Muslim American News Briefs, June 11, 2007
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate,
the Merciful
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* Hadith: Knowing Names Help Build Brotherhood
* CAIR-AZ: Do Muslim Names Lead to Immigration
Delays?
* CAIR-CA: ‘A Mighty Heart’ Screening,
Panel Discussion
* CAIR-CA Letter to the Editor on Pew Poll (SF
Chronicle)
* CAIR-OH: Muslim Father Embraced Hard Work, Family
(Dispatch)
* NY: Prisons Ban Religious Books to Target Islamic
Texts (AP)
* CA: UCI Deals with Claims of Anti-Semitism (OC
Register)
* MA: Canopy's Rise Signals End of Mosque's Plight
(Boston Globe)
* MA: Christian-Muslim History Not All Hostile
(Boston Globe)
* Iraq: Death of US Sgt. Sameer Rateb Becomes
Criminal Probe
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: KNOWING NAMES HELP BUILD BROTHERHOOD
- TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "When a man makes
another his brother he should ask him his name, his father's name and the
background from which he comes, for it binds friendship more closely."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1299
SEE ALSO:
ALL WE ARE SAYING, IS GIVE PEACE A NAME - TOP
LAUREL WALKER, Milwaukee Joruanl, 6/9/07
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=616558
Marion Schillo, 75, brings with her to Wisconsin a certain idealism, too, a
degree of optimism that somehow she can help bridge differences in a
suspicious, post-Sept. 11 world.
Around her neck she wears a medallion with the engraved names of three
Muslim children and a pledge - in both English and Arabic - to work and pray
for peace.
Back in California, where Frank, 73, was a longtime Thousand Oaks councilman
and mayor, there's a Muslim woman wearing the same kind of medallion with
the names of three Schillo grandchildren.
As Schillo explains it, she saw a news report shortly after the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks in which some government official was explaining the
unexplainable to children.
After the official told them the attacks were by people who didn't like us,
a child reportedly asked, "If they knew our names, would they like
us?"
That piece of child's wisdom haunted Schillo. Like many Americans at the
time, she wanted to do something to help. Still does.
"I couldn't sleep at night thinking 'I don't know anything about
Muslims. We have to start building bridges here,'" she said.
So she came up with the idea for the "I Know Your Name" medallion,
where parents from vastly different cultures could respect each other and
pray for each other because of their common love of their children and a
shared belief in prayer.
An artist but not a jeweler, she found people who could help her design,
translate and manufacture the pewter medallions, which she sells for $20.
She matches the names of Muslim children, as provided by someone close to
them, with a non-Muslim wearer, most likely a stranger, and vice versa.
"It is hoped that this medallion will move people to actions and to
prayers that will help our children and our grandchildren be - not enemy
combatants - but friends and neighbors," she said.
Through word of mouth and visits to the mosque in her hometown, Schillo said
she's distributed perhaps 200 custom-named medallions, mostly in California.
(If you're interested in the idea, she welcomes e-mails at schillof@adelphia.net.)
"I wanted everybody in the world to wear one," she said.
She's begun to contact Muslim-Christian dialogue groups and even visited the
Arab World Festival at the Milwaukee lakefront to spread the word.
If she ever recoups her costs, she said, she'd share the proceeds with
groups promoting understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims. (MORE)
-----
CAIR-AZ: RED TAPE SNAGS ID CHECKS - TOP
Sarah N. Lynch, East Valley Tribune, 6/10/07
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/91297
It was springtime when Asad Khan and his wife, Uzma, drove from their
Gilbert home to Phoenix to be interviewed by government officials as part of
their quest to become U.S. citizens.
On the same day, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services checked off
“box A” on Uzma Khan’s application.
“Congratulations!” the response to her application states. “Your
application has been recommended for approval.”
Within a few months, she took her oath to become a citizen.
But Asad Khan was not so fortunate.
The agency checked off a box on his application that basically left him in
limbo. It reads: “A decision cannot be made about your application.”
Asad Khan’s interview took place March 16, 2006. More than a year later,
he is still awaiting a decision. The holdup boils down to one major snag:
His name has not yet been cleared by the FBI, which checks for ties to
terrorist groups and other anti-American organizations before an immigrant
can become a citizen.
“They are not preventing me from living here, and they are preventing me
from becoming a citizen,” said the 42-year-old Pakistani. “But if I
become a citizen, what would be the difference as far as security is
concerned?”
