Muslim American News Briefs, June 15, 2007

Project-Uncovers-Jihadists-near-DC-article-438-67.htm

In February of this year, SANE offered a policy proposal that states in part:

"Whereas, adherence to Islam as a Muslim is prima facie evidence of an act in support of the overthrow of the US. [sic] Government through the abrogation, destruction, or violation of the US Constitution and the imposition of Shari'a on the American People. . .It shall be a felony punishable by 20 years in prison to knowingly act in furtherance of, or to support the, adherence to Islam."

SEE: A SANE Act to Deal with the Islamic Threat to America's National Existence (SADITANE)
http://www.saneworks.us/SANE-Immigration-Proposal-article-379-1.htm

SEE: Original Article

In its report on the mosque spying project, Insight magazine falsely claimed: "Hundreds of Islamic centers in the United States have become a hot-bed of extremist activity; they promote violence, terrorism and hatred against America."

Earlier this week, CAIR accused the Washington Times of "agenda-driven reporting" for falsely suggesting there has been a drop in that organization's grassroots support. CAIR says its membership, donor base, annual budget, and attendance at fundraising events has increased each year.

SEE: CAIR Accuses Washington Times of 'Agenda-Driven Reporting'
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2775&theType=NR

Many Muslims have expressed concerns about repeated instances of anti-Islam bias in the Washington Times' reporting and commentary.

The paper has in the past refused to publish CAIR's responses to its Islamophobic content.

SEE: CAIR Says Washington Times 'Hypocritical' on Press Freedom
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2624&theType=NR

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

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE. This publication WILL use hostile messages to further defame the Muslim community.)

CONTACT the Washington Times to express your concern about that newspaper's apparent support for an anti-Islam hate group that advocates criminalizing Islam in America. Please include your name, address and a phone number.

GOT TO: http://video1.washingtontimes.com/contact-us/contact_us.php
COPY TO: info@cair.com

MAILING ADDRESS:

Letters Editor
The Washington Times
3600 New York Ave NE
Washington, DC 20002-1947

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CAIR: US MUSLIM RIGHTS COMPLAINTS RISE 25 PCT - REPORT - TOP
David Morgan, Reuters, 6/14/07

The number of civil rights complaints by Muslims in the United States jumped 25 percent in 2006, mainly because of a surge in immigration and citizenship problems, a leading U.S. Muslim group said on Thursday.

In its annual report on civil rights, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it processed 2,467 complaints last year, up from 1,972 in 2005.

Discrimination complaints against federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department more than doubled to 890 filings from about 380 in 2005 and accounted for just over 36 percent of total civil rights complaints.

"This is the first time since 2004 that government agencies represented the highest percentage of complaints," CAIR said in the 40-page report, titled "The Status of Muslim Civil Rights in the United States."

"This increase was due primarily to the number of cases related to major immigration issues such as citizenship and naturalization delays."

Hate crime complaints including physical attacks against individuals and mosques rose 9.2 percent to 167 in 2006, compared with 153 a year earlier, the Washington-based advocacy group said in the report.

But hate crimes also declined as a percentage of total complaints, as did other discrimination categories including racial or religious profiling and verbal harassment.

Independent polls have recorded rising U.S. Muslim unease about U.S. government policies since the Sept. 11 attacks, which killed about 3,000 people and prompted U.S. President George W. Bush's global war on terrorism.

An April report by New York University Law School's Center for Human Rights and Global Justice said post-Sept. 11 U.S. counterterrorism efforts had "institutionalized" discrimination by adding tighter security checks to immigration and citizenship procedures. (MORE)

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FBI TERROR WATCH LIST 'OUT OF CONTROL' - TOP
Justin Rood, ABC News, 6/13/073
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/06/fbi_terror_watc.html

A terrorist watch list compiled by the FBI has apparently swelled to include more than half a million names.

Privacy and civil liberties advocates say the list is growing uncontrollably, threatening its usefulness in the war on terror.

The bureau says the number of names on its terrorist watch list is classified.

A portion of the FBI's unclassified 2008 budget request posted to the Department of Justice Web site, however, refers to "the entire watch list of 509,000 names," which is utilized by its Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force.

A spokesman for the interagency National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), which maintains the government's list of all suspected terrorists with links to international organizations, said they had 465,000 names covering 350,000 individuals. Many names are different versions of the same identity -- "Usama bin Laden" and "Osama bin Laden" for the al Qaeda chief, for example.

