
Kennedy, Dodd, Harkin speak out against controversial USIP nominee
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/23/2003) - Alhamdulillah, (praise be to God)
Several
U.S. senators today came out strongly in opposition to the nomination
of
Daniel Pipes to the board of the United States Institute of Peace. The
senators expressed that opposition during a meeting this morning of the
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the body that
must
take the initial vote on Pipes' nomination. A vote had been scheduled,
but
was postponed because too many senators left the meeting to maintain a
quorum.
"We thank the thousands of people who e-mailed, faxed or met with
committee
members to express their concerns about Pipes' bigoted views," said
CAIR
Board Chairman Omar Ahmad. "The political momentum to block his
nomination
is building on Capitol Hill."
During the discussion of Pipes' nomination to the USIP board, Sens.
Edward
Kennedy (D-MA), Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) described
Pipes variously as a "provocative" and "highly controversial"
candidate
whose "decidedly one-sided" views would be in "direct contradiction" to
USIP goals.
Sen. Harkin, who said he took the time to investigate the nominee,
spoke at
length about Pipes' statement warning of the "dangers" posed by the
enfranchisement of American Muslims and of his web site
(www.campus-watch.org) that sought to create "dossiers" on academic
critics
of Israeli policies.
Harkin said the ongoing controversy generated by Pipes' possible
confirmation would "overshadow" the work of the institute. He also said
Iowa is home to the oldest operating mosque in America in Cedar Rapids
and
that Muslims are a vibrant segment of that state's population. "[Daniel
Pipes is] not the person that ought to be on the United States
Institute of
Peace board," said Harkin.
Sen. James Jeffords (I-VT) said the fact that Pipes would stimulate
debate
was "hardly a reason" to support his nomination. Only Senator John
Ensign
(R-NV) offered a cautious defense of the nominee, saying he agreed with
Pipes' position on peacemaking needing to be backed up by strength.
"We view the outcome of today's meeting as a victory for all those who
reject bigotry and, unlike Daniel Pipes, seek negotiated resolutions to
international conflicts," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "It
is
clear there is little enthusiasm for Pipes' confirmation, even among
his
political supporters. Republican senators need to join their Democratic
colleagues in reconsidering this divisive nomination."
At a news conference held by Muslim and Arab-American groups following
today's meeting, a Pipes supporter threatened Awad, saying, "We know
who
you are, watch out." (Those taking part in the news conference included
representatives from CAIR, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Arab American
Institute, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and Muslim
American
Society-Freedom Foundation.)
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (Calls are best, followed by faxes and then
e-mails.)
1) Contact Sens. Kennedy, Dodd, Harkin, and Jeffords to thank them for
opposing Pipes nomination. GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/dpcommittee.asp
Ranking Member: Edward Kennedy (MA), 202-224-4543
Christopher Dodd (CT), 202-224-2823
Tom Harkin (IA), 202-224-3254
James Jeffords (VT), 202-224-5141
Contact the committee: 202-224-5375
2) Contact the committee member who represents your state to ask that
Pipes' nomination be rejected. Send copies of correspondence to the
other
members of the committee and to CAIR at: cair@cair-net.org
3) Contact other elected officials in your state to ask that they
oppose
the Pipes nomination. GO TO: http://capwiz.com/cair/home/
LIST OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
http://health.senate.gov/committee_members.html
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
--- CLIP AND MAIL/FAX/E-MAIL ---
YES, I would like to support CAIR's important work by donating
$___________. Enclosed is my check, payable to CAIR. Basic CAIR
membership
is just $10 per year.
Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
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FAX:
E-MAIL:
Payment: ___Check ___VISA ___MasterCard ___Discover ___Money Order
Credit Card Number:
Exp. Date:
Name as on Card:
Signature: ________________________________________________
SEND TO: CAIR, 453 New Jersey Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
FAX: 202-488-0833 E-MAIL: membership@cair-net.org
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/24/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD TIDINGS
* SIGHT, SOUNDS AND WORDS OF ISLAM (Beaumont Enterprise)
- CAIR'S 'Washington Live' Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* PIPES IS NO PEACEMAKER (Register-Guard)
* IMMIGRANTS SCARCE AT ASHCROFT PROTEST (Seattle Times)
- 2 Terrorism Charges Against Lawyer Tossed (AP)
* CANADIAN PEACE ACTIVIST BEATEN, DETAINED IN ISRAEL
* ARABIC CLASSES SOAR IN POPULARITY (Oakland Tribune)
* IRAQIS COMPLAIN OF TORTURE BY U.S. FORCES (Reuters)
- Torture Testimony 'Acceptable' (Guardian)
* MOST JEWISH SETTLERS WOULD LEAVE FOR PEACE (Reuters)
* REPORT RAISES FEARS ABOUT ANTITERRORISM LAW (RFE)
- House Takes Aim at Patriot Act Searches (Reuters)
- Patriot Act Upsets Delaware (Newszap)
- Groups Denounce Patriot Act (KVAL 13)
* COALITION CURBS WILD IRAQI PRESS (CS Monitor)
* WOMAN REJECTS EL AL'S APOLOGY (Toronto Star)
- Bias Trial Delayed Until Feb. (Star-Telegram)
* VIEWING OF DOCUMENTARY ON POST-9/11 HATE CRIMES
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD TIDINGS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Give good tidings to
those
who walk to (prayers even) in darkness for having a perfect light on
the
Day of Judgment."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 222
-----
SIGHT, SOUNDS AND WORDS OF ISLAM
ANDREA WRIGHT, Beaumont Enterprise, 7/19/2003
http://www.southeasttexaslive.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=9871420
BEAUMONT _ After 17 years away from the recording studio, Cat Stevens
returned.
But as Yusuf Islam.
What would take a successful recording artist/performer out of the
limelight, away from adoring fans, and renamed, into a lifestyle
formerly
alien, steeped in an ages-old code of conduct _ to become a follower of
Islam?
His spoken-word audio biography of the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, is
but
one piece to be found in the colorful mosaic of materials now being
distributed to libraries across the United States entitled, "Explore
Islamic Culture & Civilization."
The collection of books, videos, tapes and CDs is an effort undertaken
by
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) out of Washington,
D.C.,
to provide Americans an objective and clear representation of what
Islam
and the culture surrounding it are.
And donors have made possible placement of the materials in several
Southeast Texas public libraries, including the Beaumont main library
downtown, the Elmo Willard library branch on Lucas and the Port Arthur
main
library. They're also being added to Houston's main library and
numerous
branch libraries there.
According to Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR director of communications, the
organization had been considering what could be done post 9/11 "because
we
saw a real need is education, to dispel stereotypes and misinformation
about Islam."
Hooper said that the goal is to place packages in more than 16,000 U.S.
public libraries; and they are approaching the halfway mark with nearly
7,000 placed to date...
Ray Cline, the director of the Port Arthur Public Library, said when he
was
contacted and then saw a list of contents in the CAIR package he felt
it
would be a good addition to their library, though several of the items
were
already on the shelves…
Syma Zerkow, coordinator for material selection at Houston, said the
city's
branch libraries decide which items they want from the collection, and
the
remainder are used elsewhere or donated to the Houston Friends of the
Library for their book sale.
"Basically it's very good material we're happy to have in the library,"
Zerkow said. "Some of the titles are more scholarly and we've only
added
them at a few branches, but most of the titles are pretty popular, easy
to
read and we've added them to quite a few branches, about 20
altogether."
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6232 SPONSORSHIPS
A comment from a library that has received the package:
"Excellent quality. Liked the spread of materials from popular
treatments
to more scholarly" Baltimore, MD
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SATELLITE TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
PIPES IS NO PEACEMAKER: SENATE PANEL SHOULD REJECT NOMINATION
Register-Guard, 7/23/03
http://www.registerguard.com/cgi-bin/printStory.py?name=ed.edit.pipes.0723&date=20030723
The U.S. Institute for Peace is a sparrow among raptors: Created in
1984,
it's a federal institution whose mission is to promote the peaceful
resolution of international conflicts. There's no reason to continue
federal support for the organization unless Congress and the president
take
its mission seriously. For that reason, a U.S. Senate committee should
reject President Bush's nomination of Daniel Pipes to the peace
institute's
board of directors.
Pipes is no peacemaker. As a columnist for The New York Post and as a
writer on Islamic culture and religion, he has promoted the notions
that
Islam is inherently violent and that Muslim Americans can't be trusted.
Pipes has said that President Bush was wrong to describe Islam as a
"peaceful religion," claimed that 10 percent to 15 percent of Muslims
are
"potential killers," and supports routine profiling of Arab- Americans.
The nomination of a shrill voice for an obscure federal institute might
be
of little local interest, were it not for the fact that a Eugene man,
Douglas Card, had the misfortune to find himself in Pipes' crosshairs.
Pipes launched a project called Campus Watch to identify anti-Semitic
scholars at American universities. Card, an instructor of sociology at
the
University of Oregon, somehow ended up on the group's list - and was
promptly deluged by critical, even threatening, e-mail. Card is no
extremist of any description, but his efforts to get Pipes to correct
his
error were to no avail, even after he had obtained testimonials from
colleagues and leaders of the local Jewish community...
The nomination detracts from President Bush's laudable efforts to
oppose
anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bigotry. The committee can protect those
efforts
by rejecting Pipes' nomination.
-----
MIDDLE EAST IMMIGRANTS SCARCE AT ASHCROFT PROTEST
Ray Rivera, Seattle Times, 7/23/03
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001211568_ashcroft23m.html
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft encountered minor protests during
his
brief stop in Seattle yesterday, as he has in most places he visits
these
days.
But notably absent among his sign-waving detractors were immigrants
from
Middle Eastern and Muslim nations.
Some fear being tagged anti-American. Others worry that being spotted
at a
protest - much less arrested - could spell trouble when they try to
renew
their visas or obtain permanent residency.
Ashcroft's visit, part of a three-state swing through the Northwest,
drew
about two dozen protesters to the U.S. Coast Guard station at Pier 36,
where Ashcroft was meeting with local and federal anti-terrorism
officials...
Foreign nationals had once been a common sight outside federal
buildings in
Seattle and across the country protesting the treatment of immigrants
after
the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
But the arrest and detention late last year of hundreds of Middle
Eastern
men and teenagers - mostly in Southern California - who voluntarily
complied with a new federal immigrant fingerprinting and registration
program sparked fears already dwelling in many immigrants.
"The perception is that if you show up to one of these your picture is
going to be taken, and there might be negative repercussions that flow
from
that," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based civil-liberties group. "Many came
from
countries where a knock on the door at midnight was common, and they
remember that."
ALSO SEE:
2 TERRORISM CHARGES AGAINST LAWYER TOSSED
Larry Neumeister, Associated Press, 7/23/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-2940117,00.html
NEW YORK - Defense attorney Lynne Stewart had a reputation as a zealous
advocate for her clients when prosecutors turned their sights on her
last
year, accusing Stewart of crossing the line from representative to
co-conspirator.
Stewart was charged with aiding terrorism by conspiring to help
imprisoned
client Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, a leader of a terrorist organization
linked
to al-Qaida.
Steward contended that it was the government that had crossed the line.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl agreed, saying in a
77-page
opinion that prosecutors had applied a 1996 anti-terrorism statute in a
way
that was unconstitutionally vague.
Stewart said she fielded congratulatory telephone calls from around the
country Tuesday, mostly from fellow defense lawyers ``all feeling this
was
a great victory for the right to counsel.''
The judge left intact charges that Stewart and two others conspired to
defraud the United States and that Stewart made false statements. Trial
was
scheduled for Oct. 7
The dismissal of the first two counts of a five-count indictment was a
major blow to prosecutors. The case had been personally announced in
April
2002 by Attorney General John Ashcroft...
-----
CANADIAN PEACE ACTIVIST BEATEN, DETAINED IN ISRAEL
CAIR-CAN: Foreign mistreatment of Canadians must be a "priority" for
Canadian government
(OTTAWA, CANADA - 23/7/2003) - The Canadian office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) today called on Foreign Minister
Bill
Graham to demand that Israel treat Canadian peace activist Tarek
Loubani in
accordance with international human rights standards and that Loubani
be
released immediately from Israeli custody.
Loubani, a Canadian citizen and International Solidarity Movement (ISM)
peace activist, recently traveled to Israel to protest Israeli's policy
of
land confiscations. Loubani has been beaten by Israeli security forces
and
detained for the last twelve days. He is among ten other ISM peace
activists currently being held in Israeli custody.
In a statement issued today, CAIR-CAN wrote:
"The mistreatment of Canadian citizens - whether Zahra Kazemi in Iran,
Maher Arar in Syria or Tarek Loubani in Israel - must be a priority for
the
Canadian government.
"In this particular case, a Canadian peace activist was arbitrarily
arrested, detained and beaten because he was peacefully protesting
Israel's
illegal policy of confiscating land that rightly belongs to the
Palestinian
people. In recent months, Israel has mounted a brutal campaign against
the
ISM peace activists, crushing Rachel Corrie to death with a bulldozer
and
shooting others in the face and head.
"We are calling on the Canadian government to demand that Israel abide
by
international human rights standards in its treatment of Tarek Loubani
and
all peace activists, and that they be released without delay."
CONTACT: Riad Saloojee at 613-24-9704; E-mail: canada@cair-net.org
-----
ARABIC CLASSES SOAR IN POPULARITY
William Brand, Oakland Tribune, 7/23/03
http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%257E1726%257E1527967,00.html
BERKELEY -- This summer when Stephanie Bahr walks along Telegraph
Avenue,
Arabic words float into her mind.
"I call it my Arabic hangover," she says. "A word like 'mush mais' will
pop
up and after a minute, I think, 'Oh, that means sunshine.'"
If you were studying Arabic five hours a day, five days a week, plus
four
or five hours of homework a night, Arabic words might float into your
head
too. Bahr, from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, is one of about 70 students
taking an intensive, eight-week course in elementary Arabic this summer
at
the University of California, Berkeley.
They're part of a nationwide crush of students who have enrolled in
Arabic
courses since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks…
-----
IRAQIS COMPLAIN OF TORTURE BY U.S. FORCES-AMNESTY
Reuters, 7/23/03
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/4804219.htm
BAGHDAD - Iraqis detained by U.S. troops have complained of torture and
degrading treatment, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
There were also reports of troops shooting detainees, the London-based
human rights watchdog said in a report based on interviews with former
prisoners of the Americans across Iraq.
Amnesty staff heard complaints that included prolonged sleep
deprivation
and detainees being forced to stay in painful positions or wear hoods
over
their heads for long periods.
"Such treatment would amount to 'torture and inhumane treatment'
prohibited
by the Fourth Geneva Convention and by international human rights law,"
Amnesty said.
U.S. military officials were not immediately available to comment on
the
report...
ALSO SEE:
TORTURE TESTIMONY 'ACCEPTABLE'
Audrey Gillan, Guardian, 7/22/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/humanrights/story/0,7369,1003351,00.html
An MI5 expert in terrorism has admitted that the security service would
use
information extracted from tortured prisoners as evidence in court.
The secret witness told a panel of judges that in spite of knowing that
a
victim had been tortured or had come from a country where the regime
sanctioned torture, she would still consider their testimony to be
relevant
to security service investigations.
The admissions will add to growing public concern over the detainees at
Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, who were questioned by the CIA and by MI5
officers.
Critics claim that the government has condoned torture by the US in its
attempts to garner evidence against people it suspects of having been
involved in al-Qaida or the Taliban.
The implication of the testimony has shocked human rights campaigners,
as
well as lawyers and the families of those detained. Article three of
the
Human Rights Act says "no one shall be subjected to torture or inhuman
or
degrading treatment or punishment..."
-----
MOST JEWISH SETTLERS WOULD LEAVE FOR PEACE - POLL
Reuters, 7/23/03
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters07-23-014930.asp?reg=MIDEAST
JERUSALEM - A majority of Jewish settlers living on land Israel
captured
in the 1967 Middle East war would be willing to leave their homes for
peace
with the Palestinians if properly compensated, a poll published on
Wednesday said.
The findings could bolster peace moves sought by Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon under the U.S.-backed "road map" that sets out reciprocal steps
leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state in 2005.
According to the poll, taken for the settler monitoring group Peace
Now, 68
percent of all settlers think unauthorised outposts should be removed
and
74 percent would leave their homes in return for compensation.
The YESHA Council, representing the 200,000 Israelis living in the
settlements scattered among the 3.6 million Palestinians of the West
Bank
and Gaza Strip, said in a statement that the survey, having been taken
by
an interested party, had no basis in reality...
-----
U.S.: REPORT ON JUSTICE DEPARTMENT RAISES FEARS ABOUT ANTITERRORISM LAW
Andrew F. Tully, Radio Free Europe, 7/23/03
http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2003/07/22072003165707.asp
Within weeks of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S.,
Attorney General John Ashcroft testified before the Senate Judiciary
Committee. He argued that existing laws were not current with the kind
of
terrorist threat the United States was then facing.
"Technology has dramatically outpaced our statutes. As the chairman
mentioned, law enforcement tools created decades ago were crafted for
rotary telephones, not e-mail or the Internet or mobile communications
and
voice mail. Every day that passes, every day that passes with outdated
statutes and the old rules of engagement, is a day that terrorists have
a
competitive advantage. Until Congress makes those changes, we are
fighting
an unnecessarily uphill battle," Ashcroft said.
Soon after, Congress passed the USA Patriot Act with little debate.
Critics
warned, however, that the new law gave the Justice Department enhanced
investigative powers that could strip U.S. citizens of some of their
cherished freedoms and lead to widespread law enforcement abuses.
U.S. civil libertarians and advocates of immigrants' rights now say
their
early fears have been vindicated...
SEE ALSO:
HOUSE TAKES AIM AT PATRIOT ACT SECRET SEARCHES
Andrew Clark, Reuters, 7/22/03
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=3138081
WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on
Tuesday to roll back a key provision, which allows the government to
conduct secret "sneak and peek" searches of private property, of a
sweeping
anti-terrorism law passed soon after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The House voted 309-118 to attach the provision to a $37.9 billion bill
funding the departments of Commerce, State and Justice. It would be the
first change in the controversial USA Patriot Act since the law was
enacted
in October, 2001.
The move would block the Justice Department from using any funds to
take
advantage of the section of the act that allows it to secretly search
the
homes of suspects and only inform them later that a warrant had been
issued
to do so.
Supporters of the change say that violates both the U.S. Constitution
and
the long-standing common law "knock and announce" principle -- which
states
the government cannot enter or search private property without first
notifying the owner...
-----
PATRIOT ACT UPSETS DELAWARE, OTHER STATES
Joe Rogalsky, Newszap, 7/22/03
http://www.newszap.com/display/inn_dover/news211.txt
DOVER - State and local governments throughout the country are
objecting to
a mammoth law that Congress passed soon after the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist
attacks.
The USA Patriot Act gives federal authorities new powers to investigate
possible terrorist activity.
For example, the law permits federal agents to search individuals'
library
records or monitor Internet us-age. It also expands authorities'
ability to
detain individuals suspected of terrorism.
Across the nation, three states and 138 local governments have proposed
and/or passed resolutions condemning the act, according to the Bill of
Rights Defense Committee, which opposes the act and works to-ward its
repeal.
In Delaware, only the Wilmington City Council has proposed a resolution
objecting to the Patriot Act.
Nearby, the Philadelphia and Baltimore city councils have passed
resolutions denouncing the act for trampling civil liberties...
-----
CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS LOOKS TO DENOUNCE PATRIOT ACT
Mary Brandenberger, KVAL 13, 7/22/03
http://www2.kval.com/x30530.xml?ParentPageID=x2649&ContentID=x41274
Eugene - Hope Marston is on a mission. Along with the rest of the
Bill of
Rights Defense Committee, activists won't stop until they take down the
United States Patriot Act.
Congress created the act to fight terrorism, allowing law enforcement
officials to search places of worship, libraries, and internet
sites. Eugene and Lane County leaders denounced the act, calling it
unconstitutional and an invasion of privacy. Monday night, the
Springfield
City Council considered the same.
Stu Burge, Springfield City Council, says, "I just asked for somewhat
of a
consensus on where the council stood."
Although the Springfield City Council took a neutral stance on the
issue,
those against the Patriot Act plan to spread their message...
-----
COALITION CURBS WILD IRAQI PRESS
Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 7/23/03
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0723/p07s01-woiq.html
BAGHDAD - For the first time, coalition authorities in Iraq have shut
down
an Iraqi newspaper, charging that its publication of a July 13 article
calling for "death to all ... who cooperate with the United States" and
threatening to publish a list of collaborators' names was a dangerous
violation of international law.
A special investigative unit of the Iraqi police on Monday sealed the
offices in Baghdad of the semiweekly Arabic newspaper Al Mustaqilla and
took into custody its office manager. The manager, whose name was not
released, is undergoing questioning.
A search of the premises turned up blank Baath Party membership cards,
a
sign that the newspaper was "anything but independent," said Coalition
Provisional Authority chief spokesperson Charles Heatly.
The case illustrates that despite the commitment of the US-led
coalition to
a free Iraqi press, there are lines that cannot be crossed. Coalition
authorities have warned at least two other newspapers that their
coverage
was "inciteful to violence" and could prompt action, Heatly said...
-----
WOMAN REJECTS EL AL'S APOLOGY
Philip Mascoll, Toronto Star, 7/23/03
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1058911810477
A Toronto woman who says Israel's national airline humiliated her
because
she was a Muslim has refused an apology from El Al because it does not
address the way she was treated.
"They don't acknowledge I was treated differently because of my
background," Ronna Syed said yesterday from Ramallah, in the West Bank.
In a letter sent to El Al yesterday, she says: "I think I am entitled
to an
apology that acknowledges that the way I was treated was unacceptable."
Her ordeal came on June 25-26 at London's Heathrow Airport while she
was
waiting to board an El Al flight to Tel Aviv.
Syed said she was singled out at the airport and grilled by El Al
security
staff.
She said she was forced to sit shoeless for 45 minutes while tests were
done on her footwear. The ordeal lasted 13 hours...
SEE ALSO:
AMERICAN'S BIAS TRIAL DELAYED UNTIL FEBRUARY
Bryon Okada, Fort-Worth Star-Telegram, 7/23/03
A federal judge pushed back until at least February a trial to
determine
whether American Airlines discriminated against passengers believed to
be
Arab, Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian or Muslim.
Because of the complexity of the case, attorneys for both American and
the
Department of Transportation's Office of Aviation Enforcement and
Proceedings sought extra time for pretrial discovery, during which the
sides share their evidence..
The allegations involve 10 passengers, mostly U.S. citizens, who were
removed or denied boarding by American Airlines. The bulk of the
incidents
occurred in the weeks immediately after 9-11.
American Airlines, under federal direction to prioritize passenger
security, has denied race- or religion-based violations. The case is
the
nation's first racial and religion bias case against an airline.
-----
VIEWING OF DOCUMENTARY ON POST-9/11 HATE CRIMES
WHAT: The Civil Rights Division will be hosting a special viewing of
the
documentary "North of 49: A story about arson, forgiveness, and healing
in
a post September 11th world." The 45 minute film recounts the burning
down
of a Sikh religious center in upstate New York and its impact on the
victims, the broader community, and the teenage arsonists themselves,
as
they moved toward understanding and reconciliation. The film will be
followed by remarks and Q & A by Ralph Singh, a leader of the Gobin
Sadan
religious center that was destroyed by the fire.
WHEN: Friday, July 25 at 11:00
WHERE: In the 7th Floor Conference Center of the RFK Main Justice
Building.
CONTACT: Jacqueline Greene at (202) 514-5410 or
Jacqueline.Greene@usdoj.gov.
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
CROSS BURNED AT MARYLAND ISLAMIC SCHOOL
Muslim civil rights group to hold news conference
WHAT: On THURSDAY, JULY 24, the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) will hold a news conference in reaction to a cross-burning
incident
overnight at an Islamic school in College Park, Maryland.
Prince George's County Police Department officials confirmed to CAIR
that a
cross was burned outside Al-Huda School at about 1:30 a.m. this
morning.
CAIR's Maryland office has informed the FBI.
Last week, two Pakistani students were shot to in the same county. The
FBI
is looking into that case to determine if bias was a motive.
"This incident clearly demonstrates that the issue of growing
anti-Muslim
bigotry in the United States must be addressed at the highest levels by
religious and political leaders," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad
Awad.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld states' power to punish those
who
burn crosses as an act of intimidation.
CAIR, based in Washington, D.C., is America's largest Islamic civil
liberties group, with 16 regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
WHEN: Thursday, July 24, 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Al-Huda School, 5301 Edgewood Road, College Park, Maryland
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Maryland, Rizwan Mowlana, 240-401-4550; CAIR-DC, Ibrahim
Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah
Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/24/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: NO HATRED IN PARADISE
* REWARD OFFERED IN MARYLAND CROSS-BURNING CASE
- New Poll on American Attitudes Toward Islam (Pew)
- Hate Crimes Resolution Scheduled for Markup
- Ill. Family Shaken After Home Invasion (NW Herald)
* DANIEL PIPES VOTE POSTPONED (Jerusalem Post)
- Senators Criticize Daniel Pipes (CAIR)
* KYRGYZ DELEGATION VISITS CAIR HQ
* CON-ARTIST WHO DEFRAUDED MUSLIMS RELEASED
* PATRIOT ACT SHOULD NOT ABUSE CITIZEN RIGHTS (Free Press)
- Violations of Act Should be Taken Seriously (KC Star)
* ISRAELI POLICE SHOOT UNARMED ARAB ISRAELIS (NY Times)
- Jewish Settler Population Grows (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: NO HATRED IN PARADISE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(The people of
Paradise)
will have neither differences nor hatred amongst themselves; their
hearts
will be as (one)."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Hadith 468
-----
REWARD OFFERED IN MARYLAND CROSS-BURNING CASE
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/24/03) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the
arrest and conviction of anyone who participated in a cross-burning
early
this morning at an Islamic school in Maryland.
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad made that announcement at a news
conference outside the Al-Huda School in College Park, Md. Participants
in
the news conference included Awad, representatives from CAIR's Maryland
office, local Muslims, public officials, as well as several minority,
civil
liberties and interfaith leaders.
"The fight against bigotry and prejudice requires constant vigilance by
law
enforcement authorities, religious leaders and elected officials," said
Awad. "America's tolerant majority needs to speak out loudly and often
to
silence the shrill voice of hate."
Last week, two Pakistani students were shot to death in the same county
as
the cross-burning. FBI investigators are looking into the incident to
determine if bias was a motive. CAIR's reward offer also applies to
that case.
Also last week, CAIR released its eighth annual report on the status of
American Muslim civil rights indicating that anti-Muslim incidents
increased by 15 percent over the previous year. SEE:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/crr2003.asp
Since the beginning of this year, CAIR has received reports of physical
assaults against Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim in California,
Georgia, New Jersey, South Carolina and other states. One incident in
Yorba
Linda, Calif., left a Muslim teenager badly beaten by a group that
allegedly included white supremacists. In Arizona, a Sikh man who may
have
been mistaken for an Arab was shot in Phoenix. In Illinois, an
explosive
device destroyed a Muslim family's van. And just last month, a New
Bedford,
Mass., pizza delivery man was kidnapped, beaten and stabbed, apparently
because his attackers thought he was Muslim.
Victims of hate crimes are urged to fill out report forms, which are
available for download at:
http://www.cair-net.org/ireport/Incident_Report.doc, or by calling
202-488-8787.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Maryland, Rizwan Mowlana, 240-401-4550; CAIR-DC, Ibrahim
Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah
Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
SEE ALSO:
NEW POLL ON AMERICAN ATTITUDES TOWARD ISLAM
A new poll, jointly released today by the Pew Forum on Religion and
Public
Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, reveals
that
an increasing number of Americans have come to view Islam as a religion
that encourages violence, while a declining number say Islam has a lot
in
common with their own religion. The full poll report will be available
on
the Pew Forum's Web site after 4 p.m. this afternoon, at:
http://pewforum.org/docs/index.php?DocID=26
---
HATE CRIMES RESOLUTION SCHEDULED FOR MARKUP
House Judiciary Committee (Chairman Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.) will mark up
pending legislation.
Where and When: July 25, 9:30 a.m., 2141 Rayburn Bldg.
Agenda: H Res 234 - A resolution condemning bigotry and violence
against
Arab-Americans, Muslim-Americans, South Asian-Americans, and
Sikh-Americans.
---
FAMILY REMAINS SHAKEN AFTER HOME INVASION
JEFF KOLKEY, Northwest Herald, 7/23/03
http://www.nwherald.com/spider/NWH/news/278238174209699.shtml
ALGONQUIN - When one of the men who broke into Saleem Damani's house
came
at him with a club, he thought he was about to die.
On Sunday night, three to five men dressed in black - their faces
masked by
bandanas - invaded Damani's home in the 1500 block of Farm Hill Drive.
The
men allegedly terrorized his family, demanded money and beat him with a
club.
Nothing was stolen.
No one has been arrested, but Algonquin police do not believe that it
was a
random incident and are tracking down possible suspects.
Police are investigating the crime as a home invasion and attempted
robbery, although Damani said he may have been targeted because he is
from
Pakistan.
"If someone is trying to get me to move from this country, I am not
going
anywhere," said Damani, who has lived in Algonquin for about two
decades.
"I am a citizen. My wife is a citizen. My three children were born in
this
country. This is the greatest country in the world. I came for a better
life."
Algonquin Deputy Chief Ed Urban said there is no evidence so far to
suggest
that the incident was a hate crime…
-----
PIPES VOTE POSTPONED; SEN. KENNEDY LEADS OPPOSITION
JANINE ZACHARIA, Jerusalem Post, 7/24/03
http://www.jpost.com/
WASHINGTON - A Senate committee vote on the controversial nomination of
Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes to the board of a federally funded
think
tank was postponed indefinitely on Wednesday after several Democratic
senators fervently opposed the appointment and the number of senators
present dropped to less than half, triggering a delay in the vote under
Senate rules.
Arab-American and Muslim-American organizations that opposed the
presidential nomination hailed the outcome as a victory, while Pipes's
supporters privately expressed disappointment…
With the summer congressional recess fast approaching, a vote may not
take
place in the current session. The White House could choose to do a
recess
appointment, thereby eliminating the need for committee approval.
But with stiff opposition by senior members, including the ranking
committee Democrat, Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, such a
unilateral
move by the White House seems unlikely.
Kennedy said the purpose of the United States Institute of Peace, on
whose
board of directors President George W. Bush nominated Pipes to serve,
is
"to support the development, transmission, and use of knowledge, to
promote
peace and curb violent international conflict."
"I believe that the statements and writings of Dr. Daniel Pipes are
just
the opposite," Kennedy said. "His writings include derogatory
statements
about Muslim immigrants as 'brown-skinned peoples cooking strange foods
and
not exactly maintaining Germanic standards of hygiene.'"
Kennedy criticized several of Pipes's positions, including support for
racial and religious profiling in law enforcement, and his belief that
mosques in America should be regular targets of police surveillance…
Kennedy said Pipes's views are "decidedly one-sided. And they are not
the
words of one committed to bridging differences and bringing peace....
Surely we can find someone better to serve on the Board of the United
States Institute of Peace…"
After the Senate committee adjourned, CAIR executive director Nihad
Awad
said at a news conference: "We view the outcome of today's meeting as a
victory for all those who reject bigotry and, unlike Daniel Pipes, seek
negotiated resolutions to international conflicts."
Pipes had no immediate comment.
SEE ALSO: SENATORS CRITICIZE DANIEL PIPES IN COMMITTEE MEETING
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=148&page=AA
-----
KYRGYZ DELEGATION VISITS CAIR HQ
CAIR was honored yesterday to host a delegation of religious leaders
from
Kyrgyzstan at its national headquarters in Washington, D.C. The
delegation
included several Imams and Kazys (religious leader) from that nation.
The visit was arranged by the State Department's International Visitor
Program. In the past, CAIR has hosted a number of similar delegations
from
Muslim-majority counties.
-----
CON-ARTIST WHO DEFRAUDED MUSLIMS RELEASED
CAIR has been notified by Canadian law enforcement authorities that a
convicted con-artist who preyed on Muslim communities worldwide for
more
than a decade has been released and will be deported to Israel.
The alleged con-artist's primary method of operation was to place phone
calls claiming to be a well-known Muslim leader, official or scholar
stranded at an airport after his money, passport and tickets had been
stolen or lost. He would ask the intended victim, typically a leader or
activist in a local Muslim community, to wire cash through MoneyGram or
Western Union to help him out of the crisis. After receiving the funds,
he
would disappear.
The impostor, an Israeli national named Mohammed Mustafa Agbareia, used
this technique to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from Muslim
individuals and institutions in the United States, Canada, Europe,
Australia, and the Islamic world. He was convicted in March on multiple
felony counts in Canada and sentenced to nine months in prison, with a
reduction for time already served while awaiting sentencing.
If anyone receives a call that they believe may be from this
con-artist,
please contact local police and CAIR.
-----
PATRIOT ACT SHOULD NOT ABUSE CITIZEN RIGHTS
Detroit Free Press, 7/24/03
http://www.freep.com/voices/editorials/epat24_20030724.htm
The Bush administration, which promised that the USA Patriot Act was
necessary and not an abuse of power, ought to take a hard look at a new
inspector general's report detailing dozens of credible cases in which
federal employees trampled over the civil rights of Muslim and Arab
immigrants.
The immigrants have the wonderfully flawed Patriot Act to thank for
their
poor treatment. The law intended to fight terrorism has placed too much
power in the wrong hands, perhaps explaining why the Bush
administration
has said so little about the 34 gross accounts laid out in the report,
available at www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/03-07/index.htm. If only as a
symbolic demonstration, someone needs to say something to reassure the
public that its government regards everyone's rights equally…
SEE ALSO:
VIOLATIONS OF PATRIOT ACT SHOULD BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY
Kansas City Star, 7/24/03
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/news/opinion/6368070.htm
Parts of the hastily adopted USA Patriot Act have led to disturbing
abuses
of civil rights and liberties. Further evidence of this come from a new
internal Justice Department report.
People arrested on charges of violating the act's provisions have been
verbally abused and physically threatened. President Bush and Attorney
General John Ashcroft should insist that these abuses of authority end.
In one case, investigators are looking into what they call a credible
claim
that a guard at an immigrant detention facility held a loaded gun to a
detainee's head. In another case, Muslim prisoners have presented
persuasive evidence that they were taunted because of their religion,
and
possibly forced to eat food that Islam prohibits.
If such things have happened, they are simply unacceptable.
The anti-terrorism law, passed in excessive haste after the Sept. 11,
2001,
terrorist attacks, gives the government investigative powers that were
not
previously available.