The FBI’s National Name Check Program has been causing headaches for many
immigrants like Khan.
The FBI has always conducted routine background checks on people seeking
immigration benefits, but the events of Sept. 11, 2001, made the process
longer. About a year after the tragedy, USCIS asked the FBI to re-examine
all of its applicants before granting any more immigration benefits. In
December 2002, it returned about 2.7 million names to the FBI for additional
checks.
That caused a massive backlog for the agency, which already receives 67,000
namecheck requests a week from more than 70 federal and state agencies. . .
But the Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
has received so many complaints from the Phoenix area about namecheck
delays, it decided to hold evening meetings about immigration to help answer
questions.
“We believe in strong security,” said Mohammed Abu-Hannoud, the civil
rights director of CAIR Arizona and a Mesa resident. “But the other
question is how can we be supportive of strong security if this prevents
law-abiding residents who are paying taxes and contributing to the wealth of
this country from becoming citizens?” (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
VIDEO: CAIR-AZ DIRECTOR DISCUSSES IMMIGRATION DELAYS –
TOP
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/video/58
-----
CAIR-CA: ‘A MIGHTY HEART’ - SCREENING AND
PANEL DISCUSSION - TOP
(ANAHEIM, CA, 6/10/07) – On Thursday, June 21, Los Angeles’ diverse
communities are invited to come together for an exclusive screening of
Paramount Vantage’s "A Mighty Heart,” immediately followed by a
panel discussion “Building Unity and Understanding in Today’s World.”
The event is co-sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), Progressive Christians Uniting (PCU) and Paramount Vantage.
“A Mighty Heart," a film based on Wall Street Journal writer Daniel
Pearl and the book of the same name by his wife Mariane Pearl, arrives in
theaters June 22 and stars Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie, Dan
Futterman, Archie Panjabi, Irrfan Kahn, and Will Patton. Michael
Winterbottom, best known for his socially-conscious films, “Welcome to
Sarajevo” and “The Road to Guantanamo,” directs.
The evening celebrates Daniel Pearl’s strong commitment to global truth
and understanding and the principles in which he lived his life.
WHAT: "A Mighty Heart" screening, followed by panel discussion
“Building Unity and Understanding in Today’s World.” (Film rated R for
language)
PANELISTS:
* "A Mighty Heart" Producer Dede Gardner, Co-producer with Brad
Pitt/Plan B Entertainment
* Hussam Ayloush, Executive Director of CAIR - Greater Los Angeles Area (CAIR-LA)
* Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak, Co-founder of www.JewsOnFirst.org
* The Rev. Peter Laarman, Executive Director of Progressive Christians
Uniting (PCU)
WHERE: Sherry Lansing Theater, Paramount Studios, 5555 Melrose Avenue, Los
Angeles, CA. Entrance at main gates. Photo ID required.
WHEN: Thursday, June 21, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Film starts promptly at 7
p.m., and the panel discussion will immediately follow.
RSVP: Free admission for you and a guest. Limited seating. RSVP mandatory at
(323) 956-1122.
CONTACT: Munira Syeda, CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator, (714) 776-1847 or
socal@cair.com.
SUPPORTERS: Cafe Intifada, Interfaith Communities United for Justice &
Peace (ICUJP), Los Amigos of OC, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), and
Pax Christi Los Angeles. If you would like to support the event, please
contact Munira Syeda at (714) 776-1847 or socal@cair.com.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CA: MUSLIM YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE - TOP
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, California (CAIR-CA),
presents its 3rd Annual Leadership & Empowerment Conference as part of
the Muslim Youth Leadership Program.
WHAT: An annual conference for high school students to acquaint themselves
with California state legislators, elected officials, key Capitol staff and
more. Students will serve as senators debating on various public policy
issues and prepare bills for the Mock Legislature on State Senate floor.
Learn the tools to sharpen your skills and become a leader in your
community. Analyze the role of media and how to make an impact. Serve as
senator for a day and debate important public policy issues ranging from
education, health care to immigration.
Only 10 scholarships are available for the Bay Area. All housing, food, and
travel will be provided by CAIR-CA, $750 value.
WHEN: August 16 - 19
APPLY NOW: visit www.cair-mylp.com
. All applications are due by Thursday, June 21, 2007
MORE: Contact us at 916-441-6269 or email: bmarmosh@cair.com
-----
CAIR-CA LETTER TO THE EDITOR: POLL VS. POLL - TOP
San Francisco Chronicle, 6/10/07
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/06/10/EDGONP1J8R1.DTL
Editor -- Carson Watson (Letters, June 3) needs to remove his blinders to
see the reality of Muslims.
