Muslim American News Briefs, July 11, 2007

* Verse: Justice is Next to Piety
* CAIR-MN Holds Town Hall Meeting on Hate Crimes
* CAIR-MI Meets with Italian-Muslim Delegation
- CAIR-PA Offers Course on Islam
* CAIR-CA: Jewelers Sued for Refusing to Hire Muslim Woman
* CAIR-MO Co-Sponsors Blood Donation Drive
* CAIR: New TV Series Promises to Examine 'Prejudice'
* MI: Chertoff to Visit Mosque Today (Free Press)
- NY: Deacon to Discuss Christian-Muslim Relations
* NC: Iraqi Woman Mourns Husband, a U.S. Soldier (AP)
* UK: Pilot Removes Muslim from Flight Over Prayer Request

-----

VERSE OF THE DAY: JUSTICE IS NEXT TO PIETY - TOP

"Never let not the hatred of others toward you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: (For) that is next to piety."

The Holy Quran, 5:8

-----

CAIR-MN HOLDS TOWN HALL MEETING ON HATE CRIMES - TOP

(ST. CLOUD, MN, 7/10/07) - The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) recently held a town hall meeting to address hate crimes and the St. Cloud Muslim community's concerns about safety.

CAIR-MN's July 7th event was designed to educate the community about the contributing factors and consequences of hate crimes. It was held in response to a June incident in which a Muslim man was called a "Muslim terrorist" and attacked after leaving the Islamic Center of St. Cloud.

"There is a greater need than ever to educate our community about what is going on in their neighborhoods and around the nation," said CAIR-MN Executive Director Omar Merhi. "The hate crime that took place in St. Cloud is not an isolated incident. It is part of a growing pattern of Islamophobia nationwide."

The St. Cloud Islamic Center and neighboring churches are planning to hold a joint forum to address hate crimes later this month. CAIR-MN will participate in that forum.

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 33 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR-MN Executive Director Omar Merhi, E-Mail: omerhi@cair.com, 612-702-0590; CAIR-MN Communications Director Valerie Shirley, Tel: 763-226-5866; E-Mail: vshirley@cair.com; CAIR-MN Board Chair Lori Saroya, E-Mail: lsaroya@cair.com

-----

CAIR-MI MEETS WITH ITALIAN-MUSLIM DELEGATION - TOP

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 7/10/07) - The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) met yesterday with Italian-Muslim leaders.

The meeting, which was coordinated by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, was held at CAIR-MI's office in Southfield, Michigan.

The Italian-Muslim representatives inquired into the religious programs of Michigan mosques as well as legal and social services available to American Muslims.

Also attending the meeting was Imam Abdullah El-Amin, executive director of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan (CIOM).

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 33 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, dwalid@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-PA OFFERS COURSE ON ISLAM - TOP

WHAT: Beginning August 1st, the Philadelphia office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-PA) will offer a 10-part course on Islam, called "Understanding Islam and Muslims through History and Jurisprudence," at the Foundation for Islamic Education in Villanova, PA

This course will approach Islam from a historical and jurisprudence perspective, covering the foundations of the religion and then building on the economic, political and cultural institutions that arose in Muslim societies. It will cover the Golden Age of Muslim civilization and then discuss its decline. Contemporary issues faced by Islam and Muslims will also be covered. A final unit will be the involvement of the U.S. in the Muslim world and its ramifications.

CAIR-PA has offered the course through multiple educational and interfaith venues, including Mishkan Shalom, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County, the Paoli Presbyterian Church and others. CAIR-PA Chairman Iftekhar Hussain will lead the course.

WHEN: August 1 - 29, 2007, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 6 - 8 PM
WHERE: Foundation for Islamic Education, 1860 Montgomery Ave, Villanova, PA

CONTACT: CAIR-PA Chair Iftekhar Hussain, 610-570-6071, E-Mail: ihussain@cair.com

---

CAIR-SACRAMENTO VALLEY: WHITEHALL JEWELERS SUED FOR REFUSING TO HIRE MUSLIM WOMAN WEARING HEADSCARF - TOP
Fairfield, California Store Suggests Customers Would Not Like It

(San Francisco, July 10) - A Fairfield, Calif., woman filed suit today against a national jewelry retailer for refusing to hire her because she wore an Islamic headscarf. Shereen Attia, a 24-year-old American born in New York of Egyptian and Italian descent, was told she would not be hired as a sales associate at Whitehall Jewelers in the Solano Mall because she had begun wearing a religious head covering -- despite previously working successfully for the same company in the same position.

