www.ccun.org

    Muslim American News Briefs, August 21, 2007

Opinion Editorials

News

News Photos

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/20/07

* Hadith: God Has 99 Names
* CAIR-MD/VA: 6-Year-Old Muslim Boy Denied Entry to U.S.
            - U.S. Stops UK Muslim Boy Over Terror Suspicions
* 500 Turn Out for CAIR-Orlando Banquet
* Incitement: Brigitte Gabriel Says Arabs 'Have No Souls'
* DC: Catholic Leader to Discuss 'Allah/God' Controversy
* NJ: Diverse Muslim Groups Join Community Fair (Herald News)
* CAIR-MI: Racial Profiling Discussed at City Council Meeting
            - CAIR: Religious Leader Should Not Advocate Violence
* NY: Arab Principal Was a Casualty of Fear (NY Daily News)
* IL: Chicago Mosque Vandalized (Chicago Trib)
* CA: Mosque Open Houses Focus on 'Building Bridges' (Press-Ent)
            - ND: Don't Rely on Hate Literature to Learn About Islam
* Labs Explore Health Effects of Ramadan (Globe)
* Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain (PBS)
            - Muslim Character Featured in New CW Sitcom

-----

HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD HAS 99 NAMES - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God Most High has 99 names. He who retains them in his memory will enter Paradise. He is Allah, other than whom there is no god, the Compassionate, the Merciful, the King, the Holy, the Source of Peace, the Preserver of Security, the Protector, the Mighty, the Overpowering, the Great in Majesty, the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner, the Forgiver, the Dominant, the Bestower, the Provider, the Decider, the Knower, the Withholder, the Plentiful Giver, the Abaser, the Exalter, the Honorer, the Humiliator, the Hearer, the Seer, the Judge, the Just, the Gracious, the Informed, the Clement, the Incomparably Great, the Forgiving, the Rewarder, the Most High, the Most Great, the Preserver, the Sustainer, the Reckoner, the Majestic, the Generous, the Watcher, the Answerer, the Liberal, the Wise, the Loving, the Glorious, the Raiser, the Witness, the Real, the Trustee, the Strong, the Firm, the Patron, the Praiseworthy, the All-Knowing, the Originator, the Restorer to Life, the Giver of Life, the Giver of Death, the Living, the Eternal, the Self-sufficient, the Grand, the One, the Single, He to Whom Men Repair, the Powerful, the Prevailing, the Advancer, the Delayer, the First, the Last, the Outward, the Inward, the Governor, the Sublime, the Amply Beneficent, the Accepter of Repentance, the Avenger, the Pardoner, the Kindly, the Ruler of the Kingdom, the Lord of Majesty and Splendor, the Equitable, the Gatherer, the Independent, the Enricher, the Depriver, the Harmer, the Benefactor, the Light, the Guide, the First Cause, the Enduring, the Inheritor, the Director, the Patient."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 724

-----

CAIR: 6-YEAR-OLD MUSLIM BOY DENIED ENTRY TO U.S. - TOP
WRC-TV, 8/20/07
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20360561/from/ET/

[CONTACT: CAIR-MD/VA Civil Rights Manager Morris Days, Tel: 703-689-3100, 703-599-6492]

WOODBRIDGE, Va. - A 6-year-old Muslim boy is at the center of an international immigration fight. Moroccan-born Mustapha Zindinne came to the United States in 2001 and became a U.S. citizen last year. His wife joined him in Woodbridge six months ago as a permanent resident. The couple expected their son would soon follow.

"I am trying to get better life for my wife and my son," Mustapha Zindinne said. "I am missing my son."

The couple told News4's Michael Flynn that bureaucratic red tape is keeping their 6-year-old son from joining them. The couple's attorney, Morris Days with the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Herndon, suspects the delay might be that the boy's name, Youssaf Zindinne, is similar to one on a U.S. security watch list.

"Because there's a name that looks similar you're not taking into consideration the age of the child," Days said. "How could he be a terrorist?" (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

SEVEN-YEAR-OLD MUSLIM BOY STOPPED IN US THREE TIMES ON SUSPICION OF BEING A TERRORIST - TOP
Evening Standard, 8/20/07

For seven-year-old Javaid Iqbal, the holiday to Florida was a dream trip to reward him for doing well at school.

But he was left in tears after he was stopped repeatedly at airports on suspicion of being a terrorist.

