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    Muslim American News Briefs, August 28, 2007

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AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/27/07

* Hadith: A Traveler's Prayer
* CAIR Travel Advisory on TSA and Hijab
* CAIR-MO: Muslims Denounce Terrorism (Post-Dispatch)
            - CAIR-WA: Seattle Muslims 'Sharing Ramadan' Event
* FL Letter: 'Thank God' for Groups Like CAIR (Orlando Sent)
            - FL: Commissioner, Imam Meet Cordially (Orlando Sent)
* CAIR-WA: Release of Ferry Photos Raises 'Fear Factor' (NYT)
* CAIR-CA Hosts Youth Leadership Conference at State Capitol
* CT: Islam Is Not the Enemy (Hartford Courant)
            - UT: Myriad Ethnic Groups Participate at Muslim Fest
* VA: Candidates Seek Support from Muslim Community
* Spike Seen in Displaced Iraqis Despite U.S. Buildup (AP)
            - NATO Sacks Two Women for Muslim Marriage
            - Israel, AIPAC Won't Parry Walt-Mearsheimer Book
            - Swedish Cartoon Shows Muhammad on Dog's Body
            - Austrian Governor to Ban Mosque-Building (Reuters)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: A TRAVELER'S PRAYER - TOP

When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) began a journey, he would often say: "O God, we ask of Thee, in this journey of ours, righteousness and piety, and to (be able to) perform such deeds that are pleasing to You."

Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 2, Number 119B

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CAIR TRAVEL ADVISORY ON TSA AND HIJAB - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/27/07) - The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently changed its policy regarding searches of travelers wearing head coverings such as Islamic scarves or Sikh turbans.

CAIR is urging airline passengers of all faiths to educate themselves about their legal rights.

SEE: Know Your Legal Rights as an Airline Passenger (CAIR)
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=knowYourRightsPocketGuide#8

If you believe you have been singled out solely based on your race, religion or ethnicity, contact CAIR at 202-488-8787, or file a report online at www.cair.com

CAIR is a signatory to a Sikh Coalition petition to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff on the issue of religious profiling.

SEE: Stop Religious Profiling in US Airports
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1607/t/380/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=304

The TSA statement on concerns about the civil liberties implications of the new policy says:

"On August 4th 2007, TSA implemented revisions to its screening procedures for head coverings. TSA does not conduct ethnic or religious profiling, and employs multiple checks and balances to ensure profiling does not happen.

"All members of the traveling public are permitted to wear head coverings (whether religious or not) through the security checkpoints. The new standard procedures subject all persons wearing head coverings to the possibility of additional security screening, which may include a pat-down search of the head covering. Individuals may be referred for additional screening if the TSO cannot reasonably determine that the head area is free of a detectable threat item. If the issue cannot be resolved through a pat-down search, the individual will be offered the opportunity to remove the head covering in a private screening area.

"TSA's security procedures, including the procedures for screening head coverings, are designed to ensure the security of the traveling public. These procedures are part of TSA's multi-layered approach to security screening."

SEE: TSA Releases Statement on New Airport Screening Procedures
http://www.sikhcoalition.org/advisories/NewTSARules.htm

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CAIR-MO: AREA MUSLIMS DENOUNCE TERRORISM - TOP
Tim Townsend, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/27/07
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/

FAD0EFFD115DF65186257344000F074C?OpenDocument

The two worlds that some 200 St. Louis Muslims had come to discuss Sunday evening were on display even in the midst of a discussion about how to maintain faith as a Muslim while becoming part of the American fabric and convincing non-Muslim neighbors that Islam itself has nothing to do with terrorism.

Melissa Matos, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' St. Louis chapter urged the crowd to be more vocal in denouncing terrorism. Meanwhile, moms in traditional Muslim head-covering herded young sons carrying baseball gloves, who wanted only to leave the adults to their conversation and go outside the mosque for a traditional game of catch.

Matos said Muslims needed to communicate better with their neighbors. "Muslims are an integral part of American life and this is our home," she said. "So why does this misunderstanding exist? It is because extremists are yelling while we are whispering, brothers and sisters, and no one can hear us."

