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    Muslim American News Briefs, August 21, 2007

Opinion Editorials

News

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* Hadith: Compete with One Another in Good Deeds
* TX: 300 Turn Out for CAIR-DFW Dinner
            - CAIR-Sacramento Valley Banquet Sept. 8
* IL: Forum on Israel Lobby Cancelled (Chicago Trib)
            - MA: ADL Pressured to Recognize Genocide (Globe)
* Canada: Muslim School Targeted by Vandals
* CAIR Rep Discusses NYPD Terror Study (NPR)
* NY: Rabbi Defends Arabic Language School (AP)
            - Arab School's Supporters Boost Resigned Principal
* Incitement: Spencer VP Calls U.S. Muslims 'Permanent Threat'
            - Australia: Fury Over Talks with U.S. Anti-Islam Thinker
* The Face of Islam in America (USA Today)
            - UT: Salt Lake City Muslim Cultural Fest
* Muslim Women: My Headscarf is Not a Threat (CNN)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: COMPETE WITH ONE ANOTHER IN GOOD DEEDS - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked whether the Quranic verse, "And those who dispense their charity with their hearts full of fear (23:60)," referred to people who committed sins. He replied: "No. . .they are those who fast, pray and give voluntary charity while fearing that it may not be accepted from them. They are those who compete with one another in good deeds."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1427

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300 TURN OUT FOR CAIR-DFW DINNER - TOP

(DALLAS, TX, 8/21/O7) - More than 300 people turned out Saturday for the annual banquet of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-DFW).

Speakers at the event included Prof. John Esposito and CAIR Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed. The fundraising part of the program raised almost $100,000 to support CAIR's civil rights and advocacy work.

"As I travel around the country speaking at CAIR events, the level of grassroots support for our work never ceases to amaze me," said Ahmed. "There is a sea change occurring in American Muslim attitudes toward civic engagement and empowerment. In the face of many challenges, the optimism among American Muslims is truly heartening."

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CAIR-SACRAMENTO VALLEY BANQUET SEPT. 8 - TOP

On behalf of the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV), we have the honor of inviting you to our Fifth Annual Banquet in Sacramento, Calif. The program will be held Saturday, September 8, 2007, at the Sacramento Radisson Hotel.

What: 5th Annual CAIR-SV Banquet
When: Saturday, September 8th, 2007
Reception: 5:30 p.m. / Dinner & Program 6 p.m.
Where: Radisson Hotel, 500 Leisure Lane, Sacramento, CA 95815

This year's keynote speaker will be the widely-acclaimed constitutional scholar Professor David Cole of Georgetown University Law Center. Cole has published in various legal fields including civil rights, criminal justice, constitutional law, and law and literature. He has litigated First Amendment and other constitutional issues and contributes regularly to the media on legal issues.

How to Purchase/Reserve your tickets:

Online at: http://ca.cair.com
Via e-mail: sacval@cair.com
By Phone: (916) 441-6269
For sponsorship opportunities call (916) 441- 6269

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IL: GROUP CANCELS FORUM ON BOOK ABOUT ISRAEL LOBBY - TOP
Critics say Chicago group yielded to pressure, silenced discussion of controversial topic
Karoun Demirjian and E.A. Torriero, Chicago Tribune, 8/21/07
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-israelbook_aug21,1,6109069.story

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs' decision to cancel a forum about a controversial upcoming book on the influence of the pro-Israel lobby on U.S. foreign policy has sparked a heated debate about free speech.

"The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," a book due out in September by University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer and Harvard University professor Stephen Walt, argues that the pro-Israel lobby has had a negative effect on U.S. foreign policy.

Expanding on a previous academic article that caused uproar and protest, Mearsheimer and Walt argue that the Israel lobby -- including Jewish organizations, Christian fundamentalists and neo-conservatives -- helped, among other actions, to stop diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Syria and hampered efforts to solve the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is a non-partisan organization founded in 1922 that holds public forums on international issues such as immigration and world trade. The organization also conducts public opinion polls about foreign affairs.

The council had planned to hold a public discussion of the book in September with the two authors. But in late July, the council decided to scrap the program.