The security alerts were triggered because Javaid shares his name with a Pakistani man deported from the US, prompting staff at three airports to question his family about his identity.

The family even missed their flight home from the U.S. after officials cancelled their tickets in the confusion. And Javaid's passport now contains a sticker saying he has undergone highlevel security checks.

The ordeal began in Manchester when Naushaba Nadeem, a doctor, and her children Sana and Fareeha, both nine, Javaid and five-year-old Iftikhar, tried to board a flight to Orlando.

Dr Nadeem, 35, said: "When we arrived at the front counter to check in at Manchester Airport, staff said there was a security block on Javaid's name.

"I understand and agree security checks are important but he is only seven and a half years old. (MORE)

-----

CAIR-ORLANDO THIRD ANNUAL BANQUET A SUCCESS - TOP

(ORLANDO, 8/20/2007) - A sold-out audience of more than 500 people turned out Saturday for CAIR-Orlando's annual fundraising dinner at the Orange County Convention Center. Special guests included Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson, author of "Islam and the Black American," Imam Siraj Wahaj, and Comedian Daniel Nainan, as well as interfaith and community leaders. The event raised $160,000 to help carry out CAIR's mission of promoting justice and mutual understanding.

-----

INCITEMENT: BRIGITTE GABRIEL SAYS ARABS 'HAVE NO SOULS' - TOP
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2007/7/27/22357/2657/Front_Page/McCain_and

_Lieberman_Frolic_At_CUFI_s_Festival_Of_Hate

Brigitte Gabriel at the second annual "Christians United For Israel" conference, held at the Marriott Wardman hotel in Washington, D.C., on the 16th through the 18th of July 2007:

"The difference, my friends, between Israel and the Arab world is the difference between civilization and barbarism. It's the difference between good and evil [applause].... this is what we're witnessing in the Arabic world, They have no SOUL!, they are dead set on killing and destruction. And in the name of something they call "Allah" which is very different from the God we believe. . .[applause] because our God is the God of love." - Bridgette Gabriel, CUFI 2007

-----

DC: CATHOLIC LEADER TO DISCUSS 'ALLAH/-GOD' CONTROVERSY - TOP

WHAT: American Muslim-Catholic Dialogue: A Model for Communal Understanding

Part of the event will include discussion of the recent controversy over a Dutch bishop's call to have Christians refer to God as "Allah."

SEE: Roman Catholic Bishop Wants Everyone to Call God 'Allah'

WHO:

* Rev. Francis Tiso, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Secretariat for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs

* Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Chairman, Fiqh Council of North America, Director of the Islamic Center of Orange County, California

WHY: For more than a decade, American Muslims and Catholics have engaged in substantive exchanges. Father Francis Tiso and Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi will share analysis and forward thinking about the meaning of the dialogue for the two religious communities and for American society as a whole.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 21, 2007, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
WHERE: CAIR's Capitol Hill Headquarters, 453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C.

RSVP: Seating is limited and reservations are required. Please RSVP via email to events@cair.com or call 202-742-6409

Refreshments will be served.

-----

NJ: ONE TENT FOR ALL MUSLIMS - TOP
Tom Meagher, Herald News, 8/20/07

In most cases in recent years, when a community event for Muslims happened, it would be held by Arabs for Arabs. Or by Pakistanis for Pakistanis. Or by African-Americans for African-Americans. And rarely did the groups mingle.

So a group of progressive mosques and Islamic centers in Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties took a chance to try to create a fun activity to bring Muslims of all stripes together to socialize.

Hundreds of North Jersey Muslims -- many of whom started their journeys to America across the globe -- gathered at the Muslim Community Fair on Sunday afternoon to meet others who share their Islamic faith, if not their cultures or nationalities.

"In the U.S., you work with everybody. Why don't we do that in our community?" said Siraj Hasan, spokesman for the fair. "(We want to) open our minds to thinking in broader terms."

Children clambered through gargantuan, inflatable playgrounds and moon bounces set up in Votee Park as adults warmed up to play a game of cricket. Toddlers cooed at the sheep and goats and birds of the petting zoo as vendors prepared food.

Yousef Abdallah, the operations manager for the local chapter of Islamic Relief in Totowa, said the nine mosques that joined with the Eid Committee of New Jersey to organize the fair wanted to bring all Muslims together.