The law is supposed to protect the country from additional attacks. As
authorities have pursued that goal, however, some have committed
indefensible acts…
-----
ISRAELI POLICE SHOOT TWO UNARMED ARAB ISRAELIS, KILLING ONE
GREG MYRE, New York Times, 7/24/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/22/international/middleeast/22CND-MIDE.html
JERUSALEM, July 22 - Israeli police officers on a high alert for a
possible
terror attack today shot two unarmed Arab Israeli men attempting to
flee in
a white car similar to one being sought by the security forces. One man
was
killed and the second was wounded, the police said.
Arab residents in the town of Taibeh, where the shooting took place,
reacted angrily, throwing stones at the Israeli security forces. And a
leading Arab member of Israel's parliament, Ahmed Tibi, demanded a
public
investigation into the death of Morasi Jibali, 28, and the wounding of
his
22-year-old companion.
"The Israeli security forces have a light trigger-finger when it comes
to
Arab Israeli citizens," Mr. Tibi said…
SEE ALSO:
JEWISH SETTLER POPULATION GROWS DESPITE PEACE MOVES
Maia Ridberg, Reuters, 7/24/03
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Jewish settler population in the Palestinian
Territories grew by more than 5,000 in the first half of 2003, despite
U.S.-backed peace moves requiring an end to construction at
settlements,
Israel said Thursday.
The figures could complicate Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas's
talks Friday in Washington, where he will urge President Bush to
increase
pressure on Israel to implement peace moves and release Palestinian
prisoners.
Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr said the continued growth of
Israeli settlements undermined peace efforts and added: "It means there
is
no hope for the birth of the Palestinian state..."
Under a "road map" to peace which Bush will try to push forward at
Friday's
talks with Abbas and then at talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon
Tuesday, a Palestinian state is to be established alongside Israel in
2005.
Israel is required under the plan to abandon unauthorized settler
outposts
-- mainly small clusters of homes or caravans on West Bank hilltops --
and
stop construction work at the more established settlements…
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/25/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: HONOR YOUR PARENTS
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6323 SPONSORSHIPS
- 'Washington Live' to Discuss Immigration Issues
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
- CAIR-CAN Appoints Community Relations Director
- 'Young Leaders' Delegation Visits CAIR
* MUSLIMS WIN JAIL PRAYER BATTLE (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
* POLICE HAVE WITNESS, VIDEO IN PROBE OF HATE CRIME (Wash. Post)
- PG Officials Probe Fire at Islamic School (Wash. Times)
* ISRAELI SOLDIER KILLS PALESTINIAN CHILD (AP)
- Bush U.S. Has Problem with Israeli Wall (Reuters)
- Christian Zionists Criticized by Fellow Believers (AP)
* NATO INVESTIGATES BEATING OF MUSLIM BY U.S. PEACEKEEPERS (AFP)
* PEACE GROUP TO SPEAK AGAINST PATRIOT ACT II (Argus)
- Kucinich to Introduce True Patriot Act
* DANIEL PIPES: THE WRONG MAN (Daily Ilini)
* SCARED AFGHAN VILLAGERS HIDE KORANS FROM US TROOPS (AFP)
* TROOPS BEAR 'MOOR KILLER' BADGES (Guardian)
- Iraq: Continuing Failure to Uphold Human Rights (Amnesty)
* RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION PLEDGED TO KASHMIRIS (AAP)
* FLA. TERRORISM SUSPECT FIRES HIS LAWYERS (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: HONOR YOUR PARENTS
A man once asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) if there was
any
kindness he could do for his parents after their death. The Prophet
replied: "Yes, you can invoke (God's) blessings on them, (seek)
forgiveness
for them, carry out their final instructions, maintain ties of
relationship
that are dependent on them, and honor their friends."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2440
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6323 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6323 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a sponsored library:
"The materials sent are most impressive and are greatly appreciated by
our
library. We have a difficult time keeping materials on Islam on the
shelf.
Thank you." Greenville, MS
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
'WASHINGTON LIVE' TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION ISSUES
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
NEXT TOPIC: IMMIGRATION ISSUES
SUBMIT questions about any immigration issue to be addressed by experts
on
air. E-Mail: cair@washlive.com before 8 p.m. (Eastern) on Tuesday.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
---
CAIR-CAN APPOINTS NEW COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIRECTOR
CAIR-CAN is pleased to announce the appointment of Ikram Elmuradi to
the
position of Director of Community Relations. Ms. Elmuradi has been
active
in the Ottawa community for many years. We look forward to the insight,
dedication and enthusiasm she brings to CAIR-CAN. Ms. Elmuradi has a
degree
in computer engineering from the University of Ottawa.
---
'YOUNG LEADERS' DELEGATION VISITS CAIR
CAIR was honored today to host a delegation of government officials,
professors, and grassroots organization leaders from the Near East,
South
Asia and Africa who have traveled to the U.S. on a professional
exchange
program, "Young Leaders: Effecting Political and Social Change."
The visit was arranged by the State Department's International Visitor
Program. In the past, CAIR has hosted a number of similar delegations
from
Muslim-majority counties.
-----
MUSLIMS WIN JAIL PRAYER BATTLE
Juliet V. Casey, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/24/03
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Jul-24-Thu-2003/news/21796607.html
Muslims incarcerated in the Clark County Detention Center have
persuaded
authorities to provide them religious services on Fridays, the day
their
religion mandates group prayer.
Previously, the jail had offered services only on Saturdays, when
services
for a variety of other religions are provided...
Andrea Beckman, executive director of the review board, said Wednesday
that
the complaints initially were dismissed. However, recommendations were
forwarded to the jail that the facility take "reasonable" action to
make
sure religious services were provided to inmates to comply with federal
law...
Capt. Mikel Holt, who has worked on addressing the Muslim inmate
complaints, said the jail hasn't changed its policy to accommodate
their
requests.
"The issue here is that we rely on volunteers to provide these
services,"
he said. "And we had been providing Muslim services on Saturdays, but
that
was because that's when our Muslim volunteers said they could come."
Beckman said jail officials told her that blankets and sheets weren't
being
allowed for prayers in common areas "because of security policies."
Holt credited the jail's volunteer religious coordinator, Bonnie
Polley,
who has held that position for more than 20 years, with finding a
Muslim
volunteer to offer prayer services at the jail on Fridays. Polley
recruited
local Muslim leader Mujahid Ramadan for the task. Ramadan is an imam,
or
prayer leader, at the Masjid As-Sabur mosque…
"It's just been a matter of matching the resources with the need, and
until
(the jail's) administration and religious programming started reaching
out,
there was a substantial population in the jail that wasn't being
served,"
Holt said, adding that he was surprised the jail didn't already have a
more
well-established program for Muslim inmates.
Still, Ramadan said corrections officials are moving in the right
direction. He said they're recognizing the growing diversity of their
inmate populations and recently have become more culturally sensitive.
"Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the country," he
said. He
added that growth is accelerated in jails and prisons, where inmates
often
"find religion."
"One of the most revered Muslims came out of the penal system," Ramadan
said. "That was Malcolm X."
Ramadan said he is pleased with the steps that county officials have
taken
to meet the inmates' religious concerns. He said the North Las Vegas
Department of Detention and Corrections has held Islamic services for
inmates for about a year and a half.
Patti Kitchen, inmate programs coordinator for the North Las Vegas
jail,
said inmates who participate in religious programs, including Islamic
services, are better behaved and tend to have higher morale.
"It gives inmates an outlet to grow in their faith if that's what they
want
to do," she said.
-----
POLICE HAVE WITNESS, VIDEO IN PROBE OF HATE CRIME
Jamie Stockwell, Washington Post, 7/25/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43415-2003Jul24.html
A three-foot-high wooden cross was set afire on a grassy knoll outside
a
Prince George's County mosque and Islamic school early yesterday in
what
authorities said was a hate crime.
The cross, soaked with a flammable liquid, was pushed into the ground
and
ignited shortly before 2 a.m. in front of the Dar-us-Salaam mosque and
Al-Huda school in College Park, said Fire Chief Ronald Blackwell. A
videotape from a surveillance camera on the property shows at least two
people carrying out the cross-burning, Blackwell said...
"It is a disgraceful time," said Rizwan Mowlana, the executive director
of
the Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "A
crime
was committed today."
County Police Chief Melvin C. High said the police and fire departments
are
investigating the cross-burning as a hate crime. He declined to
elaborate
on the videotape or discuss other possible evidence in the case. Barry
Maddox, an FBI spokesman in Baltimore, said federal agents are working
with
local authorities in the probe. He said the cross-burning was the first
reported to authorities in Maryland in at least three years...
Mowlana described a witness's account of the crime at a news conference
yesterday outside the mosque. He said that a man was sitting in his
car,
waiting for a friend who was working on the floors inside the mosque,
when
a van drove up and two or three young white men scattered onto the
grass.
The man told Mowlana and authorities that he then saw a burst of fire
and
watched the men drive quickly away, Mowlana said.
"We pray the police make arrests soon," he said...
SEE ALSO:
PG OFFICIALS PROBE FIRE AT ISLAMIC SCHOOL
Matthew Cella, Washington Times, 7/24/03
http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20030724-102548-7380r.htm
Prince George's County police and fire investigators say a cross
burning
early yesterday morning at an Islamic school in College Park was a hate
crime.
Investigators said a 31/2-foot-tall wooden cross was sprayed or dipped
into
flammable fluid, then set ablaze at about 1:30 a.m. near the front gate
of
the Al-Huda School on Edgewood Road.
The incident was recorded by a building security camera.
"At the moment, the evidence indicates ... it was a hate crime," said
Prince George's County Police Chief Melvin C. High. "Certainly I think
there's enough evidence to give us some good leads and indications, but
I
wouldn't say that an arrest is imminent."
One witness, who was in a car waiting to pick up a school employee,
told
authorities he saw two or three young white males light the cross, then
leave in a car...
Nihad Awad, national director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
said to his knowledge this is the first cross burning in a Muslim
community
since the September 11 attacks.
"It's a cowardly act, and our community will not be intimidated," he
said.
The council is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an
arrest and conviction in the case.
Under a 1979 county law banning cross burning, whoever set yesterday's
fire
could face up to a year in jail...
-----
ISRAELI SOLDIER KILLS PALESTINIAN CHILD
Jill Lawless, Associated Press, 7/25/03
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030725_772.html
JERUSALEM - An Israeli soldier in the West Bank shot and killed a
4-year-old Palestinian boy and wounded two other children Friday in the
latest violent incident to break the relative calm of recent weeks.
The army called the shooting an accident, but a Palestinian official
said
the soldier fired unprovoked at a vehicle waiting at a road block.
In Washington, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was due to meet
President Bush later Friday amid growing impatience among Palestinians
over
the slow pace of progress along the U.S.-backed ``road map'' peace
plan.
In a reflection of the tension, hundreds of Israeli police guarded
entrances to Jerusalem's Old City and stopped young men from entering
the
Al Aqsa Mosque, fearing unrest after Friday's Muslim prayers. The area
of
the mosque, a site holy to Jews and Muslims, has been the site of
clashes
in the past.
Israeli-Palestinian violence has fallen sharply since a June 29 truce
declared by Palestinian militants, but the road map has stalled over
which
side should make the next move and sporadic violence has continued...
ALSO SEE:
BUSH U.S. HAS PROBLEM WITH ISRAELI WALL
Steve Holland, Reuters, 7/25/03
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N25221365.htm
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush, speaking with Palestinian Prime
Minister Mahmoud Abbas at his side on Friday, called Israel's
construction
of a security fence against Palestinians a problem that would hamper
efforts to build trust.
But Bush was loathe to be too critical of Israel, saying the release of
Palestinian political prisoners as demanded by Abbas should be
considered
on a case-by-case basis and that Abbas must crack down on Palestinian
militants to help along the Middle East peace "road map."
The comments were made at a joint news conference on the steps of the
White
House Rose Garden during Abbas' first White House visit. He will be
followed next week by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Abbas, who has said his government could fall if Israel does not make
more
confidence-building gestures, was adamant that Israel do more. He was
dismissive of Israel's pledge on Friday to pull back from two West Bank
cities and remove several main roadblocks, steps that Bush welcomed...
---
CHRISTIAN ZIONISTS CRITICIZED BY FELLOW BELIEVERS FOR CAMPAIGNING
AGAINST
MIDEAST "ROAD MAP"
Malcolm Foster, Associated Press, 7/24/03
http://www.nola.com/newsflash/national/index.ssf?/newsflash/get_story.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0635_BC_Christians-PeacePlan&&news&newsflash-national
NEW YORK - As Israelis and Palestinians take faltering steps toward
peace
in the Mideast, Christian groups watching from the United States have
taken
sharply different stances on the peace plan backed by President Bush.
The majority of churches - Roman Catholic, Orthodox, mainline
Protestant
and some evangelical groups - welcome the three-step plan called the
"road
map," which envisions the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.
President Bush was hosting Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas on
Friday to discuss the initiative, and is to meet Tuesday with Israeli
Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon.
A vocal segment of evangelical Protestants, however, are lobbying the
Bush
administration to abandon the plan because they believe it rewards
terrorism and violates God's promise to give the Jewish people the
historic
land of Israel.
So-called Christian Zionists also see the modern state of Israel as a
fulfillment of biblical prophecy - and a precondition of the second
coming
of Jesus Christ. Setting up a Palestinian state is seen as undermining
these end times events...
-----
NATO INVESTIGATES ALLEGED BEATING OF BOSNIAN MUSLIM BY US PEACEKEEPERS
Agence France Presse, 7/24/03
http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030724135415.luwsp5ru.html
SARAJEVO - NATO-led peacekeepers in Bosnia said Thursday they and local
police were investigating an incident in which troops allegedly
severely
beat a Muslim invalid whom they suspected of video-taping them.
The NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) is investigating the incident
in
which a group of peacekeepers "briefly detained" a resident of the
northeastern town of Kalesija "suspected of video-taping an SFOR
patrol,"
an SFOR statement said.
But Hatidza Sahbazovic accused US troops serving with the peacekeepers
of
severely beating her invalid husband Bajro -- who lost his leg and arm
during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war -- in front of their house on
Wednesday...
-----
PEACE GROUP TO SPEAK AGAINST PATRIOT ACT II
The Argus, 7/24/03
http://www.theargusonline.com/Stories/0,1413,83~1971~1531177,00.html
NEWARK -- The South Alameda County Peace & Justice Coalition plans to
speak
at the City Council meeting tonight to build opposition against the
proposed federal Domestic Security Enhancement Act, called Patriot Act
II
by critics.
The organization spoke before the Hayward council on Tuesday and plans
to
attend Fremont and Union City councils in September to discuss its
opposition to the proposed law, which would increase government
surveillance and anti-terrorism efforts.
The peace group is also scheduled to hold a public meeting at 6:30 p.m.
on
the sixth floor of the City Administration Building, 37101 Newark Blvd.
The
Newark council will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.
ALSO SEE:
CONTINUE THE HOUSE'S FIGHT TO RESTORE CIVIL LIBERTIES CO-SPONSOR THE
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN TRUE PATRIOT ACT
Dear Colleague:
I wanted to call your attention to two articles published on June 20th
in
the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
One article rightly calls into question the patriotism of the misnamed,
USA
PATRIOT Act. That same day, a second article reported that the
Attorney
General has requested that the press dispel the deep concerns
Americans'
have expressed about the destruction of essential civil liberties in
the
wake of the PATRIOT Act and other regulatory changes.
In the midst of the trampling of the liberties provided by the First,
Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments in the Bill of
Rights, Americans deserve better than to have the Attorney General call
on
the media to put a spin on the loss of these essential rights. In
fact, no
spin was needed when the House recently voted 309 to 188 to block the
Justice Department from using any funds to implement Section 213 of the
PATRIOT Act, allowing for "sneak and peek" searches.
In September I will introducing The Benjamin Franklin True Patriot Act,
the
first comprehensive bill to roll back unnecessary and un-American
powers
grabbed by the government in the name of national security, including
powers granted in section 213 of the PATRIOT Act and many others.
For more information about this bill, or to become an original
co-sponsor,
contact Michael Oswalt on my staff at 55871.
Sincerely,
Dennis J. Kucinich
Member of Congress
-----
THE WRONG MAN
Mariam Sobh, Daily Illini, 7/23/03
http://www.dailyillini.com/
Champaign, Ill. - People like to speak on behalf of others. Why is
that?
President George W. Bush has tons of spokespeople trying to tell the
media
what he meant by something he said or what his future plans are. OK, so
the
president has better things to do than answer every reporter asking a
simple question. I understand that if you're very high profile, you
don't
want to deal with all the little peons and can just send someone who
knows
your lines.
On the other hand -- what about those who try to speak for certain
racial,
ethnic, or religious groups when they themselves do not even fit the
category? Is it fair for them to gain "expert" status when the group
they're representing is against them? Think back to people like David
Horowitz who wrote a ten-point advertisement as to why African
Americans
don't deserve reparations. The ad was placed in campus papers across
the
country. Horowitz caused a lot of anger in some communities, including
Champaign-Urbana, Ill., the main complaint being that he was not
African
American and was trying to push an agenda.
These are the types of people who claim to be experts in certain fields
and
think because they've traveled the world and studied so much they can
honestly tell the public what is good for them. They usually aren't
even
well-respected in the academic community, yet the media hawks around
them
and makes them instant celebrities.
I'm baffled by why we fall for them. They are invited on talk shows and
labeled the "biggest, best, most profound and intelligent" experts that
have ever existed. People say things like "He was warning citizens
about
(you fill in the space) years before it happened, and now people are
finally beginning to listen."
This brings me to a man by the name of Daniel Pipes...
-----
SCARED AFGHAN VILLAGERS HIDE KORANS FROM US TROOPS
Agence France Presse, 7/25/03
http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/257240.htm
KABUL - Scared Afghans in the southern province of Kandahar hid their
Korans and other religious items before US troops searched their
village,
afraid the Americans would kill them for being Muslims, a US military
spokesman said on Friday.
"The village of Atel Mohammad removed all of their religious items,
including the Korans from the village before Special Operations Forces
and
AMF (Afghan militia forces) arrived," Colonel Rodney Davis said in a
statement from Bagram Air Base 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Kabul.
During the search, a date for which was not given, Special Operations
Forces found the items hidden in a flour sack in a nearby dry creek bed
and
returned them to the elder of the village, near Spin Boldak town on the
Pakistan border...
It was not known who had told the villagers that American troops would
kill
them for being Muslim...
-----
TROOPS BEAR 'MOOR KILLER' BADGES
Giles Tremlett, Guardian, 7/25/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/spain/article/0,2763,1005509,00.html
A row broke out in Spain yesterday after the country sent its first
troops
to patrol Iraq wearing on their shoulders the Cross of St James of
Compostela - popularly known in Spain as "the Moor Killer".
Patches bearing the cross, the symbol of a saint who allegedly guided
the
medieval Christian re conquista of Spain from the Muslims, are to be
worn
by a 2,000-strong Spanish brigade in central Iraq, who will patrol the
sacred Shia city of Najaf.
While newspapers and radio stations reacted with astonishment at the
choice
of symbol, politicians avoided the argument.
"If we start debating this subject the risks surrounding the mission
will
only be increased," said a spokesman from the opposition Socialist
party,
Jesus Caldera.
Spaniards, unaccustomed to seeing their soldiers take part in what many
see
as an army of occupation, already view the Iraq mission with concern.
The deaths of more than 40 US and British soldiers since the Iraq war
was
officially declared over has increased worries about the prime minister
Jose Maria Aznar's willingness to help the countries whose troops
ousted
Saddam Hussein.
"To put the Cross of St James of Compostela on the uniforms of Spanish
soldiers supposes an absolute ignorance of the society in which they
will
have to carry out their mission," fumed El Mundo newspaper in an
editorial.
"It would be difficult to come up with any symbol more offensive to the
Shia population than this cross."
ALSO SEE:
IRAQ: CONTINUING FAILURE TO UPHOLD HUMAN RIGHTS
Amnesty, 7/23/03
http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/2003/iraq07232003.html
Baghdad - After more than 100 days of occupation, the promises of human
rights for all Iraqis have yet to be fulfilled, Mahmoud Ben Romdhane
Amnesty International's head of delegation to Iraq said.
Iraq: Human Rights Concerns
Speaking at the launch of a Memorandum on concerns relating to law and
order, he continued: "The Iraqi people have suffered for long enough -
it
is shameful to still hear of people who are being detained in inhumane
conditions without their family knowing where they are and with no
access
to a lawyer or a judge - often for weeks on end."
Dr Suhail Laibi and his son, Ahmad, were detained on 15 May 2003 for
having
a pistol in their car. Dr Suhail was released from Abu Ghraib Prison on
14
June 2003 and was told that his son had been transferred to Nassiriya.
On
his arrival there, he found no information about his son and an officer
warned him against going to the prison camp because he might be
arrested.
Continuing his search on his return to Baghdad, Dr Suhail was finally
informed by an officer that his son was in Camp Bucca. But this same
officer had no idea where this was. After 66 days in detention, Ahmad
was
finally released on 20 July.
Former detainees told Amnesty International that people detained by
Coalition Forces were held in tents in the extreme heat and were not
provided with sufficient drinking water or adequate washing facilities.
They were forced to use open trenches for toilets and were not given a
change of clothes - even after two months' detention...
-----
RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION PLEDGED TO KASHMIRIS BY WORLD BODY - SAYS
MS.
KAREN PARKER, Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies, 7/25/03
http://www.oananews.com/
WASHINGTON- Ms. Karen Parker, chairman, Association of Humanitarian
Lawyers
(AHL), San Francisco, Thursday said "The right to self-determination
has
been pledged to Kashmiris by the international community, and there
should
be no doubt about it, whatsoever."
Addressing the two-day International Conference on Kashmir Peace
Conference, she said the clock is ticking too loudly-and, it is time to
find a peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the
wishes
of the Kashmiri people.
Ms. Parker is a renowned human rights worker, who has rendered valuable
services in East Timor, Myanmar, Kosovo and Sri Lanka. Her association
is
one of the organizers of the Conference.
Kashmiris, she said in fact were at war with occupying forces for their
inalienable right to self-determination given to them by the UN
resolutions.
It is time for Kashmiris to nominate a new plebiscite inspector, which
the
United Nations has failed to nominate on its part, though it was a duty
of
the world body to do so, in keeping with its pledge...
Ms. Karen Parker rejected the claim that terrorism could have any
religious
overtones, such a rhetoric is unfounded...
-----
FLA. TERRORISM SUSPECT FIRES HIS LAWYERS
VICKIE CHACHERE, Associated Press, 7/25/03
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A former professor indicted on terrorism charges
fired
his attorneys Friday and will represent himself, despite a judge's
warning
that he was making a foolish and potentially disastrous move.
Sami Al-Arian is still hoping to raise enough money to hire Washington
attorney William Moffitt, but if he fails, he will have to go it alone
when
his case goes to trial in about 18 months.
Al-Arian was indicted earlier this year. The U.S. government accuses
him of
being the North American head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He
faces
life in prison if convicted.
U.S. District Judge Thomas McCoun repeatedly warned Al-Arian of the
dangers
of firing his court-appointed attorneys, but Al-Arian insisted he can
handle his own defense…
Al-Arian, a former University of South Florida computer science
professor,
said in court documents that he was disappointed in his attorneys'
handling
of his case.
His wife, Nahla Al-Arian, said her husband didn't think his attorneys
helped improve jail conditions for him. She said he also believed they
were
keeping information from him.
Al-Arian said he had become educated about the law through his
involvement
in the deportation case against his brother-in-law, professor Mazen
Al-Najjar, which drew national attention when he was imprisoned for
more
than three years on secret government evidence. He was later sent to an
undisclosed Islamic country...
Minutes later, Al-Arian was confronted with what might become one of
the
toughest legal challenges in the case. The government is taking steps
to
block some evidence - which is classified because it was gathered by
U.S.
and foreign intelligence agencies - from being shown to Al-Arian.
Defense attorneys for the three other defendants would be able to view
the
evidence if they obtain security clearance, but might be banned from
communicating what they learn with their own clients.
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #390
DANIEL PIPES COMPARES 'ISLAMIC PEOPLE' TO 'NAZIS'
White House asked to drop nomination of 'Islamophobe'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/27/2003) - CAIR today called on President Bush to
withdraw the nomination of Daniel Pipes to the board of the United
States
Institute of Peace after he was quoted by an online news service as
comparing "Islamic people" to "Nazis" and rejecting aid to Afghan
civilians.
That demand after CAIR learned of a July 25 article on CNSNews.com
describing Pipes' address to the Young America's Foundation National
Conservative Student Conference in Washington, D.C., that stated:
"Pipes added that he doesn't perceive the Islamic people as divided
into
two groups: the radical terrorists and those who are not. He said
'there is
no history behind such an outlook and nothing that would support such
optimism.' 'It would be like saying there were good and bad Nazis,'
Pipes
noted." (SEE: http://www.cnsnews.com/ Search using the term "Daniel
Pipes.")
"This quote alone, without even taking into consideration Mr. Pipes'
long
history of anti-Muslim bigotry, is sufficient to disqualify him from
helping to direct a taxpayer-funded organization dedicated to the
peaceful
resolution of international conflicts," said CAIR Board Chairman Omar
Ahmad.
In that same article, Pipes said it would be difficult to get Middle
Easterners to accept Western ways because they are reluctant to "go the
Christian way." Pipes also said he thought it was unnecessary to
provide
aid to Afghan civilians because in a time of war, they are the enemy.
"We
have no moral responsibility to the Afghans," Pipes said. "If we help
them,
we should do it in the prism of our own interests."
At a meeting last week of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions
Committee, the body that must take the initial vote on Pipes'
nomination,
several senators expressed opposition to Pipes' anti-Muslim views. Sen.
Harkin (D-IA) spoke at length about Pipes' statement warning of the
"dangers" posed by the enfranchisement of American Muslims and of his
web
site (www.campus-watch.org) that sought to create "dossiers" on
academic
critics of Israeli policies.
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) objected to what he said were Pipes'
"derogatory
statements about Muslim immigrants as 'brown-skinned peoples cooking
strange foods and not exactly maintaining Germanic standards of
hygiene.'"
(Jerusalem Post, 7/24/03) Kennedy also criticized Pipes' support for
racial
and religious profiling and his belief that mosques in America should
be
targets of police surveillance.
Pipes faces mounting criticism from American Muslims, Arab-Americans
and
interfaith groups because of his past inflammatory remarks about issues
related to Islam, the Middle East and conflict resolution. Muslims say
Pipes, who is often referred to as the nation's leading Islamophobe,
holds
extremist anti-Muslim views and lacks the peace-making credentials
necessary to be on the USIP board.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL. Calls
are
best, followed by faxes and then e-mails.)
Contact President Bush to ask that he withdraw the nomination of Daniel
Pipes to the board of the United States Institute of Peace.
CONTACT:
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
COMMENTS: 202-456-1111
FAX: 202-456-2461
E-MAIL: president@whitehouse.gov
COPY TO: greggstaff@labor.senate.gov, senator@kennedy.senate.gov,
cair@cair-net.org
Send copies of your correspondence to other members of the Senate
Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee by going to:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/dpcommittee.asp
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/28/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: REPENTANCE
* CHILDREN FORGOTTEN IN WAR AGAINST TERRORISM (Globe and Mail)
* CAIR-ST. LOUIS PARTNERS WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
* HOW HAS PATRIOT ACT CHANGED LANDSCAPE? (SJ Mercury News)
- Forum: Conversation Starters on Patriot Act issue
- Activists Firing on Patriot Act (Charlotte Observer)
* FAMILY OF IRAQI GENERAL HELD BY U.S. FORCES (Wash. Post)
- ICC Looks at Allegations Against UK Troops in Iraq (Reuters)
- Four U.S. Soldiers Charged with Abuse (AP)
* FLASHBACK: DANIEL PIPES SAYS KKK CLAIM 'PARTIALLY BORNE OUT'
- E-mail from a Daniel Pipes Supporter
* IMMIGRANTS FEAR DEPORTATION AFTER REGISTRATION (Wash. Post)
- Wife of Muslim Activist Must leave U.S. (Free Press)
- Muslim Immigrants Fear Deportation (Washington Times)
* MD MUSLIMS CONCERNED ABOUT RECENT HATE CRIMES (NBC)
* ARE NEOCONS COOKING THEIR OWN GOOSE? (Sacramento Bee)
* REBELLIOUS FILIPINO TROOPS SAY GOV STAGED BOMBINGS (AP)
* DIVINE INSPIRATION FOR WORKING OUT (LA Times)
- Muslim Women Enjoy Rare Swim (Iowa City Press)
* MUSLIM FAMILY DAY IN CHICAGO
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: REPENTANCE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(A man who had murdered
many people) set out (on a journey) asking (others whether or not his
repentance could be accepted)…He kept on asking until a man advised
going
to (a particular) village, but death overtook (the murderer) on the way
(to
that village).
While dying, he turned toward the village (where he had hoped his
repentance would be accepted). The angels of mercy and the angels of
punishment quarreled amongst themselves regarding (whether to accept
the
man's repentance).
(Thereupon) God ordered the village (toward which he was traveling) to
come
closer, and ordered the village (he left) to go farther away. (God)
then
ordered the angels to measure the distances between (the murderer's)
body
and the two villages. He was found to be one span closer to the village
(in
which he hoped to have his repentance accepted), so he was forgiven."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Hadith 676
-----
CAIR-ST. LOUIS PARTNERS WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
(ST. LOUIS, MO) - On Saturday, July 26, some 25 Muslim volunteers from
the
local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-St.
Louis)
came together to help build a house through the Habitat for Humanity
program. This was the second time CAIR-St. Louis participated in the
Habitat project, which seeks to develop stronger communities by
building
new and affordable housing.
CAIR-St. Louis volunteers installed siding and doors, helped build
closets,
cut and place baseboards, and worked on the roof. Many of the
volunteers
were under the age of 20.
"We had a great turnout and everyone really seemed to enjoy
themselves,"
said Kamal Yassin, Community Outreach Director for CAIR-St. Louis. "It
was
nice to work alongside the family that will eventually be moving into
the
home."
CAIR-St. Louis plans on participating in the Habitat program again in
early
September. For more information, contact Jim Hacking, Executive
Director
for CAIR-St. Louis, at: admin@cair-stl.org
-----
CHILDREN FORGOTTEN IN THIS WAR AGAINST TERRORISM
SHEEMA KHAN, Globe and Mail, 7/28/03
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030728/COSHEEMA28/
Sheema Khan is chair of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(Canada).
Roberto Benigni courted controversy in his 1997 Academy Award-winning
film
La Vita e Bella (Life is Beautiful) -- a poignant comedy about fascism
and
the Holocaust in Italy. Mr. Benigni plays Guido, an Italian Jew, who
seeks
to protect his son from the unspeakable horrors of a concentration camp
by
using imagination, humour and wit. In particular, Mr. Benigni's
remarkable
facial expressions conveyed deep and wide-ranging emotions. Who can
forget
the sparkle in his eyes, the infectious smile, all of which exuded
eternal
optimism -- even as he marched to his execution. The charade was for
the
sake of a son, who never once understood the tragedy unfolding around
him.
And what father would not do the same?
Yet one can only wonder at the anguish felt by an Iraqi prisoner of war
whose son is forbidden from seeing his face. The image was published
early
on in the conflict -- a child being held by his father whose head is
covered by a hideous black hood. Both are in a PoW camp behind barbed
wire.
Presumably, the child can hear his father's voice, but is denied the
intimacy of reading into his eyes, or sharing a smile. And one can only
imagine what the child thinks, witnessing a symbol of authority,
respect
and love brought low before his very eyes. Why add to the humiliation
of
detention by forcing the detainee to wear a hood in the presence of his
son? What hope can be conveyed in such circumstances? While the Geneva
Conventions stipulate that near relatives should not be separated in
PoW
camps, surely the spirit of the conventions implies that the
parent-child
relationship should be accorded dignity and respect…
-----
HOW HAS PATRIOT ACT CHANGED LANDSCAPE?
Mercury News Editorial, 7/27/03
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/6395619.htm
Are you safer today than you were on Sept. 12, 2001?
It's a complicated question. If you think you know the answer -- or,
better
still, if you have no idea -- then come talk about it Wednesday evening
at
the second in a series of public ``Conversations on Freedom'', this one
focused on the Patriot Act.
The first conversation, May 1 at the Sunnyvale Public Library, was a
wide-ranging discussion on the meaning of freedom. But attention
quickly
turned to the Patriot Act, which expanded police powers after the Sept.
11
terror attacks. Wednesday's session in Palo Alto will focus on it from
the
start.
These aren't your usual civic forums. Nobody gives speeches at the
start,
although there are four conversation starters who may help spark
discussion
or answer questions. For this forum, they are Deepka Lalwani, president
of
the Milpitas Chamber of Commerce; Omar Ahmad, founder of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations; Amor Santiago, former president of Asian
Americans for Community Involvement, and Bill Lansdowne, San Jose's
(but
soon to be San Diego's) police chief.
Rabbi Melanie Aron will facilitate the discussion -- but there will be
no
effort to forge consensus. The point is to air opinions and
observations,
and hear how people from different backgrounds may view things
differently.
SEE ALSO:
FORUM: CONVERSATION STARTERS ON PATRIOT ACT ISSUE
San Jose Mercury News, 7/27/03
"As it is our duty to keep our country safe and secure from the threat
of
terrorism, it is also our duty to stand up and demand our rights as
Americans so the legacy of freedom can be passed to our children,"
Omar Ahmad, Chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
---
ACTIVISTS FIRING ON PATRIOT ACT
Heather Vogell, Charlotte Observer, 7/27/03
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/6394602.htm
Activists want Charlotte and Mecklenburg County leaders to adopt a
resolution affirming that a war on terrorism shouldn't equal a war on
civil
liberties.
Charlotte resident and peace activist David Dixon led a forum Saturday
on
the federal Patriot Act, enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks. Aimed at
helping law enforcement combat terrorists, the act has drawn fire from
civil liberties advocates, who say it gives the government too much
power.
Five people joined Dixon at his forum at Wedgewood Baptist Church in
south
Charlotte, but he said 157 have signed online or written petitions
supporting the resolution. He plans to begin contacting City Council
members and county commissioners next week...
The proposed resolution says the Patriot Act's provisions violate
constitutional rights while doing little for public safety. It cites
the
act's expansion of government access to sensitive information such as
medical and financial records, and it says the legislation lowers the
burden of proof required to conduct secret searches or monitor
telephone or
Internet communications...
-----
FAMILY OF IRAQI GENERAL HELD BY U.S. FORCES
TOUGHER METHODS ARE BEING USED TO GATHER INTELLIGENCE
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54345-2003Jul27.html
Col. David Hogg, commander of the 2nd Brigade of the 4th Infantry
Division,
said tougher methods are being used to gather the intelligence. On
Wednesday night, he said, his troops picked up the wife and daughter of
an
Iraqi lieutenant general. They left a note: "If you want your family
released, turn yourself in." Such tactics are justified, he said,
because,
"It's an intelligence operation with detainees, and these people have
info." They would have been released in due course, he added later.