In addition to the NCTC list, the FBI keeps a list of U.S. persons who are believed to be domestic terrorists -- abortion clinic bombers, for example, or firebombing environmental extremists, who have no known tie to an international terrorist group.

Combined, the NCTC and FBI compendia comprise the watch list used by federal security screening personnel on the lookout for terrorists.

While the NCTC has made no secret of its terrorist tally, the FBI has consistently declined to tell the public how many names are on its list. Because the number is classified, an FBI spokesman told the Blotter on ABCNews.com, he was unable to comment for this story.

"It grows seemingly without control or limitation," said ACLU senior legislative counsel Tim Sparapani of the terrorism watch list. Sparapani called the 509,000 figure "stunning."

"If we have 509,000 names on that list, the watch list is virtually useless," he told ABC News. "You'll be capturing innocent individuals with no connection to crime or terror." (MORE)

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CAIR-NY: NEW YORK-AREA MUSLIMS URGED TO SUPPORT RELAY FOR LIFE - TOP
Cancer awareness effort part of 'Muslims Care' campaign

(NEW YORK, NY, 6/14/07) - The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) is calling on area Muslims and others in the community to contribute to the upcoming Relay For Life of Harlem, an overnight effort to raise cancer awareness that runs June 22 to 23 at the Harlem Armory.

Muslim support of the event is part of CAIR's annual summer-long "Muslims Care" campaign, launched to encourage volunteerism in the nation's Muslim community. The campaign's theme this month is Health Awareness.

Relay For Life, held across the city on several occasions, is a fun-filled event designed to bring together those touched by cancer in our community. The event celebrates survivorship and raises money to help the American Cancer Society in its mission to save lives. During this particular event, teams gather at the Harlem Armory, 40 W. 143rd St., to run or walk laps throughout the night.

"The unfortunate reality is that cancer has affected nearly every family in every community," said CAIR-NY civil rights coordinator Aliya Latif. "Relay For Life of Harlem is our chance to fight it together."

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED:

Those interested in taking part in the Relay For Life of Harlem, which begins at 5 p.m. June 22 and lasts until noon on June 23 in New York should do one of the following by going to: http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=213823

Sign up to participate.
Sponsor a participant.

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-NY Communications Coordinator Faiza N. Ali, 212-870-2002, fali@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-MI: DETROIT-AREA CLERICS CONDEMN MOSQUE BOMBING - TOP
Sarah Hulett, Michigan Radio, 6/14/07
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/michigan/news.newsmain?

action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1097755

Islamic clerics from the Detroit area are condemning the bombing of the Askaria Mosque in Samarra today. And they're urging southeast Michigan's Muslim community to stay calm in the wake of the destruction of a one of the holiest Shi'ite shrines.

Dawud Walid directs the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Michigan. He says there needs to be a thorough investigation into who's responsible for the explosions.

"We also call on the Muslim community and the Muslim scholars both in Iraq and here and to remind their followers to be calm," says Walid. "We should not jump to any conclusions as to who was behind this crime."

Imam Mohammad Musa is with the Muslim Unity Center in Bloomfield Hills. He says it's critical for Sunni and Shi'ite leaders to come together.

"Our community is worried about what's happening there like disease," says Musa. "And they don't like the disease to come here."

Local Shi'ite and Sunni leaders signed a pledge last month to work against divisions between the two Muslim sects.

Earlier in the year, some Shi'a-owned businesses and mosques in Detroit were vandalized. Some of the business owners blamed the vandalism on sectarian tensions.

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CAIR-CA: MEDIA IGNORING POSITIVES WHEN REPORTING ON Muslims - TOP
Abiya Ahmed, Inside Bay Area, 6/14/07
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/oped/ci_6137964

The Pew Research Center's recent poll, "Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream," primarily tells a minority success story - Muslims are generally widely assimilated, socio-economically empowered and decisively American in their attitudes.

It also discloses much about American media and their treatment of Muslim-related stories. From its coverage, one may draw valuable inferences about the media's functions "both descriptive and normative" in our war-ridden world.

A major headline-grabber was that 26 percent of U.S. Muslims age 18-29 believe suicide bombings against civilians to "defend Islam and its enemies" are often/sometimes (15 percent) or rarely (11 percent) justified. Of the total, 78 percent believe such tactics are never justified, 8 percent say often (1 percent) or sometimes (7 percent) justified.