The rally at the Daar-ul-Islam mosque in west St. Louis County kicked off the "Muslim Visibility Campaign" being organized by local Muslim leaders. Organizers handed out stickers with the campaign's logo: an olive-branch-carrying dove in front of an American flag, with the words "Muslims Denounce Terrorism" above and "Terrorism has no religion" below the dove.

"Be loud," Matos said. "Islam does not encourage hate or terrorism against civilians. Islam stands for justice and peace, and we must be the ones to carry that message, because no one else will." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

SEATTLE MUSLIMS TO HOLD 'SHARING RAMADAN' EVENT - TOP
People of all faiths invited for dinner celebrating Ramadan

(SEATTLE, WA, 8/27/07) - On Wednesday, September 19, members of the local Muslim community will reach out to their neighbors of all faiths by hosting a traditional Ramadan iftar, or fast-breaking dinner, at the Islamic School of Seattle.

"As more than one billion Muslims worldwide celebrate Ramadan by fasting and appreciating the blessings given to us, it is important for the American Muslim community to reach out to our neighbors as an example of true Islamic ideals," said CAIR-WA Project Manager Naheel Fataftah. "We are here to show our friends and neighbors that American Muslims will continue to be contributing members of our society."

Ramadan is the month, on the Islamic lunar calendar, during which Muslims abstain from food, drink and other sensual pleasures from break of dawn to sunset. The fast is performed to learn discipline, self-restraint and generosity, while obeying God's commandments.

Fasting (along with the declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity, and pilgrimage to Mecca) is one of the "five pillars" of Islam. The end of Ramadan will be marked by communal prayers on the day called "Eid ul-Fitr," or Feast of the Fast-Braking, on October 12th, 2007. (Because Ramadan is a lunar month, the actual date is governed by the actual sighting of the new moon. Ask local coordinators for exact dates and times.)

There are an estimated 75,000 Muslims in the Puget Sound area and some seven million nationwide. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in this country and around the world.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 19, 2007, 6:45 - 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Islamic School of Seattle, 720 25th Ave, Seattle, WA

Seating is limited. Please RSVP via email to info@cairseattle.org or call 206.367.4081

CONTACT: CAIR-WA President Arsalan Bukhari, Tel: 206.931.3655 or 206.367.4081, E-mail: abukhari@cair.com

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FL MUSLIM OUTRAGED BY COMMENTS - TOP
Orlando Sentinel, 8/26/07
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/orl-le26

_407aug26,0,5719067.story

In regard to Thursday's article "Mosque Comment Draws Ire, Explanation": As a proud American-Muslim and Sanford resident who attends the Sanford mosque on a regular basis, I am outraged by the bigoted and Islamophobic comments made by Commissioner Randy Jones.

Is he embarrassed by me and my family? Would he like us to move out of Sanford so that he can sell some residential property? How quintessentially un-American. Last I read, the Constitution guarantees the right to religious practice free from discrimination.

Not only does Jones owe the American-Muslim residents of Sanford an apology, he owes it to all people of conscience who work so hard at building bridges among all faiths. Thank God for civil-rights organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations that have the backbone to stand up to politicians and make them accountable to the people.

I hope the commissioner does the right thing and apologizes.

Ruhina Ahmad
Sanford

SEE ALSO:

FL: JONES, IMAM HAVE CORDIAL GET-TOGETHER - TOP
Orlando Sentinel, 8/26/07
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-sjustin

2607aug26,0,1091423.story

Sanford City Commissioner Randy Jones reports he had a productive meeting with the head of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, Imam Muhammad Musri. The meeting was sparked by comments Jones made last week about the potential for development on land next to mosques. Jones said he knew the meeting would be cordial when he walked in and was greeted with a hug from one mosque member and a handshake from Musri.

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CAIR-WA: DEBATE SWIRLS AROUND 2 MEN ON A FERRY - TOP
William Yardley, New York Times, 8/26/07
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/us/nationalspecial3/26ferry.html

Earlier this summer a concerned crew member of a Washington State ferry boat snapped pictures of two men who had raised suspicions on several ferry rides by asking questions about structural details and entering areas of the boats that are off limits.