Considering that he has a "serious problem" with the revelations
of the Pew study, I'm sure he would be much more concerned that 51 percent
of all Americans believe that bombing innocent civilians in case of defense
are often, sometimes or rarely justified. Further, I'm sure he will also
have a "serious problem" with the statistic that 54 percent of
Americans still support the use of the A-bomb on Hiroshima, according to a
2005 Associated Press poll (a decrease from 80 percent in 1945). Judging by
these numbers, and using Watson's own flawed reasoning, should one assume
that tolerance isn't an American value? Surely not.
Abiya Ahmed, Council on American-Islamic Relations-Bay Area, Santa Clara
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: MEDIA LENS DISTORTS IMAGE OF MUSLIM AMERICANS
- TOP
Focus on extremists colors perception
Nabeel Jawahir, Lexington Herald Leader, 6/10/07
http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/93579.html
A friend recently asked me a question familiar to many Muslim Americans:
"Why don't I hear anything from American Muslims denouncing
terrorism?"
Muslim Americans are, in fact, constantly condemning terrorism. Muslim
leaders and groups throughout the country, including the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, have repeatedly and unequivocally denounced
all forms of it.
There is no justification in Islam for terrorism, and those who perpetrate
terrorist attacks, such as 9/11, are not martyrs. Terrorists are murderers
who distort Islam to serve their own political and ideological agendas.
The latest study of American Muslim public opinion, released by the Pew
Research Center two weeks ago and widely covered by media, revealed that
American Muslims are very well integrated into society.
It says that "with the exception of very recent immigrants, most
(Muslims) report that a large proportion of their closest friends are
non-Muslims. On balance, they believe that Muslims coming to the U.S. should
try to adopt American customs, rather than trying to remain distinct from
the larger society.
And by nearly 2 to 1, Muslim Americans do not see a conflict between being a
devout Muslim and living in a modern society.
To the dismay of most Muslim Americans, the study was also the subject of
sensationalism and misrepresentation. Syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin
attempts to increase the level of paranoia and suspicion, citing statistics
in the Pew study that indicate there are some apologists for suicide bombing
among the American Muslim population.
A reading of the full report indicates that Malkin and the other critics are
completely missing the larger picture. As noted in the report, "Very
few Muslim Americans -- fewer than 1 percent -- believe that suicide
bombings against civilians are often justified to defend Islam; another 7
percent say suicide bombings are sometimes justified in these
circumstances."
Asking a parallel question to the entire American public, the University of
Maryland's Program on International Public Attitudes found that 24 percent
believe that "bombing and other attacks intentionally aimed at
civilians" are "often or sometimes justified." More than half
of all Americans believe that the bombing of civilians can be justified in
at least rare cases. (MORE)
-----
CAIR: LESSONS OF THE FATHER - TOP
The family of Abdel Shalash is coping with his murder the only way it can --
living by the principles he practiced
Tom Reed, Columbus Dispatch, 6/10/07
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/
2007/06/10/ABDEL.ART_ART_06-10-07_A1_1L6UOVD.html
Searching for her family after the 2003 Reynoldsburg High School
commencement, Samar Shalash spotted her father with flowers in hand and arms
wide open.
Abdel Shalash hugged and kissed the oldest of his six children, then
impulsively removed her purple mortarboard and plopped it cockeyed on his
head.
"Every time one of his children graduated," said his wife, Amne,
"he felt as though he had succeeded."
With each ensuing graduation, the father performed the playful ritual -- a
Palestinian immigrant reaching out to take hold of his American dream.
"He always put it on crooked," Amne said, "and the kids would
have to straighten it out."
For as long as she and the children can remember, the Reynoldsburg patriarch
preached the value of education, working long hours so they could focus on
their studies.
"He always told us, 'You get your degree; I'll take care of everything
else.' "
Abdel's' commitment to seeing them build a better life will be validated
again this afternoon when Samar earns a bachelor's degree in psychology from
Ohio State University.
Abdel won't be among the proud parents savoring the occasion, though. He
won't be in Ohio Stadium to grab the cap.
Five months ago, robbers at his East Side store made sure of it. . .
Ahmad Al-Akhras, vice chairman of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, said Abdel's funeral was the largest Muslim service in
central Ohio in the past 15 years.
Abdel, he said, contributed frequently to Muslim charitable causes.