ALSO SEE:
ICC LOOKS AT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST UK TROOPS IN IRAQ
Reuters, 7/28/03
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=3171747
AMSTERDAM - The prosecutor of the world's first permanent war crimes
court
will review a dossier containing allegations of human rights abuses by
British troops in Iraq, the court said on Monday.
Members of the Athens Bar Association have called on International
Criminal
Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo to investigate 22
alleged
incidents involving British forces in the war, the court said in a
statement.
The Greek lawyers handed a dossier containing 74 press reports and 13
video
tapes of news reports from the war in Iraq to the prosecutor...
---
FOUR U.S. SOLDIERS CHARGED WITH ABUSE
MATT KELLEY, Associated Press, 7/28/03
WASHINGTON (AP) - The military has charged four U.S. soldiers with
abusing
prisoners of war in Iraq. The soldiers and their families deny the
accusations.
The four military police from a Pennsylvania-based Army Reserve unit
are
accused of punching, kicking and breaking bones of prisoners at Camp
Bucca,
the largest U.S.-run POW camp in Iraq.
The soldiers, charged this month, are the first U.S. troops known to
face
charges of abusing prisoners during the Iraq conflict.
The military's investigation continues, said Lt. Cmdr. Nick Balice, a
spokesman for U.S. Central Command. Balice confirmed four soldiers had
been
charged as part of that investigation but said he could not release
their
names.
The Associated Press obtained the identities of those charged, as well
as
the specific allegations against them, in interviews Saturday with the
parents of all four.
The soldiers say their actions were in self-defense when Iraqi
prisoners
attacked them…
-----
FLASHBACK: DANIEL PIPES SAYS KKK CLAIM 'PARTIALLY BORNE OUT'
How Elijah Muhammad Won
Daniel Pipes, Commentary, 6/1/2000
http://www.commentary.org/
In the early 1930's, when the Nation of Islam had just come into
existence,
its founder made the bold prediction that, one day, Islam would replace
Christianity as the primary faith of black Americans…By 1959, however,
a
perverse endorsement of this same prediction would issue from, of all
people, a top leader of the Ku Klux Klan. In a letter to the New York
City
police commissioner, that white supremacist wrote: "If we fail to stop
the
Muslims now, the sixteen million niggers of America will soon be
Muslims,
and you will never be able to stop them."
Today, that 1930's prediction no longer seems so outlandish--indeed, it
has
already been partially borne out…
Black converts generally tend to adopt extremist views. Those in the
Nation
of Islam become black nationalists, pumped up with incendiary antiwhite
rhetoric, while those who join standard Islam often become
Islamists--admirers of such figures as the Ayatollah Khomeini and Usama
bin
Ladin. Whether followers of the NoI or standard Islam, moreover, black
converts tend to hold vehemently anti-American, anti-Christian, and
anti-Semitic attitudes…
It does not take much imagination to see that, should Islam in fact
replace
Christianity as the primary religion of African-Americans, this will
have
vast significance for all Americans, affecting everything from race
relations to foreign policy, from popular culture to issues of religion
and
state…
SEE ALSO:
E-MAIL FROM A DANIEL PIPES SUPPORTER
CAIR received the following e-mail in response to a news release
calling on
President Bush to withdraw the nomination of Daniel Pipes to the United
States Institute of Peace because he recently compared "Islamic people"
to
"Nazis."
SEE:
http://www.cnsnews.com/ForeignBureaus/archive/200307/FOR20030725g.html
Under the subject line "you towel heads are a bunch of nazi symps," the
Pipes supporter wrote:
"In the Name of Allah (a pagan figment of your imagination), the
unCompassionate, the unMerciful who was also a mass murderer, thief,
and
all around swine...
"I applaud Mr. Pipes and totally back his stance...You are a collection
of
lying, nazi swine and one can but hope that you will get your own
reward
for be such when the time comes..."
-----
IMMIGRANTS FEAR DEPORTATION AFTER REGISTRATION
Nurith C. Aizenman and Edward Walsh, Washington Post, 7/28/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54307-2003Jul27.html
Andre Aniba acknowledges he hasn't always played by the rules. In 1998,
the
former pastry chef came to the United States from Tunisia on a
three-month
tourist visa. He has lived here ever since.
But when Congress passed legislation two years later that allowed
illegal
immigrants to apply for permanent residency, Aniba quickly sent in the
proper forms. Early this year, when the government called on visitors
from
25 nations that are considered havens for terrorists to register with
immigration authorities, he dutifully appeared.
To his horror, Aniba, whose application to work as a chef at a Maryland
restaurant was pending, was told he would be deported.
His experience was hardly exceptional. With little public notice
outside
immigrant communities, the government is moving to deport the largest
number of visitors from Middle Eastern and other Muslim countries in
U.S.
history -- more than 13,000 of the nearly 83,000 men older than 16 who
complied with the registration program by various deadlines between
last
September and April.
When they showed up, they were found in violation of immigration laws
--
even though, like Aniba, many were already participating in the
government-sponsored program to become legal residents...
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
said the policy "is being used as almost a deportation trap. I think
it's
causing a lot of fear and apprehension. It creates a sense of being
besieged. There are heart-wrenching stories of whole communities being
decimated."
SEE ALSO:
WIFE OF MUSLIM ACTIVIST MUST LEAVE U.S. HUSBAND WAS DEPORTED EARLIER
Niraj Warikoo and Nancy A. Youssef, Detroit Free Press, 7/28/03
http://www.freep.com/news/mich/fam28_20030728.htm
She came to the United States more than 20 years ago as a student with
big
dreams.
But today, Salma Al-Rushaid -- the wife of an Ann Arbor man accused of
supporting terrorism -- will be deported to her native Kuwait, possibly
closing the final chapter of her American life.
Agents with the Department of Homeland Security are expected to
accompany
her today to Metro Airport, where she and her four children will board
a
plane for the Middle East. Al-Rushaid won't be able to re-enter the
United
States for at least 10 years, unless she's granted special permission
from
the U.S. government.
Her husband, Rabih Haddad, was deported two weeks ago to his native
Lebanon. Al-Rushaid will get her passport and travel documents renewed
in
Kuwait, where her family lives, and then join her husband later this
week.
---
MUSLIM IMMIGRANTS FEAR DEPORTATION
Washington Times, 7/28/03
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20030728-080915-8935r.htm
WASHINGTON, -- The United States is moving to deport the largest number
of
visitors from Muslim countries in U.S. history.
In a report Monday, the Washington Post said with little public notice,
the
government is moving to deport more than 13,000 of the nearly 83,000
men
older than 16 who complied with the 2002 alien registration program by
various deadlines between last September and April.
When they showed up, they were found in violation of immigration laws
--
even though many were already participating in the government-sponsored
program to become legal residents.
"The sheer numbers are mind-boggling," said Sohail Mohammed, an
attorney in
Clifton, N.J., who handles many of the cases and says Muslims are being
unfairly singled out in the tightening of immigration procedures after
the
Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "We could end up deporting almost as many
Muslims
in one year as we have in the last 10."
-----
MUSLIMS CONCERNED ABOUT RECENT HATE CRIMES
NBC4.com, 7/28/03
http://www.nbc4.com/news/2362513/detail.html
ADELPHI, Md. -- A representative from the Justice Department spoke to
about
300 people at an interfaith meeting in Adelphi, Md. Sunday.
Many of the people in the audience expressed concern about recent hate
crimes directed against Muslims.
Last Thursday morning, a wooden cross was set on fire outside of the
Al-
Huda School in College Park, Md. And last April, a bus was set on fire
at
the Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque in Falls Church, Va.
Some people who attended the meeting said they think it's because of
public
misperceptions about Islam. Hussain Jafri told News4, "Islam is not an
anger-based religion and it's not a fanatical religion and not everyone
believes in death and destruction and everything like that."
The event was sponsored by the Islamic Information Center. The group
has
been behind a series of Arab, Muslim and Sikh cultural awareness
seminars
since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
-----
ARE NEOCONS COOKING THEIR OWN GOOSE?
Roger Patching, Sacramento Bee, 7/27/03
http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/7112547p-8060159c.html
While many debate the wisdom of current efforts by neoconservatives in
the
Republican Party to create their vision of Pax Americana, I wonder if
the
historical outcome hasn't already been determined.
That is, while Republicans on all sides worry about "containing" what
was
once considered a war behind closed doors between unilateralist hawks
(the
neocons) and multilateralist moderates in the party over a policy based
upon U.S. hegemony -- world dominance -- I wonder if it isn't an
already
irreversibly failed policy simply because the American people were
never
seriously included by anyone, even the media, in the discussion.
I wonder if the worldview of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, his
deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, Vice President Richard Cheney, Richard Perle,
columnists William Kristol, Lawrence Kaplan, Robert Kagan and other
members
and leaders of the Defense Policy Board, American Enterprise Institute
and
The Project for a New American Century is already dead because not only
did
they not make a case for hegemony to the public, they never seriously
attempted to even define the term or explain the concept.
And, now, it is too late. Because the public has little understanding
of
the depth and breadth of their vision of global politics and is already
growing weary of American involvement in Iraq, the neocons' grander
plan
seems destined to never come to fruition. By choosing to not present it
directly to the public at large and thereby commence an examination and
debate, they have unwittingly undermined it as a viable theory and now
we
are witnessing the manifestations of its slow and costly death...
-----
REBELLIOUS FILIPINO TROOPS SAY GOVERNMENT STAGED BOMBINGS
SOME REBEL PHILIPPINE TROOPS SURRENDER
Paul Alexander, Associated Press
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2956951,00.html
MANILA, Philippines - With a deadline for surrender fast approaching,
rebellious soldiers who stormed a major commercial complex early Sunday
and
wired it with explosives said they were willing to negotiate their
grievances with the Philippine government…
The officers responded in a video released just before the takeover,
accusing the government of selling arms and ammunition to Muslim and
communist rebels, staging deadly bombings to justify more aid from the
United States, and preparing to declare martial law to stay in power.
-----
DIVINE INSPIRATION FOR WORKING OUT
Malina Sarah Saval, Los Angeles Times, 7/28/03
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-fitrelig28jul28,1,5259180.story
People find inspiration for getting fit in many places: a wedding, a
vacation at a tropical resort or a health warning from their doctor.
But
Barbara Cleough says she found her motivation for a healthier lifestyle
in
a less likely place: the Bible.
The gym is one in a growing number of health clubs and private trainers
in
Southern California that are incorporating religion as a motivational
tool
for people who want to live healthier -- and more spiritual -- lives.
For
many of their members, these gyms offer an environment more in keeping
with
their spiritual beliefs -- one in which Christian rock tunes rather
than
obscenity-laced rap music blare over loudspeakers and dress codes call
for
conservative attire...
Kacem Benyoucef, an Algerian-born private trainer in Los Angeles, works
with Muslim clients who either can't go to health clubs because of
religious restrictions or who prefer to work out in an environment that
combines faith with fitness.
Benyoucef, 33, blends bits of health wisdom from the Koran together
with
the secular science of sports fitness to motivate his clients, who also
include some non-Muslims, in training sessions near Muscle Beach in
Venice.
"Islam teaches us that it is our responsibility to take care of our
body,"
said Benyoucef. "It says in the Koran, 'Anything that hurts your body
is
forbidden to you.' "
Running in the fresh air, dragging their feet through sand, Benyoucef's
clients get a strenuous workout that feeds both body and soul.
"The body is a treasure that God gave us," said Benyoucef. "If you're
healthy, it's the best thing that you can have. And nobody can take
that
way from you."
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM WOMEN ENJOY RARE SWIM
Gigi Wood, Iowa City Press-Citizen, 7/28/03
http://www.press-citizen.com/news/072803swim.htm
CORALVILLE - A group of women and their children from the University of
Iowa Association of Muslims in America enjoyed a rare delight Sunday
night
- swimming.
Workers at the Coralville Recreation Center taped up the windows to
give
the women privacy required by their religious and cultural dogmas. When
the
summer heat soars above 90 degrees, Muslims do not have the luxury of
dipping in the nearest city pool.
They cannot be seen wearing swimsuits in public.
"There's a certain level of modesty Muslims have to follow," said Asma
Haidri, a UI student who studies pre-law and political science. "Only
the
face, hands and in some cases, the hair are allowed to be seen in
public."
They arrived at the Rec Center wearing traditional khumurs, or
headcovers,
and long flowing dresses. Many swam in T-shirts and shorts instead of
bathing suits...
What: University of Iowa Association of Muslims in America meetings.
When: 7 p.m. Monday.
Where: Iowa Memorial Union
-----
MUSLIM FAMILY DAY IN CHICAGO
WHAT: Tickets for Six Flags Great America are discount priced at $25.00
per
person. Tickets are being sold by the Scout leaders of the Chicago
Muslim
Scouts and Muslim stores listed on our website and may be purchased by
all
Muslim families in the Chicagoland area. Muslim Family Day tickets and
the
discounted rate will not be available at the gate. Tickets must be
purchased in advance. This is the first time this is being hosted in
the
Midwest Area for the Muslim Community and we are expecting a large
representation of the Muslim Community.
WHEN: Saturday August 16, 2003 at 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM
WHERE: Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, IL
INFO: For further information on where to purchase tickets in your area
of
Chicagoland and suburbs, visit our website:
http://www.chicagomuslimscouts.org/
NOTE: Muslim women will be able to enjoy the amusement rides while
wearing
their headscarves, provided the headscarves are secured in a manner
where
they can't become entangled during rides or inhibit the safety
restraints.
Prayer accommodations provided.
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/29/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: DEEDS REMAIN
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6339 SPONSORSHIPS
- Have Your Immigration Questions Answered
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* CAIR-FL ANNUAL SOUTH FLORIDA BANQUET
* OFFICIALS PROBE FIRE AT MASS. MOSQUE (Boston Globe)
* LATINO MUSLIMS FIND COMMON ROOTS (Jersey Journal)
* U.S. ARMY HEARS ABOUT IDF TACTICS IN TERRITORIES (Haaretz)
- Undercover Killers Helped U.S. Troops (Independent)
* HOUSE LAWMAKERS LIMIT SCOPE OF PATRIOT ACT POWERS (FOX)
- U.S. Deporting Palestinians (Reuters)
* 9/11'S HIDDEN TOLL: MUSLIM-AMERICAN WOMEN (Newsweek)
* DANISH GROUP OUTLANDISH'S "AISHA" MUSIC VIDEO
* DIETARY LAWS: KOSHER AND HALAL (Chicago Tribune)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: DEEDS REMAIN
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "When carried to his
grave,
a person is followed by three (things), two of which return (after his
burial) and one that remains with him. (The dead person's) relatives,
property and deeds follow him (to the gravesite). (His) relatives and
property go back, while his deeds remain with him."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 521
The Prophet also said: "Do not abuse the dead, for they have reached
the
result of what they have done."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 523
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6339 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6339 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a sponsored library:
"The materials will be made available to our patrons. Thank you for
this
valuable service." - Arnold, MO
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
'WASHINGTON LIVE' TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION ISSUES
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TODAY'S TOPIC: IMMIGRATION ISSUES
SUBMIT questions about any immigration issue to be addressed by experts
on
air. E-Mail: cair@washlive.com before 8 p.m. (Eastern) on Tuesday.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
CAIR-FL ANNUAL SOUTH FLORIDA BANQUET
THEME: Liberty and Justice for All
DAY: Saturday, August 2, 2003.
TIME: 4:30 to 9:30pm
LOCATION: Hilton at Fort Lauderdale Airport
1870 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL
954-920-3300
FEATURED SPEAKERS:
Paul Findley (Former US Congressman from Illinois)
Omar Ahmed (Chairman and Founder of Council on American-Islamic
Relations)
Bill Baker (Director and Founder, Christians and Muslims for Peace)
Robert Stienback (Editorial Columnist, Miami Herald)
Michael Mayo (News-Columnist, Sun-Sentinel)
Senator Eleanor Sobel (State Representative to the Florida Legislature)
Jimmy Morales (Commissioner of Miami)
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS:
Howard Simon (Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union)
Cheryl Little (Executive Director, Florida Immigration Advocacy Center)
Registration is required. To purchase tickets online go to:
http://www.cair-florida.org/banquet/ or call: 954-916-5661.
CONTACT CAIR-FL Representatives: Mr. Altaf Ali (Executive Director);
954-298-8214 - altaf@cair-florida.org; Ahmed Bedier (Communications
Director); 813-731-9506 - abedier@cair-florida.org
-----
STATE, LOCAL OFFICIALS PROBE LATEST FIRE AT QUINCY MOSQUE
Catherine Dunn, Globe, 7/28/03
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/209/metro/State_local_officials_probe_latest_fire_at_Quincy_mosqueP.shtml
A fire early yesterday at a mosque in Quincy is under investigation by
state and local authorities, but it is not being considered a hate
crime,
State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said.
The fire, which destroyed a wooden porch in back of the Islamic Center
of
New England, might have originated in a dumpster on the property, Coan
said. There is no determination yet whether the fire was accidental or
arson, he added.
"It didn't start accidentally, it was intentional," Syed Nuruzzaman, a
member of the mosque's board of directors, told the Associated Press.
The Quincy Fire Department and Quincy Police Department, along with
troopers from the state fire marshal's office, responded to a phoned-in
report of the blaze at 1:44 a.m., when the building was empty,
according to
a mosque official.
No one was injured. Smoke and water damaged the mosque's services area,
said Jamal Ahmed, a member of the mosque's board of directors. The
Associated Press reported the fire caused $10,000 damage.
Coan said investigators do not believe the fire is a hate crime, based
on
witness statements and interviews. However, "it remains an active
investigation, and information could change," he said...
-----
USING HISTORY TO FIND COMMON ROOTS
Julia M. Scott, Jersey Journal, 7/28/03
http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1059387008155480.xml
The Islamic Educational Center of North Hudson took its message to a
new
demographic yesterday: Latinos.
In a one-day celebration at the Union City center, Muslims and Latino
converts sought to teach their neighbors, the vast majority of whom are
Latino, about the Spanish Moors, who ruled Spain from the eighth
century to
the fifteenth century.
The Moors, who were Muslim, brought irrigation techniques, farming, and
superior schools and hospitals to Spain, said Mariam Santos, who
presented
a slide show on the Moors in Spain.
Latino and Hispanic are terms used to describe primarily people in the
United States who come from a Latin American country. Spain greatly
influenced indigenous cultures after it conquered such places as
Mexico,
Cuba and Bolivia.
"We want them to know their Islamic roots and what Islam has brought to
their culture," said Imam Mohamed Al Hayek, who is the spiritual leader
of
the congregation. Al Hayek estimated that there are about 250 Latino
Muslims in Hudson County.
"We share so many things," said Al Hayek, who added that Spanish and
Arabic
have thousands of words in common.
The "Latinos Rediscovering their Roots" celebration included a keynote
address by Omar Pacheco, who is an imam at a mosque in New York City.
Pacheco was born in Spain, grew up in Argentina, and studied theology
in
Saudi Arabia.
He spurned his Catholic upbringing for the lack of answers the religion
offered him and urged Latinos to look into their Muslim roots.
"We have to open our doors to educate people what Islam is about," said
Alex Robayo, a Latino who converted seven years ago.
"It's needed today more than before," said Mariam Elayan, a member of
the
committee which welcomes people to the congregation. Elayan said that
Muslims as a community are misunderstood by many Americans, especially
after Sept. 11…
-----
U.S. ARMY HEARS ABOUT IDF TACTICS IN TERRITORIES
Amos Harel, Haaretz, 7/29/03
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/323374.html
An American military delegation recently visited Israel to hear first
hand
from IDF officers about army tactics in the territories. The Americans
were
interested how the IDF responded to guerrilla warfare that evolved in
the
territories because of the similarity to what they are now encountering
in
Iraq.
There is growing concern in the U.S. administration and military about
the
growing number of attacks on American troops in Iraq. Since President
Bush
declared in May that the war was over, around 50 soldiers have been
killed.
The Americans have accumulated their own experience in similar
situations,
including Somalia in the 1990s, but still wanted to hear Israeli views.
The practice began more than a year ago, long before the Americans
invaded
Iraq, when several U.S. delegations came to Israel to examine IDF
experience in built-up areas in the West Bank and Gaza, especially
during
Operation Defensive Shield...
SEE ALSO:
UNDERCOVER KILLERS HELPED US TROOPS IN BOTCHED HOUSE RAID'
ROBERT FISK, Independent, 7/29/03
http://www.independent.co.uk
THE AMERICAN killing of up to 11 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad during an
abortive attempt to seize Saddam Hussein on Sunday has provoked
disturbing
questions as well as widespread anger in the city. Many witnesses now
say
armed Americans in civilian clothes also participated in the raid -
after
which at least three of the wounded were spirited away by US troops and
have not been seen since.
Fadi Barash, an unemployed car mechanic, told The Independent yesterday
how
his relative Mazen Elyas was shot in the head by US troops as he drove
towards them on his way to church with his mother Tamantin and brother
Thamir. "Mazen was killed - his brain was blown out - but his mother
and
Thamir were wounded," he said. "The Americans took them away in some
kind
of pick-up and didn't tell anyone where they went. Mr Barash appealed
yesterday, along with other members of his family, to the International
Red
Cross in an effort to force the Americans to disclose the whereabouts
of
the wounded - or dead - relatives...
In the crowded street, the American troops - and US plain clothes
agents
they brought with them - apparently regarded every approaching car as a
threat and opened fire. Even last night, the exact number of dead
remained
unknown…
-----
HOUSE LAWMAKERS LIMIT SCOPE OF PATRIOT ACT POWERS
Fox News, 7/29/03
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,93141,00.html
WASHINGTON - The strongest attack yet on the Patriot Act is coming from
the
American Civil Liberties Union (search), but 309 House members have now
joined the ACLU in opposing part of the terror-fighting powers granted
to
law enforcement by Congress shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror
attacks.
"I think [law enforcement officials] are trampling on our rights and
they
are doing it in the name of trying to protect us from domestic
terrorism,"
said Rep. Butch Otter (search), R-Ind.
Otter led the fight for an amendment to the State, Commerce and Justice
departments' spending bill that passed the House last week. The
amendment
stops funding for so-called "sneak and peek" searches, where federal
agents
first conduct a search, then notify the suspect after the fact...
SEE ALSO:
U.S. DEPORTING PALESTINIANS
Reuters, 7/29/03
In its post-September 11 push to close potential immigration loopholes,
the
United States has charted new routes to expel Palestinians, even though
they consider themselves stateless.
Fifteen Palestinians were put in handcuffs on planes by U.S. officials
in
December and May and deported to the West Bank and Gaza Strip with the
help
of Jordan, Egypt and Israel.
Deporting people of Palestinian origin is more complicated than it is
for
other nationalities because they do not have a state to call their own.
Other Palestinians who are in detention and facing deportation hearings
fear they will be next to be sent into the Israeli-Palestinian war
zone…
While efforts to create a Palestinian state alongside Israel under the
roadmap peace plan are inching along, some Palestinians are caught in a
clamp between the conflict and U.S. policy following terror strikes.
-----
9/11'S HIDDEN TOLL
Muslim-American women are quietly coping with a tragic side effect of
the
attacks--a surge in domestic violence
Sarah Childress, Newsweek, 8/4/03
http://www.msnbc.com/news/944564.asp
His temper flared even before the wedding. But Lila's husband was
usually
sweet and attentive, a devout African-American Muslim who even traveled
to
her native country in the Middle East to meet--and charm--her family.
To
make up for his rare outbursts, he brought home roses and kissed her
feet.
But after 9/11, his temper turned violent. Neighbors worried when they
heard him screaming at her for leaving laundry in the washing machine.
"It
changed him from an angel to a monster," says Lila, who spoke to
NEWSWEEK
on the condition that her real name not be used. Suddenly, when she
tried
to comfort him, he would kick her to the floor. Once, she says, he
threatened to hit her so hard that she "would not land until next
Sunday."
Sadly, Lila is not alone. Since 9/11, domestic violence has been on the
rise in the American Muslim community, according to social-service
agencies
nationwide. The weak economy, an insulated culture and intense scrutiny
from law enforcement and locals alike have created a powder keg that's
all
the more frightening because there are so few resources to deal with
the
problem; only three shelters in the United States cater specifically to
Muslim culture. And, with the authorities threatening arrest and
deportation for suspicious foreign nationals, Muslim women are even
more
hesitant to report abuse than usual, according to Nora Alarifi Pharaon,
a
psychologist at the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Arab-American Family Support
Center...
-----
DANISH GROUP OUTLANDISH'S "AISHA" MUSIC VIDEO
http://g2.bmg.de:8080/ramgen/bmg/videos/outlandish/aisha.rm
-----
DIETARY LAWS
Mohammed Ayub Ali Khan, International co-coordinator, Campaign for the
Protection of Zabiha Halal, Chicago Tribune, 7/29/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/printedition/chi-0307290186jul29,1,6186778.story
The article gives out the wrong impression that "kosher" and "halal"
dietary laws are the same.
While there are many commonalities, there are also significant
differences
between the two.
For example, halal dietary laws completely prohibit alcoholic drinks
whereas kosher laws allow them. According to kosher laws, milk and meat
may
not be taken together, while in Islam there is no such prohibition.
Muslims consume kosher-certified products only when they are in strict
conformity with the halal laws. It should also be noted that according
to a
January representative national survey by Mintel Consumer Intelligence,
only 4 percent of respondents bought kosher products because they
wanted to
obtain a product that is consistent with halal.
There have been successful partnerships in the past between Muslim and
Jewish communities when certification organizations issued dual
certification for products that were found to be in conformity with
both
halal and kosher laws.
Similarly, Muslims and Jews in the United Kingdom together are fighting
a
proposed ban on halal and kosher slaughter in that country.
While such efforts are wholeheartedly welcomed, it is also important to
maintain the distinct status of the two similar-but-different systems
of
dietary laws.
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR JOINS FIRST LEGAL CHALLENGE TO PATRIOT ACT
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/30/2003) - The Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR) today joined five other advocacy and community groups in
mounting a
constitutional challenge to the section of the USA Patriot Act that
vastly
expands the FBI's power to spy on ordinary people living in the United
States. The lawsuit, litigated by the ACLU, names Attorney General John
Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller as the defendants.
At a news conference this morning in Detroit, Mich., representatives of
the
ACLU and the plaintiffs outlined why they believe Section 215 of the
USA
Patriot Act is unconstitutional.
SEE: http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=13249&c=206
* Under Section 215, the FBI has virtually unlimited power to secretly
obtain a variety of information about ordinary Americans, including
medical
records, reading habits, religious affiliations, and Internet surfing.
* Section 215 allows the FBI to obtain records and personal belongings
without having to show "probable cause" or any reason to believe that
there
has been any wrongdoing.
* A gag order in the law prevents those served with Section 215 orders
from
telling anyone that the FBI demanded information, even if the
information
poses no risk to national security.
* There is no limit to the kinds of information the FBI can get under
Section 215.
* Judicial oversight of these new powers is extremely limited. The
government must merely assert that such a search meets the statute's
broad
criteria.
"We stand firmly in support of our nation's security," said CAIR Board
Chairman Omar Ahmad. "Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act does not
enhance
that security, but instead violates the privacy rights of all Americans
and
creates a legal cover for intrusive investigations of people who are
not
suspected of planning or carrying out criminal acts. The abuses
inherent in
this legislation are also unnecessary because the government already
had
the power to investigate criminal activity."
Ahmad noted that many libraries nationwide have reacted to Section 215
by
shredding documents and notifying patrons that their records are at
risk.
Along with filing the lawsuit, the ACLU is releasing a new report,
"Unpatriotic Acts: The FBI's Power to Rifle Through Your Records and
Personal Belongings Without Telling You," which describes how Section
215
violates the Constitution.
SEE: http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=13246&c=206
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include CAIR,
American-Arab-Anti-Discrimination
Committee (ADC), Muslim Community Association of Ann Arbor (MCA), Arab
Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), Bridge
Refugee
and Sponsorship Services, and the Islamic Center of Portland, Masjed
As-Saber.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/30/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: DO NOT SPY
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6341 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR'S 'Washington Live' Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad
- CAIR Seattle Meets with Senator Cantwell
* CAIR-CAN CALLS FOR INQUIRY INTO ARAR DISCLOSURE
* FALLING TREE KILLS MUSLIM PARENTS, CHILD IN NC (Observer)
- Note About the Importance of Wills
* CIVIL LIBERTIES GROUPS CHALLENGE PATRIOT ACT SURVEILLANCE (AP)
* STUDENT PUBLISHERS WON'T BE PUNISHED (San Diego Union-Tribune)
- Database to Monitor Students (Daily Californian)
* $20,000 REWARD IN HATE-CRIME SHOOTING CASE (AP)
* ENEMY COMBATANT VANISHES INTO A 'LEGAL BLACK HOLE' (Wash. Post)
- No Choice But Guilty (Washington Post)
* ZARQA NAWAZ WANTS TO BE A MUSLIM WOODY (Newsday)
* WALL THREATENS TO WIPE PALESTINIAN VILLAGE OFF MAP (FT)
- Bush Backs Sharon, Angers Palestinians (AP)
- Mr. Sharon, Tear Down that Wall! (antiwar.com)
* BLANKET OF DREAD (New York Times)
* INTERNSHIPS WITH AMERICAN MUSLIMS FOR JERUSALEM (AMJ)
* CNSNEWS.COM SAYS MIDDLE EAST ANALYST MISQUOTED
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: DO NOT SPY
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Beware of suspicion,
for it
(leads to) the worst of false tales. Don't look for other's faults,
don't
spy and don't hate each other."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 717
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6341 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6341 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a sponsored library:
"This is a good collection of materials...the addition of children's
books
is very welcome. These are titles that will appeal to all of our
patrons.
- Peoria, IL
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
'WASHINGTON LIVE' SEEKS FEEDBACK
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North America and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
SUBMIT story ideas to rahmed@cair-net.org and comments or questions to
cair@washlive.com before 8 p.m. (Eastern)
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
---
CAIR-SEATTLE MEETS WITH SENATOR CANTWELL
CAIR-Seattle, along with other representatives of that state's Muslim
community, met recently with Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and her
staff.
Topics discussed included CAIR's Library Project, the USA Patriot Act
and
its impact on civil liberties, as well as the pending nomination of
Daniel
Pipes to the board of the United States Institute of Peace.
-----
CAIR-CAN CALLS FOR INQUIRY INTO ARAR DISCLOSURE
Group says admissions by Solicitor General are "deeply disturbing"
(OTTAWA, CANADA 30/7/2003) The Canadian office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) today called for a parliamentary
inquiry into the deportation of Canadian citizen Maher Arar. That call
came
after Solicitor General Wayne Easter did not discount the possibility
that
certain elements in the RCMP may have passed information to American
authorities that led to the arrest of Arar in the United States last
September.
SEE Robert Fife's report in the Ottawa Citizen, "Chrétien wants to know
who
gave up Ottawa man to CIA, Syria rogue elements in RCMP not out of the
question, solicitor general admits:"
http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=1bfd2543-1cfa-4530-9725-d212398dcfa0
After Arar was arrested in the US, he was denied legal counsel and
deported
to a CIA debriefing station in Jordan and then to Syria, where he has
since
been held without charge.
In a statement released today, CAIR-CAN wrote:
"Maher Arar's case is quickly becoming a national scandal.
"Given the deeply disturbing comments today by the Solicitor General,
we
demand a national inquiry into Maher Arar's deportation. Such an
inquiry is
long overdue given past claims by the U.S. Ambassador to Canada and
others
that it was the RCMP that passed along information that led to Arar's
detention and deportation.
"If elements within the RCMP are in any way responsible for Arar's
plight,
the RCMP would be complicit in depriving a Canadian citizen of safety,
security and fundamental legal rights. Canadians have the right to
know if
a citizen was the casualty of an improper procedure or violation of law
in
a security agency that is supposed to be accountable to the government
and
people of Canada."
- END -
CONTACT: Riad Saloojee at 613-254-9704; E-mail: Canada@cair-net.org
-----
FALLING TREE KILLS PARENTS, CHILD
ROBERT MOORE, JOHN FRANK & MELISSA MANWARE, Charlotte Observer, 7/30/03
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/6415003.htm
MATTHEWS -- A tree fell on a car during a storm Tuesday, killing a
father,
mother and their older daughter in a shopping center parking lot,
authorities said.
A second daughter was cut from the wreckage and flown to Carolinas
Medical
Center in Charlotte. Firefighters spent 40 minutes sawing through the
tree
and then had to cut the crushed car apart to free the crying
18-month-old.
Matthews police said the surviving toddler, wearing a sun dress with
purple
flowers, suffered a fractured leg but would recover. Her grandparents
live
in the Charlotte area.
Police late Tuesday said Frederich Shannon English, 33, Amel I.
English,
33, and their two girls were inside a four-door, white Nissan Altima
about
2:40 p.m., when the white oak tree fell on it, crushing the roof to
below
the steering wheel. The Charlotte family was heading toward the Home
Depot
at the Matthews Festival Shopping Center.
Police said they were still trying to determine what caused the tree to
fall. But National Weather Service meteorologists said Mecklenburg
County
officials told them strong winds likely were to blame…
SEE ALSO:
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE WILLS - The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him)
said: "It is not permissible for any Muslim who has something to offer
as
inheritance to stay for two nights without having his last will and
testament written and kept ready with him." Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4,
Hadith 1
This hadith is of particular importance to new Muslims who wish to have
an
Islamic funeral.
DOWNLOADABLE ISLAMIC WILL: http://www.isna.net/forms.asp
-----
CIVIL LIBERTIES AND ARAB GROUPS CHALLENGE PATRIOT ACT SURVEILLANCE
Associated Press, 7/30/03
The American Civil Liberties Union and several Arab-American groups are
mounting a legal challenge to parts of the USA Patriot Act that let
authorities monitor books people read and carry out secret searches.
The ACLU's Michigan office on Wednesday announced what it called "the
first-ever direct constitutional challenge to the USA Patriot Act,"
filing
a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
"Ordinary Americans should not have to worry that the FBI is rifling
through their medical records, seizing their personal papers, or
forcing
charities and advocacy groups to divulge membership lists," said Ann
Beeson, lead attorney in the lawsuit...
The group asked the justices to consider when the government should be
allowed to monitor telephone conversations and e-mail, then use the
information to prosecute the monitored person…
Some of the groups participating in the lawsuit are the Washington,
D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Muslim Community
Association of Ann Arbor, Bridge Refugee and Sponsorship Services in
Knoxville, Tenn., and The Islamic Center of Portland.
The provisions being targeted allow the federal government wider
latitude
than in the past to seize records, books and papers in investigations
of
international terrorism, the ACLU says.
"People are worried about their privacy, and when they check out books,
they want to feel safe," Haaris Ahmad, executive director of the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Michigan, told The Detroit News. "In a
free
society, people have freedom of thought..."