"Culture sometimes becomes a barrier if we don't deal with it," Abdallah said. "We're hoping today to break this obstacle, to let people get together. Hopefully that will bring them closer."

In addition to all of the magic shows, face painting and henna tattoos, the fair also offered its attendees organized prayers and a recitation of verses from the Quran. (MORE)

-----

CAIR-MI: RACIAL PROFILING ORDINANCE DISCUSSED AT CITY COUNCIL MEETING - TOP
Hamtramck Star, 8/18/07
http://hamtramckstar.com/index.php/2007/08/18/city_council_8_14_07

Dawud Walid of CAIR said his organization feels that police should not ask questions about immigration status based on ethnic and religious attire. Immigrants are less likely to call the police. Visitors to Hamtramck are effected as well as residents. It is the responsibility of the federal government to enforce immigration law. Local police agencies should protect legal immigrants and encourage reporting.

Juan Escareno of MOSES is just learning about Hamtramck and has come to respect councilmembers he has met with and the mayor. Hamtramck is diverse and welcoming to immigrants, and the bias-based policing ordinance would reinforce what the city is already doing by ensuring repercussions for the violation of the constitutional rights of minorities. Hamtramck is on the verge of being the second to pass an ordinance of this type. Other ordinances are more narrow. Profiling effects all of us.

Bill Meyer, chairman of the Human Relations Commission, hoped the council researched the ordinance ahead. He urged the council to pursue the bias-based policing ordinance.

Nadia El-Zein of ACCESS said immigrants have the right to feel safe and many do not report crimes.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: AUTHORITIES SHOULD NOT ADVOCATE VIOLENCE - TOP
Columbus Dispatch, 8/20/07
http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/editorials/stories/2007/08/20/

Ahmad_Al-Akhras_MON_ART_08-20-07_A8_GP7KT7C.html

This is in reference to Marsha Hurwitz's letter last Monday, "Some Muslims don't renounce all attacks." Hurwitz suggested that her hope is shattered in regard to some statements about suicide bombings.

In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu indicated that the correct response to rocket attacks on the border town of Sderot is the collective punishment of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. He said: "There was absolutely no moral prohibition against the indiscriminate killing of civilians during a potential massive military offensive on Gaza aimed at stopping the rocket launchings.

"According to Jewish war ethics, an entire city holds collective responsibility for the immoral behavior of individuals. In Gaza, the entire populace is responsible because they do nothing to stop the firing of Kassam rockets."

His letter, published in Olam Katan, a weekly pamphlet to be distributed in synagogues nationwide, cited the biblical story of the Shechem massacre (Genesis 34) and Maimonides' commentary (Laws of Kings 9, 14) on the story as proof texts for his legal decision.

Eliyahu's son, Shmuel Eliyahu, who is chief rabbi of Safed, said: "If they don't stop after we kill 100, then we must kill a thousand, and if they do not stop after 1,000, then we must kill 10,000. If they still don't stop, we must kill 100,000, even a million. Whatever it takes to make them stop."

I checked the comments on the article. One commenter, responding to another, said: "Idiot, God gave Israel all the land between the Euphrates and the Nile. The sons of Ishmael are murderers." Another said: "People forget Israel is God's chosen people, and God is a God of war. Enemies of Israel can never win. They are evil incarnate. Who shall take down the enemies? Certainly not Bush."

I guess such sentiments go on both sides. The thing is that when it comes from the highest moral and religious authority, then we have a major problem.

AHMAD AL-AKHRAS
National vice chairman, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Columbus

-----

NY: THEY SCAPEGOATED HER - TOP
Arab principal was a casualty of fear
Mona Eltahawy, New York Daily News, 8/20/07
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/08/20/2007-08-20_

they_scapegoated_her.html

What's Arabic for "witch hunt"?

In any language, a witch hunt is what led Debbie Almontaser to step down as principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy. Due to open in Brooklyn this fall, it will be New York City's first Arabic-themed public school.

The city was right to approve the school in the first place, but dead wrong not to offer it and Almontaser a robust, unapologetic defense in the face of fearmongering. Instead, a tempest in a teapot forced a qualified candidate out of her job - and what we got from Chancellor Joel Klein, Mayor Bloomberg and others was just damage control.

Moreover, the naming of Danielle Salzberg, a non-Arabic speaker, as Almontaser's interim replacement was a serious mistake. Salzberg may be a fine educator, but an Arabic-themed school deserves a principal familiar with the language and culture it will teach.