Now, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation released two photographs of the men to the public with the goal of identifying them, a debate has erupted over alleged racial profiling, one ferry was shut down briefly this week and the men, while suddenly familiar faces, remain unidentified.

"We have some promising leads that have come in since we published the pictures," said Larry Carr, a special agent with the Seattle field office of the F.B.I. The agency released the images on Monday.

The pictures show two men with dark hair and olive skin standing beside a ferry deck railing overlooking the water. Their hands are in their pockets. Their eyes look toward the camera. In a statement released that day, the agency said the men had "exhibited unusual behavior." The behavior "may have been innocuous," the agency said, but law enforcement "would like to resolve these reports."

The F.B.I. has emphasized that the men are not suspects in a crime and that no threats have been made to the ferry system. But two days after the pictures were released, one ferry, the Puyallup, was shut down for an hour at the main Seattle terminal. Officials said an object found in a men's bathroom during a routine security sweep prompted the action. The object turned out not to be dangerous, and it was not linked to the two men. . .

Arsalan Bukhari, president of the Seattle chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and an attendee at the Thursday meeting, said, "We didn't come out of the meeting feeling more hopeful." Mr. Bukhari said releasing the photographs implied some kind of guilt and "mobilized the wrong kind of people to look for" the men. "It raises the fear factor," he said. (MORE)

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CAIR-CA HOSTS YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE AT STATE CAPITOL - TOP
Conference encourages political activism and community service

(SACRAMENTO, CA, 8/27/2007) - The California Chapter of the Council on American- Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) recently held its third Annual Muslim Youth Leadership Program (MYLP) Conference at the State Capitol over the weekend.

The four-day conference featured workshops on community organizing and advocacy, public speaking and media activism. The highlight of the conference was the 'Mock Legislature' session on the Senate floor, during which participants served as legislators as they debated public policy issues. Thirty-five High school students from throughout California participated in the conference.

"It is important that we empower the future generations with a message of unity and hope," said MYLP Conference Chair Basma Marmosh. "We anticipate that this program will empower American Muslim youth to pursue leadership positions that will help strengthen this nation."

CONTACT: CAIR-SV Executive Director Basim Elkarra, 916 441-6269, E-Mail: sacval@cair.com; CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Safaa Ibrahim, 408-986-9874, E-Mail: sibrahim@cair.com; CAIR-LA, Hussam Ayloush, 714-776-1847, E-Mail: hayloush@cair.com; CAIR-SD, Edgar Hopida, 858-278-8176, E-Mail: ehopida@cair.com

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CT: Islam Is Not the Enemy - TOP
Atif Quraishi, Hartford Courant, 8/26/07
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-commentary

muslim.artaug26,0,6431144.story

Why are the Muslims so violent? Why must a Muslim kill another Muslim? Why do "the cartoons" bother them so much? Sometimes these questions get tiring. But most of the time it is tiring to find that thin grey line the media draws between religious fanaticism and religious faith.

I wish I had a podium just like Glenn Beck and others on CNN or Fox News. I wish I could get in front of the camera and tell you that I am a Muslim and I am the "religious you" in many ways.

Violence is not a Muslim trait. It is a human one. Most of us forget that the socioeconomic and political environment is not the same everywhere. The path of nonviolence is easily afforded to us. But others exercise violence without any regard. Some get violent over images in a newspaper, while others do it to incite fear. Yet others like Glenn Beck associate violence with Islam to propagate fear.

There is little to no coverage of rallies where Muslims denounce terrorism and violence on a national or international scale. No coverage of the events where Muslims work with others in their communities to remove the wave of isolationism that has gripped us. Fear among the general population coupled with the daily commentaries by people like Glenn Beck is isolating us from a meaningful dialogue. The only dialogue broadcast is one where we complain about the need for dialogue.