Now here's some perspective.

A December 2006 University of Maryland study - one that failed to create a similar media circus when released, and escaped a mention even now - shows that 51 percent of Americans think "bombing and other attacks intentionally aimed at civilians (are) often, sometimes or rarely justified," while 46 percent say "never justified."

Further, 54 percent of Americans still support use of the A-bomb on Hiroshima, according to a 2005 AP poll - a decrease from 80 percent in 1945. Should we thus conclude that young Muslims are even more American since their attitudes mirror those of Americans in general?

As the comparison illustrates, support for such tactics is considerably less among Muslims.

Undeniably, any such support among any group is worrying. But also worrying is mainstream media's failure to cite these studies - whether due to bias or oversight - thus unfairly depicting Muslims as a lone group that encourages targeting civilians. (MORE)

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JUDGE: POLICE CAN BAN RELIGIOUS MUSLIM GARB - TOP
Joseph A. Gambardello, Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/14/07
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/7991842.html

A Philadelphia police officer has no right to wear a head covering as required by her Muslim faith when she is in uniform, a federal judge ruled yesterday.

The Police Department's uniform code "has a compelling public purpose," Judge Harvey Bartle III wrote in deciding against Kimberlie Webb, an officer since 1995.

The uniform code "recognizes that the Police Department, to be effective, must subordinate individuality to its paramount group mission of protecting the lives and property of the people living, working and visiting the city of Philadelphia," Bartle wrote.

Furthermore, the department's uniform code, known as Directive 78, maintains "religious neutrality," the judge said.

The ruling countered a finding by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2003 that the department had violated Webb's rights in barring her from wearing a hijab, also known as a khimar, over the top and back of her head.

It was not immediately known whether Webb, 44, would appeal. Her attorney, Lance D. James, did not respond to a message seeking comment.

In his ruling, Bartle cited a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit that determined Pennsylvania's Garb Statute did not violate the rights of a Philadelphia public-school teacher in barring her from wearing a Muslim head covering. (MORE)

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IA: MUSLIMS OFFER FOOD FOR THOUGHT IN ROCK ISLAND - TOP
John David, WQAD, 6/13/07
http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=6654242

The local Muslim community is offering food for thought. It's pledging to make regular donations to Churches United. Donations designed to feed the hungry while helping to erode stereotypes.

Box by box and project by project, local Muslims are on a mission. They're working to change hearts and minds with food for local pantries. A project that extends to 20 other cities across the country.

"We should get busy serving our neighbor and learn about one another," said Ahmed Elkhaldy, president of the Muslim American Society-Iowa.

That's one reason why the group is delivering 500 pounds of meat to Churches United in Rock Island. They plan to return monthly with more to feed the hungry and open minds to what Islam is all about.

"I think they're demonstrating there is a far more positive side of Islam than what a few have hijacked and turned into something else," said Mike Wakefield, Barnabas Uplift.

Generosity coming on a day when there's another bombing of the Golden Mosque in Iraq. It's landing a blow to hopes for peace between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. Fear it will trigger more sectarian warfare abroad.

"I feel the pain and the suffering of every innocent person regardless of their religion, skin color or nationality," Elkhaldy said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

NJ: MUSLIM GIRL FIGHTS POVERTY - TOP
Diane Haines, Herald News, 6/14/07
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeX

kyNTgmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcxNTEwNjEmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXky

Aseel Najib promotes religious understanding. That's one of the qualities that resulted in her being picked as one of 25 future world leaders.

It means she sends e-cards for Hanukkah to her Jewish friends and gets remembrances from them during Ramadan.

Unusual? No, that's what Youth for Charity is all about. It teaches mutual understanding among young women of different ethnic backgrounds while at the same time working to end poverty and homelessness.

Youth for Charity, based in North Bergen, is just one of the charitable pursuits that figure into Najib's crowded schedule.

"It's so important for people of different religions to reach out and build bridges, not burn them. When you work together good comes out of it," says Najib, 17, of Clifton about her community outreach involvement.

A junior at Al Ghazaly, a private Muslim school in Teaneck, Najib gets top grades. She volunteers in a North Bergen physician's office and is active in an organization called Stamp Out Hate. Najib, who was born in Saudi Arabia, takes advanced placement courses and participates in Mock Trial and Model U.N. programs. She speaks Arabic and English and is working on her Spanish because that is the language of some of the patients at the doctor's office.