And he gave generously, some store patrons recalled, when their money was
tight.
Soon after his death, customers built a storefront memorial out of cards,
letters, candles and stuffed animals.
"Not too many shop owners get a tribute -- many of them are disliked
within a neighborhood," Al-Akhras said. "What does that tell you
about Abdel's character?" (MORE)
-----
NY: PRISONS BAN BOOKS OVER FEAR OF RADICALS - TOP
Larry Neumeister, Associated Press, 6/10/07
http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2007/06/10/ap/us/d8pm3pgo0.txt
Inmates at the federal prison camp in Otisville, N.Y., were stunned by what
they saw at the chapel library on Memorial Day _ hundreds of books had
disappeared from the shelves.
The removal of the books is occurring nationwide, part of a long-delayed,
post-Sept. 11 federal directive intended to prevent radical religious texts,
specifically Islamic ones, from falling into the hands of violent inmates.
Three inmates at Otisville filed a lawsuit over the policy, saying their
Constitutional rights were violated. They say all religions were affected.
"The set of books that have been taken out have been ones that we used
to minister to new converts when they come in here," inmate John Okon,
speaking on behalf of the prison's Christian population, told a judge last
week.
Okon said it was unfortunate because "I have really seen religion turn
around the life of some of these men, especially in the Christian
community."
The government maintained that that the new rules don't entirely clear the
shelves of prison chapel libraries.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Feldman told U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor
Swain that prison libraries limited the number of books for each religion to
between 100 and 150 under the new rules. He said officials would expand the
number after choosing a new list of permitted books.
Feldman said the removal order stemmed from an April 2004 Department of
Justice review of the way prisons choose Muslim religious services
providers. It is not exactly clear why it took so long for the order to be
put into effect, but prison officials said they needed time to examine a
long list of books.
Feldman said the study was made out of a concern that prisons "had been
radicalized by inmates who were practicing or espousing various extreme
forms of religion, specifically Islam, which exposed security risks to the
prisons and beyond the prisons to the public at large."
Feldman said the review by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons concluded that prison
chapel libraries were not adequately supervised. (MORE)
-----
CA: UCI DEALS WITH CLAIMS OF ANTI-SEMITISM - TOP
Officials say blogs and outside groups make divide between Jewish and Muslim
students seem wider than it is.
Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 6/10/07
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1724512.php
A young man in a turban, his face covered, marches around UC Irvine with
signs saying "Death to Infidels. Death to Israel" during a week of
campus demonstrations by Muslim students.
Here's the catch: He's not Muslim. In fact, he's not even a student at UCI.
Instead, he's one of many outsiders who have become embroiled in a campus
war of words between a small number of Jewish and Muslim students.
Was he aware that passers-by might actually think he was a terrorist?
"Of course," said Max Gibson, 27, a self-proclaimed Zionist who
lives in San Diego and is affiliated with a college Republican group.
"It was to make people think."
Gibson's masquerade, authentic enough to spur campus police to disarm him of
fake bombs strapped to his body, is an example of how real events at UC
Irvine have spun off into their own sometimes fictional existence, spawning
street theater and reverberating worldwide on dozens of blogs.
Events at UC Irvine are no different than at many other schools. A recent
University of California study found 85 percent of UCI students agreed there
was respect for all students, regardless of race or religion – roughly the
same percentage as at other UC campuses.
Yet UCI has achieved a blog-inspired reputation for anti-Semitism – a
notoriety that many campus observers say is unfair and unwarranted.
"A lot of the blogs distort facts and take things out of context,"
said Alex Chazen, president of Hillel: The Jewish Student Union at UC
Irvine. "Many of the bloggers aren't on our campus and don't even know
what's going on." (MORE)
-----
MA: CANOPY'S RISE SIGNALS END OF MOSQUE'S PLIGHT - TOP
Brian R. Ballou, Boston Globe, 6/10/07
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/10/canopys_rise_
signals_end_of_mosques_plight/
As a crane hoisted a 5,000-pound, copper canopy toward the top of a red
brick tower in Roxbury yesterday afternoon, thousands of area Muslims looked
upward, some with tears running down their cheeks.
"This is the moment we have been waiting for for two decades,"
yelled Yousef Abou-Allaban, chairman of the Islamic Society of Boston.
In the crowd of several thousand, many people held up cellphones and cameras
to snap pictures of the topping-off.
Traffic on nearby Malcolm X Boulevard came to a stop. The top, adorned with
an American flag waving in the cool breeze, was finally set in place at 1
p.m.