Council President Marshall Bouton, who made the decision to cancel, said he was not trying to stifle free speech nor shy away from public discussion of a controversial issue. Rather, Bouton said, he preferred that the authors appear in "an appropriate forum" balanced by an opposing viewpoint. Neither council board members who are Jewish nor pro-Israeli groups influenced his decision or pressured him, Bouton said. (MORE)

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MA: JEWISH GROUPS PRESSURE THE ADL - TOP
Urge recognition of genocide
Michael Levenson, Boston Globe, 8/21/07
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/08/21/jewish_groups_pressure_the_adl/

Local Jewish groups rushed yesterday to sign a letter urging the Anti-Defamation League to acknowledge the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide, increasing pressure on the ADL after it fired its New England director for endorsing the emotionally charged position.

Nancy K. Kaufman, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, e-mailed a letter yesterday to some 40 prominent Jewish leaders in Massachusetts, asking them to support the ousted director and to recognize the genocide against Armenians.

"We must never forget the Armenian genocide and maintain our guard against those who deny its occurrence," the letter said.

Within hours of sending the letter, Kaufman said that 11 groups had signed and that more were expected to do so shortly.

"I have never gotten such unanimous support for any position by the JCRC as I have in the last few days on this one," Kaufman said. "It doesn't matter where people are on the political spectrum -- left, right, middle -- people are really standing behind this because it strikes at the core of what it means to be a Jew and never again means never again."

Signers of the letter include the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the Russian Community Association of Massachusetts, the Hillel Council of New England, the Bureau of Jewish Education, and the David Project Center for Jewish Leadership.

Kaufman said her group, which represents 41 Jewish organizations, unanimously approved a resolution in 2005 calling the massacre an act of genocide. "We just felt we needed to be on record," Kaufman said. "We needed to be in solidarity and in support of the Armenian community locally." (MORE)

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CANADA: MUSLIM SCHOOL TARGETED BY VANDALS - TOP
Craig MacBride, Mississauga News, 8/20/07
http://www.mississauga.com/article/6061

For the second time in the past month, ISNA High School in Mississauga has been targeted by vandals.

Last night's attack on the Muslim secondary school, which came at 9:55 p.m. with about 100 people inside the building's mosque for last prayer of the day, shattered a window. Students are set to return to the South Sheridan Way school in two weeks.

According to reports, two male teens rode up to the back of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) building on bicycles and threw a foot-wide slab of concrete through a window.

"It is sad that some people are coming to this, to vandalism, especially at a religious building that relies on donations," said M.D. Khalid, chair of the ISNA Islamic School Board, which runs the private school.

The slab of concrete, which appeared to be a chunk of patio stone, was thrown through the window of the building's control room, where the facility's lights and temperature are controlled.

Peel Regional Police say they are investigating the incident.

Less than a month ago, the building was also targeted by youths on bikes. In that incident, a rock was tossed through the windshield of a car in the parking lot.

"When it's twice in the same location, it leaves the impression some people are prejudiced," Khalid said. "It's not just random."

Khalid said if it turns out that those responsible were motivated by prejudice, it's unfortunate. (MORE)

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CAIR: NYPD STUDY EXAMINES THE PATH OF HOMEGROWN TERRORISTS - TOP
Michel Martin, National Public Radio, 8/20/07
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13744324

MICHEL MARTIN, host:

I'm Michel Martin, and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News.
Coming up: how to put food on the tables of the world's poor. We have to perspectives on that.

But first, since the 9/11 attacks nearly six years ago, the government has emphasized keeping terrorists outside U.S. borders. But what about the threat from within? The New York City police department issued a report last week that tries to describe how someone might go from ordinary Joe to homegrown terrorist. They hope the information will help other departments stay ahead of potential dangers.

But the report has alarmed some Arab-American and civil rights advocates. They warned it unfairly profiles all U.S. Muslims as potential terrorists and encourages suspicion when cooperation should be the priority. We'll have that perspective later in the program. . .

MARTIN: And we've just heard from Brian Michael Jenkins of the RAND Corporation, talking about the New York City Police Department report on how someone might become a so-called homegrown terrorist. Here to offer another perspective is Muhammad Nimer. He is research director at the Council on Islamic American Relations, or CAIR. It's an advocacy group for American Muslims. And he was kind enough to join us here in our Washington studios. Mr. Nimer, thanks for speaking with us.