Every time Glenn Beck asks, "Where are the peace-loving Muslims now?" I can't help but hold my head in dismay. Where was he when I denounced the violence over the cartoons? Where was he when I was angry at the senseless killings in Iraq? My fellow Americans, I wish you knew I existed and I wish you knew there were millions like me.

We all know that fear makes us do very bad things. I wish mine was the voice of Muslims that is heard across our nation. I wish mine was the voice that compelled you to fight the fear; to fight Islamophobia. I wish mine was the voice that overcame the negativity that emanates from the likes of Glenn Beck. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

UT: MUSLIM FESTIVAL FUN, BUT ITS NAME PUZZLING - TOP
Erin Alberty, Salt Lake Tribune, 8/27/07
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_6728417

In a conversation on the spiritual nuances of the term ''jihad,'' Ejaz Shaikh raises his voice to be heard over the drumbeats and vocals of American Indian music crescendoing from the stage nearby in Washington Square.

"I think maybe the name should change," Shaikh says of the American Muslim Cultural Festival - a weekend of international exhibitions, billed by organizers as "multiethnic, multifaith, multicultural, sponsored on behalf of the Muslim community."

Indeed, Shaikh concedes, it's hard for anyone to feel unwelcome at a festival that puts falafel wraps, Vietnamese dragon dance and a Mariachi band on the same itinerary.

''It should be open to anybody,'' he says, playing with his 11-month-old child, Yunus, behind the display of Islamic literature he sells at his nonprofit shop, Tasfiyah wat-Tarbiyah Bookstore in Salt Lake City.

On the other hand, Flamenco dancing and Christian gospel music do not often figure so prominently in celebrations of Muslim heritage.

"If I were not Muslim and I came for this to learn about Islam, . . . maybe [I] would be disappointed," Shaikh says.

At an exhibit by Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land, a sign that reads "U.S. taxes fund Israel's Apartheid Wall" faces a banner advertising state work-force-development services and a booth for the Latin American Chamber of Commerce.

"The idea is to emphasize . . . diversity to show that Muslims are and should be integrated into American society, just as all groups are," says Mahan Khalsa, a member of the Just Peace group. (MORE)

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UT: MYRIAD ETHNIC GROUPS PARTICIPATE AT MUSLIM FEST - TOP
S.L. gathering helps groups to network with other cultures
Tiffany Erickson, Deseret Morning News, 8/27/07
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695204662,00.html

A number of ethnic groups gathered Saturday and Sunday at Washington Square to celebrate the fifth annual Salt Lake American Muslim Cultural Festival - something state leaders said was a tremendous learning experience.

Ghulam Hasnain, director of the event, said he wanted to include all different cultures to celebrate on the day that Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., Salt Lake County Mayor PeterCorroon and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson collectively declared the Utah American Muslim Cultural Festival Multi-ethnic Solidarity Day.

"Either we stand together or fall separately," Hasnain said.

"It's a tremendous learning experience to be able to recognize and applaud our differences, especially in Utah," said Palmer DePaulis, executive director of the Utah Department of Community and Culture.

"This brings people together to celebrate all the diversity we have in the community, plus people are learning and networking with other cultures and becoming more aware of other cultures and beliefs," he said.

Hasnain said the event is dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and honoring diversity. He said in a time where Muslims are often misunderstood and looked at negatively it is important for groups to share cultures with one another to promote understanding. (MORE)

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VA: CANDIDATES SEEK SUPPORT FROM MUSLIM COMMUNITY - TOP
ABC News 7 WJLA, 7/26/07
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0807/450471.html

Political candidates at the state and local levels are courting voters in northern Virginia's Muslim community.

More than 70 candidates for the Virginia General Assembly and county offices showed up Saturday in Reston to tout their records and issue campaign promises to the fast-growing community.

The seventh annual "civic picnic" was organized by area mosques to encourage area Muslims to get more involved in local politics.

More than 56,000 Muslims are registered to vote in Northern Virginia, and last year, more than eight in 10 turned out to vote.

A survey of Muslim registered voters last month by the Virginia Muslim Political Action Committee found that 95 percent were concerned about anti-illegal immigrant legislation at the county and state levels.