-----
STUDENT PUBLISHERS WON'T BE PUNISHED:
UCSD Says Articles Ridiculing Islam Are Protected Speech
Eleanor Young, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7/26/03
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20030726-9999_1m26ucsd.html
A UC San Diego investigation into the distribution and publication of a
magazine ridiculing Islam has concluded that the students involved will
not
be disciplined because the content is protected speech.
While images and articles in the magazine portraying Muslim women as
sexual
objects were highly offensive, university officials said, they were
satirical and therefore not defamatory...
The administration investigated whether the student conduct code was
violated. Examples of that are cheating, bribery and theft. While there
was
insufficient evidence to show a conduct violation, Aguilar said the
student
group, known as The Koala, also broke Associated Student Media rules.
Among
other things, the magazine did not include a disclaimer noting that the
views in the publication are not representative of the Associated
Students
at UCSD.
As a result of the violations, the group's funding for next year could
be
frozen. The Associated Students is investigating, and could reach a
conclusion in the next several weeks, said Paul DeWine, the AS
adviser...
ALSO SEE:
DATABASE TO MONITOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Regina Chen, Daily Californian, 7/29/03
http://www.dailycal.org/article.asp?id=12273
UC Berkeley international students must register personal information
into
a new government database spawned by the USA PATRIOT Act by this Friday
or
leave the country within 15 days.
Called the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), the
database expands monitoring of foreign students, providing instantly
accessible electronic data to the federal government about
international
students, scholars and their dependents.
The database can be accessed by the U.S. Department of State and the
Bureau
of Citizenship and Immigration Service, formerly known as the
Immigration
and Naturalization Service (INS).
SEVIS registration has two parts: a profile including a student's
address,
major and the duration of their visit, and then updates on events
including
a change of major or address.
UC Berkeley's Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS)
is
processing the SEVIS applications...
-----
$20,000 REWARD FOR INFO. ON SUSPECTED HATE-CRIME SHOOTING
Associated Press, 7/23/03
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0723sikhshooting-ON.html
A $20,000 reward was offered Wednesday for information leading to an
arrest
and conviction in the shooting of a Sikh man, allegedly targeted
because of
the way he looks.
Avtar Singh, 52, a Phoenix truck driver, was wounded May 19 by two men
who
told him to "Go back to where you belong to."
Police said that Singh, who wears a turban and an untrimmed beard as
part
of his faith, was targeted because of his appearance.
The reward is being offered by the FBI, the governor's office, the
Anti-Defamation League and the local Sikh community.
U.S. Attorney for Arizona Paul Charlton called the reward unique
because it
represented government and private interests working together to help
authorities solve a crime.
Singh, who was wounded in the lower abdomen and upper thigh, is slowly
recovering, said Guru Roop Kaur Khalsa, a Sikh community spokeswoman...
-----
ENEMY COMBATANT VANISHES INTO A 'LEGAL BLACK HOLE'
Paula Span, Washington Post, 7/30/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64791-2003Jul29.html
NEW YORK -- It was the luck of the draw.
Some other spring morning, Donna Newman would have encountered a
different
client in a prison jumpsuit, someone accused of fraud or drug
trafficking.
Instead, arriving at the federal courthouse in downtown Manhattan in
May
2002, she met Jose Padilla.
Newman serves on a panel of private practice attorneys who occasionally
take on indigent clients facing federal charges. She accepts new cases
two
days a year. "I believe in defending indigents," she said. "You gotta
give
back." At the time, though, she had no inkling how much she was about
to give.
Padilla, arrested by the FBI at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport
on
May 8, had been flown east to appear before a grand jury as a material
witness. The subject he supposedly had knowledge of -- an al Qaeda plan
to
detonate a "dirty bomb" in the United States -- sounded scarier than
most.
Another alarming sign was that every time Newman set her pen down on
the
courtroom table during that first appearance, federal marshals handed
it
back to her, evidently so that Padilla couldn't seize it as a weapon.
SEE ALSO:
NO CHOICE BUT GUILTY
Michael Powell, Washington Post, 7/29/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59245-2003Jul28.html
LACKAWANNA, N.Y. -- Even now, after the arrests and the anger and the
world
media spotlight, the mystery for neighbors in this old steel town
remains
this: Why would six of their young men so readily agree to plead guilty
to
terror charges, accepting long prison terms far from home?
"These knuckleheads betrayed our trust, and we're disgusted with their
attendance at the camps in Afghanistan," Mohammed Albanna, 52, a leader
in
the Yemeni community here, said of the six men who have admitted to
attending an al Qaeda training camp two years ago. "But the punishment
doesn't fit the crime, or the government's rhetoric. It's ridiculous."
But defense attorneys say the answer is straightforward: The federal
government implicitly threatened to toss the defendants into a secret
military prison without trial, where they could languish indefinitely
without access to courts or lawyers.
That prospect terrified the men. They accepted prison terms of 61/2 to
9
years...
-----
HER COMIC TAKE
With her zany, satirical films, Canadian Zarqa Nawaz wants to be a
Muslim Woody
Carol Eisenberg, New York Newsday, 7/30/03
http://www.nynewsday.com/entertainment/local/newyork/ny-p2cover3392171jul30,0,2963094.story
Zarqa Nawaz aims to set the world straight about one thing: Just
because a
woman wears a head scarf, doesn't mean she has no sense of humor.
The 35-year-old Canadian filmmaker describes herself as a conservative
Muslim who covers her hair, prays five times daily and is active in her
local mosque. But she is also a quirky storyteller whose madcap farces
about North American Muslim life have created a huge buzz in the Muslim
community and on some college campuses in Canada and the United States.
"I make 'terrodies,' or comedies about terrorist themes," Nawaz says
with
the deadpan delivery of a practiced stand-up. "You have dramadies. And
these are terrodies, a new film genre which I feel I have created."
And with her own shoestring company, FUNdamentalist Films - its slogan
is
"putting the fun back in fundamentalism," - she says she's working
toward
her breakthrough as a Muslim Woody Allen...
"She's a trailblazer," said Sheema Khan, chairwoman of the Canadian
office
of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "You don't see too many
Muslim women filmmakers. But she's a second-generation Muslim who is
thoroughly familiar with the North American experience, and who has
maintained her Islamic identity and thrived in it. And she is creating
new
narratives about Muslim experiences in North America, using humor and
social commentary…"
-----
ISRAEL'S WALL THREATENS TO WIPE PALESTINIAN VILLAGE OFF THE MAP
Harvey Morris, Financial Times, 7/29/03
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1058868228853&p=1012571727172
In the valley below the small Palestinian village of Nu'man,
construction
gangs were hard at work yesterday on a stretch of Israel's separation
barrier that will soon strand its 200 inhabitants in no-man's-land.
They are among thousands of Palestinians whose lives have been
disrupted by
the government's decision to enclose the West Bank. Since construction
began a year ago, farmers have been cut off from their land and
villages
separated from nearby towns.
Their plight has prompted the US administration to press Israel to
rethink
the partially completed project before it becomes an immovable barrier
to
President George W. Bush's efforts to move the Middle East peace
process
forward.
Mr Bush said last week that the wall was "a problem". "It is very
difficult
to develop confidence between the Palestinians and Israel with a wall
snaking through the West Bank," he said.
He is expected to reinforce the message in a White House meeting today
with
Ariel Sharon, Israeli prime minister.
Mr Sharon had widespread Israeli public support for a defensive barrier
along the "green line" with the West Bank that would prevent suicide
bombers reaching Israel...
ALSO SEE:
BUSH BACKS SHARON, ANGERS PALESTINIANS
Steve Weizman, Associated Press, 7/30/03
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/ny-usmideast0730,0,5326554.story
WASHINGTON - President Bush has given visiting Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel
Sharon broad support on key issues, backing off from overt criticism of
a
West Bank security fence and disappointing Palestinians in the process.
Sharon, who was to meet Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday morning
before flying home, promised Bush that he would make sure to minimize
suffering to Palestinians through whose lands the fence will run.
Last week, Bush hosted Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and
said
the partially built barrier, which in some places cuts deeply into
Palestinian territory and divides farms, was not helpful to peace
efforts...
---
MR. SHARON, TEAR DOWN THAT WALL!
That's what Bush should have said.
Justin Raimondo, antiwar.com,
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/justincol.html
The "fence," as the Israelis and their amen corner in the U.S. call it,
is
actually a wall, about 25 feet high: higher than the Berlin Wall. Like
every atrocity carried out by the Israeli government, it is being sold
as a
"defensive" measure, but is in reality an act of aggression, cutting
off
large swathes of Palestinian property from the main body of the
Palestinian
community and preemptively establishing a border on annexed land. As
the
Los Angeles Times reported:
"The red signs appeared one morning on the barbed wire. 'Mortal danger;
military zone,' they read. 'Any person who passes or damages the fence
endangers his life.'
"And just like that, Mohammed Habbas was forbidden to reach the acres
of
fields and olive groves that have been in the family for as long as
anyone
here can remember. The people of this tiny hillside village were left
behind when Israeli military walls chopped away more than half of their
property, snaking all the way to the edges of houses to swallow the
land -
but exclude the people..."
-----
BLANKET OF DREAD
Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 7/30/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/30/opinion/30DOWD.html
WASHINGTON - There is no more delightful way to pass a summer's day in
Washington than going up to Capitol Hill to watch senators jump ugly on
Wolfie.
Many Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee
felt they had been snookered by Paul Wolfowitz, and they did not want
to be
played again.
They waited gimlet-eyed yesterday while Wolfowitz of Arabia shimmied
away
once more from giving the cost, in lives or troops or dollars, of
remaking
a roiling Iraq.
Instead, he offered a highly dramatic travelogue of his recent Iraq
trip,
sleeping in Saddam's palace and flying with members of the Tennessee
National Guard, who made him "very unhappy" when they told him about
their
nearly two years of active duty...
-----
INTERNSHIPS NOW AVAILABLE WITH AMERICAN MUSLIMS FOR JERUSALEM (AMJ)
AMJ is the only national American Muslim organization based in the
nation's
capitol with an exclusive focus on Palestine and Jerusalem. We
currently
have two internship openings for the fall semester. Internships may be
full
or part-time, from September through December. However, dates and hours
are
flexible.
To apply for an internship, please fax resume and cover letter to AMJ
at
(202) 548-4201, email at programs@amjerusalem.org, or mail to: American
Muslims for Jerusalem, 208 G Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002.
-----
CNSNEWS.COM SAYS MIDDLE EAST ANALYST MISQUOTED
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=\ForeignBureaus\archive\200307\FOR20030729f.html
-----
SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/31/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD CHARACTER
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6343 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR's Washington Live Seeks Feedback
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
- CAIR-Seattle Joins Habitat for Humanity to Build Homes
- Rep. Dennis Kucinich to Speak at CAIR-LA Banquet
* JEWISH GROUPS OPPOSE DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION
- AJC Stands Alone on Controversial Nominees (Forward)
* E-MAIL THREAT REPORTED TO MINNESOTA FBI
- Mosque Cross-Burning Still Under Investigation (Gazette)
- Sikh American Group Stands with Muslim Community
* NC MAN'S FAITH BROUGHT PAIR TOGETHER (Charlotte Observer)
* FORMER ALASKA AIR EMPLOYEE SUES COMPANY OVER FIRING (AP)
- IN Muslim Doctor to Sue Over Termination (News-Sentinel)
* LIBERTIES GROUP TO POST SIGN OF TIMES (Orlando Sentinel)
* DELAY TELLS ISRAELI HAWKS NOT TO FEAR (LA TIMES)
- DeLay and Israel (Wash. Times)
- Christian Right Waves Flag for Israel (Newsday)
- Israel to Expand Gaza Settlement (Reuters)
- Proposed Israeli Marriage Law Called Racist (NY Times)
* SCIENTISTS STILL DENY IRAQI ARMS PROGRAMS (Wash. Post)
- Report: Iraq War May Have Helped al-Qaida (AP)
- U.S. Bars Firms from Iraq Mobile Tender (Reuters)
* PHILIPPINE INTEL ACCUSED OF INVOLVEMENT IN BOMBINGS (SMH)
* INQUIRY URGED INTO RCMP'S ROLE IN DEPORTATION (Gazette)
- The Unwelcome Mat (News & Observer)
* AMNESTY WILL HOLD NATIONAL HEARINGS ON RACIAL PROFILING
* MUSLIM COLLEGE STUDENT WINS NATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AWARD
* ISLAMIC CENTER OF AMERICA HOLDS INTERFAITH MEETING IN MICHIGAN
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD CHARACTER
A companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who led a
delegation sent to teach people about Islam, said: "The last advice the
(Prophet) gave me when I put my foot in the stirrup was, 'Make your
character good for the people.'"
Al-Muwatta, Volume 47, Hadith 1
The Prophet also said: "I was sent to perfect good character."
Al-Muwatta, Volume 47, Hadith 8
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6343 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6343 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
Feedback from a sponsored library:
"(We plan to) share with the teachers in the local schools and set up a
display in our library. Thank you." - Middletown, TN
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
'WASHINGTON LIVE' SEEKS FEEDBACK
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North America and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
SUBMIT story ideas to rahmed@cair-net.org or questions and comments to
cair@washlive.com before 8 p.m. (Eastern) on Tuesday.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
---
CAIR-SEATTLE JOINS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY TO BUILD HOMES
WHAT: CAIR-Seattle will join efforts with Together We Build and Habitat
for
Humanity, to help to build a better life for our neighbors in our
community.
No experience is necessary. Volunteer builders help with framing,
putting
up sheet rock, painting, roofing, sanding, caulking etc. Build times
are
from 8:30am-4pm daily. Join people with diverse backgrounds to prepare
halal ethnic foods. This is as much a learning experience as it is a
volunteer position. Cook times are 8:30am-11:30am.
WHERE: Patterson Park (NE 95th & Avondale Rd, Redmond)
WHEN: August 12-16 and August 19-23
Contact samia@cair-seattle.org and tell us what day(s) you would like
to
work in construction or in the kitchen.
For more information please email: samia@cair-seattle.org
GO TO: www.togetherwebuild.org
-----
REP. DENNIS KUCINICH TO SPEAK AT CAIR-LA BANQUET
http://www.cair-california.org/scabanquetinfo.htm
WHAT: The Council on American-Islamic Relations cordially invites you
to
attend its Seventh Annual Fundraising Banquet, "Together...Defending
Civil
Rights and Promoting Tolerance." Democratic Presidential Candidate
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) will be a featured speaker along
with
Imam Siraj Wahhaj; Ambassador Edward Peck, Former US Ambassador to
Iraq;
The Reverend J. Edwin Bacon, Jr.; and Omar Ahmad, Chairman of CAIR
National.
WHEN: Saturday, October 4, 2003
Registration begins at 5:30 p.m., Dinner and Program at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Anaheim Convention Center Ballroom, 800 W. Katella Avenue
Anaheim, CA 92802, (714) 765-8950
TICKETS: $40 per person in advance, ($75 at the door if available),
$400
for table of 10. Spaces are limited, RSVP by September 24, 2003.
TO ORDER TICKETS: http://www.cair-california.org/scabanquetinfo.htm
-----
JEWISH GROUPS OPPOSE DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION
CONTACT: Josh Ruebner, 703-685-7666 or josh@jppi.org
(WASHINGTON, DC, July 30, 2003) - A broad coalition of Jewish peace
groups
today called upon President Bush to withdraw his controversial
nomination
of Daniel Pipes to the Board of Directors of the United States
Institute of
Peace.
The Jewish peace groups also lauded the decision of the Senate Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee last week to table a scheduled
vote on Pipes' nomination to the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum, a rightwing think tank
based in
Philadelphia, and a prolific author of articles depicting Islam as a
danger
to Western civilization and to Jews in particular.
Pipes has referred to Muslim immigrants as "brown-skinned peoples
cooking
strange foods and not exactly maintaining Germanic standards of
hygiene."
In another article, he wrote that "all immigrants bring exotic customs
and
attitudes, but Muslim customs are more troublesome than most."
The Bush Administration's nomination of Pipes to the USIP board in
April
brought a firestorm of complaints from Muslim and Arab American civil
rights organizations, echoed by peace, civil liberties, and immigrants'
rights groups.
"Pipes has repeatedly demonstrated hostility towards Arabs and towards
Islam as a religion," said Mitchell Plitnick, co-director of Jewish
Voice
for Peace, a San Francisco Area Middle East peace group. "Of equal
concern
is that Pipes has often espoused the view that force is the most
appropriate solution to the problems in the Middle East and the Muslim
world.
Pipes's entire history shows him to be an individual who merits no
place in
any Institute of Peace. As Jews, we have a special stake in Middle East
peace and it is intolerable that a man who espouses such racist and
militaristic views as Pipes even be considered for such a position"
Pipes has also been roundly criticized for launching Campus Watch, a
website sponsored by the Middle East Forum that monitors professors of
Middle Eastern studies and maintains online "dossiers" on those whose
views
it considers unacceptable. Critics have charged that the website
undermines
academic freedom by urging students to report professors whose
sympathies
are suspect.
"In his own writings as well as the activities of his think tank,"
stated
Rachael Kamel of the Philadelphia Jewish Peace Network, "Pipes has
repeatedly portrayed Islam as incompatible with Western values. In
fact, it
is Pipes himself who goes against the values of pluralism, religious
tolerance, civil liberties, and freedom of thought - all of which are
indispensable for building a peaceful future."
GROUPS ENDORSING THE JOINT STATEMENT INCLUDE:
* Jewish Voice for Peace (San Francisco)
* Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel (Washington, DC)
* Philadelphia Jewish Peace Network (Philadelphia)
* Not In My Name (Chicago)
* Jewish Voice Against the Occupation (Seattle)
* Jews Against The Occupation (New York)
* Visions of Peace With Justice in Israel/Palestine (Boston)
* Jewish Women for Justice in Israel/Palestine (Boston)
ALSO SEE:
AJCOMMITTEE STANDS ALONE ON CONTROVERSIAL NOMINEES
Benjamin Soskis, Forward, 8/1/03
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.08.01/news7.html
Two high-profile nomination battles have left the American Jewish
Committee
in a lonely position: out front on behalf of a Middle East scholar
condemned by Democrats and Arab groups and on the sidelines in the
fight
against one of President Bush's most controversial judicial nominees.
Of the three so-called Jewish defense agencies, a list that also
includes
the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Congress, the
committee
was the only group to issue a statement last week supporting the
nomination
of scholar Daniel Pipes to the U.S. Institute of Peace…
The vote on Pipes was delayed due to the lack of a quorum at
Wednesday's
meeting. A Democratic source on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pension Committee suggested to the Forward that Republican senators
chose
not to attend the meeting in order to head off a controversial vote,
hoping
the White House would either withdraw the nomination or appoint Pipes
when
Congress is out of session…
FOR BACKGROUND, SEE: SENATORS CRITICIZE DANIEL PIPES IN COMMITTEE
MEETING
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=148&page=AA
-----
E-MAIL THREAT REPORTED TO MINNESOTA FBI
Sender Threatens to Attack 'Any Muslim I See'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/31/2003) - The Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR) today asked the Minnesota office of the FBI to investigate an
e-mail
the group received threatening attacks on Muslims in the United States.
In a message headlined "I will now attach (sic) any Muslims I see" sent
to
the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group, a person
who
signed his message "Ken Minneapolis" stated: "Enough of this crap.
Muslims
want to kill us and we better get you before you get us......Go
Pipes......Get out of the US if you don't like it!!!!!!!!"
The full name of the person sending the message was included in the
e-mail's address. The "Go Pipes" reference was apparently prompted by
the
controversy over the nomination of Daniel Pipes to the United States
Institute of Peace. Many Muslims, Arab-American, Jewish, interfaith,
and
civil liberties groups have opposed the nomination because of what they
say
is Pipes' long history of anti-Muslim and pro-war rhetoric.
Supervisory Special Agent Elizabeth Fries, who manages the civil rights
program for the FBI's Minneapolis field office, told CAIR the threat
will
be investigated as a possible hate crime.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Minnesota, Jill Joseph, 612-581-2101; Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed,
202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
SEE ALSO:
MOSQUE BURNING CROSS CASE STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION
Amy Boyes, Gazette, 7/31/03
http://www.gazette.net/200331/princegeorgescty/county/170730-1.html
Nearly a week after someone set fire to a wooden cross on the property
of
the Dar-Us-Salaam mosque and Al-Huda School in College Park,
investigators
said the case was still under investigation.
But community members who were shocked by the incident are hoping to
eventually put the incident behind them...
Mark Brady, spokesman for the fire department, said Tuesday that the
case
was still under investigation. Investigators are hoping that a security
surveillance tape removed from the scene can be enhanced. The number of
suspects is not being released, Brady said.
"We have interviewed several witnesses," he said. "We can not clearly
identify anyone [on the tape]."
The fire department, Prince George's County Police Department and the
FBI
are working together on the investigation.
Rizwan Mowlana, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR)-Maryland, said he has been in touch with members of
the
school and mosque who are moving along "slowly but surely."
The school is also has a daycare program. "We have to have a lot of
patience with the children," he said adding the children have been
asking a
lot of questions about what happened.
Mowlana said he has also been in contact with the FBI and added he
hopes
the case is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
"This is clearly a hate crime," he said. "It's a very cowardly act."
The school has an open door policy and interfaith meetings are held at
the
facility, which makes the act even more disappointing, Mowlana said.
ALSO SEE:
CONTACT: Preetmohan Singh, info@sikhmediawatch.org, 202-393-2700 ext 27
SIKH AMERICAN GROUP STANDS WITH MUSLIM COMMUNITY
Community demonstrates solidarity following hate crime
Washington, DC - The Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), a
national Sikh American advocacy group, is standing in solidarity with
the
local Muslim community after a mosque in College Park, MD was defiled
by a
cross-burning yesterday. SMART's Chairman, Manjit Singh, issued a
statement demonstrating the need for ethnic and religious communities
to
unify when such hate crimes are undertaken to divide.
"As a religious minority also targeted after 9/11, the Sikh American
community expresses its deepest concern and sympathy for Muslim
Americans,"
said Singh. "Where such acts are designed to intimidate, unity becomes
our
strongest weapon against hate. The perpetrators of this act must be
brought to justice to demonstrate that hate in our society cannot and
will
not be tolerated."
This cross-burning becomes the first such incident reported to
authorities
in Maryland in over three years. To help prevent such acts from
occurring
again, SMART and other local civil rights groups are urging authorities
to
investigate and prosecute this act to the fullest extent of the law.
-----
MAN'S FAITH BROUGHT ILL-FATED PAIR TOGETHER
Tree destroys family that got start in Africa
ROBERT F. MOORE, Charlotte Observer, 7/31/03
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/6423484.htm
About four years ago Fred English flew 4,500 miles to northern Africa
to
marry a woman named Amel who shared his Muslim faith.
On Tuesday their lives, along with the life of their 3-year-old
daughter,
Nadia, ended in a Matthews parking lot less than 10 miles from their
east
Charlotte home.
A tree fell on the roof of their Nissan Altima about 2:40 p.m. at the
Matthews Township Festival Shopping Center during a fast-moving storm.
Miriam, the couple's 18-month-old daughter, was sitting behind her
mother
in the right rear of the car, secured in a child safety seat. She was
in
fair condition late Wednesday after being treated for a fractured leg,
hospital officials said…
While Miriam's grandparents assumed her care, they and other relatives
were
beginning to make funeral plans. Muhammad Banawan, director of the
Islamic
Center of Charlotte, said details of Tuesday's tragedy had been faxed
to
the American Embassy in Algeria. The aim is to inform Amel English's
family, the first step in determining where she'll be buried.
Banawan remembered 33-year-old Fred English as an active part of
Charlotte's Muslim community who had converted more than a decade ago.
"He tried to help immigrants get acquainted with American ways,"
Banawan said.
Friends also remembered Fred English as a hard worker, who was excited
about being a father. His desire for a Muslim wife took him from
Charlotte
to Jordan to Egypt to Algeria.
Friends said Amel, also 33, stayed at home with her daughters, and Fred
drove an armored truck for a Charlotte-area security company. He also
worked at a pizza shop and in recent years had operated machinery at a
tire
company.
Some recalled him stopping in at the Islamic Center of Charlotte, where
he
was a former board member, to pray. He also attended Friday prayer at
the
Islamic Society of Greater Charlotte.
Anas Hemoalyounes met Fred English about 10 years ago. English was a
student at UNC Charlotte, pursuing a chemistry degree.
"I found him interesting because he was an American who converted to
Islam," he said. "We talked about religion at first. Then we'd talk
about
other things. We became genuine friends."
WANT TO HELP?
Donations can be mailed to:
American Community Bank
c/o English family
P.O. Box 1470
Indian Trail, NC 28079
-----
FORMER ALASKA AIR EMPLOYEE SUES COMPANY OVER FIRING
Helen Jung, Associated Press Business, 7/31/03
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/6422317.htm
SEATTLE - A former maintenance supervisor for Alaska Airlines has sued
the
carrier, alleging the company demoted and fired him for refusing to
certify
that the airline had completed mandatory tool inspections and for
contradicting the airline's statement to federal authorities that it
had.
The complaint, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle, also
alleges that company officials harassed and discriminated against the
plaintiff, Mansour Fadaie, and denied him a promotion because he is
Muslim
and immigrated from Iran.
The lawsuit is the latest problem for Alaska Airlines, whose
maintenance
culture and practices were harshly criticized by the National
Transportation Safety Board during its investigation into the January
2000
crash of Flight 261. The flight, from Puerto Vallarta to Seattle,
crashed
in the Pacific Ocean, killing all 88 people aboard...
SEE ALSO:
MATTAR PLANS TO SUE BECAUSE OF TERMINATION
Dan Cortez, News-Sentinel, 7/31/03
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/6427693.htm
During rare moments of levity, a smile brings to life the long, narrow
face
of Dr. Ahmed Mattar, who until last month was the lone doctor at Harlan
Family Health Center.
But since Hicksville Community Memorial Hospital, which oversees the
Harlan
clinic, terminated Mattar's contract June 11 for what it said were two
violations of company policy, he has mostly worn a look of bewilderment
and
exasperation. All the while, rumors in town said he had been fired
after
being arrested for ties to terrorist networks.
That wasn't true, but Mattar doesn't understand why he was fired. He
said
the hospital has two grievances against him: a billing problem and
improper
use of X-ray equipment. He denies both…
Mattar and his lawyers plan to file suit with the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission in Indianapolis, charging his termination was
discrimination-based. He is of Egyptian heritage and Muslim faith…
Mattar said he began having problems when new management demanded he
work
Fridays, which is the Muslim day Jumma. Mattar said, according to his
contract, he didn't have to work Fridays, but he agreed to work
mornings
without pay…
-----
LIBERTIES GROUP TO POST SIGN OF TIMES
Maya Bell, Orlando Sentinel, 7/31/03
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-locpatriot31073103jul31,0,7343578.story
MIAMI - Next to the traditional "Please be quiet" and "No food in the
library" signs, Florida library patrons soon may notice more ominous
messages: Big Brother could be watching what you read.
Officials with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said
Wednesday
that they will distribute hundreds of placards to county and university
libraries advising users that the USA Patriot Act enacted after the
Sept.
11, 2001, terrorist attacks can subject library records to government
surveillance without their knowledge.
The burgundy poster depicting the Statue of Liberty is not big -- it
measures roughly 10 inches by 12 inches -- but it is meant to attract
notice.
"Attention," it says in large yellow letters. "Under Section 215 of the
federal USA Patriot Act, records of the books and other materials you
borrow from this library may be obtained by federal agents."
Noting that the same law prohibits librarians from telling patrons --
or
anyone else -- whether their library records have been seized, the
poster
also urges library users to direct questions to U.S. Attorney General
John
Ashcroft.
Howard Simon, executive director of the Florida ACLU, said the signs
are
meant to inform as well as to provoke outrage about what the ACLU
considers
an invasive law that tramples on the most basic First Amendment rights.
"We're not trying in any way to scare the public into not using
libraries,"
he said. "We want them to know about the radical and dramatic change
that
has affected their rights, and we hope to motivate them to demand a
repeal
from Congress."
Announcement of the Florida library campaign came the same day the
national
ACLU filed the first lawsuit challenging the Patriot Act's
constitutionality. Filed in Detroit in behalf of six refugee, Muslim or
Arab organizations, the 41-page complaint alleges that the Patriot Act
violates the rights to privacy, free speech and due process by allowing
the
government to seek private records in secret and without probable
cause…
-----
DELAY TELLS ISRAELI HAWKS NOT TO FEAR
GOP House leader pledges support on Holy Land tour
Megan K. Stack, Los Angeles Times, 7/31/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0307310177jul31,1,5317523.story
JERUSALEM - He delivered his words with the rolling cadence of a tent
revivalist. He slipped the West Bank's Ramallah into a string of cities
that included Auschwitz, Pyongyang and Damascus. He invoked Moses and
Anne
Frank. He mixed Old Testament language with the American civics-class
lexicon of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...
They may be talking peace and Palestinian statehood in Washington, but
DeLay is touring the Holy Land with a message for Israeli hawks: The
war is
not over, and the United States is Israel's brother-in-arms in a
pitched
battle against evil...
One of the most prominent leaders in the group of ardent Christian
supporters of Israel who have grown in power in the post-Sept. 11 Bush
administration, DeLay is a longtime friend to the Mideast nation.
And his conservative audience today has plenty of cause to be nervous.
The U.S.-backed "road map" to peace is inching along. President Bush is
pushing for a Palestinian state and a halt to Jewish settlements in the
Palestinian territories. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was
welcomed warmly at the White House last week...
SEE ALSO:
DELAY AND ISRAEL
Greg Pierce, Washington Times, 7/31/03
http://www.washtimes.com/national/inpolitics.htm
Calling himself "an Israeli of the heart," House Majority Leader Tom
DeLay
told Israel's Knesset yesterday that the United States and Israel are
blood
brothers in the fight against terrorism.
"In short, it is the position of the people of the United States, as
expressed by their representatives in Congress, that Israel's fight is
our
fight. And so shall it be until the last terrorist on earth is in a
cell or
a cemetery," Mr. DeLay told the Israeli legislature.
The Texas Republican, who has become one of the most prominent
defenders of
Israel among American politicians, is traveling through the Middle East
this week.
Mr. DeLay put the blame for continued unrest in the region squarely on
Palestinian militants and on Yasser Arafat in particular, who he said
must
be further isolated.
He said the bond between the United States and Israel "is deeper than
the
various interests we share. It goes to the very nature of man."
---
CHRISTIAN RIGHT WAVES FLAG FOR ISRAEL
Ken Fireman, Newsday, 7/30/03
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-uscons303393636jul30,0,3593096.story
Washington - The Israeli prime minister wasn't due at the White House
for
another hour, but Richard Hellman and his friends were out early
yesterday
to show the flag - in fact, two of them, the Star of David side by side
with Old Glory.
"We are a Christian group for a strong U.S.-Israeli relationship,"
Hellman
said as he paraded along Pennsylvania Avenue. "We are Christians. We
believe in the truth of the Bible. We believe America will be blessed
as it
blesses Israel, as the Bible says."
The activism of Hellman, a born-again Christian who heads the group
Christians' Israel Public Action Campaign, reflects a growing trend in
the
conservative Christian movement. As its political influence has waxed
since
the Republican takeover, its agenda has broadened from traditional
domestic
concerns such as abortion to foreign policy issues like the Middle
East.
Many conservative Christians view support for Israel and its right-wing
government as an obligation flowing directly from biblical prophecy...
---
ISRAEL TO EXPAND GAZA SETTLEMENT DESPITE ROAD MAP
Reuters, 7/31/03
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters07-31-073601.asp
GAZA, Gaza Strip - Israel said Thursday it would issue a tender to
build 22
new homes in a Jewish settlement in the occupied Gaza Stip, despite a
U.S.-backed peace plan that calls for an immediate halt to construction
at
settlements.
The "road map" to peace calls for Israel to "freeze all settlement
activity" as part of reciprocal moves intended to end 34 months of
Israeli-Palestinian violence and establish a Palestinian state by 2005.
The Israel Lands Authority said the Defense Ministry had approved a bid
for
the 22 housing units to be built in the Neveh Dekalim settlement in the
western part of the Gaza Strip...
---
PROPOSED MARRIAGE LAW CALLED RACIST MOVES FORWARD IN ISRAEL
JAMES BENNET, New York Times, 7/31/03
http://nytimes.com/2003/07/31/international/middleeast/31CND-MIDE.html
JERUSALEM, July 31 - The Israeli parliament voted today to block
Palestinians who marry Israelis from becoming Israeli citizens or
residents, erecting a new legal barrier as Israel finished the first
section of a new physical barrier against West Bank Palestinians.
Supporters of the legislation called it a necessary bulwark against
infiltration by terrorists. "We are in a state of war - not with the
English, or the Americans, or the Dutch, or the Slovaks - we are at war
with our neighbors, the Palestinians," Gideon Sa'ar, of the dominant
Likud
Party, told the parliament in debate before the vote. "It's a tragic
reality."
Proponents also called the law a way to preserve Israel's Jewish
majority.
Opponents of the law called it a racist measure that threatened to
divide
thousands of families or force them out of Israel. Roughly 1.2 million
of
Israel's 6.7 million citizens are Arabs, and they are far more likely
than
Israeli Jews to marry Palestinians.
-----
SCIENTISTS STILL DENY IRAQI ARMS PROGRAMS
Walter Pincus and Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post, 7/31/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5497-2003Jul30.html
BAGHDAD - Despite vigorous efforts, the U.S. government has been
unsuccessful so far in finding key senior Iraqi scientists to support
its
prewar claims that former president Saddam Hussein was pursuing an
aggressive program to develop nuclear, biological and chemical weapons,
according to senior administration officials and members of Congress
who
have been briefed recently on the subject.
The sources said four senior scientists and more than a dozen at lower
levels who worked for the Iraqi government have been interviewed by
U.S.
officials under the direction of the CIA. Some scientists have been
arrested and held for months, others have made deals in return for
information and at least one has agreed to be interviewed outside Iraq.
No matter the circumstances, all of the scientists interviewed have
denied
that Hussein had reconstituted his nuclear weapons program or developed
and
hidden chemical or biological weapons since United Nations inspectors
left
in 1998. Several key Iraqi officials questioned the significance of
evidence cited by the Bush administration to suggest that Hussein was
stepping up efforts to develop new weapons of mass destruction
programs...
ALSO SEE:
REPORT: IRAQ WAR MAY HAVE HELPED AL-QAIDA
Michael McDonough, Associated Press, 7/31/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2973581,00.html
LONDON - The war in Iraq failed to reduce security threats against
Britain
and may have harmed efforts to tackle the al-Qaida terror network, a
parliamentary committee said Thursday.
In a report, the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said the
war
may have helped the terror group led by Osama bin Laden to recruit new
members.