Dr. MUHAMMAD NIMER (Research Director, Council for American-Islamic Relations): Thank you for having me.

MARTIN: Your initial reaction to the report? I know you've read it thoroughly.

Dr. NIMER: Well this report, actually, the meat of it is taken without proper credit from one book and one CD by a former instructor at Rhodes College, defining the enemy as a jihad is fallacy, and talking about the so-called model of radicalization. That model is very well known in the sociology literature. It's how a person gets exposed and then accepts and then immerses themselves and then started acting upon the ideas of any social movement, with the...
MARTIN: So you're saying there's nothing new here?

Dr. NIMER: There's nothing new here. There's nothing new...

MARTIN: So why does the report bother you?

Dr. NIMER: It bothers me because I think it's a waste of resources. Law enforcement is not supposed to be the arbiter of academic quarrels. And to make such a big fuss about just one book, one audio tape of one person who is not really very well known in this (unintelligible) community of Islam in the West or contemporary Islamic revival is not a way to go (unintelligible).

MARTIN: Some groups have complained that they feel that this report would encourage, or is a matter of profiling. Do you share that concern?

Dr. NIMER: Absolutely, because it is peppered with references to how those individual cases, how the people, the suspects, the terrorists, how they are connected to mundane activities in the community.

MARTIN: Okay. But the report also says there is no useful profile to predict who will follow this trajectory of radicalization in part because those who end up being radicalized begin as unremarkable individuals from various walks of life. It seems to be fairly explicit in saying this is not to be used as a profile. There is no profile. Does that not allay your concern?

Dr. NIMER: Well, I think I agree with him on that. But then they don't take the argument to the fullest extent by saying, okay, so how - what do we do about it? How does then law enforcement is connected to this social process? I mean, a radical social process cannot end or change unless there is a countervailing social process that takes the community to moderation. That is what needs to be explored. And the report fails miserably in this...

MARTIN: Is your...

Dr. NIMER: ...in the sense that it's - in some cases, it refers to the whole community, the Muslim community as tolerating the existence of extremists and - which enables radicalization. It talks about very mainstream things like quitting cigarettes, like going to a Halal needs store as some of the signatures to radicalization. That is...

MARTIN: Becoming more observant.

Dr. NIMER: Exactly. That is something that a lot of Muslims would feel very offended by.
MARTIN: Well, but is your concern that the report - that if it's saying things out loud that should be perhaps discussed behind closed doors, is that partly your concern - because clearly, I think that the Muslim community also has an interest in rooting out those who would harm the country in which they live.

Dr. NIMER: Absolutely.

MARTIN: And I think that Muslim Americans have been very outspoken about their concern within their own community. So is your concern that this report exists at all, or that this report is being debated publicly in a way which you feel would lead people to have negative impressions of the entire community?

Dr. NIMER: No, I think...

MARTIN: Or that it's just useless?

Dr. NIMER: I think this report is stopped short of saying things that are of practical use to the law enforcement community. And that is the major problem with it. Brian Jenkins' read on the report actually and the post reading of the report kind of spins the report in a different way that doesn't seem to be squaring with the - what the original writer - author's did.

MARTIN: Okay. Wait a minute, Mr. Nimer, we only have a couple of seconds left, and I apologize because this is a very important discussion. But what do you think would be helpful?

Dr. NIMER: It would be helpful to try to reach out to the mainstream Muslim community. It would be helpful to recognize that criticizing U.S. government is not a signature of radicalization. Sympathizing with the plight of oppressed Muslims overseas is not a signature to radicalization. When you talk about Islamophobia and anti-Americans in a balanced fashion, when you ask the community to cooperate with the police in a very open-minded fashion, that that is what helps us go through this process.

MARTIN: All right. Mr. Mohammed Nimer is research director at the Council of Islamic-American Relations. It's an advocacy group for Muslim Americans. He's also author of the book, "Islamophobia and Anti-Americanism: Causes and Remedies." He was kind enough to join us here in our studios in Washington. Mr. Nimer, thanks so much for speaking with us.

Dr. NIMER: Thank you.