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SPIKE SEEN IN DISPLACED IRAQIS SEEN DESPITE U.S. TROOP BUILDUP - TOP
Associated Press, 8/25/07
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/25/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Displaced-People.php

The number of Iraqis who have fled their homes under threat of sectarian violence has more than doubled since the start of the year, despite the increase in American troops that began in February, a humanitarian aid organization said Saturday.

The number of displaced Iraqis has shot upward from 447,337 on Jan. 1 to 1.14 million on July 31, according to the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization.

Though the addition of some 30,000 U.S. troops since February has brought down violence in Baghdad, it presence of the extra troops also led to increased clashes with militants.

"Does this surge have anything to do with it? We don't know," said Saeed Haqi, head of the Iraqi Red Crescent - the local partner organization of the International Committee of the Red Cross. "But they're leaving because of the security situation in general."

In addition to those who have fled their homes but have stayed within the country, some 2 million Iraqis have fled, with many now living as refugees in neighboring Syria and Jordan.

In its midyear assessment last month, the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration also reported a spike in internally displaced people, saying the trend started with the February 2006 bombing of a Shiite shrine in the city of Samarra, which sparked fierce sectarian fighting. (MORE)

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NATO SACKS TWO WOMEN FOR MUSLIM MARRIAGE - TOP
Dutch News, 8/27/07
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2007/08/nato_sacks_two_women_for_musli.php

Two Dutch women who recently married young Muslims from Tunisia have lost their jobs at the NATO base at Gellenkirchen in Germany, close to the Dutch border.

The Defence Ministry confirmed to the Volkskrant on Monday that its AIVD security service has banned the women from the base.

Gellenkirchen is the home base for AWACS planes with their airborne warning and control systems, which are used in the international fight against terrorism.

One of the women is taking legal action to get her job back. The other is the secretary to acting commander Jelle Zijlstra who told Saturday's Telegraaf that the women had given years of loyal service.

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ISRAEL, AIPAC WON'T PARRY WALT-MEARSHEIMER BOOK - TOP
Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post, 8/27/07
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1188128150170&pagename=

JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Neither Israel nor the American Israel Public Affairs Committee are putting together a proactive campaign to combat the new Stephen Walt-John Mearsheimer book slamming the Israel lobby for allegedly hijacking US foreign policy.

The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy is scheduled to hit the stores on September 5, but is already being sold on the Internet.

Government officials in Jerusalem, explaining why the Foreign Ministry has chosen to ignore the book, said Sunday that Israel had no desire to "help the sales of the book," something that would happen, one official said, if Israel aggressively fired back. "We don't want to play into their hands."

AIPAC's policy on the book, and other similar books and articles that attack it and organizations lobbying on behalf of Israel, is to avoid a mud-slinging campaign that would detract from the organization's work.

Walt and Mearsheimer charge in the book that Israel and its American supporters "have been able to stymie any detente between Iran and the United States, and to keep the two countries far apart," and that "many policies pursued on Israel's behalf now jeopardize US national security." (MORE)

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IRAN PROTESTS OVER SWEDISH MUHAMMAD CARTOON - TOP
http://www.thelocal.se/8305/

Iran summoned a Swedish diplomat to its foreign ministry on Monday to protest against a cartoon in a Swedish newspaper depicting the head of Prophet Muhammad on a dog's body, Sweden's foreign ministry said. (MORE)

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AUSTRIA'S HAIDER SAYS TO BAN MOSQUE-BUILDING - TOP
Reuters, 8/27/07
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070827/wl_nm/austria_mosques_dc_1

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian right-wing firebrand Joerg Haider said on Monday he plans to change building laws to prevent mosques and minarets being erected in his home province of Carinthia.

Haider, Carinthia's governor, said he would ask its parliament to amend the building code to would require towns and villages to consider "religious and cultural tradition" when dealing with construction requests.

"We don't want a clash of cultures and we don't want institutions which are alien to our culture being erected in Western Europe," Haider said in a statement. (MORE)

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

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