``Our witnesses were concerned that it might have enhanced the appeal
of
al-Qaida to Muslims living in the Gulf region and elsewhere,'' the
committee report said.
The committee noted government concerns about the proliferation of
weapons
of mass destruction, among other security threats to Britain...
It added that a second U.N. resolution authorizing the war would have
been
``highly desirable.'' It also found that weapons inspectors did not
provide
the U.N. Security Council with ``compelling evidence'' of Iraq's
development of weapons of mass destruction...
---
U.S. BARS STATE-OWNED FIRMS FROM IRAQ MOBILE TENDER
Reuters, 7/31/03
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=3197469
BAGHDAD - Iraq's U.S.-led authority has barred partly state-owned
companies
from bidding for three mobile phone licenses, a move critics say could
give
U.S. firms an upper hand over Arab companies.
The U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) is holding a tender
conference Thursday in Amman for the three Iraqi mobile phone licenses,
among potentially the most lucrative contracts to be offered in Iraq.
"No government shall directly or indirectly own more than five percent
of
any single bidding company or single company in the consortia," tender
documents posted on the CPA Web site say.
The move could bar Arab firms such as Batelco, which briefly offered
post-war mobile service in Baghdad and is partly owned by the Bahraini
government, from bidding. It is common for Arab governments to hold
stakes
in Arab firms.
Mobile phones were banned under ousted President Saddam Hussein, but
sprang
unexpectedly to life in Baghdad last week, delighting cellphone
users...
-----
PHILIPPINE INTEL CHIEF ACCUSED OF INVOLVEMENT IN BOMBINGS:
Jim Gomez, Sydney Morning Herald, 7/31/03
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/30/1059480404759.html
MANILA - The Philippine Army's intelligence chief resigned yesterday
following a mutiny by junior officers and soldiers demanding reforms in
the
military.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo accepted the resignation of
Brigadier-General Victor Corpus, who said he quit to ease restiveness
among
the country's soldiers following Sunday's failed, bloodless uprising.
His resignation was among the renegade troops' demands. They accused
him of
incompetence and involvement in a recent bombing in the southern
Philippines to justify more military aid from Washington.
-----
INQUIRY URGED INTO RCMP'S ROLE IN DEPORTATION
Robert Fife, Gazette (Montreal, Quebec), 7/31/03
http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=d573dafa-f615-4fd8-91a8-638964922427
OTTAWA - The Council on American-Islamic Relations and Amnesty
International called yesterday for a parliamentary inquiry into the
role
the RCMP may have played in the deportation to Syria of Maher Arar,
whom
the United States suspects of being linked to Al-Qa'ida.
The RCMP insisted yesterday they played no role in the U.S. arrest and
deportation of Arar, though Inspector Andre Guertin would not say if
the
police force shared information about Arar with the Americans.
Solicitor-General Wayne Easter has raised the prospect that rogue
elements
within the RCMP provided information to U.S. authorities that led to
Arar's
arrest at New York's Kennedy Airport in September. He was then shipped
to a
CIA debriefing station in Jordan and later deported to Syria, where he
has
been held for 10 months but has not been charged with terrorist-related
offences.
Guertin said "we were not involved in any way in the arrest or
deportation
of Mr. Arar," even though Easter confirmed U.S. officials have said the
RCMP shared information on Arar.
Guertin refused to say if the RCMP alerted the U.S. to put Arar on a
watch
list at ports of entry, or if Arar was the target of a joint
Canada-U.S.
investigation.
ALSO SEE:
THE UNWELCOME MAT
News & Observer, 7/31/03
http://www.newsandobserver.com/editorials/story/2737357p-2537792c.html
Government officials have trained their magnifying glasses on visitors
from
Muslim countries, primarily in the Middle East, in view of the horrors
of
9/11. And in the course of that scrutiny, deportation proceedings have
begun against thousands of men, 16 and older, who complied with a
government registration order between last fall and early this spring.
This nation, built by immigrants and historically devoted to hosting a
diversity of nationalities, must employ common sense and fairness when
dealing with immigrants who obviously aren't terrorists but whose
immigration applications have left a few T's uncrossed.
The Washington Post reports that of nearly 83,000 Middle Eastern and
Muslim
males older than 16 who complied with that registration order, more
than
13,000 of them now face deportation proceedings...
-----
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA WILL HOLD NATIONAL HEARINGS ON RACIAL
PROFILING
Throughout September 2003, Amnesty International USA will hold National
Hearings on Racial Profiling. The hearings will be held in San
Francisco/Oakland (9/9), Chicago (9/23), Tulsa (9/30), and New York
City
(10/2). Chaired by the Hon. Timothy K. Lewis, former judge on the US
Court
of Appeals for Third Circuit, these hearings will be focused on
examining
the practice of racial profiling as it effects a range of ethnic
minorities
in the US.
AIUSA encourages all those who have experienced racial profiling to
tell us
your story. Together we can help end this discriminatory practice in
the
US. For more information and an on-line witness referral form, please
visit: www.amnestyusa.org.
CONTACT: Niaz Kasravi, Ph. D.
U.S. Domestic Human Rights Program
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20003
T. 202.544.0200 x228
F. 202.546.7142
-----
AMERICAN MUSLIM COLLEGE STUDENT WINS NATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Denver, CO -- Sohaib Mohiuddin knew that the time following September
11th
would be one of his greatest challenges as president of the Muslim
Students¹ Association at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). At a
time
of great uncertainty, Sohaib set out to develop programs that would
unite
the campus and its diverse student population. He called upon the VCU
community to put aside their political, racial, and theological
differences
and strive to better humanity.
Sohaib Mohiuddin is one of five U.S. college students who are being
honored
by Campus Compact with their national Howard R. Swearer Student
Humanitarian Award on, July 17, 2003, at the Education Leadership
Colloquium in Denver. These five students have demonstrated outstanding
commitment to community service both in their communities and in their
classrooms.
The award is presented annually by Campus Compact, a national coalition
of
more than 900 college and university presidents who are committed to
making
community service an integral part of undergraduate education.
Students are nominated for the award by their college presidents. Each
award includes a $1,500 contribution to support a service program
designed
or chosen by the student.
-----
ISLAMIC CENTER OF AMERICA HOLDS INTERFAITH MEETING IN MICHIGAN
WHAT: Christians & Muslims will come together to hear and discuss "How
we
may God Better" according to their faith's traditions. Imam Qazwini,
Islamic Center of America, will be the presenter from the Islamic
Theology
and Reverend Phil Linton, Ward Church of Northville, will be the
Christian
presenter. The audience will have the opportunity to participate during
the
Q & A.
WHERE: Islamic Center of America, at 15571 Joy Road. The center is
located
at the intersection of Joy Road & Greenfield Road.
WHEN: On Friday, August 8th., from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M.
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
-- MEDIA ADVISORY --
'MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS' IN MD MOSQUE CROSS-BURNING
WHAT: On Friday, August 1, the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR)
will take part in a news conference announcing "major developments" in
the
case of a cross-burning last week at an Islamic school and mosque in
Maryland.
The cross-burning occurred in the early morning hours of July 24
outside
the Dar-us-Salaam mosque and Al-Huda school in College Park, Md.
Those taking part in the news conference will include representatives
from
CAIR, the FBI, Prince George's County police and fire departments, the
State Attorneys Office, and the local Muslim community.
At a news conference on the day of the incident, CAIR announced a
$5,000
reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the
perpetrators.
CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, with 16
regional
offices nationwide and in Canada.
WHEN: Friday, August 1, 1 p.m.
WHERE: Fire Services Building, Prince George's County Fire/EMS
Department,
6820 Webster Street, Landover Hills, MD
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Maryland, Rizwan Mowlana, 240-401-4550; CAIR-DC, Ibrahim
Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah
Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/1/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: COMBINE TO DO GOOD
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6355 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR's 'Washington Live' Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
- CAIR-LA Journalism Scholarships Awarded
* TWO TEENS ARRESTED IN MOSQUE CROSS BURNING CASE
* CAIR-CAN: CANADIAN CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER SIEGE (Toronto Star)
* U.S. EASES PROFILING PLAN (Star-Ledger)
- Feds, Airline Profiled Me: Lawsuit (Sun-Times)
* MUSLIM RAISES DISPUTE OVER LABELING OF MEAT (Mercury News)
* ISLAM FINDS PEACE IN OLEAN (Times Herald)
* THE NEOCON CASE FOR WAR IN IRAQ (Star Tribune)
- Payments for Perle (Nation)
* HINDU TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT AT DISPUTED AYODHYA SITE (AFP)
- Fundamentalism Could Derail India's Development (AP)
* VIGIL FOR SLAIN CRAFTSMAN (Newsday)
* RUMOURS LEAK OUT ABOUT SONS HELD IN CELLS (Guardian)
* FEINGOLD INTRODUCES BILL TO PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
* ISLAMIC CENTER COMPLETES HABITAT FOR HUMANITY PROJECT
* MUSLIM CONFERENCE IN CANADA (Mississauga News)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: COMBINE TO DO GOOD
When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) congratulated a man on
his
marriage, he said: May God (bless you) and combine both of you in good
(works).
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 872
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6355 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6355 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries. GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North America and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
---
CAIR-LA JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED
(ANAHEIM, CA) - The Southern California office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) is pleased to announce the
recipients
of its one-time $5,000 Journalism & Communications Scholarship Award
for
students. CAIR-LA wishes to thank all those who applied this year and
encourages more students to apply for the award next year.
CAIR established the award to encourage Muslim students to pursue
careers
in journalism that will help bring about fairness and accuracy in the
coverage of Muslims and Islam in the media. Muslims are one of the most
underrepresented religious communities in American journalism today.
Again, CAIR would like to congratulate the recipients:
Raja Abdul Rahim, University of Florida
Zainab Cheema, John Hopkins University
Eman Karaman, Florida State University
Waliya Lari, University of Texas, Austin
Uruj Perwaiz, University of Houston
Layelle Saad, University of South Florida
Samira Said, University of Illinois, Chicago
-----
TWO TEENS ARRESTED IN MOSQUE CROSS BURNING CASE
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/1/03) - Two teenagers have been arrested for
allegedly
burning a cross outside a Maryland Islamic school and mosque. The
arrests
were announced this afternoon at a news conference in Landover Hills,
Md.,
attended by local and national law enforcement officials and
representatives of the Muslim community.
Authorities say the 17-years-olds, whose names are being withheld
because
they are juveniles, have been charged with religious and ethnic crime,
defacing property and burning a cross or other religious symbol in
violation of Maryland's hate crime statutes. If convicted the suspects
could face up to three years in prison and a fine. The cross burning
occurred in the early morning hours of July 24th outside the
Dar-us-Salaam
mosque and Al-Huda school in College Park, Md.
"We will work with juvenile authorities not only to help prosecute this
case, but also to assist in the rehabilitation of these young people so
they may live lives free of hatred and prejudice," said Seyed Rizwan
Mowlana, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relation's
Maryland office (CAIR-Maryland). He suggested that if convicted and
sentenced to community service, the teens could be assigned to a mosque
or
Islamic school.
"We thank all the law enforcement agencies involved in this case,
particularly the FBI and the Prince George's County police and fire
departments, for moving so swiftly to bring the alleged perpetrators to
justice," said Mowlana. He also thanked the ACLU, Progressive Maryland,
the
NAACP, as well as the state and national public officials who supported
the
Muslim community following the incident.
At a news conference on the day of the incident, CAIR announced a
$5,000
reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the
perpetrators. At least one lead resulted from that reward offer.
Since the beginning of this year, CAIR has received reports of physical
assaults against Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim in California,
Georgia, New Jersey, South Carolina and other states. One incident in
Yorba
Linda, Calif., left a Muslim teenager badly beaten by a group that
allegedly included white supremacists. In Arizona, a Sikh man who may
have
been mistaken for an Arab was shot in Phoenix. In Illinois, an
explosive
device destroyed a Muslim family's van. And just last month, a New
Bedford,
Mass., pizza delivery man was kidnapped, beaten and stabbed, apparently
because his attackers thought he was Muslim. Two weeks ago, two
Pakistani
students were shot to death in the same county as the cross-burning.
FBI
investigators are looking into the incident to determine if bias was a
motive.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Maryland, Rizwan Mowlana, 240-401-4550; CAIR-DC, Ibrahim
Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah
Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR-CAN: CANADIAN CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER SIEGE
Riad Saloojee, Toronto Star, 8/1/03
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1059648030689
Solicitor General Wayne Easter recently admitted that he is unable to
discount the possibility that elements in the RCMP passed on
information to
the Americans that led to the deportation of Canadian citizen Maher
Arar to
Syria and the corresponding deprivation of many of his legal rights.
We are learning the hard way that state power is not benign.
Modern political thought has seen an evolution from Hobbes'
leviathan-state, where individuals give over their liberties for social
order, to a constitutional state, where certain rights and freedoms are
not
on the table or up for grabs.
The great balancing act is to keep the state robust enough to protect
and
serve, but also to keep it from infringing on the rights of its
citizens -
to feed it, but not surrender to its gluttony. The state is a greedy
beast:
"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never
will."
And so we are finding out...
-----
U.S. EASES PROFILING PLAN FOR AIRLINE PASSENGERS
Ron Marsico, Star- Ledger, 8/1/03
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1059716500151620.xml
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security yesterday revised its proposed
airline passenger profiling system, removing some of the planned
background
checks that had so angered civil libertarians and ethnic groups.
Federal officials said the opposition led them to scrap plans to look
at
bank documents, check creditworthiness data or review medical records
to
identify potentially dangerous passengers.
"Numerous comments were received, including those from persons and
groups
concerned about privacy," Homeland Security and the Transportation
Security
Administration said in a joint statement. "Many of the changes
announced
today (yesterday) were the result of that dialogue." The plan has also
proposed delving into various aspects of passengers' lives, such as
whether
they owned homes and it had proposed keeping some blocks of information
gathered on individuals for as long as 50 years.
Those plans were also dropped yesterday.
The TSA said its revised system would run the passenger's name, birth
date,
home address and home phone number through various commercial databases
as
well as federal and state criminal records. But those checks would be
more
rudimentary than had been initially proposed. Just what databases would
be
checked was still not clear...
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said it would like to know
exactly which databases the government intends to check under CAPPS II.
"It would depend on what those databases were and how intrusive those
checks were," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Washington-based
group. "We're always cautious of these kinds of things. But in
principle,
obviously, we're not against checking to see if somebody's up to no
good."
Hooper said CAIR's greatest concern is ensuring there is no
discrimination
on the basis of race, religion or nationality.
"If the name Mohammed comes up, do they have to be checked?" Hooper
wondered.
But he added: "It goes beyond the narrow concerns of a religious or
ethnic
minority. It goes into privacy issues for all Americans."
SEE ALSO:
FEDS, AIRLINE PROFILED ME: LAWSUIT
Dave Newbart, Sun Times, 8/1/03
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-muslim01.html
Dressed in a T-shirt, shorts and Cubs hat, Mohammed Ali Khan walked up
to
the ticket counter at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas last
year
to take his return flight home to his wife and three children in
suburban
Chicago.
But rather than receiving a boarding pass, Khan was questioned in front
of
other passengers, paraded through the airport by police, detained in a
back
room and later interrogated by the FBI. Even though he was released
without
being charged, Northwest Airlines allegedly refused to let him board
his
flight and instead put him on another airline leaving hours later.
On Tuesday, Khan, who is CEO of an investment banking firm and the
national
treasurer of the American Muslim Council, filed a lawsuit in federal
court
in Nevada, alleging that Northwest Airlines, the Las Vegas police
department and the FBI violated his civil rights.
The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages, but more important, Khan
said,
it seeks to end the racial profiling that has targeted many Arab and
Muslim
airline passengers...
-----
LIBRARIANS CHAFE UNDER PATRIOT ACT RULES
Judith Kohler, Associated Press,
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/National/AP.V8070.AP-Libraries-Patri.html
BOULDER, Colo. - To Priscilla Hudson, public libraries are society's
great
equalizer, a place where anyone can go to learn regardless of their
economic, social or political background.
So she doesn't much like Big Brother peering over their shoulder.
Hudson, manager of Boulder's main library, is among a number of
librarians
nationwide who oppose a provision in the USA Patriot Act that gives
authorities access to records of what people check out from libraries
or
buy from bookstores.
The law is why Boulder librarians have lately been purging their files
on
patrons every week, not every couple of months. And experts say other
libraries are doing similar things...
-----
MUSLIM RAISES DISPUTE OVER LABELING OF MEAT
Lisa Fernandez, Mercury News, 8/1/03
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/6434456.htm
As a practicing Muslim, Faraj Tabari had never let pig products touch
his
lips.
Until this summer.
On June 6 at Fremont's Food Maxx, the Palestinian immigrant bought a
package of boneless ``country style ribs,'' which he intended to use in
a
delicacy called paya, traditionally made with cow's feet. He claims the
package wasn't labeled and was sitting in the beef section. Not being a
pork eater or a native to this country, he says he didn't realize
``country
style ribs'' means pork.
But upon tasting his dinner, he was sure something was wrong.
``When I ate it, the texture was different than anything I ever had
before,'' said the 44-year-old laid-off Caltrans civil engineer from
Fremont.
When he returned to the store and a manager told him the meat was pork,
Tabari threw the rest out. Then he threw up. He washed out his cooking
pot
with chlorine and sterilized his dishwasher.
Now, he's hired a lawyer to demand Food Maxx stop peddling its pork
products as generic meat, which the law firm alleges violates two state
health codes...
-----
ISLAM FINDS PEACE IN OLEAN
Daniel LeBlanc, Times Herald, 7/31/03
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=9932011&BRD=386&PAG=461&dept_id=444919&rfi=6
OLEAN - Some area Muslims feel that they have not seen the
discrimination
that others have experienced in other parts of the country. They
believe
the Olean area has been very open to them and that they are part of the
community.
The Olean Area Coalition for Peace and Justice held a forum with three
local Muslims to discuss their experiences as part of a minority group
in
America. The evening's topic was "Is America a Threat to Muslims?"
The Muslim panel included Dr. Safi Malik, a surgeon at Olean General
Hospital; Dr. Durriya Z. Khairullah and Dr. Zahid Y. Khairullah, who
both
teach at St. Bonaventure University.
Dr. Durriya Khairullah said that several of her students expressed
concerns
for her safety following the Sept. 11 attacks. She said that there was
a
1,600 percent increase in attacks against Muslims according to an FBI
report...
-----
BAIT AND SWITCH: THE NEOCON CASE FOR WAR IN IRAQ
Star Tribune, 7/31/03
http://www.majority.com/news/startribune1.html
In an appearance Tuesday before a skeptical Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz declared that "the
peace
in Iraq is now the central battle in the war on terror." That same
refrain
has begun to pop up in statements by President Bush and Vice President
Dick
Cheney -- as well as the neoconservative thinkers and writers who
provide
the intellectual framework for this administration's approach to
foreign
and defense policies. It begins to get down to the bedrock rationale
for
going to war in Iraq.
Strands of that rationale have been around for years, but they weren't
given public emphasis -- not in the 2000 presidential campaign and not
in
the prewar debate about whether to invade Iraq. If you piece together
those
strands, the rationale, prewar, went like this:
Saddam Hussein is a brutal tyrant who routinely thumbs his nose at the
United States. His interest in weapons of mass destruction -- if not
his
possession of them -- is well-established, meaning he may become a
threat
to the United States and its friends at some point. Moreover, he is in
violation of numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions. The United
States
can make a case for ousting him by military force -- a case that can't
be
made for any other Middle East leader. So Saddam's the guy...
SEE ALSO:
PAYMENTS FOR PERLE
Ari Berman, Nation, 7/1/03
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030818&s=berman
An odd thing happened in February when a European television station
approached Richard Perle for an interview. Millions of antiwar
protesters
had rocked the globe a week prior, and the station badly wanted Perle,
as
chairman of the influential Defense Policy Board, to articulate the
Pentagon's Iraq policy. But Perle, as he continues to do today,
demanded a
fee. Though startled by the request, the news station violated its
strict
no-pay policy for interviews and obliged the chairman.
The station's experience was not unique. During and after his
chairmanship,
Perle used his insider status to demand fees for appearances on a
number of
foreign broadcasts, which included British, Canadian, Japanese and
South
Korean television. While paying interviewees is common practice in some
countries, a number of media outlets made exceptions for Perle." We did
pay
Perle because of his position [in a] prominent advisorship to the
Secretary
of Defense," says a European correspondent who, like most journalists
interviewed, requested anonymity because of network discomfort at
publicly
discussing payment policies. Fees ranged from under $100 to $900--minor
sums to someone like Perle, but federal regulations covering officials
in
his capacity make no distinctions based on amount.
Nor is this the first assertion of dubious dealings by Perle. In the
past
few months, The New Yorker and the New York Times have both raised
serious
questions about whether Perle has used his government post for private
gain...
----
HINDU TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT AT DISPUTED AYODHYA SITE: INDIA'S ADVANI
Agence France Presse, 8/1/03
NEW DELHI - Indian Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani said Friday
he
believed a Hindu temple would be eventually be built at a site claimed
by
Hindus and Muslims in a feud that has left more than 2,000 people
dead...
He said it would be preferable though if the dispute over the site in
northern Ayodhya, which is before the courts, was settled through
discussions than by a court ruling...
The 16th-century Babri mosque was demolished in December 1992 by Hindu
zealots in a campaign led by Advani's then opposition Hindu nationalist
BJP
party.
Hindu activists say the mosque was built by a Muslim ruler who tore
down a
temple marking the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram.
The demolition sparked India's bloodiest Hindu-Muslim riots since
independence in 1947, leaving more than 2,000 dead...
SEE ALSO:
RISE OF HINDU FUNDAMENTALISM COULD DERAIL INDIA'S DEVELOPMENT, NOBEL
ECONOMIC LAUREATE SAYS
Rajesh Mahapartra, Associated Press, 8/1/03
Indian Nobel economics laureate Amartya Sen said Friday that the rise
of
Hindu fundamentalism threatens to derail India's development.
Sen sees freedom as crucial to development and said months of
Hindu-Muslim
clashes in western Gujarat state last year had left India's 14 million
Muslims with a deep sense of uncertainty.
More than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in the riots.
Political
and human rights groups blamed the violence on the Hindu nationalist
government in Gujarat.
Sen, who won the Nobel prize in 1998 for contributions to welfare
economics, said he saw growing religious intolerance as the major
hurdle,
other than inadequate education and health care, to India's economic
progress.
He also criticized Hindu groups which seek to justify the Hindu
backlash
against Muslims in India by citing violence against Hindus and
Christians
in some Islamic countries...
-----
VIGIL FOR SLAIN CRAFTSMAN;
Hundreds mourn with widow
Xiomara Lorenzo and Pete Bowles, Newsday, 8/1/03
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/manhattan/nyc-nyraid013397649aug01,0,4046035.story
The widow and brother of Ousmane Zongo joined about 100 other mourners
last
night at a prayer vigil at the Chelsea warehouse where the African
craftsman was killed two months ago by a police officer.
"I am not happy because he died wrongfully," the widow, Salimata Sanfo,
27,
tearfully said through an interpreter.
She said early next week she planned to visit the third floor where her
husband died "in order to connect with the spirit of the deceased."
Sanfo said it was important for her to see the spot where her husband
died
so she would be able to describe the scene to their daughter,
Fatilatou, 5,
and son, Fataw, 3. "When the kids grow up I can tell them what happened
to
their father," she said.
After the family's imam, Souleimane Konate, uttered a Muslim prayer for
the
soul of Zongo, the victim's brother, Daouda Zongo, condemned the police
officer who fired the fatal shots...
-----
FRIGHTENING RUMOURS LEAK OUT ABOUT SONS HELD IN CELLS
Chris McGreal, Guardian, 7/25/03
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1005456,00.html
Israel's security system sucked 15-year-old Mohammed Najaar behind the
barbed wire of its labyrinth of detention camps nine months ago. For
weeks
the boy's desperate father heard only disturbing fragments about his
son. A
former prisoner told Hassan Najaar that his child had been held in
solitary
confinement for more than a month; another claimed the boy had been
hung
upside down and interrogated.
Finally, a lawyer told Mr Najaar that a military judge had ordered
Mohammed's continued detention on accusations that even his lawyer is
not
permitted to know. He has not heard any of this directly from his son
because the Israeli authorities refuse to allow him to see or write to
him.
"We were told through other prisoners who were released that Mohammed
was
held in solitary confinement for 45 days in a row, that he was treated
very
badly," he said. "They say he was singing all the time. It's a sign of
hallucinations...
-----
FEINGOLD INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
USA PATRIOT Act Fix Needed to Limit Government Access to Library
Records
and Personal Information About Law-Abiding Americans
July 31, 2003
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today introduced the
Library,
Bookseller, and Personal Records Privacy Act. This legislation is aimed
at
protecting the privacy of law-abiding Americans by limiting the ability
of
the FBI to obtain library, bookstore, medical, and financial records
and
other sensitive personal information under the USA PATRIOT Act.
Feingold's
legislation would place reasonable limits on the FBI's access to this
information by requiring the FBI to show how the information it is
seeking
relates to a suspected terrorist or spy before the information can be
obtained.
"The Library, Bookseller, and Personal Records Privacy Act would
restore
the privacy of Americans, while also allowing the FBI to follow up on
legitimate leads," Feingold said. "This legislation recognizes that
under
certain circumstances the FBI should have access to library, bookseller
or
other personal information and simply puts safeguards in place to
protect
the rights of law-abiding citizens."
The concerns about possible abuse of the PATRIOT Act are so strong that
some librarians across the country have taken the step of destroying
records of book and computer use, as well as posting signs on computer
stations warning patrons that whatever they read or access on the
Internet
could be monitored by the federal government.
"The American people want the FBI to be focused on preventing
terrorism,"
Feingold said. "It makes sense to make some changes to the law to allow
the
FBI access to the information that it needs to prevent terrorism. But
as
more and more Americans are realizing, we do not need to change the
values
that constitute who we are as a nation in order to protect ourselves
from
terrorism. We can protect both our nation and our privacy and civil
liberties."
Feingold was the only Senator to vote against the USA PATRIOT Act at
the
time of its passage in October 2001. Among the amendments Feingold
offered
during the floor debate was an amendment to make it clear that existing
federal and state privacy protections of certain information would not
be
diminished or superceded by the USA PATRIOT Act.
-----
ISLAMIC CENTER OF NASHVILLE COMPLETES PROJECT WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
http://www.muslimeen.org/newsletters/nl0803.doc
As Muslims, we are encouraged to do charitable works and to be kind to
our
neighbors. This was a great opportunity to give back to the community
we
live in and show the true spirit of Islam to our community. We hope to
do
many more outreach projects similar to the Habitat for Humanity and we
look
forward to working with you again in the near future.
-----
LAC HOSTS ANNUAL MUSLIM CONFERENCE
JOSEPH CHIN, Mississauga News, 8/1/03
http://www.mississauganews.com/mi/news/story/1237927p-1473826c.html
Muslims from across North America will gather in Mississauga this
weekend
for a major conference.
The 4th annual conference hosted by the Islamic Circle of North America
(ICNA) and the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) will be held tomorrow
and
Sunday at the Living Arts Centre. Up to 2,000 people are expected to
attend.
This year's theme is "Islam -- The Universal Message to Mankind" with
guest
speakers coming from throughout the world, including the U.S., the U.K.
and
India.
"The scholars will speak on current issues in society while touching
upon
how we, as Muslims, can help bring forward solutions from the Qur'an
and
the teachings and practices of Prophet Muhammad for prevalent social
problems," said conference organizer Jaafer Syed of ICNA's Halton/Peel
Unit.
Among the speakers are Dr. Jaffer Sheikh Idris and Sheikh Abdel Malik,
both
from the U.S. Their respective topics are "Dispelling Misconceptions
About
Islam," and "After 9/11."
Meanwhile, journalists Yvonne Ridley from the U.K. and The Toronto
Star's
Haroon Siddiqui will speak on "War and Media Coverage" and "Muslim: A
Self
Examination."
Other speakers include Dr. David Leipart, Dr. Yahya Hindi, Yussef
Estes,
Riad Saloojee, Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Dr. Munir El-Kassem, Dr. Abdul
Haq
Ansari and Sheikh Gulam Akbar. A detailed program can be found online
at
www.icna-mac-conference.com
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/4/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A GRATEFUL HEART
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6360 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR-CAN Launches Canadian Library Campaign
- CAIR's 'Washington Live' Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* INCITEMENT WATCH: ISLAM'S 'PLAN' TO TAKE OVER AMERICA (WND)
* TEENS CHARGED WITH BURNING CROSS NEAR MOSQUE (Wash. Post)
- 2 Teens Charged in Cross Burning (AP)
* FAMILY BURIED THROUGH MUSLIM TRADITION (Charlotte Observer)
* ISLAMIC SCHOOL SATIRE RELIED ON MYTHS (Palm Beach Post)
- Amnesty Blasts Al-Arian Prison Conditions (PB Post)
* STATE PROPOSES CUT IN ISRAEL LOANS (Daily Telegraph)
- When a Wall Becomes a Fence (Wash. Times)
- Palestinians Get Thirstier Under Clampdown (Reuters)
- Democrats Put on Defensive by GOP's Israel Policy (NY Times)
* KEEPING THE FAITH (Baltimore Sun)
* AMONG THE REBELS (Time)
* ANTHRAX ANNIVERSARY (Antiwar.com)
* BUSH'S ACTIONS TURN OFF ARAB SUPPORTERS (Orlando Sentinel)
* MUSLIMS EMBRACE NEW FINANCE ALTERNATIVES (AP)
* 1-MONTH TRIP STRETCHES TO 7 FOR PAKISTANI MAN (DM Register)
- Activists Hit By Secret Airport Ban (Independent)
* DOZENS OF REMAINS FOUND IN BOSNIA MASS GRAVE (Reuters)
- Site for Mosque Desecrated in Bosnia (AFP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A GRATEFUL HEART
When a verse condemning those who hoard gold and silver was revealed be
God
to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), one of his companions
said:
"Would that we knew which property is most valuable so that we might
acquire it!" The Prophet replied: "(The most valuable things in life)
are a
tongue which mentions God, a grateful heart and a believing wife who
helps
a man with his faith."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 721
The Prophet also said: "When you come upon the pastures of Paradise,
feed
on them." On being asked what he meant by the pastures of Paradise, the
Prophet replied that they are gatherings in which God is brought to
mind."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 717
---
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6360 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6360 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries. GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
---
CAIR-CAN AND SOUND VISION LAUNCH CANADIAN LIBRARY CAMPAIGN
(OTTAWA, CANADA) - Now more than ever, your local public library is
interested in Islamic resources. But balanced and accurate materials
are
not always available or affordable. Working together, we can make a
difference.
CAIR-CAN and Sound Vision Canada have launched a first-of-its-kind
national
library campaign, entitled "Bring Islam to Your Local Library," which
aims
to provide accurate and balanced information on Islam and Muslim
civilization to every Canadian library.
For only $200.00, individuals or groups may sponsor a package of 13
diverse
and interesting materials about Islam and Muslim civilization to a
public
library. The materials include a translation of the Koran, print
resources
on Islam, various multimedia resources including two
critically-acclaimed
PBS documentaries, and CAIR-CAN's service publications for employers,
educators, health care providers and journalists.
Both CAIR-CAN and Sound Vision Canada hope that this national campaign
will
ensure that Canadians interested in learning more about Islam and
Muslim
culture have access to a range of diverse materials and that the
project
will encourage greater inter-community understanding.
A detailed flyer of the project may be found at:
http://www.caircan.ca/downloads/lib_proj_flyer_web.pdf
To place an order, call Sound Vision Canada's toll-free line at
1-800-560-8754.
---
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' TALK SHOW
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North America and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: ISLAM'S 'PLAN' TO TAKE OVER AMERICA
(NOTE the resemblance this article bears to the anti-Semitic hoax,
"Protocols of the Elders of Zion." PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT this web site.
As
in the past, any comments sent to the editors would be used to further
defame Islam and Muslims.)
RADICAL ISLAM'S 'PLAN' TO TAKE OVER AMERICA
Joseph Farah, World Net Daily, 8/4/03
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33898
A refugee from the Muslim Middle East thinks he has discovered Islam's
20-point plan for conquering the United States by 2020 - a plan
revealed in
the latest issue of Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
Anis Shorrosh, author of ''Islam Revealed'' and ''The True Furqan,'' is
a
Christian Arab-American who emigrated from Arab-controlled Jerusalem in
January 1967.
''The following is my analysis of Islamic invasion of America, the
agenda
of Islamists and visible methods to take over America by the year
2020,''
Shorrosh says. ''Will Americans continue to sleep through this invasion
as
they did when we were attacked on 9/11?''
1. Terminate America's freedom of speech by replacing it with statewide
and
nationwide hate-crime bills.
2. Wage a war of words using black leaders like Louis Farrakhan, Rev.
Jesse
Jackson and other visible religious personalities who promote Islam as
the
religion of African-Americans while insisting Christianity is for
whites only…
5. Take control of as much of Hollywood, the press, TV, radio and the
Internet as possible by buying the related corporations or a
controlling
stock.
8. Encourage Muslims to penetrate the White House, specifically with
Islamists who can articulate a marvelous and peaceful picture of Islam.
Acquire government positions and get membership in local school boards.
Train Muslims as medical doctors to dominate the medical field,
research
and pharmaceutical companies. (Ever notice how numerous Muslim doctors
in
America are, when their countries need them more desperately than
America?)
Take over the computer industry. Establish Middle Eastern restaurants
throughout the U.S. to connect planners of Islamization in a discreet
way.
9. Accelerate Islamic demographic growth via:
Massive immigration (100,000 annually since 1961).
Use no birth control whatsoever - every baby of Muslim parents is
automatically a Muslim and cannot choose another religion later.
Muslim men must marry American women and Islamize them (10,000
annually).
Then divorce them and remarry every five years - since one can't
legally
marry four at one time. This is a legal solution in America…
-----
TWO TEENS CHARGED WITH BURNING CROSS NEAR MOSQUE
Jamie Stockwell, Washington Post, 8/2/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13796-2003Aug1.html
Two 17-year-old boys have been charged with burning a cross last week
outside a Prince George's County mosque and Islamic school, a violation
of
Maryland's hate crime statutes, authorities said yesterday.
Authorities said the youths, one from Prince George's and the other
from
Anne Arundel County, were charged as juveniles with the misdemeanor
offenses of harassment related to religious beliefs and damaging the
property of a religious entity.
They allegedly planted a 31/2-foot-high wooden cross on a grassy knoll
in
front of the Dar-us-Salaam mosque and Al-Huda school in College Park
and
then set it on fire. If convicted, they could be confined to a youth
detention center for a period to be determined by juvenile justice
authorities.
State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey said his office will prosecute the case
vigorously, to "convey the message that this sort of act won't be
tolerated
again."
Fire Chief Ronald D. Blackwell said the youths were released into the
custody of their parents late Thursday.