The capping of a mosque's minaret has special significance in Islam,
signaling that the building is completed, said Abou-Allaban. But the capping
of the 140-foot tower at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center had
even more significance for local Muslims because of the controversies that
had dogged the project.
"Allah . . . was probably testing us to see how much perseverance we
had," Abou-Allaban said. "There were all kinds of tests, and who
knows, we may have tests coming in the future," he said.
A lawsuit dismissed earlier this year questioned the sale of the land to the
Islamic Society in 2003, contending that the Society had bought the land
from the city at an unfairly low price. The Society dropped its own lawsuit
last month, alleging that media outlets and others had defamed it in an
attempt to derail the mosque project.
The daylong ceremony yesterday started with a 1-mile march beginning at
Washington Park and ending at the mosque, a red-brick structure with a large
dome near the intersection of Tremont Street and Malcolm X Boulevard.
The march, slated to start at 10:30 a.m., got off to a late start. At the
beginning, there were only about 20 people holding white placards, huddled
under trees to avoid a constant drizzle. About an hour later, the crowd had
grown to about 300, and the parade began. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
UT: UTAHNS OPEN NEW MOSQUE - TOP
The Sandy facility is led by well-known Imam Shuaib-ud Din
Jessica Ravitz, Salt Lake Tribune, 6/9/07
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_6100254
Tucked in the corner of a strip mall, right beside a closed-down Lowe's home
improvement store, Utah Muslims have a new place to pray and gather.
At the spiritual helm of the Utah Islamic Center is Imam Shuaib-ud Din, the
longtime religious leader of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake and
West Valley City's Khadeeja Masjid, or mosque, and a man who faced charges
of domestic violence earlier this year.
But what did or didn't happen in the imam's home five months ago, when his
wife claimed he slammed her against a refrigerator and threatened her life,
didn't keep the crowds away. About 150 people streamed in for Friday
afternoon prayers, one week after the center first opened its doors.
"Allah has not permitted us to judge any other human. [Imam Shuaib's]
personal business is his personal business," said Nasir Khan. "We
are blessed to have him here. Our spiritual belief is, everything happened
for a reason."
Addressing those who'd gathered in what was once an office space, the imam
asked for people's prayers.
"Allah has given me the chance to stand in front of you," he said.
He spoke of how with Allah the most difficult tasks can be achieved. And for
years, he said, the Muslim community has spoken about opening a mosque in
the southern part of the Salt Lake Valley to accommodate the expanding
Muslim population.
Efforts twice before failed, the imam said. "This is our third time,
and God willing we'll succeed." (MORE)
-----
MA: CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM HISTORY NOT ALL HOSTILE - TOP
Rich Barlow, Boston Globe, 6/9/07
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/09/christian_
muslim_history_not_all_hostile/
From the Crusades to 9/11, history has given many laypeople a tale of
unrelenting hostility between Christians and Muslims. Michael Penn, who
teaches religion and gender studies at Mount Holyoke College, is assembling
a different picture by poking in an obscure nook of history.
He recently was awarded $120,000 in grants, including the prestigious
Guggenheim Fellowship, for research into Syriac Christians who, he says,
"arguably have the most direct relationship with Muslims" during
Islam's formative years. Populating what is today Iran, Iraq, and eastern
Turkey, these Christians lived under Muslim occupation from shortly after
the Prophet Mohammed's death in 634. Few moderns know the Syriac language,
so troves of documents from the period were largely ignored until Penn began
burrowing into archives at the British Library and elsewhere.
While "it's not like they're all coming together and singing 'Kumbaya,'"
Syriac Christians found crossroads of cooperation with their Muslim rulers,
he says. Excerpts from a recent interview with Penn follow.
Q: Obviously you speak or read Syriac. How many people do these days?
A: Very, very few. It is a liturgical language in various Syriac churches.
We're talking, in terms of Western scholars, a few hundred. In terms of the
United States, there may be a few dozen people who are working in Syriac
Christianity. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
PA: A DAY OF KORANS AND CAMARADERIE - TOP
Islamic culture is celebrated at Penn's Landing
Dwight Ott, Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/10/07
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/philadelphia/7923962.html
They came from far: Pakistan, Lebanon and India, organizers said. And from
near: 80 percent were African Americans from Philadelphia, they added.