Attia is represented by the nonprofit Asian Law Caucus ( www.asianlawcaucus.org) and the San Francisco law firm of Minami Tamaki LLP (www.mltsf.com). . .

"I felt betrayed," said Attia, a Sacramento State student who has worked throughout college to support her family. "I had worked for the company for more than a year and had a proven track record. I was a good sales person. I'm still the same person with the same personality. I never expected to face such discrimination just because of my appearance…"

Sinnar noted that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has received more than 1,000 complaints of "post-9/11 backlash discrimination" in the last five years and that a study by the Discrimination Research Center found that job applicants with South Asian or Middle Eastern names were least likely to be hired by California "temp" agencies. See http://drcenter.org/employment.htm#names.

After recovering from the shock of being rejected for her former job, Attia contacted the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV), which referred her to the Asian Law Caucus. According to Basim Elkarra, executive director of CAIR-SV, his office frequently hears from local Muslims who have been harassed, denied religious accommodations, or deprived of other employment opportunities because of their faith.

The complaint in Attia v. Whitehall Jewellers, Inc., was filed in Solano Superior Court. For a copy of the complaint, see: www.asianlawcaucus.org

-----

CAIR-MO CO-SPONSORS BLOOD DONATION DRIVE - TOP
Effort at Islamic center part of 'Muslims Care' campaign

(ST. LOUIS, MO, 7/10/07) - On July 14, the Missouri chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MO) and the American Red Cross will co-sponsor a blood donation drive at a mosque.

WHAT: Blood Donation Drive
WHEN: Saturday, July 14th 2007 10:00am-2:00pm
WHERE: Islamic Center of Greater St. Louis, 517 Weidman Rd., Ballwin, MO

CAIR-MO's sponsorship of this event is part of CAIR's annual "Muslim Care" campaign, launched to encourage volunteerism in the American Muslim community.

SEE: http://www.cair.com/muslimscare

All donors will receive a FREE Cardinals World Series T-Shirt provided by the American Red Cross. Appointments are available.

For donor eligibility, please call 1-800-447-8470 (1-800-GIVE-LIFE.).

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 33 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: Melissa Matos, 636-207-8882, E-mail: mmatos@cair.com

-----

NEW TV SERIES PROMISES TO EXAMINE 'PREJUDICE' - TOP
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com, 7/10/07
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/2

00707/CUL20070710d.html

(CNSNews.com) - Since the dawn of time, the human ability to evaluate or "judge" any given situation has been critical to survival. But "prejudice" -- prejudging other people based on preconceived notions or superficial appearances -- has negative, racist connotations.

A cable television network, in conjunction with liberal-leaning groups, hopes to launch a national dialogue on prejudice this summer, when it runs a "provocative series" focusing on five people who open their lives to examination by a panel of strangers.

Both the panel and home viewers will discover more and more about each contestant as the series progresses and contestants are eliminated. The remaining contestant will receive $25,000, said the Game Show Network (GSN), which describes itself as the nation's premiere television network for games.

"How far have we come as a society that is not only accepting of differences but is forgiving of indiscretions?" asked GSN, which has titled its new TV series "Without Prejudice?"

The series premieres next week. . .

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said it is one of the "social justice" groups partnering with GSN to "encourage thoughtful discussion and provide helpful resources. . ."

"We are pleased to partner with GSN in this important effort to eliminate intolerance and other forms of discrimination in our society," said CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin in a news release.

-----

MI: CHERTOFF TO VISIT MOSQUE TODAY - TOP
Detroit Free Press, 7/10/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070710/NEWS02/707100405/1004

The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, is planning to visit a Shi'ite mosque in Dearborn today.

Chertoff is to visit the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center, department spokeswoman Veronica Valdes said. The mosque has a largely Iraqi-American congregation.