The least the city can do now is name an Arab-American educator to lead Gibran Academy in time for the start of the new school year. And we must ask why we let such a shameful smear campaign - one that now continues, with plans to claim the school itself as a casualty - go unchecked.

Officially, Almontaser resigned this month in the wake of a furor over the fact that she didn't condemn the word "intifadeh" on a T-shirt. But Almontaser didn't defend Palestinian violence against Israelis, as her critics claim. She simply tried to offer a wider context for a word most Americans associate only with terrorist violence.

That's called education; but because she is an Arab and a Muslim, her statements were subject to greater scrutiny and suspicion.

Critics had targeted Almontaser for months - maliciously calling the school a "madrassah," and combing through her past for signs of transgressions. You can be sure that if it hadn't been the T-shirts - which had nothing to do with Almontaser or her school - it would have been something else. (MORE)

-----

IL: NORTH SIDE MOSQUE VANDALIZED - TOP
Dan P. Blake, Chicago Tribune, 8/20/07
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-web_mosqueaug21,0,7915051.story

Chicago police this morning are questioning two teenagers who were arrested overnight inside a vandalized mosque on the North Side.

A witness who called 911 saw the two boys, 16 and 17, enter the Jame Masjid in the 6300 block of North Maplewood Avenue around 12:45 a.m. and later saw that one of the mosque's windows had been forced open, said Rogers Park District Lt. Ken Barnas.

Police officers found damage to the interior of the mosque, including spray-painted graffiti on the walls, according to Barnas.

The two teens were found hiding beneath a stairwell. Neither had been charged as of this morning, but Barnas said the case is being handled as a burglary by Belmont Area detectives.

He said the graffiti appears to be related to gang activity, and police don't think it was specifically anti-Muslim.

"The mosque leaders are going to come in and see if anything is missing," Barnas said.

He said one of the boys is from Rogers Park and the other resides in the south suburbs.

-----

CA: OPEN HOUSES AT INLAND MOSQUES FOCUS ON 'BUILDING BRIDGES' - TOP
David Olson, Press-Enterprise, 8/19/07
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_H_mosque20.3dbe093.html

Donna and Larry Teeter stopped by the Islamic Center of Corona on the way home from church on Sunday.

The Corona couple had never been inside a mosque and wanted to find out more about the traditions of Islam.

"It's learning about your neighbors," Donna Teeter, 53, said after mosque members gave the couple a tour of the Islamic center and explained teachings of the Quran. "I think this helps people understand each other. They don't have to be afraid of other people."

The Islamic Center of Corona and the Islamic Center of the Temecula Valley were among 13 mosques in Southern California that held open houses on Sunday. The fifth annual "open mosque day" was sponsored by the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, an umbrella organization of mosques and Muslim organizations.

Kalim Farooki, a board member of the council, said the event aims to introduce area residents to Islam and counter negative stereotypes of Islam as a violent religion.

"People can see that the teachings of the Quran are nonviolence, the sanctity of life, the importance of family, respect for elders and the value of the environment, of all creation," Farooki said.

Salman Aqueel, a member of the Corona mosque who is active with two groups that educate people about Islam, told the Teeters that Christianity, Judaism and Islam share many beliefs. Jesus, Moses, Isaac, Noah, Jacob and Abraham are Muslim prophets, he told the Teeters, who are members of the First Congregational Church in Corona.

"This is about building bridges," Aqueel said. "There are a lot of misconceptions out there."

John and Celeste Preble brought their two children -- Jacob, 13, and Lauren, 7 -- to the Temecula mosque to help ensure that they grow up knowing about the face of mainstream Islam, not just the extremist version that gets the most media coverage. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ND: DON'T RELY ON HATE LITERATURE TO REVEAL THE TRUTHS OF ISLAM - TOP
Syed Sajid Ahmad, In-Forum, 8/20/07
http://www.in-forum.com/Opinion/articles/175622

Desiree Morton (Letters, Forum, Aug. 4) quoted Quran, the holy book of Islam, out of historical and textual context. Out of the three verses quoted by her, the first one has the wrong reference. The next two are from Chapter 9 but have been given out of context.

This chapter of the Holy Quran starts with the mention of the idolaters who persecuted the early Muslims while they were in Mecca. The idolaters murdered Muslims, evicted the Muslims from their homes and confiscated the properties of the Muslims. When Muslims migrated to Abyssinia to flee from their persecution, the idolaters followed the Muslims to Abyssinia to demand the return of Muslims back to idolaters.