Blackwell attributed the arrests earlier that day to investigative
work, a
deluge of tips and a surveillance camera that taped the crime. He said
authorities are not looking for other possible suspects.
Blackwell, who declined to discuss a motive for the cross-burning, said
the
boys went to the county's Fire Services Building Thursday night after
they
were asked to do so by fire investigators. He described the youths as
cooperative.
Rizwan Mowlana, executive director of the Maryland chapter of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations, said the Islamic community was saddened
by
the fire outside the school and mosque, where about 100 children and
adults
attend summer classes and 400 people attend services. He said his group
wants the youths to be punished if they are responsible for the
cross-burning and hopes that they can be rehabilitated and taught to
live
"free of hatred and prejudice."
"We would like to see them serve community service hours with Muslims
and
at mosques," he said. "These are juveniles. They can be made into model
citizens. Some good will come of this."
ALSO SEE:
TWO TEENS ARRESTED IN CROSS BURNING
Derril Holly, Associated Press, 8/1/03
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2003/08_02-10/FOR
"...We will look to the state's attorney to seek the maximum penalty
allowed," said Seyed Rizwan Mowlana, of the Maryland branch of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations. Members of the group suggested
prosecutors
focus on rehabilitation and not punishment. Mowlana said if the
juveniles
are sentenced to community service, he would like to see that include
an
assignment to a mosque or Islamic school..."
-----
3 KILLED BY TREE ARE BURIED THROUGH MUSLIM TRADITION
Robert F. Moore and Cristina C. Breen, Charlotte Observer, 8/2/03
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/6441268.htm
James English didn't agree with his son's decision to convert to Islam
10
years ago, but consented Friday to have him buried as he lived -- a
Muslim.
"As Christians, we didn't approve of it," he said. "But our love for
our
son was sufficient to accept his decision."
Fred and Amel English and their 3-year-old daughter, Nadia, were killed
Tuesday when a tree fell on their car in a Matthews parking lot.
On Friday they were cleansed, wrapped in white cloth and buried in
Gastonia
-- at a cemetery where religious leaders say most area Muslims are
buried.
The burial -- janazah in Arabic -- came after negotiations between the
victims' relatives in Charlotte and Algeria and leaders of the local
Muslim
community.
Still, a critical issue remains:
Who will raise Miriam, the 18-month-old daughter who survived the
accident?
Her Muslim relatives in Algeria, or her Christian grandparents in
Charlotte?
WANT TO HELP?
Donations can be mailed to: American Community Bank c/o English family
P.O.
Box 1470 Indian Trail, NC 28079
-----
ISLAMIC SCHOOL SATIRE RELIED ON MYTHS ABOUT MUSLIMS
PARVEZ AHMAD, Palm Beach Post, 7/1/03
http://www.palmbeachpost.com
PARVEZ AHMAD is chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
Florida Chapter
From its inception in 1999, the Florida school voucher program has
come
under attack from civil liberties groups. The controversy erupted again
after Post columnist Frank Cerabino questioned why state money was
going to
a school that had, among its many founding members, Sami Al-Arian
("Questionnaire keeps focus on vouchers' goal," July 20).
Al-Arian sits in a federal penitentiary, charged with providing
material
support to Hamas, a militant Palestinian group that is on President
Bush's
official list of "terrorist" entities. No institution, especially a
school,
can be responsible for the actions of its board or its employees. Time
and
again in the post-9/11 world, however, common sense is thrown out when
it
comes to Muslims.
Mr. Cerabino attempted to use satire to draw attention to the lack of
state
oversight in the corporate voucher program. Although a great idea, it
was
poor in execution and offensive in form. Rather than critique
government
policy, the article ended up stereotyping Muslims. Perhaps unintended,
Mr.
Cerabino's article jeopardized the well-being of innocent children by
invoking images of "box-cutters" and "Bush effigies" and associating
them
with classroom learning in Islamic schools. The article did not
criticize a
particular school but Islamic schools in general. The article did not
use
facts; it relied only on popular myths...
SEE ALSO:
AMNESTY GROUP BLASTS AL-ARIAN PRISON CONDITIONS
Paul Lomartire, Palm Beach Post, 8/4/03
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/6451790.htm
TAMPA - In a high-security federal prison north of Tampa, Sami Al-Arian
spends 23 hours of every day locked in a 7-by-13-foot cell. No watch.
No
clock. No window through which to see daylight.
One hour a day, five days a week, he and his cellmate get to walk
around in
a steel cage. That is his only recreation.
He cannot leave his cell without being shackled and chained. When his
family visits, he cannot touch them. They sit on opposite sides of a
plastic window and talk over a phone. When his lawyer visits, the
shackled
Al-Arian walks bent-over, his hands chained behind him, and balances
his
legal documents on his back. The guards won't carry them.
After four months in such conditions, including a hunger strike and a
month
in solitary confinement, he has lost 45 pounds.
He has never been convicted of a crime. But he is charged with a very
big
one. The former University of South Florida economics professor is
accused
of being the American boss for Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian terrorist
group
believed responsible for numerous suicide bombings and the deaths of
more
than 100 people in Israel and the adjacent occupied territories...
-----
STATE PROPOSES CUT IN ISRAEL LOANS
Inigo Gilmore, London Daily Telegraph, 8/4/03
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20030804-121403-8409r.htm
JERUSALEM - The State Department has drawn up a proposal to reduce loan
guarantees to Israel in an attempt to halt construction of a security
fence
that would divide the West Bank, according to Israeli news reports
yesterday.
The Haaretz newspaper said the scheme proposes to cut loan guarantees
on
the basis of what Israel spends building the security fence east of the
Green Line in Palestinian territory.
The State Department views the fence construction and continued
expansion
of bypass roads for settlers as an effort by Israel to establish "facts
on
the ground" while the two sides are negotiating the "road map" peace
plan.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his conservative allies in
Washington, have long believed the State Department is insufficiently
supportive of Israel's security concerns. Mr. Sharon, in particular,
has
routinely ignored State Department utterances, preferring to deal
directly
with the White House...
ALSO SEE:
WHEN A WALL BECOMES A FENCE
Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times, 8/4/03
http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20030803-110546-4043r.htm
The veneer of U.S. even-handedness in the Middle East was thin-spun to
begin with. It was there more for decoration than substance. And last
week
it ceased to exist. Straddling the fence with both ears to the ground
was
not only an ungainly position for a superpower, but also painful for a
macho president.
Before Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon arrived in Washington for
his
eighth private meeting with President Bush, the White House focused on
a
major impediment to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The $1.2
billion, 360-mile, 25-foot-high wall to be seeded with electronic
sensors,
now under construction by Israel would, in effect, reduce a Palestinian
state to 50 percent of the West Bank. Seventy miles have been
completed.
Mr. Bush rightly concluded this wall would be an obstacle to the
creation
of a Palestinian state. It would have to stop, the president told the
prime
minister. Mr. Sharon made clear it was not negotiable. Construction
would
continue and It was being built to last. Besides, said the P.M., "Good
fences make good neighbors." No one has bothered to ask yet whether the
additional $1 billion Israel requested to its annual $3 billion grant
in
military aid will go to defraying the cost of fencing in the
Palestinians...
---
PALESTINIANS GET THIRSTIER UNDER ISRAELI CLAMPDOWN
Mark Heinrich, Reuters, 8/3/03
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=ourWorldNews&storyID=3209807
AL-DHAHRIYEH - The Khabirat family postpones having a bath as they
await
the next water tanker to replenish their well in parched Palestinian
territory under Israeli blockade.
The tanker driver has to sneak a hose through a tunnel under a highway
reserved for Israeli traffic to access his well on the other side, then
take long detours on atrocious back roads to reach homes like the
Khabirats'.
Palestinians, especially in the arid southern West Bank, ration and
improvise to offset water shortages aggravated by Israel's closure of
their
area, imposed after suicide bombings.
Arduous, roundabout routes inflate delivery prices for people already
impoverished by the closure that, along with worsening drought, has
highlighted a long unequal contest to control water that is central to
Middle Eastern conflict.
Israel takes 80 percent of the West Bank's mountain aquifer, one of two
major renewable water sources in the territory it seized in a 1967 war.
The other source, the Jordan River dividing the West Bank from Jordan,
is
dominated by Israel for nearby Jewish farms.
Water will be a thorny "final status" issue in a U.S.-backed peace
"road
map" aiming at an independent Palestinian state...
---
DEMOCRATS PUT ON DEFENSIVE BY G.O.P.'S ISRAEL POLICY
Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, 8/1/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/02/politics/02DEMS.html
WASHINGTON - In the battle for Jewish votes, Representative Tom DeLay
of
Texas, the House majority leader, undoubtedly scored a few points this
week
when, during a speech to members of the Israeli parliament, he
proclaimed
himself "an Israeli at heart."
Now it is the Democrats' turn.
Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the House Democratic whip
and
one of Israel's strongest supporters in Congress, will lead a
Democratic
delegation of 29 House members - including 12 freshmen lawmakers - to
Israel on Saturday, carrying a more moderate message than Mr. DeLay but
with much the same purpose: to court Jewish voters at home.
Like Mr. DeLay, Mr. Hoyer and his group plan to meet with Prime
Minister
Ariel Sharon of Israel, as well as with members of the Israeli
parliament.
They also hope to see the Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas,
known
to his friends as Abu Mazen. "We'd like to get a feel of the man," he
said.
But while Mr. DeLay, departing from the Bush administration, said he
"can't
imagine in the near future that a Palestinian state could ever happen,"
Mr.
Hoyer said he was hopeful that it could. The position puts him squarely
in
line behind President Bush...
-----
KEEPING THE FAITH
From black nationalist to 'all-American'
Gary Dorsey, Baltimore Sun, 8/3/03
http://www.sunspot.net/features/arts/bal-as.muslim03aug03,0,5773053.story
Sweaty handshakes and bare-chested inmates with rocky biceps reach out
to
the imam in the gym on his way to Friday prayers. Clanging iron
weights,
smacking basketballs, even the tinny racket of a large-screen TV can't
drown their voices.
"Assalamu alaikum!"
Peace, brother Imam.
Imam Wali Uqdah does not want to see some of their sweltering faces.
Inmates who track him down at the Baltimore jail and say "I am Muslim"
draw
his skeptical gaze.
"You are Muslim in name only," he thinks. "The faith has not entered
your
soul."
If he has seen them here before, he does not want to fool with them
again.
Men like these, he complains, tarnish the religion.
Still, more than 200 inmates sign up for his Friday, or Ju'mah, prayers
every week. And if he preached the radical racial message that
ministers
from the Nation of Islam did 40 or 50 years ago, he thinks nearly every
inmate in the system would want to come...
-----
AMONG THE REBELS
Simon Robinson, Time, 8/11/03
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,472852,00.html
Mohammed Imad Khazalalrubai does not appear in any deck of cards or on
any
list of Iraq's most wanted. Until last week, the 16-year-old was an
ordinary student in an affluent suburb of Baghdad. But it took only
minutes
to transform him from a bystander to American rule in Iraq to a willing
recruit for the resistance movement, vowing to kill U.S. soldiers. As
he
and his brother Zaid drove home after collecting their family's monthly
rations of flour, rice and cooking oil, they came upon a hastily
established American checkpoint, part of an outer security cordon
thrown up
during a raid on a neighbor's house. The boys were nudging their white
sedan through a crowd of onlookers when suddenly, according to
witnesses,
soldiers in a humvee 150 yds. Away opened up, firing high-velocity
rounds
through the windshield of the boys' car.
When the firing stopped, Zaid, 13, opened a door and stuck his head out
to
shake off the shattered glass. At that point, Mohammed says, a single
American bullet killed him. "My brother's blood will not go for
nothing,"
Mohammed screamed in anguish two days later, his wounds from the
shooting
still swathed in bandages...
For months now, U.S. officials have banked on the capture of Saddam
Hussein
to quell the attacks against American soldiers. But as Mohammed's story
illustrates, resistance to the U.S. occupation of Iraq goes beyond
loyal
remnants of the old regime...
-----
ANTHRAX ANNIVERSARY
Justin Raimondo, antiwar.com, 8/4/03
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/justincol.html
We are fast approaching the second anniversary of the anthrax scare:
the
first letter filled with the deadly spores was postmarked September 18,
2001. Almost two full years after the FBI fixed its sights on Steven J.
Hatfill as a "person of interest" in the anthrax-by-mail attacks, John
Ashcroft's G-men are still persecuting Hatfill - without pressing any
charges, and persistently ignoring abundant leads pointing away from
their
hapless victim.
While there is not a single iota of physical evidence supporting the
case
against Hatfill, a recent story in the Washington, D.C. City Paper
chronicles the life of a man whose privacy and sanity have been held
hostage by the FBI in this, the season of terror...
-----
BUSH'S ANTI-RIGHTS ACTIONS TURN OFF FORMER ARAB-AMERICAN SUPPORTERS
Mark Silva, Orlando Sentinel, 8/3/03
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edpsilva03080303aug03.story
On the fragile terrain where Florida's elections are fought, President
Bush
may pay a price for the USA Patriot Act.
Among many Arab-Americans who voted for Bush on Nov. 7, 2000, support
for
the president has turned to resentment since Sept. 11, 2001.
They see friends and countrymen ensnared by a federal law enacted to
combat
terrorism, an act that enables authorities to detain indefinitely and
without explanation immigrants suspected of wrongdoing. They feel
targeted...
The Council on American-Islamic Relations last week joined a lawsuit
challenging the Patriot Act as unconstitutional.
The Justice Department's own inspector general says law-enforcement
agencies have mistreated hundreds of immigrants detained since Sept.
11...
-----
MUSLIMS EMBRACE NEW FINANCE ALTERNATIVES
Wayne Parry, Associated Press, 8/2/03
CLIFTON, N.J. - For more than a decade, Daoud Othman and his family
have
rented a small apartment and dreamed of owning a home with a yard for
the
children to play in.
Othman thought about applying for a mortgage from a bank, but as a
devout
Palestinian Muslim he couldn't, bound by a prohibition in the Quran
against
paying interest.
But now, Othman and many others like him are joining the ranks of
homeowners using special Islam-approved financing, a fast-growing
phenomenon that has been common in Muslim nations for years, but is
only
now catching on in this country.
Instead, Othman entered into an investment contract with a
Virginia-based
financing company, Guidance Financial Group, under which they will
jointly
own the three-bedroom ranch he is buying for $270,000. He put $70,000
down,
and will gradually pay off the balance over 30 years.
Basically, Othman will pay the company rent on the portion of the house
it
owns, as well as some on top of that to gradually buy out Guidance's
ownership. Because the payments are considered rent on a tangible
property,
and not simple interest on borrowed money, the transaction is
permissible.
Sharia, or Islamic law, prohibits interest, but permits profit on a
business venture involving a tangible asset, according to Islamic
scholars...
On the Net:
http://www.guidancefinancialgroup.com
http://www.americanfinance.com/LARIBAIslamicMortgagesTheMarket.htm
-----
ONE-MONTH TRIP STRETCHES TO SEVEN FOR PAKISTANI MAN
Rob Borsellino, Des Moines Register, 8/1/03
http://desmoinesregister.com/opinion/stories/c5917686/21890408.html
In mid-December Farhad Mian got on a plane in Des Moines, made a few
stops
along the way, and about 20 hours later was back in Pakistan.
This was going to be a one-month trip. He was there to meet and marry
the
woman his family had set him up with. The couple would spend about a
month
together in Lahore, then she'd get back to her college studies and he'd
come home to Des Moines. He's a financial analyst at AmerUs and a
graduate
student at Drake University.
So that was the plan.
Mian had done research, he checked the U.S. State Department Web site,
and
he knew it would take about a month to get his return visa. He figured
he'd
be back in mid-January.
Seven months later - a week ago last Tuesday - Mian was finally back at
his
desk at AmerUs. The company's CEO had to call in a favor from a U.S.
senator to get him back. And this is a guy who's in the country
legally, no
police record, nothing like that. He's kind of soft-spoken, but he gets
pretty worked up when he tells his story. He keeps saying, "I still
can't
believe what I just went though..."
SEE ALSO:
US ANTI-WAR ACTIVISTS HIT BY SECRET AIRPORT BAN
Andrew Gumbel, Independent, 8/3/03
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=430073
After more than a year of complaints by some US anti-war activists that
they were being unfairly targeted by airport security, Washington has
admitted the existence of a list, possibly hundreds or even thousands
of
names long, of people it deems worthy of special scrutiny at airports.
The list had been kept secret until its disclosure last week by the new
US
agency in charge of aviation safety, the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA). And it is entirely separate from the relatively
well-publicised "no-fly" list, which covers about 1,000 people believed
to
have criminal or terrorist ties that could endanger the safety of their
fellow passengers.
The strong suspicion of such groups as the American Civil Liberties
Union
(ACLU), which is suing the government to try to learn more, is that the
second list has been used to target political activists who challenge
the
government in entirely legal ways. The TSA acknowledged the existence
of
the list in response to a Freedom of Information Act request concerning
two
anti-war activists from San Francisco who were stopped and briefly
detained
at the airport last autumn and told they were on an FBI no-fly list.
The activists, Rebecca Gordon and Jan Adams, work for a small pacifist
magazine called War Times and say they have never been arrested, let
alone
have criminal records. Others who have filed complaints with the ACLU
include a left-wing constitutional lawyer who has been strip-searched
repeatedly when travelling through US airports, and a 71-year-old nun
from
Milwaukee who was prevented from flying to Washington to join an
anti-government protest...
-----
DOZENS OF REMAINS FOUND IN BOSNIA MASS GRAVE
Reuters, 7/4/03
http://www.iht.com/articles/104693.html
NEAR ZVORNIK, Bosnia - Forensic experts said Monday they had found
dozens
of sets of remains of Muslim victims in what could be one of the
biggest
mass graves uncovered since the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.
They said the bodies and body parts had been moved to the remote grave
near
the eastern town of Zvornik from another site, probably in an attempt
to
hide traces of mass killings.
"We have found dozens of bodily remains -- some complete, some
incomplete
-- and for now we are sure that this is a secondary grave," said Murat
Hurtic, head of an expert team of the Muslim-led Commission for Missing
Persons...
Experts said last week Muslims from Zvornik, captured by Bosnian Serb
forces early in the war in a wave of ethnic cleansing, and from
Srebrenica,
may have been dumped at the Crni Vrh (Black Peak) mass grave.
The week-old exhumation is expected to last at least another month...
SEE ALSO:
SITE FOR REBUILDING OF MOSQUE DESECRATED IN SERBIAN PART OF BOSNIA
Agence France-Presse, 7/4/03
Vandals have desecrated a site in Bosnia intended for the rebuilding of
a
mosque, leaving a slaughtered pig and throwing red paint all over the
area,
a leading Muslim official said Monday.
The incident took place Sunday morning just hours before a ceremony was
held in the northwestern town of Kostajnica for the laying of a
cornerstone
for the rebuilding of the mosque, regional mufti Hasan Makic told AFP.
The original building was destroyed by Serb forces at the outbreak of
the
country's 1992-95 war.
Several hundred Muslim returnees gathered at the ceremony in the
Serb-dominated Kostajnica, in the Bosnian Serb entity of the country,
the
Republika Srpska (RS).
"Those who did this are the ones who are opposing co-existence," Makic
said, adding that the incident should not prevent the start of
construction
work at the site…
The town's only mosque, which dates back to 1863, was among 106 mosques
that were reduced to rubble on the territory of what is now the RS by
Orthodox Bosnian Serbs in a concerted campaign of ethnic cleansing
against
the Roman Catholic Croats and the Muslims…
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MUSLIMS CONDEMN ATTACK ON SIKH FAMILY IN NEW YORK
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/5/03) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today condemned an attack on a Sikh family in New York that was
apparently motivated by religious or ethnic bias. The Washington-based
Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said preventing bias-motivated
attacks must be a "top priority" for American political and religious
leaders.
According to media reports, three men attacked the family - a married
couple and a relative - when they were returning to their Queens, N.Y.,
home on Sunday evening. The victims, who are immigrants from India,
were
allegedly punched, spit on and told "bin Laden family, go back to your
country." One of the victims wore a Sikh turban, a religious head
covering
that has in the past prompted attacks by perpetrators who believe it is
part of Islamic attire.
SEE: "3 Indians Attacked on Street and the Police Call It Bias"
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/05/nyregion/05BIAS.html
"Bigots and hate-mongers know no boundaries between people of different
faiths or ethnicities," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
"Preventing and prosecuting bias-motivated crimes must be a top
priority
for our nation's political and religious leaders."
Awad noted that a Sikh man who may have been mistaken for an Arab was
shot
recently in Phoenix, Ariz. Just after the 9/11 terrorist attacks,
another
Sikh man in Arizona was murdered apparently because the killer
mistakenly
believed the victim was of Middle Eastern origin.
Since the beginning of this year, CAIR has received reports of physical
assaults against Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim in California,
Georgia, New Jersey, South Carolina and other states. One incident in
Yorba
Linda, Calif., left a Muslim teenager badly beaten by a group that
allegedly included white supremacists. In Illinois, an explosive device
destroyed a Muslim family's van. And just last month, a New Bedford,
Mass.,
pizza delivery man was kidnapped, beaten and stabbed, apparently
because
his attackers thought he was Muslim. Two weeks ago, two Pakistani
students
were shot to death in the same county as the cross-burning. FBI
investigators are looking into the incident to determine if bias was a
motive.
Just last week, two teenagers were arrested for allegedly burning a
cross
outside a Maryland Islamic school and mosque. In response to that
attack, a
Sikh American group issued a news release to show solidarity with the
American Muslim community. SEE:
http://www.sikhmediawatch.org/press/pressdetail.asp?pressid=48
Hate crime report forms are available for download at:
http://www.cair-net.org/ireport/Incident_Report.doc, or by calling
202-488-8787. CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is
headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices
nationwide
and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/5/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: BY GOD'S MERCY
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6361 SPONSORSHIPS
- 'Washington Live' Looks at ACLU Lawsuit
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* JAKARTA BOMBING CALLED 'SENSELESS ACT OF TERROR'
* ANTI-ARAB DRUNKS BEAT SIKH FAMILY (NY Daily News)
* CIVILIAN DEATHS STOKE IRAQIS' RESENTMENT (SF Chronicle)
- US Tightens Payouts for Casualties (Age)
- Iraqi TV Head Quits (Reuters)
* THE 'WALL' AND THE 'MESSIAH' (townhall.com)
- Sarid: Sharon's Claims 'Lies'(Haaretz)
* PATRIOT ACT LEGAL ATTACKS PILE UP (Wired News)
* MUSLIM COMEDIENNE TRIUMPHS WITH VEILED HUMOR (Reuters)
* AS ANTI-AMERICAN FEELINGS GROW, U.S. LOOKS TO PR (Statesman)
* MINARET OF FREEDOM ON QURAN AND FREE MARKETS (Reason)
- MPAC Responds to Newsweek Article on Quran
* SIX FLAGS TO HOST EVENT FOR MUSLIMS (Daily Herald)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: BY GOD'S MERCY
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told the story of two men who
were
striving for the same goal. One of them would commit sin and the other
would strive to do his best in the world. When the man who exerted
himself
in worship continued to see the other in sin, he would say: "Refrain
from
it." The sinner replied: "Leave me alone with my Lord. Have you been
sent
as a watchman over me?" The man who tried to do his best then said: "I
swear by God, God will not forgive you, nor will He admit you to
Paradise."
When they both died and came before God, He told the man who had
striven
hard in worship: "Did you have knowledge about Me or had you power over
that which I had in My hand?" God then said to the man who sinned: "Go
and
enter Paradise by My mercy."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2298
---
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6360 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6360 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries. GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
Feedback from a sponsored library:
"We will post the poster and place the items on display, with a
bookplate
stating that they were presented by CAIR. This looks like a
well-balanced
and helpful collection on a group that many Americans are not well
informed
about." - Williamsport, PA
-----
'WASHINGTON LIVE' DISCUSSES ACLU LAWSUIT
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North America and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
Tonight's program will look at the recent lawsuit filed by the ACLU to
challenge unconstitutional aspects of the USA Patriot Act. SEND
QUESTIONS
TO: cair@washlive.com
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
JAKARTA BOMBING CALLED 'SENSELESS ACT OF TERROR'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/5/03) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) condemned today's bomb attack on an Indonesian hotel, calling it
a
"senseless act of terror." The Washington-based Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group also offered condolences for the families of the victims
and
called for the swift apprehension of the perpetrators. The attack on
the
Marriott Hotel in Jakarta left 14 people dead and many more wounded.
-----
ANTI-ARAB DRUNKS BEAT SIKH FAMILY
SONI SANGHA and RICHARD WEIR, New York Daily News, 8/5/03
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/106639p-96433c.html
A Sikh family was beaten in front of their Queens home by drunks who
yelled, "Go back to your country, Bin Laden," police and witnesses said
yesterday.
Surinder Singh, 41, was walking to his Woodside house Sunday night
after
parking his car when three men, noticing his turban and thick beard,
began
taunting him with anti-Arab epithets.
The 41-year-old cab driver was returning with his wife, two kids and a
cousin after picking up dinner at an Indian restaurant.
"I'm from India. I'm Sikh. Come on, man," Singh explained to the men,
according to his cousin Lakhvir Singh Gill.
The three drunks responded by spitting on him, said Gill, who was
across
the street getting the food from the car while Singh and his family
walked
ahead.
Gill, 33, said when he rushed over to intervene, the men attacked him,
knocking him to the street.
One held him in a headlock and punched him, while another pummeled him
with
his fists and a third kicked him repeatedly. 'They kept hitting me' "I
tried to hold my face. They hit my forehead, my back. They kept hitting
me," he said...
Police searched the neighborhood by foot and helicopter for the
attackers,
described as white and around 19. They had not made any arrests
yesterday
in the case, which investigators labeled a possible bias crime.
Harpreet Singh, a spokesman for the New York-based Sikh Coalition, said
attacks against Sikhs, which peaked in the days after the terror
attacks,
have been mounting again in recent weeks with tensions in the Middle
East.
"It's just disturbing that fellow Americans are unable to recognize
that
Sikhs are part of the American mosaic," he said. "It induces fear where
there shouldn't be."
Sikhism originated in South Asia and is not related to Islam. It
requires
men to cover their hair, which they cannot trim.
Harpreet Singh said bigots often mistakenly attack Sikh men because
they
associate turbans with Arab terrorists…
-----
CIVILIAN DEATHS STOKE IRAQIS' RESENTMENT
Vivienne Walt, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/4/03
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/08/04/MN304485.DTL
Baghdad -- It was 10:30 p.m. on a sweltering night in late June when
12-year-old Mohammed Al-Kubaisa climbed the concrete steps leading to
the
roof of his family's house.
The boy held two blankets, so he and his identical twin brother,
Moustafa,
could curl up together for the night, one of their favorite summer
habits.
Mohammed had just reached the top, when he turned to watch the military
maneuvers on the street below: American soldiers patrolling with
rifles.
One soldier looked up in the darkness and saw a figure on the roof,
watching him.
A single shot exploded into the air, slamming into Mohammed's chest.
In the chaos that followed, Mohammed's mother, Wafa Abdul Latif,
recalls
dragging her son inside and holding the screaming boy as his blood
poured
onto the floor. She says Mohammed was struggling to breathe when a
group of
American soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division slammed through the
front
door and pushed her aside to search the house for hostile gunmen...
Mohammed's death on June 26 is an almost forgotten incident as daily
attacks by armed insurgents continue to dog the Americans trying to
pacify
Iraq. More than 50 U.S. soldiers have been killed in hostilities since
May
1, when President Bush declared an end to the war's major combat
operations.
But Iraqis say that the regularity of deaths in their own civilian
population has drastically affected feelings regarding the U.S.
occupation...
ALSO SEE:
US TIGHTENS PAYOUTS FOR CASUALTIES
Robyn Dixon, The Age, 8/5/03
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/04/1059849339638.html
Baghdad - The families of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed or
injured by
US forces will not get compensation unless they prove clear-cut
negligence
or wrongdoing by soldiers, US military officials say.
The policy rules out payments for tragic mistakes, such as civilians
shot
dead at checkpoints, if soldiers believed it was reasonable to fire.
And
incidents after May 1, when President George Bush declared the end of
major
fighting, could still be regarded as combat-related and thus ineligible
for
compensation, the officials said on Sunday.
Cases of soldiers accidentally firing or of traffic accidents involving
supply convoys could warrant payments if negligence is proved.
Officials
said they had settled 1168 claims totalling $US262,263 ($A403,000).
Most
were for property damage, and none exceeded $15,000.
But the officials at Sunday's briefing could give no details about
compensation for deaths. "How much is an injury worth? How much is a
life
worth? ...The value of a life in Iraq is probably a lot less than it
would
be in the US or Britain," one said...
---
IRAQI TV HEAD QUITS, SAYS US LOSING PROPAGANDA WAR
Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Reuters, 8/5/03
LONDON (Reuters) - The postwar director of U.S.-backed Iraqi Television
has
quit, saying the United States is losing the propaganda war to
countries
like Iran and to the fugitive Saddam Hussein.
Three months after being flown to Baghdad on board a U.S. plane to
relaunch
Iraqi television and radio, former exile Ahmad Rikabi is disillusioned
and
back in London for the foreseeable future…
He said that as the United States failed to invest in Iraqi stations or
to
retain local staff, channels such as Iran's Al Alam and Qatar's Al
Jazeera
were gaining popularity in Iraq…
Rikabi helped recruit a team that got transmission up to 16 hours a
day,
operating out of a convention center in Baghdad that included a
fortified
bedroom once reserved for Saddam.
But many of the staff have now left, Rikabi said, adding that locals
were
being paid too little.
SAIC, a California-based company contracted to relaunch the television
station, said it had no comment on Rikabi's remarks.
"The United States needs to listen to Iraqis more, and not just in the
media sector," Rikabi said...
-----
THE 'WALL' AND THE 'MESSIAH'
Robert Novak, Townhall.com, 8/4/03
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/robertnovak/rn20030804.shtml
WASHINGTON -- One of Washington's leading private power brokers, with
intimate contacts inside the Bush administration, suggested a
meaningful
line for the president of the United States when he met the prime
minister
of Israel at the White House last Tuesday: "Mr. Sharon, tear down this
wall!" In fact, President Bush did not come close.
A self-confident Prime Minister Ariel Sharon encountered no resistance
from
the president when he made clear he would continue building the
"security
fence" as a physical barrier between Palestinians and Israelis. Bush's
passivity was underscored by a remarkable performance inside Israel at
the
same time by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. The powerful Republican
leader, addressing members of the Knesset, did not mention the "wall"
in an
unqualified call to arms for Israel.
This combination of events was profoundly depressing for those
Republicans,
in the administration and Congress, who have prayed that George W. Bush
would capitalize on the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by insisting on a
Middle East settlement including a Palestinian state. They feel that
the
president's intent is pure, but that he is overpowered by the
combination
of Sharon and DeLay...
ALSO SEE:
SARID CALLS SHARON'S CLAIMS 22 OUTPOSTS DISMANTLED 'LIES'
Nadav Shragai, Haaretz, 8/4/03
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/325446.html
MK Yossi Sarid (Meretz) reacted angrily to Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon's
claims that 22 illegal outposts have been dismantled so far, that an
additional 12 will soon be evacuated and that the Israel Defense Forces
has
so far removed 10 checkposts in the territories.
Sarid said in response to Sharon's statement to the Knesset Foreign
Affairs
and Defense Committee that "what worries me even more than the outposts
is
your culture of lies. You talk of 22 outposts that have been removed
and
another 12 slated for removal but this is all one big lie. In reality,
outposts have not been dismantled. When our lives are ruled by the
culture
of lies, it ruins both criminal investigations and diplomatic policies.
The
culture of lies is the biggest threat to Israel because it will lead to
the
rotting of the state."
Sarid added that Israel actually reinforces the terrorist
infrastructure.
"When you separate farmers from their land and uproot olive groves, you
reinforce the infrastructure of terror."
Settlers dismantle illegal Beit El outpost Settlers began dismantling
the
illegal outpost of Tel Haim near the West Bank settlement of Beit El on
Monday...
-----
PATRIOT ACT LEGAL ATTACKS PILE UP
Joanna Glasner, Wired News, 8/1/03
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,59863,00.html
Nazih Hassan is deliberately noncommittal when asked whether the Muslim
organization he leads in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been targeted by
federal
investigators...
The obligation to secrecy, however, hasn't prevented Hassan from taking
action to prevent future investigations carried out under the Patriot
Act.
Hassan's 700-member Muslim Community Association of Ann Arbor signed on
as
lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed this week by the American Civil
Liberties
Union and a coalition of U.S.-based Islamic organizations seeking to
dismiss provisions of the Patriot Act on constitutional grounds.
The suit was filed in federal court for the Eastern District of
Michigan,
home to one of the largest populations of Muslim Americans. It focuses
on a
portion of the act -- Section 215 -- that lets the FBI secretly obtain
personal records and belongings, including those of individuals not
suspected of criminal activities, in the course of antiterrorism
investigations...
-----
MUSLIM COMEDIENNE TRIUMPHS WITH VEILED HUMOR
Paul Majendie, Reuters, 8/5/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19716-2003Aug5.html
EDINBURGH - British Muslim comedienne Shazia Mirza strides on stage
dressed
all in black and says: "Don't worry, I won't blow you up."
The predominantly white audience titters nervously but she soon has
them
onside with another caustic one-liner: "My name is Shazia Mirza. At
least
that is what it says on my pilot's license."
Then it is onto the Saudi Arabian women caught stealing on security
cameras. "Police are looking for a woman with brown eyes," she said,
delivering her deadpan humor with a face as somber as her traditional
dress. The crowd at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival lap it up.
From New York to the Netherlands she loves to mock Western ignorance
of
Islam, using her literally veiled humor to push out the boundaries of
taste.
It has worked well. She has been garlanded with awards and acclaimed as
a
positive role model for British Muslim women in a multi-cultural
society...
-----
AS ANTI-AMERICAN FEELINGS GROW, U.S. LOOKS TO PR
Michelle Orris, Statesman, 8/3/03
http://www.statesman.com/asection/content/auto/epaper/editions/sunday/news_f3c24b02f1df0086003c.html
WASHINGTON -- With anti-American sentiment rising worldwide, Bush
administration officials say they are stepping up efforts to market
America
throughout the world.
Polls indicate that international opinion of the United States has
plummeted in the last year, and worldwide sympathy for America after
the
Sept. 11 attacks has all but dissipated.
The Bush administration spent more than $70 million after the attacks
to
expand broadcasts of U.S.-sponsored international news services, but
such
expenditures have returned to previous levels, and critics say they
aren't
enough to counter the growing tide of anti-American sentiment.
Harold Pachios, a member of the congressional Advisory Commission on
Public
Diplomacy since the Clinton administration, said new strategies such as
a
U.S.-based Mideast TV network are in the works, however, and more
funding
for diplomacy is expected to come.