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NY: U.S. RABBI DEFENDS N.Y. ARAB SCHOOL DESPITE CHARGES IT WILL BE ANTI-ISRAEL - TOP
Associated Press, 8/21/07
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/895796.html

U.S. Rabbi Michael Feinberg defended a planned Arab school in New York on Monday, despite charges by a state legislator that the school could teach anti-Israeli extremism.

Addressing a rally in front of the New York Department of Education, Rabbi Feinberg called on elected officials to come forward in support of the Khalil Gibran International Academy, which is scheduled to open on September 4.

Rabbi Feinberg called the virulent Internet campaign against the school "the lowest of McCarthyite tactics." State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, however, slammed the school as a breeding ground for extremism.

"It will not, as suggested, be a hope for peace; it is a blueprint for anti-Israel and anti-U.S. extremism," Hikind said, adding that the school has been endorsed by radical groups.

Education Department officials have said religion will not be taught at the school, which will focus instead on Arabic language and Arab culture. Schools that specialize in a specific topic or culture are common in New York.

"Unless we all send a clear message that racist comments associating Arabic language and culture with terrorism will not be tolerated, we will continue to hear them again and again," the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee and other community groups said Monday in a statement.

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ARAB SCHOOL'S SUPPORTERS BOOST RESIGNED PRINCIPAL - TOP
Yoav Gonen, New York Post, 8/21/07
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08212007/news/regionalnews/rallying_cry.htm

Dozens of supporters of the controversial Arabic-themed public school slated to open in Brooklyn next month rallied last night to support its recently resigned principal.

Organizers of the protest at Department of Education headquarters in lower Manhattan included members of the group that sells the "Intifada NYC" T-shirts that were initially defended by Khalil Gibran International Academy's former principal, Debbie Almontaser.

The flap over the shirts caused Almontaser - a devout Muslim and fluent Arabic speaker - to resign under fire.

"I thought this was not just an attack on her as an Arab, as a Muslim, but this was an attack on our community as a whole," said Sara Said Alkhulaidi, 21, whose brother will attend the school.

Deborah Howard, whose daughter attended a school where Almontaser once taught, said, "Anyone who says that Debbie is anything other than a woman of peace has never met Debbie."

Mona Eldahry, of Arab Women Active in Art and Media, which sold the shirts, said, "We look forward to the day when our public officials condemn the racism that has created this situation, rather than affirming it."

Rabbi Michael Feinberg, who supports the school, said the campaign against it is "the lowest of McCarthyite tactics." (MORE)

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INCITEMENT: ROBERT SPENCER VP CALLS U.S. MUSLIMS 'PERMANENT THREAT' - TOP
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/017833.php#c438805

QUESTIONS FOR ROBERT SPENCER:

1. How does Jihad Watch's portrayal of Islam and Muslims as a "permanent threat" in the West differ from the classic anti-Semitism of Nazi Germany in the 1930s?

2. Is it "Jihad Watch" or "Der Stürmer"?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Sturmer

Robert Spencer's board vice president, the mysterious "Hugh Fitzgerald" wrote:

Millions of Muslim migrants, now settled in Western Europe and even, to a thankfully much lesser degree, in North America. They give no signs of abandoning their loyalty to Islam and no signs of any permanent acceptance of the principles on which the Infidel nation-states in which they have been permitted to settle are built. They give no signs, en masse, of truly integating [sic] into a world which, of course, since every political, intellectual and moral principle of that world is flatly contradicted by Islam, of course they would not. Only a handful, who essentially abandon Islam (even if they pretend they have not, often calling themselves "cultural Muslims" by which they mean little more than a fond memory of certain kinds of cooking), can be intelligently integrated into Western societies. The rest remain a permanent source of disruption, misinformation, threat, and of course potential menace.

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FURY OVER TALKS WITH ANTI-ISLAM THINKER - TOP
Richard Kerbaj, The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,22286266-2702,00.html

MODERATE Islamic leaders have attacked Howard Government ministers for meeting anti-Muslim thinker Wafa Sultan, accusing Attorney-General Philip Ruddock and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer of endorsing her view that Islam is evil.

The nation's most senior spiritual Muslim woman, Aziza Abdel-Halim, yesterday also accused the Government of double standards for barring radical Islamic clerics while allowing an equally "dangerous" thinker such as Dr Sultan to stage a secret visit.