It was the just Christian ruler of Abyssinia who refused to give the Muslims up to the idolaters after listening to both sides. When finally, after 13 years of severe persecution, torture and murder, the Muslims found safety in Medina, the idolaters went all the way to Medina and attacked the town to finish the Muslims.

After the defeat of the idolaters by Muslims at Medina, the idolaters attacked Medina again the next year to take the revenge of their defeat. After the speedy spread of Islam, when Muslims had gained strength, the Muslims had every right to avenge the cruelties and murders committed against them, but rather the Muslims were asked to let the idolaters go unharmed if the idolaters gave up persecution of Muslims and made peace.

The verses quoted by Morton ask the Muslims to fight the idolaters bravely only in the case when the idolaters do not make peace and continue their campaign against the Muslims. Morton has neglected the content of the verses right before and after the verse she has quoted. Here are the verses right before and after the verse 5 quoted by her:

"Excepting those of the idolaters with whom you have entered into a treaty and who have not subsequently failed you in anything nor aided anyone against you. So fulfill to these the treaty you have made with them till their term. Surely, Allah loves those who are righteous (9:4)." (MORE)

-----

LABS EXPLORE HEALTH EFFECTS OF RAMADAN - TOP
Emily Anthes, Boston Globe, 8/20/07
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/health_science/articles/2007/08/

20/labs_explore_health_effects_of_ramadan/

Next month, observers of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan will fast daily between sunrise and sunset, and feast thereafter, while scientists in a handful of labs around the world will examine what's happening inside their bodies.

Ramadan, it turns out, has become a useful phenomenon for researchers studying circadian rhythms - and what happens to the body when they are disrupted.

During Ramadan, Muslims eat and get more active just when their bodies are used to winding down, creating sleep disruptions, hormonal changes, and sometimes mood impacts.

"Their biological clocks are no longer in harmony with their watches," said Yvan Touitou, a chronobiologist at Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris. "Ramadan is capable of desynchronizing people."

Touitou's research has illustrated that Ramadan can alter the usual circadian patterns of cortisol, a stress hormone, and testosterone, with sharper decreases of these hormones in the morning and later rises at night - though the impact of these rhythm disruptions is unclear.

The holiday also changes the schedule of the release of leptin, a hormone that regulates appetite and weight, and decreases the peak levels of melatonin, a hormone released at night to induce sleep.

Interestingly, despite the disruption in leptin and in daily eating patterns, Ramadan rarely causes significant changes in body weight.

Investigating why this is the case could yield useful insights into human energy metabolism, said Tom Reilly, a sports scientist at Liverpool John Moores University in England who has studied circadian rhythms and Ramadan. (MORE)

-----

Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain - top

Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain, broadcasting Wednesday, August 22, at 9 p.m. on PBS (check your television listings as local times may vary).

SEE ALSO:

'ALIENS IN AMERICA' TO PREMIER ON OCTOBER 1 - TOP
http://www.cwtv.com/shows/aliens-in-america/episodes

Justin Tolchuck (Dan Byrd, "The Hills Have Eyes") is a sensitive, lanky 16-year old just trying to make it through the social nightmare of high school in Medora, Wisconsin, with the help of his well-meaning mom Franny (Amy Pietz, "Caroline in the City"), aspiring-entrepreneur dad Gary (Scott Patterson, "Gilmore Girls") and his beautiful and popular younger sister Claire (Lindsey Shaw, "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide").

Although he's bright and funny, Justin is also shy, socially awkward and pretty much resigned to the fact that he'll never be one of the cool kids. Franny, however, is the kind of take-charge mom who micro-manages her family, and she's come up with a plan to help Justin: she signs up for the school's international exchange student program. Picturing an athletic, brilliant Nordic teen, Franny is sure this new friendship will bestow instant coolness on her outsider son. However, when the Tolchuck's exchange student arrives, he turns out to be Raja Musharaff (Adhir Kalyan, "Fair City"), a 16-year-old Muslim from a small village in Pakistan. Raja is thoughtful, responsible and wise beyond his years. To the Tolchucks and everyone else in Medora, he's also just about as foreign as a foreigner can be.

-----

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

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent ccun.org.

editor@ccun.org