A 2003 Pew Research Center study found that international opinion of
the
United States has fallen significantly in the past year. In only seven
of
the 49 nations polled did a majority of respondents say they have a
favorable opinion of the United States, echoing a drop in worldwide
support
for American efforts to fight terrorism after U.S. troops invaded Iraq.
A
majority of people in seven out of the eight Muslim countries polled
feel
the United States is a military threat to their countries and their
Islamic
faith...
-----
MINARET OF FREEDOM TRIES TO SQUARE THE QURAN WITH THE FREE MARKET
Tim Cavanaugh, Reason, 7/28/03
http://www.reason.com/interviews/minaret.shtml
The idea that devout Muslim faith, strict adherence to shari'ah, and
even
Islamist politics can be compatible with libertarian ideas would have
been
a tough sell even before the September 11 attacks. Since then, the
Islamic
world and the liberal west have viewed each other with skepticism and
horror. Nevertheless, the Minaret of Freedom Institute seeks to bridge
the
divide between the two civilizations-or rather, to show the bridge
that, it
says, has always been there.
Imad A. Ahmad is the president and director of Minaret of Freedom. In
books, lectures, and classes at the University of Maryland, he draws on
everything from astronomy to medieval history to Murray Rothbard's
economic
theories to show that Islam is not only compatible with but intimately
related to free speech, free religious exercise and free markets.
Although
Minaret of Freedom, founded in 1993, is still a tiny organization with
a
minuscule budget, Ahmad says the organization and its principles are
attracting a growing number of followers. He spoke with Reason from his
office in Baltimore.
What's the mission of the Minaret of Freedom Institute?...
SEE ALSO:
MPAC RESPONDS TO NEWSWEEK ARTICLE ON QURAN
http://www.mpac.org/home_article_display.aspx?ITEM=592
On July 28, 2003, Newsweek published yet another article presumably
targeting the authenticity of the Quran, entitled "Challenging the
Quran." The article focused on a German scholar with the pseudonym
Luxenberg.
During and after the revelation of the Quran, critics and hostile
enemies
of Islam have attempted to undermine the foundation of faith of all
Muslims, i.e., the authenticity of the Quran. By simple observation,
the
Quran has passed the test of time: Arabic manuscripts of the Quran can
be
found over a thousand years apart and be identical. It has also passed
the
test of distance: a Quran from Kuala Lumpur is read from exactly the
same
Arabic manuscript as a different print from Sarajevo. Finally, if one
billion people believe in the authenticity of a document, then it is a
matter of faith. Even all the different followers of Islamic schools of
thought read from exactly the same Quran, something that Protestants
and
Catholics cannot experience when reading their differing versions of
the
Bible. What varies is the interpretation of the text, not the text
itself.
But opportunists have come and gone who attempt to diminish the Quran
as
incomplete, erroneous or fabricated…
-----
SIX FLAGS TO HOST EVENT FOR MUSLIM COMMUNITY:
Six Flags Great America will host a "Muslim Family Day" Aug. 16.
Madhu Krishnamurthy, Daily Herald, 8/5/03
http://www.dailyherald.com/dupage/main_story.asp?intID=3783817
Park officials have made accommodations for Muslims who need to perform
daily obligatory prayers. Worshippers will be able to use one of the
park's
theaters as a prayer hall and will have facilities to do ablutions
before
prayer.
The amusement park in Gurnee is open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 10
p.m.,
and three of the five Islamic prayer times fall within those hours.
Also, Muslim women will be allowed to wear headscarves on rides,
provided
they are secured so they don't get entangled with ride equipment.
The idea of having a Muslim community event came from a Chicago area
scouting group...
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/6/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: KIND TREATMENT FOR WIVES
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6361 SPONSORSHIPS
- CAIR's 'Washington Live' Seeks Feedback
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
- CAIR-St. Louis Meets with Foreign Journalists
* SUPPORT S.1507 - RECORDS PRIVACY ACT
- Fla. Database Raises Privacy Concerns (Wash. Post)
* HUMANITARIAN GROUP SUES IN L.A. OVER PATRIOT ACT (Reuters)
- Right Course for Patriots (AND)
- Patriot Act Faces New Challenge in Court (Wash. Post)
* WEB SITE FLARES WITH ANTI-ARAB SENTIMENT (NY Times)
- Email from Concerned American to CAIR
* IVINS: DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION A 'CRUEL JOKE' (Centre Daily Times)
* RESULTS 'REMARKABLY SIMILAR' TO USING NAPALM (Union-Tribune)
- Marines Critical of Iraq Plan (Poughkeepsie Journal)
* GUANTANAMO: IT'S TIME TO OPEN UP (Newsweek)
- Jurists Challenge Long Detention (Newsday)
- TX Charity Wants Panel to Rethink Dismissal of Suit (DMN)
* IT'S THE SECURITY FENCE OR LOANS, US TELLS ISRAEL (SMH)
- Sharon is Now Threatened by Investigations (JTA)
- Israelis Plan Controversial Visit to Jerusalem Mosque (AFP)
* SURVEY ON MUSLIM WOMEN WORKING IN AMERICA
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: KIND TREATMENT FOR WIVES
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was once asked by a companion:
"What do you (command us) about our wives?" The Prophet replied: "Give
them
food (from) what you have for yourself, clothe them by which you clothe
yourself, do not beat them, and do not revile them."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 878
"For believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men
and
women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and
women
who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men
and
women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their
chastity, and for men and women who engage much in God's praise, for
them
has God prepared forgiveness and great reward."
The Holy Quran, Chapter 33, Verse 35
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6361 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6361 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' SEEKS FEEDBACK
CAIR is airing a new satellite talk show dealing with issues of concern
to
the North American Muslim and Arab communities. The weekly hour-long
program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast IN ENGLISH out of the
nation's capital to North America and worldwide by the ART satellite
network. (SEE: http://www.art-tv.net/arabic/) It will air every Tuesday
at
8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the United States through the Dish
Network, on cable and by satellite in other parts of the world.
SUBMIT story ideas to rahmed@cair-net.org or questions and comments to
cair@washlive.com before 8 p.m. (Eastern) on Tuesday.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISH NETWORK SERVICE, GO TO:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/programming/international/packages/arabic/index.shtml
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
---
CAIR-ST. LOUIS DIRECTOR MEETS WITH FOREIGN JOURNALISTS
(ST. LOUIS) - James Hacking, the executive director of CAIR's St. Louis
chapter (CAIR-St. Louis), met yesterday with a group of foreign
journalists
being hosted by the U.S. State Department's International Visitor
Program.
The journalists are in the United States to learn more about grassroots
organizing and the participation of Muslims in the American political
process.
CAIR-St. Louis was asked to meet with the delegation of journalists
from
Tanzania as part of the State Department's "Journalism, Society and the
Political Process in the United States" program. The meeting took place
at
the World Affairs Council in St. Louis, Missouri.
Hacking and the journalists discussed the increased participation of
local
Muslims in politics, the local CAIR Chapter's media watchdog efforts,
the
portrayal of Islam in the media and CAIR's national voter registration
drive.
"We had a very interesting dialogue about the myths and realities of
the
American Muslim experience," said Mr. Hacking.
CONTACT: CAIR-St. Louis, James Hacking, 314-602-3794, E-mail:
admin@cair-stl.org; CAIR-National, Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-mail: cair@cair-net.org.
-----
SUPPORT LIBRARY, BOOKSELLER, AND PERSONAL RECORDS PRIVACY ACT
Senate bill ensures USA Patriot Act authority is used responsibly
GO TO: http://capwiz.com/cair/home/
Members of the American Muslim community and all people of conscience
are
urged to contact their Senators to support the Library, Bookseller, and
Personal Records Privacy Act (S.1507), which limits the Government's
arbitrary access to personal records. S.1507 strengthens judicial
review of
FBI applications, and thus helps to ensure that law enforcement is
conducted properly and efficiently. SEE:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:S.1507:
Contact your Senator today and encourage him or her to cosponsor this
bill.
In light of evidence that serious abuses of law enforcement authority
have
occurred, Congress must act now to ensure that law enforcement uses its
enhanced authority responsibly.
SEE ALSO:
U.S. BACKS FLORIDA'S NEW COUNTERTERRORISM DATABASE
'Matrix' Offers Law Agencies Faster Access to Americans' Personal
Records
Robert O'Harrow Jr., Washington Post, 8/6/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21872-2003Aug5.html
Police in Florida are creating a counterterrorism database designed to
give
law enforcement agencies around the country a powerful new tool to
analyze
billions of records about both criminals and ordinary Americans.
Organizers said the system, dubbed Matrix, enables investigators to
find
patterns and links among people and events faster than ever before,
combining police records with commercially available collections of
personal information about most American adults. It would let
authorities,
for instance, instantly find the name and address of every brown-haired
owner of a red Ford pickup truck in a 20-mile radius of a suspicious
event.
The state-level program, aided by federal funding, is poised to expand
across the nation at a time when Congress has been sharply critical of
similar data-driven systems on the federal level, such as a Pentagon
plan
for global surveillance and an air-passenger-screening system.
The Florida system is another example of the ongoing post-Sept. 11
debate
about the proper balance between national security and individual
privacy.
Yesterday the District and the Department of Homeland Security
announced
plans to launch a pilot law enforcement data-sharing network that will
include Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York...
-----
HUMANITARIAN GROUP SUES IN L.A. OVER PATRIOT ACT
Gina Keating, Reuters, 8/5/03
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=3225942
LOS ANGELES - A human rights group on Tuesday asked a federal judge in
Los
Angeles to strike down part of the 2001 USA Patriot Act, saying it
interferes with efforts that serve humanity and even strike at the
roots of
terror.
The law, which has been attacked by civil libertarians as a
constitutional
threat, was used to indict "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh and six
people in Buffalo, New York, known as the "Lackawanna Six."
The Patriot Act, passed by Congress a month after the Sept. 11, 2001
hijacking attacks on New York and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C.,
expanded the government's intelligence-gathering powers and increased
penalties for activities classified as terrorist.
In court papers, the Humanitarian Law Project and a Tamil-American
doctor
asked U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins to expand her 1999 permanent
injunction striking down part of the Patriot Act's 1996 precursor,
known as
the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act...
ALSO SEE:
RIGHT COURSE FOR PATRIOTS
Sen. Lisa Murkowski leads effort to safeguard Americans' rights
Anchorage Daily News, 8/5/03
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/3597322p-3629143c.html
Sen. Lisa Murkowski has joined with Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden to sponsor
the
Protecting the Rights of Individuals Act, an effort to rein the USA
Patriot
Act back within the bounds of rights and reason.
Theirs is a bipartisan effort. Sen. Murkowski is a Republican, Sen.
Wyden a
Democrat. They've found common cause in shielding Americans' individual
rights against powers of government made too broad and unaccountable.
The excesses of the USA Patriot Act were understandable in the heat of
the
first responses to the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Even two years
later, few Americans would argue against the need for the government to
have serious weapons to pre-empt acts of terror here and the ability to
move with speed and authority in a shadowy war.
But the USA Patriot Act gives our government too much power and leaves
citizens to trust that their government won't abuse that power...
---
PATRIOT ACT FACES NEW CHALLENGE IN COURT
Group Says Law Limits Free Speech
Dan Eggen, Washington Post, 8/6/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21540-2003Aug5.html
A legal advocacy group filed papers yesterday in federal court in Los
Angeles challenging the constitutionality of the USA Patriot Act, the
broad
antiterrorism law that has come under increasing attacks in recent
weeks in
the courts and Congress.
The Center for Constitutional Rights, based in New York, argues that
the
Patriot Act infringes on free-speech protections by outlawing "expert
advice and assistance" to groups that the United States has labeled
terrorist organizations, even if the assistance is humanitarian in
nature
and has no connection to terrorism.
The filing, part of a long-running dispute between the center and the
federal government over the reach of antiterrorism policies, marks the
second time in a week that the Patriot Act has been the focus of a
legal
challenge. The American Civil Liberties Union sued last week over a
provision that allows the government to secretly seize business records
in
terror investigations.
The latest case involves American activists and aid workers with ties
to
Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, and the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam, both of which have been declared terrorist groups by
Secretary
of State Colin L. Powell...
-----
WEB SITE FLARES WITH ANTI-ARAB SENTIMENT
Tara Bahrampour, New York Times, 8/3/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/nyregion/03arab.html
Logging on to <http://www.Bayridge.com, a neighborhood Web site with
about
4,000 members, you can learn about Bay Ridge's forthcoming 150th
anniversary. You can find tinted postcards of the South Brooklyn
neighborhood when it was virtually car-free. And you can find a message
board where, for the past month, a battle has raged over postings that
criticize, sometimes with violent overtones, the presence of Arabs in
the
community.
Although similar debates have hit the site before, the current fighting
started on July 8, when a 17-year-old Ridgeite with the screen name
"brooklynmayhem" posted a message asking, "Is it me or are there too
many
Arabs in Bay Ridge?
"If I had my way, instead of making Fifth a one-way street I would just
firebomb the entire thing because of its grotesque nature,'' the
posting
read, referring to an area with many Arabs.
The message has generated over 4,500 Web hits and over 200 replies.
Some people added their own complaints about Arabs, but others
denounced
such attitudes as racist, noting that Italian-Americans and
Irish-Americans, who make up a large part of Bay Ridge, were once
unwanted
immigrants themselves...
ALSO SEE:
EMAIL FROM CONCERNED AMERICAN TO CAIR
"PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Let all Muslims know that it is only a small
percentage of creeps that expound hatred for others and love to blame
others for their own lack of ambition to work toward love in the
world....It is hate within them so PLEASE! know that I LOVE YOU and I
certainly do not blame you for 911 for I meet Muslims every day and I
hug
them and let them know by my care-ing about them that they are loved by
all
us AMERICANS!!!!
-----
IVINS: DANIEL PIPES NOMINATION A 'CRUEL JOKE'
UNCOVERING WEAPONS OF LESSER DESTRUCTION
Molly Ivins, Centre Daily Times, 4/6/03
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/opinion/6466434.htm
Molly Ivins is a political columnist with Creators Syndicate.
President nominates Daniel Pipes to the board of the United States
Institute of Peace. This is one of a series of cruel-joke appointments:
Pipes is a Middle East expert whose vision of ending the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no negotiation, no hope for compromise
and
no use for diplomacy. He wants the Palestinians defeated, period. Just
the
man for the Institute of Peace.
-----
RESULTS ARE 'REMARKABLY SIMILAR' TO USING NAPALM
James W. Crawley, Union-Tribune, 8/5/03
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20030805-9999_1n5bomb.html
American jets killed Iraqi troops with firebombs - similar to the
controversial napalm used in the Vietnam War - in March and April as
Marines battled toward Baghdad.
Marine Corps fighter pilots and commanders who have returned from the
war
zone have confirmed dropping dozens of incendiary bombs near bridges
over
the Saddam Canal and the Tigris River. The explosions created massive
fireballs...
The bombing campaign helped clear the path for the Marines' race to
Baghdad.
During the war, Pentagon spokesmen disputed reports that napalm was
being
used, saying the Pentagon's stockpile had been destroyed two years ago.
Apparently the spokesmen were drawing a distinction between the terms
"firebomb" and "napalm." If reporters had asked about firebombs,
officials
said yesterday they would have confirmed their use...
ALSO SEE:
RETURNING MARINES CRITICAL OF IRAQ PLAN
Dan Shapley, Poughkeepsie Journal, 8/6/03
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/today/localnews/stories/lo080603s1.shtml
They were trained for fighting -- not rebuilding a society upended by
years
of dictatorship and war.
But the Marines of 225 Fox Company returned Saturday after more than
four
months in Iraq, confident America's war was just. And, they were happy
for
the comforts of home -- family above all, but also showers, toilets,
home-cooked meals and the relative cool of a Hudson Valley summer.
"The government should have had thousands and thousands of MPs waiting
and
ready to go in immediately afterwards. They planned meticulously how to
take over the country, but I don't think they planned very well how to
run
it once it was taken," said Lance Cpl. Derek McGee, 26…
-----
GUANTANAMO: IT'S TIME TO OPEN UP
Newsweek, 8/5/03
http://www.msnbc.com/news/948706.asp?0cv=KB10
Guantanamo Bay is a black hole. We can't see into it, and the prisoners
can't see out of it. Such secrecy might once have been justified to
protect
intelligence on Al Qaeda. But 18 months after the end of the war in
Afghanistan, the secretive nature of Camp Delta in Cuba is undermining
America's international image- and serving as useful ammunition for
America's enemies.
Let's be clear from the outset. Terrorists should be punished severely
for
their crimes. And intelligence should not be compromised by bringing
those
terrorists to justice. If any of the Guantanamo Bay detainees are
terrorists or have supported terrorists, they should be charged, tried,
and
if guilty, face the strictest punishment.
However, as the White House never fails to repeat, this war on
terrorism is
a different kind of war. And in its current shape, the war involves
liberating Iraq, reforming it, and hopefully modernizing much of the
rest
of the Muslim world along the way. For those ambitious reforms to work,
they need the enthusiastic support of everyday Muslims who can
understand
and believe in what the Americans are trying to build...
SEE ALSO:
JURISTS CHALLENGE LONG DETENTION
Tom Brune, Newsday, 8/6/03
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/search/sfl-apadilla06aug06.story
Accused "dirty bomb" terrorist suspect Jose Padilla has been isolated
in a
naval brig for more than a year, since President Bush classified him as
an
"enemy combatant" and called him a "threat to the nation."
But last week, nine, thick friend-of-the-court briefs were filed in
Padilla's appellate case, arguing against what they see as just as
serious
a threat to the nation: Bush's assertion that he can, as commander in
chief, order the military to detain a U.S. citizen picked up on U.S.
soil
indefinitely without charges, a trial or access to a lawyer.
"The precedent the executive [Bush] asks this court to set, represents
one
of the gravest threats to the rule of law, and to the liberty our
Constitution enshrines, that the nation has ever faced," said one brief
by
14 retired federal appellate judges and former government officials,
including Abner Mikva, Harold Tyler and Philip Allen Lacovara.
Other briefs argued that Bush's assertion was "unprecedented and shocks
the
conscience," was "startling" in its implications, ran "brazenly afoul"
of
constitutional principles, and posed "a grave threat to the
constitutional
rights of all Americans."
The strong language of the briefs -- filed by dozens of law professors,
libertarian and rights groups, lawyers' associations, international law
experts and others -- sets the tone for the constitutional battle being
fought in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan over Padilla's
right to challenge his detention...
---
HOLY LAND CHARITY WANTS PANEL TO RETHINK DISMISSAL OF SUIT
MICHELLE MITTELSTADT, Dallas Morning News, 8/5/03
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/nation/stories/080503dnnatholyland.4e20d.html
WASHINGTON - Lawyers for a Dallas-area Muslim charity accused of
bankrolling Hamas are asking a federal appellate panel to reconsider
its
decision to throw out their lawsuit against the federal government
before
trial, saying the ruling was "blatantly" wrong.
In their latest court filing, attorneys for the Holy Land Foundation
for
Relief and Development asked the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rehear their case
against
the government. They also requested a hearing before the entire D.C.
Circuit…
In their filing Friday, the Holy Land attorneys said the three-judge
panel's decision to throw out their case without permitting them to
pursue
depositions and other discovery conflicts with longstanding legal
precedent.
"The panel decision ignores the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,
violates
... [the foundation's] right to due process and conflicts with
countless
decisions of the Supreme Court, this court and other circuits," they
wrote.
"Afforded the ordinary tools of civil litigation - discovery, the usual
summary judgment process and trial - ... [the foundation] remains
confident
that it will prove its claims and obtain the relief that it requests,"
they
added…
Holy Land also charged that the panel erred by rejecting the charity's
case
solely on the basis of the administrative record compiled by the
Treasury
Department, which was based in part on a nearly nine-year FBI
investigation. Saying the record "consists almost entirely of hearsay,"
the
Holy Land legal team said the judges failed to consider exculpatory
information supplied by Holy Land.
"The panel elected not to credit ... [the foundation's] declarations
and
the other evidence it presented and resolved the central factual
dispute in
the case in the government's favor," the filing said. That decision
"blatantly disregarded" the proper standard required to dismiss a case
before it reaches trial, the lawyers said, adding that Supreme Court
and
other precedent requires judges to review the record in the light most
favorable to the party alleging injury.
Holy Land was one of three Muslim charities shut down during a campaign
to
choke off terrorists' funds that began after the attacks of Sept. 11,
2001...
-----
IT'S THE SECURITY FENCE OR LOANS, US TELLS ISRAEL
Sydney Morning Herald, 8/6/03
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/05/1060064192647.html
The United States will tell Israel that recently approved loan
guarantees
may be reduced in proportion to the amount Israel spends on a new
security
fence and on Jewish settlements.
The National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, is expected to tell
senior
officials in the Government of the Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, that
the
US will not provide resources that will help Israel implement a policy
Washington opposes.
A spokesman for the US National Security Council, Michael Anton, said:
"We've made clear to the Israelis in public and private settings that
the
fence is a concern. And we've had many conversations [even at] the
highest
levels about the fence."
Reducing the new loan guarantees would serve as a reprimand to Israel
for
continuing to build the 600-kilometre fence partly in the West Bank, in
what the US sees as a violation of the terms of aid and the spirit of
the
road map peace plan. The US had considered deducting $US50 million ($78
million) from the loan guarantees, officials said, and might make
further
deductions based on the amount Israel spent on roads being built to
route
Jewish settlers around Palestinian towns and villages...
ALSO SEE:
SHARON IS NOW THREATENED BY INVESTIGATIONS
Leslie Susser, Jewish Telegraph Agency, 8/5/03
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Investigations+close+in+on+Sharon&intcategoryid=5
JERUSALEM - At the height of his powers, skillfully conducting a
complex
process of negotiation with the Palestinians and enjoying widespread
popularity, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could be forced to resign over
a
string of financial scandals in which he and his sons are principal
players. That, at least, is the view of many Israeli pundits and
politicians, some of whom already are gearing up for a post-Sharon era.
What suddenly has telescoped the process and given it a more urgent
time
frame is Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein´s decision to leave office
next January. Before he does, he is expected to issue a comprehensive
report on the Sharon affairs.
Even if there is no criminal prosecution, Rubinstein´s condemnation of
Sharon´s ethical conduct is likely to be so devastating that pressure
will
intensify on Sharon to resign, observers say.
Sharon and his sons have been named or investigated in four cases of
suspected misdemeanor or felony:
o A mysterious loan from an Austrian bank;
o The so-called "Greek island affair," in which Sharon´s son Gilad was
paid
huge sums of money by a leading Likud activist when Sharon was foreign
minister and, later, a candidate for party leader;
o Building permits for that same activist in the town of Lod; and
o The proposed rezoning of agricultural land in the center of the
country,
where the Sharons have a second farm...
---
ISRAELI MPS PLAN CONTROVERSIAL VISIT TO JERUSALEM MOSQUE COMPOUND
Agence France Presse, 8/6/03
Three right-wing Israeli MPs are planning to demand entrance Thursday
to
the Haram al-Sharif, one of Islam's holiest sites which is also revered
by
Jews, in defiance of a police ban, media reports said.
Yehiel Hazan, Yuli Edelstein and Inbal Gavrieli, all members of Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud party, will try to invoke parliamentary
privilege to secure access to the east Jerusalem shrine, the mass
circulation daily Yediot Aharonot reported Wednesday.
A parliamentary committee would discuss the MPs' demand later
Wednesday,
public radio said.
Israeli police late last month suspended visits to the site by
non-Muslims
which had resumed several weeks earlier for the first time since the
beginning of the Palestinian intifada in September 2000.
The uprising erupted following a controversial visit to the mosque
compound
by Sharon when he was still opposition leader...
-----
SURVEY ON MUSLIM WOMEN WORKING IN AMERICA
Participants are needed for a survey that examines the experiences of
Muslim women in the American workplace and their choices of workplace,
funded by the Pluralism Project at Harvard University. The researcher
is
primarily interested in women who have converted to Islam, but will
accept
all responses.
If you choose to participate in this survey all responses will be held
completely confidential. Your involvement in this study will contribute
greatly to the understanding of the experiences of Muslim women's
opportunities in the United States.
Please contact c.tobiasnahi@post.harvard.edu to request a mailed or
emailed
survey.
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DETROIT MUSLIMS TO HOLD FORUM ON RECENT MURDER
Muslim beaten to death, community suspects bias motive
(DETROIT, MICH., 8/7/03) - The Michigan office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Michigan) will hold a community forum
with
top police officials this evening in Detroit to air Muslim concerns
about a
recent murder that some suspect may have been bias-related.
WHEN: Thursday, August 7, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Masjid al-Falah, 12500 McDougall Street, Detroit, Michigan
A 69-year-old Muslim man in traditional attire was beaten to death in
an
apparent robbery attempt on Monday while walking home after praying at
a
local mosque. Two males, an adult and a juvenile, have been arrested
and
allegedly confessed to the murder.
CAIR-Michigan is working with Detroit police to help address community
fears and suspicions resulting from the murder. Law enforcement
officials
have agreed to investigate the possibility of a bias-motive and will
take
part in the community forum this evening.
"Many in the Detroit Muslim community need reassurance that they will
be
safe while going to pray, shop or work," said Haaris Ahmad, executive
director of CAIR-Michigan. "Given recent events nationwide, it is only
prudent to examine the possibility of bias as at least a partial motive
in
this case."
He cited recent incidents such as the attack on a Sikh family in New
York,
a cross burning at a Maryland Islamic school and the kidnapping and
beating
of a Massachusetts pizza delivery man whose attackers thought he was
Muslim. Ahmad said law enforcement officials have been very cooperative
and
are willing to address the Muslim community's concerns.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Michigan, 248-569-2203; CAIR-National, Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed,
202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/7/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: MAKE PEACE BETWEEN PEOPLE
* CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6717 SPONSORSHIPS
- Sponsor CAIR's 'Washington Live' Talk Show
- CAIR 'Islam in America' Ad Campaign
* JAPANESE AMERICANS CAN FEEL MUSLIMS' PAIN (SF Chronicle)
- Rallying Against Hate (NY Newsday)
- It's Way Past Time to Halt Bias Crime (NY Daily News)
- Muslim, Arab Residents Meet with FBI (Wash. Post)
- Two Teens Charged in Cross Burning (Gazette)
* BUSH'S HAWKISH NOMINEE ON HOLD IN SENATE (AP)
- Sen. Murray Says Daniel Pipes 'Not Appropriate Fit'
* DO JEWS, CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS WORSHIP SAME GOD? (KC Star)
* LOSING LIBERTY IN THE NAME OF FIGHTING TERRORISM (CNSnews.com)
* 'WE DON'T FEEL LIKE HEROES ANYMORE' (Oregonian)
- Insider Fires a Broadside at Rumsfeld (Asia Times)
- U.S. Holding Iraqis at Notorious Prison (Chicago Tribune)
- After the War: The Rumor Mill (NY Times)
- Israeli Firm Wins Iraq Telephone Contract (Al-bawaba.com)
* A WAR RUSSIA LOSES BY WINNING (NY Times)
* DEMOLISHING HOMES WHILE MOURNING LOST TEMPLE? (Forward)
- A Trilogy of Dysfunction (MMN)
* BOOK: "WHAT YOU WILL SEE INSIDE A MOSQUE" (Dallas Morning News)
- Journalists: How to Cite the Koran (NY Times)
* ONE WOMAN WHO STOOD HER GROUND (Star-Telegram)
* UTAH: PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN MUSLIM FESTIVAL
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: MAKE PEACE BETWEEN PEOPLE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "He who makes peace
between
people by inventing good information or saying good things, is not a
liar."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 857
---
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT: 6717 SPONSORSHIPS
CAIR's library project has received 6717 sponsorships for $150 book and
tape packages on Islam to be placed in libraries across the country.
Our
goal is to send accurate and objective information about Islam to
America's
16,000 public libraries. GO TO: www.libraryproject.org
---
SPONSOR CAIR'S 'WASHINGTON LIVE' TALK SHOW
CAIR's weekly hour-long program, called "Washington Live," is broadcast
out
of the nation's capital to North American and worldwide by the Arab
Radio &
Television (ART) satellite network. SEE: http://www.art-tv.net
It airs every Tuesday at 8 p.m. (Eastern) and is available in the
United
States through the Dish Network, on cable and by satellite in other
parts
of the world.
Please note that to watch the show, you have to have ART. To subscribe
to
ART call 1-888-458-1278.
To request information about sponsoring segments of the program,
e-mail:
cair@cair-net.org
---
CAIR 'ISLAM IN AMERICA' AD CAMPAIGN
CAIR has launched a year-long "Islam in America" advertising campaign
designed to foster greater understanding of Islam and to counter the
rising
tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: http://www.americanmuslims.info
-----
JAPANESE AMERICANS CAN FEEL MUSLIMS' PAIN
Annie Nakao, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/7/03
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/08/07/DD297141.DTL
Building bridges. Just the sort of phrase that could put a columnist to
sleep. After all, we've heard it a million times.
So when I see it actually working, it kind of tilts the world a degree
or
two off its normal axis, and I sit up and take notice.
The scene of my awakening was the basement of the Japanese Cultural and
Community Center of Northern California in San Francisco's Japantown.
I've
been in that room many times. My daughter and I took mother-child taiko
lessons there. I've eaten sushi and rice cakes here at some holiday
event
or another. And watched giant rice cookers steaming up the room in
preparation for senior lunch service.
This time, it was different. There was Jordanian-born American Muslim
Amjad
T. Obeidat, 35, talking about the "beautiful friendships" he's
developed
with Japanese Americans as part of his activism in Amila, a Bay Area
organization of spiritually and civic-minded young Muslim Americans.
And
there was Japanese American activist and law student Dina Shek,
responding
in kind because her friendship with Obeidat is real...
The catalyst for this friendship was Sept. 11, 2001, the day terrorists
destroyed the World Trade Center and changed America forever. In a
single
stroke, they also laid bare the vulnerability of Muslim and Arab
Americans
and South Asians in a world that saw them as terrorists, and brought
back
for Japanese Americans visceral memories of wartime injustice. You
might
say it was inevitable that these people would find each other....
ALSO SEE:
RALLYING AGAINST HATE
Groups plan vigil over bias attack
Bryan Virasami, Newsday, 8/6/03
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/queens/nyc-nysikh063404138aug06,0,7926501.story
At least two dozen people representing various social justice,
immigrant
rights and civil liberties groups met in an emergency session in
Jackson
Heights last night to plan a united response to Sunday night's bias
attack
against a Sikh family.
The groups plan to hold a peace vigil in the next two weeks and seek
passage of stronger hate-crime legislation to discourage similar
attacks.
"We want to make sure that anyone who commits a bias attack is charged
to
the fullest extent of the law," said Brian Pu-folkes, executive
director of
the New Immigrant Community Empowerment.
The groups say they plan to pressure city lawmakers to take stronger
positions on adjusting the Patriot Act - the anti-terrorism law passed
by
Congress which the groups believe creates a climate that encourages
bias attacks...
---
IT'S WAY PAST TIME TO HALT BIAS CRIME
Albor Ruiz, NY Daily News, 8/7/03
http://www.nydailynews.com/08-07-2003/boroughs/story/106962p-96741c.html
Enough is enough.
That was the prevailing attitude among community leaders and immigrant
advocates in response to Sunday's bias attack on a Sikh American family
in
Woodside.
"This is not an isolated incident," said Bryan Pu-Folkes, president and
executive director of the Queens-based New Immigrant Community
Empowerment,
or NICE. "We need to unite against these vicious and ignorant attacks."
As the Daily News reported on Tuesday, police and witnesses said that
the
family - a couple, their two children and an adult cousin - was beaten
in
front of their Queens home by three drunken men who yelled, "Go back to
your country, Bin Laden!"
Although they are not Muslims, Sikh men wear turbans, a religious head
covering that - as has happened before - the attackers in their
ignorance
probably mistook for Arabic attire...
---
MUSLIM, ARAB RESIDENTS MEET WITH FBI
Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 8/7/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26875-2003Aug7.html
Area Muslims and Arab Americans gathered for an unusual town hall
meeting
last night in Annandale, where many confronted FBI and other U.S.
government officials with concerns that their communities are being
treated
unfairly during the war on terrorism.
Along with the suspicion-laced questions, however, came some earnest
suggestions about how the FBI could improve relations with the
communities.
Abdallah al-Zuabi of the Arab American Institute told the crowd of
about 70
that the meeting was "proof of the commitment by our community and law
enforcement to build a more constructive relationship."
The meeting at the Mason District Government Center was sponsored by
Muslim
and Arab groups as well as the local FBI-Arab American Advisory
Committee,
the only such body in the country. It was created after the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as some Muslims and Arab Americans felt that
their communities were being targeted unjustly by law enforcement.
Last night, representatives from both sides pleaded for greater
understanding...
---
TWO TEENS CHARGED IN CROSS BURNING
Amy Boyes, Gazette, 8/7/03
http://www.gazette.net/200332/princegeorgescty/county/171755-1.html
Islamic community members said they would like to see the two juveniles
charged in connection with the cross burning outside of a Muslim school
and
mosque rehabilitated.
Public Safety officials announced Friday that fire investigators had
arrested two teenagers the previous night. Prince George's County Fire
Chief Ronald Blackwell said the two suspects had cooperated during the
investigation...
Seyed Rizwan Mowlana, executive director of the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR)-Maryland, said although they were seeking justice for
the
crime they also hoped for rehabilitation, considering the age of the
suspects.
"Since these are juniors, we'd like to see them work their community
service hours with Muslims and mosques," he said.
Nihad Awad, executive director of the national CAIR organization,
agreed.
"Hopefully, we'll be working with the juvenile system to see they are
rehabilitated," he said. "We hope this was the first hate crime against
Muslims in Maryland, and we hope it is the last one."
Mowlana said the school has not dealt with anything as severe as the
cross-burning incident. "It has been shocking," he said. "This is
something
we never thought would happen in Maryland."
Awad said information, interaction and education were the best ways to
end
hate.
Mowlana said Tuesday that representatives from the school were hoping
to
meet with the State's Attorney's Office in coming days to learn more
about
the suspects. "We want to know more. We want to meet with their
parents,"
he said. "We need to look at the bigger picture."
Mowlana said members of the school hoped to plan an interfaith open
house
where community members could meet with people from the school and
share
information and concerns. "This may help," he said...
Mowlana said the incident has led the school community to be more
aware.
"We are more vigilant," he said. "We pray this is a one time thing."
-----
BUSH'S HAWKISH NOMINEE TO PEACE THINK TANK ON HOLD IN SENATE
David B. Caruso, Associated Press, 8/7/03
PHILADELPHIA - Few have heard of the U.S. Institute of Peace, and fewer
still can remember the last time a presidential nomination to the
federally
funded think tank prompted a confirmation battle.