He will meet with the center's imam, Husham Al-Husainy, and other religious leaders during a private meeting. This is the second meeting with local Muslim and Arab-American leaders that Chertoff has had in Michigan this year.

SEE ALSO:

NY: DEACON TO DISCUSS CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS - TOP
John P. Cleary, Star Gazette News, 7/10/07
http://www.stargazettenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200707

10/COLUMNIST05/707100318

George Dardess, a Catholic deacon from Rochester, will present a program on his study of Islam tonight at St. Mary's Church in Elmira. The program, "A Catholic Meets Islam: Discovering Social Justice in the 'Enemy Other,'" is planned for 7 p.m. in the church's Marian Center building at Fulton and Franklin streets.

Dardess, the chair of Rochester's Commission on Muslim-Christian Relations and a member of the Muslim Catholic Alliance, has published two books on Muslim-Christian relations. He serves at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Rochester, according to information provided by Kathy Dubel at Catholic Charities of Chemung County.

Dubel also shared a copy of the Muslim Catholic Alliance Agreement of Understanding and Cooperation, signed by the Bishop of Rochester, Matthew H. Clark and Muhammad Shafiq, an imam and the executive director of the Islamic Center of Rochester.

The agreement calls on the Catholic and Muslim communities of New York to respect each other's traditions, to act together in response to instances of intolerance and to share information about their faiths.

The talk, offered by Catholic Charities' justice and peace education program, is planned for 7 p.m.

-----

IRAQI WOMAN MOURNS HUSBAND, A U.S. SOLDIER - TOP
Associated Press, 7/10/07
http://www.newsobserver.com/505/story/631949.html

RAEFORD - Maj. James Ahearn met Lena during his second tour of Iraq, converted to Islam to marry her and brought her home to the United States.
Two years later, the Iraqi woman is mourning the death of her husband.

Ahearn, 43, was killed Thursday in Baghdad when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb. And Lena Ahearn said she is left feeling ashamed that her husband died in her country at the hands of her people.

Ahearn, a member of the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade at Fort Bragg, was on his third tour of Iraq when he was killed. He had served in the Army for 18 years and was supposed to retire in 2009.

"Jimmy was the greatest gift I ever had," Lena said from the couple's home near the Army post where she lives with their 17-month-old daughter, Kadi. "I will never regret marrying him for two years and moving to the United States."

Lena Ahearn said her husband tried to use his new belief in Islam to bridge the cultural gap between American soldiers and the Iraqi people.

"He told them there are no differences between people," she said.

Now Lena Ahearn says she wants to become an American citizen, which she thinks would have made her husband proud.

And she'll hold onto the memories of that good-looking American soldier who used his own money to buy toys for Iraqi children.

"He was the strongest and bravest man I ever saw in my life," she said.

-----

PILOT REMOVES MUSLIM FROM FLIGHT FOLLOWING PRAYER REQUEST - TOP
Muslim Group Appeals To Man To Come Forward "To Gain Resolution"
Aero News, 7/10/07
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=a17fda44-407d-

4e9e-a321-3feb1f71001e

The recent bombing attempt at Glasgow Airport has started an apparent ripple effect of trepidation. The pilot of a Thomsonfly jet ordered a young man off an aircraft last week, after the man asked permission to pray before the flight commenced, according to the Newcastle Sun.

The young Muslim reportedly boarded the flight at England's Newcastle International Airport, for a trip to Malaga, Spain with a group of friends. He asked the cabin crew for permission use a curtained-off galley area for prayers before the plane took off.

When the flight attendant asked the captain, the pilot not only removed the young man off the flight... but local authorities were notified and the man was detained and searched under current terrorism laws…

The executive leader of the counter-terrorism section of the Muslim Safety Forum, Azad Ali, appealed through the newspaper for the evicted man to contact them.

"If the man feels hard done by then he will be upset by this. If he feels it difficult to gain resolution in Newcastle he can log onto our website and email us his details," he said.

"We will then go to the Association of Chief Police Officers and ask them to look into it. However, it looks as if the airline itself is guilty of over reaction in this incident. There is a tendency for some people to blame an entire community for the actions of individuals. It's guilt by association." (MORE)

-----

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

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.