"It's very disappointing and very shocking, really," Sister Abdel-Halim told The Australian. "Because on the one hand they claim to be trying to give a chance to the Muslim community to overcome any negative ideas or thoughts among people, and on the other hand, they are promoting people who are agitating and accomplishing division and igniting hatred."

She criticised Julia Gillard for meeting the US-based Dr Sultan, saying the private discussion -- which the Deputy Opposition Leader refused to comment on yesterday -- would reflect negatively on the ALP, which is trying to build bridges with Australia's Islamic community. (MORE)

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THE FACE OF ISLAM IN AMERICA - TOP
Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY, 8/20/07
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-08-20-mattson-islam_N.htm

Ingrid Mattson knows the media drill well.

She has done the "We condemn … (fill in the terrorism incident)" speeches - as if, she says, that's all anyone needs to hear from the president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

She has done the profiles of her as first woman/first convert/first North American-born head of the continent's largest Muslim group.

She has done the talk shows retelling how 20 years ago, she left the Catholicism of her Canadian childhood and her college focus on philosophy and fine arts to find her spiritual home in Islam.

"It's time now to move the focus back off me and back on the issues," says Mattson, a professor at Hartford Seminary, where she directs the first U.S.-accredited Muslim chaplaincy program at the Macdonald Center.

Mattson begins the second half of her two-year term at the society's Labor Day weekend national conference outside Chicago. The annual event draws 40,000 Muslims of every sect, culture, age, race and ethnicity for scores of sessions on faith, family and society and a massive multicultural bazaar.

But two weeks before the conference, sitting with two women in her tiny, book-stuffed office, Mattson has a moment to kick off her shoes. She sheds the long brown jacket stifling her tailored blue blouse, leans back and talks about her vision of American Muslim life and her visiting friend, Heba.

Heba Abbasi, 31, a faithful young Muslim in her snug black headscarf, is a Chicago inner-city public school teacher, a fitness trainer, a Palestinian-American wife with an equally observant mosque-going Indian-American husband. Both are also triathletes training for an event. (MORE)

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UT: MUSLIM CULTURAL FEST SET AT SALT LAKE'S WASHINGTON SQUARE - TOP
Deborah Bulkeley, Deseret Morning News, 8/21/07
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695202764,00.html

Showcasing Utah's diverse cultures will take center stage this weekend at the Salt Lake American Muslim Cultural Festival, which organizers hope will attract Utahns of all stripes.

From Japanese Taiko drummers to Irish dances, the festival is designed to bring Utah's diverse cultures together, says organizer Ghulam Hasnain.

"The unmistakable theme for the event is mutual understanding," Hasnain says. "It's more than just feel-good. It's getting to know each other better."

Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon will join ethnic and political leaders in kicking off the festival 3 p.m. Saturday at Washington Square, 451 S. 200 East. Vendor booths open at noon, and entertainment starts at 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

In addition to multi-ethnic performing artists, food and children's activities, there also will be educational events at the Salt Lake City Library Auditorium on Saturday, including a 10 a.m. free screening of the film "The Message," about the origins of Islam.

At 1:30 p.m., there will be a presentation by Alice Rothchild, author of "Broken Promises, Broken Dreams: Stories of Jewish and Palestinian Trauma and Resilience." Rothchild, a Jewish-American physician, co-organized the Jewish Voice for Peace Health and Human Rights Project. (MORE)

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MUSLIM WOMEN: MY HEADSCARF IS NOT A THREAT - TOP
Study: Majority of American Muslims worried hijabs could lead to discrimination
Brian Rokus, CNN, 8/21/07
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/08/21/hijab.godswarriors/#cnnSTCText

(CNN) -- Last year at Christmastime, Rehan Seyam, a Muslim living in New Jersey, went to pick up some things at a local Wal-Mart. Seeing her distinctive traditional Muslim head covering called a "hijab," a man in the store, addressing her directly, sang "The 12 Days of Christmas" using insulting lyrics about terrorism and Osama bin Laden.

She was stunned.

"Do I look like a terrorist to you?" Seyam said she asked the man.

According to Seyam, the man replied, "What else does a terrorist look like?"

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Council on American-Islamic Relations
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Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

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