But President Bush's choice for the institute's board, Middle East
scholar
Daniel Pipes, has run into opposition from Democrats who say he is an
inappropriate pick for a group dedicated to promoting peaceful
solutions to
world conflicts. Pipes advocates scrutiny of American Muslims and
military
strikes against Islamic states that threaten U.S. interests.
A vote on the Pipes nomination by the Senate's Health, Education, Labor
and
Pensions Committee was postponed indefinitely on July 23 after several
senators, led by Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., rose
to
attack him.
At issue were Pipes' extensive writings and his columns for the New
York
Post and Jerusalem Post, in which he has warned of the dangers of
immigration by claiming that a majority of Denmark's convicted rapists
are
Muslims and defended racial profiling by saying that one in 10 U.S.
Muslims
are militants, and thus, potential terrorists.
"This is an individual that is a lightning rod, highly controversial,"
Harkin said. "When he talks about Muslims being funny looking, bringing
different customs, I am sorry, this is not the person that ought to be
on
the U.S. Institute of Peace board..."
White House spokeswoman Ashley Snee said President Bush continues to
back
his nominee...
A spokesman for Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., chairman of the Health,
Education,
Labor and Pensions Committee, said the nomination could be brought
before
the committee again when the Senate reconvenes after its summer recess.
Muslim groups campaigning against Pipes called the delay a partial
victory.
"It gave us some encouragement that people are learning about his
record,
and that when they learn about his record, they don't like what they
see,"
said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations...
A smattering of Jewish anti-war groups have also opposed Pipes, largely
because of his support for Israel's military operations in the West
Bank
and Gaza Strip.
SEE ALSO:
SEN. MURRAY SAYS PIPES 'NOT APPROPRIATE FIT' FOR USIP
The following is a response from Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) to those
who
express their concerns about the nomination of Daniel Pipes to the
board of
the United States Institute of Peace:
"Thank you for sharing your opposition to the nomination of Daniel
Pipes to
the board of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). It was good
to
hear from you on this issue.
"I am also concerned that Mr. Pipes may not be an appropriate fit on
the
board of the USIP…Mr. Pipes is also known for controversial positions
on
the Middle East Peace Process and domestic security. Many of these
views do
not fit with the atmosphere of conflict resolution and bridge building
that
the USIP promotes.
"I am a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee which oversees the confirmation of Mr. Pipes. Rest assured, I
will keep your thoughts in mind when this issue comes before me…
"Sincerely,
"Patty Murray
"United States Senator
"Please continue to visit my website (http://murray.senate.gov) for
updated
information on my work for the people of Washington State."
-----
DO JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS WORSHIP THE SAME GOD?
Kansas City Star, 8/7/03
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/living/religion/6404114.htm
David M. May, professor of New Testament, Central Baptist Theological
Seminary, Kansas City, Kan.:
Persons often propose questions for which they want yes/no or
true/false
answers. Religious questions, however, are complex and deserve essay
answers, but even these answers will fall short because our language is
provisional. With such a caveat, the answer to the above question is
yes...
Kristen E. Kvam, associate professor of theology, St. Paul School of
Theology, Kansas City, Mo.:
A strength of this question is its attention to three particular
religions
and the relations among them. Contemporary theology has been moving
away
from earlier attempts to characterize all religions in general terms.
Today
there is greater attention to the specific contours, convictions and
practices of particular religious communities...
The Rev. Donald Grabner, professor of religion and theology at
Conception
Seminary College, Conception, Mo.:
A fairly succinct and authoritative response to this question is found
in
Section 3 of the Second Vatican Council's "Declaration on the Relation
of
the Church to Non-Christian Religions...
Thus, the followers of all three faiths, Judaism, Christianity and
Islam,
see themselves as children of Abraham, their common ancestor in the
worship
of the one God, creator of heaven and earth. Their manner of
understanding
how this common deity reveals itself in their own separate oral and
written
traditions differs greatly.
-----
LOSING OUR LIBERTY IN THE NAME OF FIGHTING TERRORISM:
Tom DeWeese, CNSNews.com, 8/6/03
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=%5CCommentary%5Carchive%5C200308%5CCOM20030806b.html
America may have reached a turning point this summer in the battle to
restore and protect civil liberties threatened by the Patriot Act.
On July 22, 2003, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to
pass
two amendments that restore the rule of law by denying the Justice
Department the ability to sneak into private homes and peek at private
records without a warrant.
The House also unanimously passed an amendment to prohibit the Justice
Department from forcing libraries and bookstores to turn over records
of
books read by their patrons.
These are important victories for the forces of liberty in the battle
to
keep an all-powerful Big Brother government from invading every aspect
of
our private lives under the excuse of fighting terrorism.
However, the victory may be short lived because the Bush Administration
is
applying pressure on Senate leadership to keep the provisions intact.
As a
result, the Senate may fail to support the amendments in its version of
the
bill, voiding the House action.
To protect our liberty, Americans must understand the threat posed by
the
Patriot Act and take action to assure that the Senate also passes the
amendments. The fact is, Americans who have blindly trusted the
government
to protect them from the terrorist threat are not safer. However using
that
excuse, American liberty is under serious threat from our own
government...
-----
'WE DON'T FEEL LIKE HEROES ANYMORE'
Isaac Kindblade, Oregonian, 08/05/03
http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1060084742325390.xml
I am a private first class in the Army's 671st Engineer Company out of
Portland. I just wanted to let you know a little bit of what we are up
to,
maybe so that you can have another opinion of what's going on over here
in
Iraq.
We have been in country since Feb. 14 and were a part of the Third
Infantry
Division's march into Baghdad. In fact, as a result of some serious
miscommunications, we were the front line of the charge on two very
distinct occasions.
We haven't been a huge part of the war. We are bridge builders, and we
were
here in the event that the Iraqis blew up the bridges on their retreat.
They didn't, so we didn't have to do much...
A lot is being said about poor morale. That seems to be the case all
over
the place. It's hot, we've been here for a long time, it's dangerous,
we
haven't had any real down time in months and we don't know when we're
going
home.
I think a big aspect has been the people here. When the war had just
ended,
we were the liberators, and all the people loved us. Convoys were like
one
long parade. Somewhere down the line, we became an occupation force in
their eyes. We don't feel like heroes anymore...
ALSO SEE:
INSIDER FIRES A BROADSIDE AT RUMSFELD'S OFFICE
Jim Lobe, Asia Times, 8/7/03
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EH07Ak01.html
WASHINGTON - On most days, the Pentagon's "Early Bird", a daily
compilation
of news articles on defense-related issues mostly from the US and
British
press, does not shy from reprinting hard-hitting stories and columns
critical of the United States Defense Department's top leadership.
But few could help notice last week that the "Bird" omitted an opinion
piece distributed by the Knight-Ridder news agency by a senior Pentagon
Middle East specialist, Air Force Lt Col Karen Kwiatkowski, who worked
in
the office of Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith until
her
retirement in April.
"What I saw was aberrant, pervasive and contrary to good order and
discipline," Kwiatkowski wrote. "If one is seeking the answers to why
peculiar bits of 'intelligence' found sanctity in a presidential
speech, or
why the post-Saddam [Hussein] occupation [of Iraq] has been
distinguished
by confusion and false steps, one need look no further than the process
inside the Office of the Secretary of Defense [OSD]...
---
U.S. HOLDING IRAQIS AT NOTORIOUS PRISON:
Alex Rodriguez, Chicago Tribune, 8/6/03
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0308060273aug06,1,1385351.story
ABU GHRAIB, Iraq -- Once one of Iraq's notorious prisons where Saddam
Hussein had political prisoners tortured and hanged, Abu Ghraib has
become
a makeshift jail at the heart of the U.S. military's struggle to give
Iraqis a new sense of justice.
About 500 Iraqis are detained here and, like detainees in U.S. prison
camps
across Iraq, none has been allowed family visits. Only one out of 10
has
been allowed to see a lawyer.
The five compounds in the prison were ransacked after Hussein freed
virtually all of Iraq's prisoners last October, so the detainees are
penned
in tents behind rolls of razor wire. On some days, the camp roasts
under a
midday sun that produces temperatures as high as 130 degrees.
On Monday, dozens of Iraqi detainees sprinted from their tents at the
sight
of a group of journalists in a convoy and began screaming...
---
AFTER THE WAR: THE RUMOR MILL
John Tierney, New York Times, 8/7/03
http://www.iht.com/articles/105575.html
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 6 - As an American soldier peered out of a passing
tank, a young engineering student and a retired accountant contemplated
one
of the more common questions on the streets of Baghdad: Did the
soldier's
wraparound sunglasses give him X-ray vision?
"With those glasses, he can definitely see through women's clothes,"
said
the engineering student, Samer Hamid. "It makes me angry. We are afraid
to
take our families out on the street."
The retired accountant, Hekmet Tinber Hassan, smiled and said it was a
baseless rumor, just like the widespread story that Saddam Hussein had
been
secretly working for America and was now at a C.I.A. safe house. "I do
not
believe Saddam is in America," Mr. Hassan said. "I heard he went to Tel
Aviv."
Just as truth is the first casualty of war, urban legends seem to be
the
first creation of a military occupation, especially when the cultural
gap
is as wide as it is here. After life under Mr. Hussein, people here are
accustomed to conspiracy theories and ready to believe the worst about
anyone in power.
Of course, Americans have been circulating their own kinds of legends,
starting with the fantasies a few months ago that the occupying troops
would be peacefully welcomed by a nation of grateful flower-waving
citizens. But there have been more guns than flowers. In the urban
legends
flourishing here, the soldiers triumphed thanks to Mr. Hussein's
treachery
and to American technology. The legend about the X-ray sunglasses may
have
evolved from reports about the soldiers' night-vision goggles, or maybe
just from the imposing Terminator image of the soldiers...
---
ISRAELI FIRM WINS PUBLIC TELEPHONE CONTRACT IN IRAQ
Al-bawaba.com, 8/4/03
http://www.albawaba.com/headlines/TheNews.php3?sid=255621〈=e&dir=b
Iridium Satellite Israel is supplying Iraq with public telephones worth
four to five million dollars. The global satellite voice and data
communication provider was authorized last month by the office of the
Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to sell its mobile satellite
communications services, subscriber terminals, and related equipment in
Iraq.
According to CEO of Iridium Satellite Israel Ami Schneider, the order
was
placed by a Jordanian company, reported Globes. The company also plans
to
market several thousands of mobile telephones in Iraq.
Israel's Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu signed a general permit
late last month authorizing trade with Iraq. The new agreement
normalizes
commercial and financial ties between the two countries, marking the
Jewish
state's recognition of Iraq as a hostile-free nation...
-----
A WAR RUSSIA LOSES BY WINNING
Anne Nivat, New York Times, 8/5/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/05/opinion/05NIVA.html
ROZNY, Russia - To hear Russian officials, what's happening in Chechnya
is
not a war: it is a phase in an antiterrorism operation that has reached
such a point of "normalization" that control was switched last week
from
the Federal Security Bureau, which handles war operations, to the
Interior
Ministry. After all, the Russians say, the Chechen people rebuffed the
Islamic separatists by voting overwhelmingly in March to remain part of
Russia, and they will vote again in October, this time for a Chechen
president.
Chechens agree - but in their own way. "What's happening in this
country is
not a war," they say. "It is much worse than a war, with many more
civilian
casualties." I hear this repeatedly on buses, in markets and during
conversations wherever I travel in this tiny, battered republic. For
them,
the switch to the Interior Ministry is merely cosmetic - the soldiers
and
checkpoints remain - and the coming election won't be a fair one...
-----
DEMOLISHING HOMES WHILE MOURNING LOST TEMPLE?
Brian Walt, Forward, 8/8/03
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.08.08/oped3.html
This Thursday, while Israelis across town marked Tisha B'Av by mourning
the
destruction of our Temple, as many as 45 Palestinian families in the
East
Jerusalem neighborhoods of Jabel Mukaber, Sur Bacher, Shuafat and Beit
Hanina were facing the impending demolition of their homes.
None of these families, who in recent weeks had been informed of the
planned house demolitions officially or orally by the municipality of
Jerusalem, have engaged in violence or in harboring terrorists.
When the Israeli government demolishes the homes of suicide bombers'
families, the official rationale for the order is security. In these
cases,
however, there is no security reason for the order...
ALSO SEE:
A TRILOGY OF DYSFUNCTION
Hanan Ashrawi, Media Monitors Network, 8/2/03
http://www.mediamonitors.net/hanan40.html
Whenever hard line Israelis and their American apologists decide to
discredit and discount Palestinian suffering while exonerating the
abuses
and oppressive measures of the Israeli occupation, the first charge
levied
against Palestinian spokespersons is that of "whining."
How often have Palestinians seen Israeli and American officials alike
sigh
in obvious exasperation, roll their eyes in sheer ennui, and indulge in
an
obvious stage whisper: "The Palestinians are whining again."
Hence the people under occupation are not only supposed to "grin and
bear
it," but also made to feel guilty and undeserving for seeking to give
voice
to their suffering.
The opposite, however, is true of the Israeli occupation.
As Israeli tanks roll through Palestinian villages, towns, and refugee
camps; as Apache gunships shell homes and assassinate their human
targets;
as Palestinian land is stolen and Israeli settlements are expanding; as
Israeli prisons swell with abducted Palestinians and the apartheid wall
turns all Palestinian areas into prisons and isolation cells; Sharon
whines
incessantly.
He pleads "self-defense" and runs to Washington with more demands: Iran
after Iraq, Syria (and Libya, if possible) at any time, the Palestinian
factions at all times, and more money, more settlements, more walls,
more
facts on the ground.
When Sharon complains of Palestinian violence ("terrorism"), it is
presented as an act of will and gratuitous cruelty, entirely unprovoked
and
totally unrelated to the fact and brutal policies of the Israeli
occupation.
When he addresses the requirements of the Roadmap, Israeli "security"
becomes the sole objective and rationale of any initiative, while
conditionality and forced sequencing are imposed on the Palestinians
who
are constantly on probation, constantly made to demonstrate "good
behavior," and constantly denied as worthy of any form of "security" or
even human consideration.
-----
"WHAT YOU WILL SEE INSIDE A MOSQUE"
RELIGION IN THE MEDIA: A LOOK AT RECENT BOOKS, MAGAZINES AND WEB SITES
Susan Hogan, Dallas Morning News, 8/7/03
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/6470060.htm
"What You Will See Inside a Mosque," by Aisha Karen Khan (Skylight
Paths
Publishing, 31 pages, $16.95)
Although this book is geared for children 6 to 10, adults eager to know
what's inside a mosque will appreciate this primer. It's beautifully
illustrated so readers can see the prayer halls, ritual cleansing areas
and
prayer rugs found inside a mosque.
When entering the prayer hall, Muslims take off their shoes. Khan
explains
that this is a sign of reverence for God. But there's also a practical
reason: "We want to keep the building clean so that we can do our
prayers
without worrying the floor might be dirty."
And for good reason. Muslims prostrate themselves during prayer _
bending
down to touch their foreheads to the floor. Because of this, Khan says,
"It
is not considered proper for a woman to pray in front of a man." That's
why
at many mosques, women pray separately from men in an upstairs
balcony...
ALSO SEE:
FINE POINTS OF DASHES SET HEADS SPINNING:
Dinitia Smith, New York Times, 8/7/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/07/books/07STYL.html
Some people get so excited when they talk about capital letters that
they
become breathless. Anita Samen, an editor of the new 15th edition of
the
Chicago Manual of Style, published this month, is one of them…
Another reflection of social change is a bow toward the growth of Islam
in
the United States. The new manual includes information on how to cite
the
Koran, "because we have instructions on how you cite the Bible," Ms.
Samen
said. But, she added, "we could not find a definitive, authoritative
way."
The Chicago Press did its best, she said, recommending a style similar
to
citations from the Bible: "The Qur'an is set in roman, and citations to
its
sections use Arabic numerals and colons (e.g., Qur'an 19:17-21)." "If
anybody wants to tell us how to do a better job, we would be grateful,"
Ms.
Samen said...
-----
ONE WOMAN WHO STOOD HER GROUND
Bob Ray Sanders, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8/7/03
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/columnists/bob_ray_sanders/6448891.htm
While many people in this country want to tear down the wall that
rightfully separates state and religion, there is at least one nation
in
the world where that wall is almost impenetrable.
In Turkey, a nation that is 95 percent Muslim, the secular government
established more than 75 years ago wants no infiltration of religion in
its
parliament, public universities or courtrooms.
Merve Kavakci, who was elected to the Turkish parliament in 1999, is
living
proof of that. She was never allowed to take the oath of office or take
her
seat in the 550-member legislative body.
You see, she refused to remove the head scarf that many Muslim women
are
required to wear. She saw her headdress as her democratic right;
Turkish
leaders saw it as a religious statement and an affront to the secular
government...
-----
UTAH: PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN MUSLIM
http://www.muslim-forum.org/slamfestival.htm
WHAT: Salt Lake American Muslim - Cultural Festival - Mayor Rocky
Anderson
to open the FESTIVAL! Celebration, Entertainment & Enjoyment! Safe, low
cost entertainment for the whole family. An occasion to get to know
each
other and the Community at large! Multi-ethnic savory food - meals for
$5
or less; FREE Multi-ethnic performances and entertainment; Middle
Eastern,
Asian, African American, & European Vendors; Reasonably priced unique
ethnic items to buy
WHERE: Gallivan Center 239 S. Main Street Downtown Salt Lake City
WHEN: Sunday, Sept 7, 2003, 11am-6 pm.
INFO: Ghulam Hasnain, phone: (801) 523-8266, cell: (801) 671-6709,
Email:
ghhasnain@hotmail.com
-----
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-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/8/03
* HADITH OF THE DAY: SHELTER
* TX MUSLIM DENIED SHELTER OVER BIBLE CLASS (KSAT-TV)
* MI TEENS CHARGED WITH MURDER OF 69-YEAR-OLD MAN (WXYZ-TV)
- Teens Held in Beatings, Death (Detroit Free Press)
* LOCAL CLERIC EMBRACES ISLAM AND INDEPENDENCE (Union-Tribune)
* EDITORIAL: BARRING THE BOOK SNOOPS (Los Angeles Times0
* KY POLICE RECEIVING TRAINING IN OTHER CULTURES (WAVE-TV)
* VA. 'JIHAD' SUSPECTS: CONSPIRACY OR PIETY (Washington Post)
- Not a Terrorist, But Still Doing 9/11 Time (LA Times)
- Sami Al-Arian, Secret Evidence and a Fair Trial (NLF)
- Al-Arian And The Secret Evidence (Tampa Tribune)
* IRAQ WAR'S 20,000 WOUNDED CIVILIANS IGNORED (Reuters)
* UN RIGHTS GROUP TELLS ISRAEL STOP BUILDING FENCE (Reuters0
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: SHELTER
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recommended saying: "Praise is
due
to God Who fed us, provided us drink…and provided us with shelter,
(because) for many people there is…no one to provide shelter."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1255
---
MUSLIM WOMAN CLAIMS SHE WAS DENIED HOMELESS SHELTER
Mother Of 2 Blames Religious Beliefs For Ouster
KSAT-TV, 8/7/03
http://www.ksat.com/news/2388225/detail.html
SAN ANTONIO -- A homeless Muslim woman claimed she and her two young
children were denied shelter at the Salvation Army recently because she
refused to participate in Christian Bible classes.
Nadia Auxila told KSAT 12 News that when she and her two daughters
checked
into the Salvation Army Hope Center at 521 W. Elmira, she was told that
everyone had to attend Bible study classes.
Auxila claimed she told a Salvation Army official that attending Bible
study classes would be in direct conflict with her Muslim faith...
"They have me in my room, I had dinner there with the children," Auxila
said. "Then, there was announcement ... for everybody to come to bible
class."
Auxila claimed she then told a Salvation Army official she couldn't
attend
the Bible study.
"They said 'If you don't attend Bible study, you have to leave,'"
Auxila
said. "So, I packed up my stuff and I left…"
Auxila said she ended up seeking refuge at the Samm Shelter.
-----
TEENS CHARGED WITH MURDER OF 69-YEAR-OLD MAN
Kimberly Craig, WXYZ-TV, 8/7/03
http://www.detnow.com/news/0308071702.html
VIDEO:
http://real.scripps.com:8480/ramgen/archive/wxyz/2003/0308071702.rm
Two teenage boys accused of robbing and killing a 69-year-old Pakistani
man
on a Detroit street were charged with murder Thursday.
17-year-old murder suspect Christopher Hopkins had already been on
probation for assault, and had allegedly been able to remove his
tether.
Police now say he is the one who delivered a fatal punch to the head of
Anwar Sheikh, who had been walking home with his brother, Aslam, from
prayer service at a Detroit mosque.
Hopkins could now spend the rest of his natural life in prison.
"I never, ever expected anything from this kind of young people," Aslam
said, "and I don't know how they maintain this thing in their mind to
have
punched such a kind of old and weak people…"
Detroit homicide investigators say the 2 teenagers dressed in all black
Monday night and went looking for people to beat and rob.
The 2 teens allegedly found Anwar and Aslam walking on Carpenter Street
near the Detroit-Hamtramck border. Aslam was also struck by the
teenagers.
Even though he is a doctor, there was nothing he could do to save his
older
brother.
The Sheikh family remembers Anwar as a great father and brother. "He
was
loving and caring, kind," son Nadeem explained. "He was a sort of
shelter
to his children…"
SEE ALSO:
2 TEENS ARE HELD IN BEATINGS, DEATH
JACK KRESNAK, Detroit Free Press, 8/8/03
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/nslay8_20030808.htm
Although the case raised fears of a hate crime, police say robbery
appears
to be the motive behind an attack that left a Detroit man from Pakistan
beaten to death and his brother badly injured.
The brothers -- Muhammad Anwar Sheikh, 69, of Detroit and Muhammad
Aslam,
66, a resident of Pakistan who was visiting the area -- were walking
home
from a mosque when they were attacked about 11 p.m. Monday.
Two youths, 16 and 17, have been charged with felony murder.
Sheikh, who immigrated to the United States from Pakistan in 1989 and
became a U.S. citizen in 1996, died shortly after being beaten at
Carpenter
Avenue and Klinger Street in Detroit, near the Hamtramck border…
Both teens gave statements to police, who said they confessed to two
attacks that night involving three victims. All the victims were South
Asian men.
Sheikh's son, Muhammad Naveeb Sheikh, 38, said his father and uncle had
attended evening prayers Monday at the Masjid al-Falah mosque on
McDougall,
near the family home.
The 16-year-old suspect told police that Hopkins had convinced him
earlier
in the evening to "dress in all black" and go looking for people to
rob.
According to the police statement, the boy said they first came across
a
man in his 40s from Bangladesh.
Hopkins punched the man, who fell to the ground, but they found no
money
and fled, the juvenile told police.
Around 11 p.m., the teen told police, he and Hopkins saw "these two
guys
wearing robes" on Carpenter. The suspect told police that he struck the
man
from behind until he fell, and Hopkins punched Sheikh.
-----
LOCAL CLERIC EMBRACES ISLAM AND INDEPENDENCE
Erik Holmes, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/7/03
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20030807-9999_1c7imam.html
On a cool, pleasant evening, Imam Alseyed Mohammad Alqazwini walks
slowly
into the main meeting room at the Islamic Educational Center of San
Diego.
On a cool, pleasant evening, Imam Alseyed Mohammad Alqazwini walks
slowly
into the main meeting room at the Islamic Educational Center of San
Diego.
Alqazwini wears a long, olive-green tunic, loose pants and a black
turban.
His youthful face framed by a tidy black beard and wire spectacles, the
imam bears a striking resemblance to the Iranian ayatollahs that
Westerners
long ago learned to vilify.
After his 15-year-old son, Saleh, issues the Arabic adhan, or call to
prayer, Alqazwini takes his place at the front of the room. Smiling, he
kneels, bends over to touch his forehead to the floor and begins the 20
or
so minutes of supplication that constitute a Muslim's evening prayers.
This is a Shiite mosque, located in an unassuming strip mall on
Clairemont
Mesa Boulevard, next to a tae kwon do dojo. It serves Muslims who
follow
the Shiism tradition, one of the two major movements of Islam. Shiism
represents roughly 10 percent to 15 percent of Muslims in the world,
with
the remainder being mostly from the Sunni movement.
Alqazwini comes from a long tradition of Shiite clerics. He was born in
Karbala, Iraq, in 1963, and his father is an ayatollah, an elite class
of
Shiite religious leaders, as were his grandfather and
great-grandfather.
But what he describes as an idyllic childhood was shattered when Saddam
Hussein's Baath Party, dominated by the Sunni movement of Islam, gained
power in 1968...
-----
EDITORIAL: BARRING THE BOOK SNOOPS
Los Angeles Times, 8/8/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-patriot8aug08,1,6754057.story
In December, a St. Louis library user whispered that a Middle
Eastern-looking man using the public computers seemed suspicious. The
librarian called the FBI, but the man left before agents arrived. In an
effort to identify him, the agents asked for and got a thick stack of
papers listing everyone who had used the library's computers in the
previous week.
The FBI's visit in St. Louis became public because of a tip to the
local
paper. Only the government knows what transpired at the 50 or so other
libraries that, according to a Justice Department report in May,
federal
agents have contacted as part of terrorist hunts since Sept. 11, 2001.
Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act greatly expanded the government's
power
to demand that librarians, booksellers and video stores show agents
which
book titles any customer may have read and which movies and Web sites
he or
she may have seen. The act forbids librarians or store owners to ever
tell
that person that the FBI came calling.
No one knows how little might trigger a visit. Reading the Koran? Con
Coughlin's biography of Saddam Hussein or Bernard Lewis' histories of
the
Middle East? Maybe renting a "Nova" documentary on radioactive bombs?
The notion that reading or watching makes someone suspect is
fundamentally
at odds with America's commitment to the free flow of ideas and has
galvanized librarians, booksellers and some in Congress…
-----
POLICE RECEIVING TRAINING TO DEAL WITH OTHER CULTURES
Shannon Davidson, WAVE-TV, 8/7/03
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=1393125&nav=0RZFHLVi
(LOUISVILLE, August 7th, 2003, 2 p.m.) -- Many Louisville Metro police
officers underwent special training at the University of Louisville
Thursday to help them deal with sensitive race issues. WAVE 3's Shannon
Davidson was there.
Dozens of officers from Louisville Metro and the Sheriff's Department
attended the special videocast training, which covered aspects of
sensitively dealing with people from both Arabic and Muslim cultures.
The purpose of the training session was to help educate officers about
the
beliefs and traditions of both those communities. It covered everything
from the origin of Arabic names and words to understanding gender roles
within each culture.
There are approximately 4,000 people of Arabic descent living in
Louisville, and that number is expected to grow. That's why city
leaders
feel it's essential for officers to be able to identify hate crimes
against
Arab and Muslim citizens and also how to distinguish law abiding
citizens
from terrorist sympathizers.
Officials say it all starts with developing relationships. "We know not
to
profile," said Lt. Jeff Manning. "That's a given. But whenever you deal
with people of different descent, people from other countries, you need
to
know what triggers you don't want to push. We need to learn more about
them
so we can better serve them. And that's why, in law enforcement, we
have to
learn about each culture..."
-----
VA. 'JIHAD' SUSPECTS: U.S. SEES CONSPIRACY; THEY PROCLAIM PIETY
Mary Beth Sheridan, Caryle Murphy and Jerry Markon, Washington Post,
8/8/03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31586-2003Aug7.html
Randall "Ismail" Royer, a lanky, fair-haired Washington activist, had
just
returned from Pakistan, where he had tried to lend his American PR
savvy to
a group of Muslim insurgents fighting in the disputed Himalayan region
of
Kashmir.
His friends were fascinated by his trip. So they gathered over chicken
and
rice one summer night in Northern Virginia and pressed him for details.
Like Royer, the friends were middle-class Muslim men from the
Washington
suburbs. Three had been classmates at Prince George's Community
College.
Two were immigrants launching high-tech careers. One was a popular
local
lecturer who was pursuing a scientific doctorate.
"I'm a supporter of the Kashmiri independence movement," Royer, 30, of
Falls Church, said later in an interview, referring to the
Lashkar-i-Taiba
organization, which is fighting to end Indian control over much of
Kashmir.
"I've helped so many Muslim groups. I saw this group as not a terrorist
group. I didn't see this as inconsistent with being American."
U.S. authorities think otherwise. Last month, the government accused
Royer
and 10 other Muslim men of being part of a conspiracy to support
"violent
jihad" overseas. In the months after that June 2000 dinner, the
indictment
says, at least six of Royer's friends followed him to Pakistan, some
training with weapons at Lashkar camps there. Two fired at Indian
troops,
the indictment says.
Prosecutors have trumpeted the case as a key step in the war on
terrorism,
though the men were not accused of planning attacks against the United
States. In fact, while prosecutors have said they plan to upgrade the
charges, the men remain accused under a nearly century-old,
seldom-enforced
law forbidding Americans to carry out military expeditions against
nations
friendly with the United States. They have pleaded not guilty.
The men appear stunned to find themselves in the cross hairs of the war
on
terrorism. Many of their neighbors and friends describe them as quiet
residents who blended easily into the Washington suburbs, working at
places
such as Verizon, Home Depot and Booz Allen Hamilton and spending their
off
hours fixing cars or poring through books at Borders. They say the men
enjoyed guns and sports but also were settling down and starting
families…
SEE ALSO:
NOT A TERRORIST, BUT STILL DOING 9/11 TIME
Richard A. Serrano, Los Angeles Times, 8/8/03
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pizza8aug08,1,6317108.story
BATAVIA, N.Y. - Nearly two years after the Sept. 11 attacks, a time
when
most foreign detainees have been sent home, Ansar Mahmood is desperate
to
remain in America.
A hard worker who delivered pizzas in upstate New York, he saved his
money
and supported his family in Pakistan. Like many immigrants, he found
promise in the American dream.
But then he became one of countless Muslim immigrants picked up in a
sweeping government dragnet. His life fell apart three weeks after the
attacks, when he was suspected of being a terrorist because he had
wanted
his picture taken on a scenic Hudson Valley overlook that happened to
be
near a local water plant.
He was cleared of any terrorist intentions. But like most of the
detainees,
the government found other reasons to hold him -- he was convicted on a
felony charge of helping friends who came here illegally from Pakistan.
For
that, he was sentenced to six days in jail. So far, he has served
nearly 19
months while authorities seek to deport him.
Mahmood's plight represents a post-Sept. 11 reality in America:
Immigrants
have always faced difficulties. But now it is all the harder to chase
prosperity, even for people like Mahmood, who came here with his papers
in
order, worked 12- and 18-hour days to gain a foothold and still was
able to
send much of his money to his needy family back home.
"These days, all rules go out the window," said Sareer Fazili, a fellow
Muslim and Rochester, N.Y., attorney who heads a legal defense fund for
immigrants. "It is zero tolerance toward any Muslims, male or
female..."
---
NLF Press Release
SAMI AL-ARIAN, SECRET EVIDENCE AND A FAIR TRIAL
August 8, 2003 http://www.nationallibertyfund.org/
On August 6, a hearing was held regarding the use of secret evidence in
the
case against Sami Al-Arian, who along with co-defendants Sameeh
Hammoudeh,
Hatim Naji Fariz and Ghassan Zayed Ballut, are accused of supporting
the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The prosecution had requested that defense
attorneys not be allowed to discuss classified information with their
clients.
The classified evidence consists of over 21, 000 hours of wiretapped
telephone conversations, mostly in Arabic.
The government has provided less than 38 hours of audiotape, which
leaves
over 99% of the evidence classified. Since most of the recorded
conversations are in Arabic, it is very important that Dr. Al-Arian has
access. As an example, Dr. Al-Arian mentioned a conversation referred
to in
the indictment that was incorrectly translated.
"I was using Egyptian slang," he said. "The translator was Lebanese
[and] reached the completely opposite conclusion...There are 21 Arab
countries. There are at least 21 different slangs."
Questioning how the national interest could be harmed by letting Dr.
Al-Arian and the co-defendants listen to their own telephone
conversations,
Federal Judge James Moody said he is inclined to let defendants see
classified evidence in their case. "I mean it's their conversations,"
Moody
said. "I don't see any reason not to let them hear it." However, a
decision
on this will be delayed until the next hearing on September 12.
CONTACT: info@nationallibertyfund.org
http://www.nationallibertyfund.org/
---
AL-ARIAN AND THE SECRET EVIDENCE
Tampa Tribune, 8/8/03
http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGA7JM3B3JD.html
Sami Al-Arian and his co-defendants have asked to review the classified
evidence against them. The government doesn't want them to see it.
The evidence includes more than 21,000 hours of wiretap surveillance
tapes
of the defendants that prosecutors say should be kept from them because
they could learn about ``sources and methods'' of intelligence
gathering.
Isn't that the same sort of argument the government put forth when
prosecutors tried to ``protect'' Steve and Marlene Aisenberg by
fighting so
hard to keep their recorded conversations private? Of course we know
now
that the lawyers and investigators involved in the case of missing baby
Sabrina Aisenberg took those recorded conversations out of context or
simply made them up.
It may not be necessary for the government to reveal all the evidence
it
has against Al-Arian, but in fairness, prosecutors must reveal to him
that
evidence they plan to use to prove their case.
-----
IRAQ WAR'S 20,000 WOUNDED CIVILIANS IGNORED
Andrew Cawthorne, Reuters, 8/7/03
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters08-07-020037.asp?reg=MIDEAST
LONDON, Aug. 7 - Around 20,000 civilians were wounded in the Iraq war
and
the U.S.-British occupiers are ignoring their suffering, a research
group
said on Thursday in what it termed the first study of the conflict's
casualty toll.
"The maimed civilians of Iraq have been brushed under the carpet," the
Iraq
Body Count (IBC) said.
The Anglo-American group of academics and peace activists chided U.S.
and
British postwar administrators for failing to set up programmes for the
wounded or pay them compensation…
-----
UN RIGHTS GROUP TELLS ISRAEL STOP BUILDING FENCE
Reuters, 8/8/03
GENEVA, Aug 8 (Reuters) - The United Nations Human Rights Committee
said on
Friday Israel should halt construction of a fence around Palestinian
land,
calling it a violation of a pact on free movement of people.
In a report on two days of closed-door discussions with an Israeli
delegation last month, it also called for an end to "targeted killings"
of
Palestinian militants and to the destruction of homes where they lived.
An 18-member committee of independent experts said the fence "imposes
additional and unjustifiably severe restrictions on the right to
freedom of
movement of...Palestinians within the Occupied Territories."
"The construction of...(the fence) within the Occupied Territories
should
be stopped," it said...
The committee report, acknowledging what it called the seriousness of
Israel's security concerns, said the fence had a negative impact on all
aspects of life in the territories, especially access to health care
and water.
Because of this, the committee said it was a violation of provisions of
the
1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Israel
has
signed...
-----
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