With the Delaware River flowing serenely in the background and strains of
Middle Eastern music rising from red-capped singers on a bright and warm
late spring day, an estimated 3,000 Muslims had gathered by midafternoon
yesterday at Penn's Landing for the 15th annual Islamic Heritage Festival.
Many at the Great Plaza were garbed according to Muslim tradition and
greeted one another with the welcoming "Assalaamu Alaikum."
Families strolled among vendors whose tables were laden with exotic perfume,
bean pies, hot dogs, Korans and other items.
Organizers called it the largest Islamic festival in the country. They also
estimated that the number of Muslims in Philadelphia had doubled in the last
decade or so, especially in the African American community, increasing to at
least 200,000.
"There have been times when we've had as many as 10,000 people out
here," said Abdul-Rahim Muhammad, executive head of West Philadelphia's
Islamic Cultural Preservation and Information Council, a key organizer.
(MORE)
---
CA: ON THEIR GUARD - TOP
Some Muslims are nervous about taking visible roles in houses of worship.
Their leaders want to change that.
Jennifer Garza, Sacramento Bee, 6/9/07
http://www.sacbee.com/107/story/210869.html
Imam Mohammad Azeez reads aloud the weekly announcements on this Friday
afternoon and again wonders why he couldn't find anyone else to do it.
"Remember to sign up for the new class starting soon," he says as
many worshippers file out the mosque doors.
Pray for the mother of a member who recently had hip surgery, he continues.
Don't forget about the upcoming guest speaker.
Pick up a flier on the way out.
In the two minutes it takes to read the notices, half the worshippers have
left. Azeez jokes that there is probably a special blessing for those who
stayed.
In the past, this job usually was done by one of the members of the
Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims, or SALAM. But that
responsibility has increasingly fallen on Azeez, the spiritual leader of the
mosque.
That's because it has become difficult to find worshippers willing to speak
publicly at the mosque, even to do something as innocuous as reading the
weekly announcements, says Azeez.
At the same time, some worshippers have asked that their names be removed
from membership and mailing lists. Others refuse to write checks --
insisting on making cash contributions or using money orders.
Azeez and other religious leaders want to change this.
"I tell them speaking out is the only way to protect your community
here, to put light where everyone can see it, to step forward, make the
announcements, sign up for membership," says Azeez. "We have
nothing to hide."
These are cautious times at local mosques. SALAM, which sits across the
street from American River College, is considered one of the most diverse
and progressive mosques in the area, with a mostly middle-class
congregation. But even here, leaders deal with members wary of associating
publicly with any Islamic organization.
A recent poll shows that Muslims take their faith seriously, with 72 percent
saying religion plays a "very important" role in their life,
according to the survey by the Pew Research Center in May. Seventy-eight
percent say they are satisfied with their mosques. So why the reluctance?
Some worry that any documented connection to a Muslim organization, no
matter how innocent, could be used against them in the future. (MORE)
-----
IRAQ: ARMY SOLDIER HANGED, MOM SAYS - TOP
Criminal investigation under way in Iraq death of Brigantine man's son
Elaine Rose, Press of Atlantic City, 6/7/07
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/top_three/v-printer/story/7483913p-7378860c.html
The May 6 death of Sgt. Sameer Rateb in Iraq has become a criminal
investigation, the U.S. Army confirmed Wednesday.
The Criminal Investigation Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., is looking into the
death of Rateb, 22, who died of what the military called “a non-combat
related incident” at Forward Operating Base Summerall in Bayji, Iraq, said
Shannon Wright, public information officer for the 82nd Airborne Division.
According to its Web site, the CID's mission is the “conduct of criminal
investigations in which the Army is, or may be, a party of interest.”
Rateb spent part of his childhood in Brigantine and played on the city's
traveling Little League team before moving to Middlesex County as a
teenager. His father, Mohamed Rateb, still lives in Brigantine.
Rateb's mother, Elizabeth Howell, of Summerville, S.C., said Wednesday night
that her son was found hanged the day he was supposed to leave Iraq to come
home for a visit with his family.
The Army originally said his death was a suicide, “but the way they found
him, his hands were cuffed behind his back, that's not suicide. To me, it's
not,” Howell said.
The Army is keeping the family updated on the progress in the investigation,
but it's a real mystery, Howell said. It could take as long as 18 months to
determine exactly what happened.
“When he left here, I was really worried, but the way he died was the last
thing I expected,” Howell said.
She would be more understanding if Rateb had died on patrol or in combat,
“because that's what Sam loved to do,” Howell said. “This is
unbelievable.” (MORE)
-----
CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
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