She discusses her goals and beliefs seated on a white damask couch in the living room of her parents' ranch-style home. Barefoot and wearing jeans, she has her head wrapped in a blue, white and black abstract-patterned hijab.

Over the winter one of her teachers nominated her for an international leadership award called 2007 Tomorrow25. She was one of a few hundred accomplished students nominated by business and community leaders, teachers, school administrators and guidance counselors. A panel of judges at Bentley College in Waltham, Mass., narrowed it down to 25 outstanding high school juniors, and Najib made the cut.

The program, now in its third year, is co-sponsored by Time magazine, which supplied speakers for an April leadership forum. The theme was "The Business of Healing Our World." More than half of the winners were from the United States, and others hailed from Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Turkey. In addition to New Jersey, they came from California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Minnesota. (MORE)

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ISLAM ON U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS - TOP
Tahira Muhammad, Black Star News, 6/14/07
http://blackstarnews.com/?c=122&a=3420

It was only about 30 years ago that a Muslim community began to grow on the Virgin Islands with the building on St. Thomas of Masjid Muhammad in 1978.

Later it became Masjid Al-Nur located in Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the US Virgin Islands. With a population of about 300 Muslims the Islamic Community in St. Thomas is unique in that it is made of up of indigenous Virgin Islanders, Palestinians, and residents that moved there from the United States mainland.

Much like their US stateside Muslim community counterparts, there is a struggle to maintain a sense of community amongst the indigenous African-Caribbean Muslims along with the other ethnic groups.

Despite some of their struggles in trying to understand one another, they still work to try to come together so that they and their children can have a sense of hope in practicing Islam on such a small predominately Christian island.

At a recent Friday Khutbah Imam Dawood Aygun spoke with a visitor about patience.

"Having faith helps you to increase your inner faith with yourself and with each other," he says. "Allah related to Prophet Musa that having patience will balance out your good deeds, and your good deeds will weigh heavier then your bad deeds."

Imam Dawood emphasizes the importance of having a family life in maintaining faith. "If you have no family life it is very difficult for you to protect your Islam." Family life is a very important aspect in the Caribbean culture and it has a huge impact on how Virgin Islanders practice their Islam. Many fear that when their children leave the Island and go to the United States they may get caught up in the fast life style and forget the basics of their religion from home.

With this in mind, the community established an Islamic daycare on the premises of the Masjid. "It is important to instill a foundation in the children while they are young," says Sister Inshirah Abiff, one of the long term members of the community.

Despite the lack of diverse activities like in the US, the community finds a unique sense of close-knit comfort on a small island. (MORE)

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NBC HONCHO SHOWS INTEREST IN LITTLE MOSQUE - TOP
Guy Dixon, Globe and Mail, 6/14/07
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070614.MOSQ

UE14/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Television/

The recently appointed co-chairman of NBC, Ben Silverman, who is known for repackaging foreign shows such as The Office and Ugly Betty for the U.S. market, has given a strong indication that he's considering snapping up CBC's Little Mosque on the Prairie.

Speaking to an audience at the Banff World Television Festival in Banff, Alta., Silverman said he wanted to come to Canada "with his shopping bag" in hopes of acquiring the rights to shows, and added that he had heard great things about Little Mosque. It was a blurted remark to a Canadian crowd, but one that raised speculation that NBC might be interested in buying the show.

The comedy, about a small Muslim community in a prairie town, has been one of the CBC's recent successes, with its second season set to air this fall. Executive producer Mary Darling of WestWind Pictures confirmed that the series' producers have been in talks with more than one major U.S. network, although she wouldn't confirm which and noted that nothing has yet been finalized Stateside. Recently, France's Canal Plus completed a deal to distribute the show in France, Africa and Switzerland.

"It's no secret that we have been talking to networks in the States," Darling said by phone from Banff. "I know that Ben liked the show from the very beginning when he was still at Reveille," his production and distribution company.

She added that the talks are exploring the possibility of selling the rights for a U.S. network to make an American version of the show. But the show's producers won't sign a deal that would prevent them from also selling the Canadian version to another U.S. cable or satellite network. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CANADA: RICE VOWS TO PROBE DETENTION AT AIRPORT - TOP
London Muslim leader Dr. Munir El-Kassem was treated like a terror threat.
April Kemick, London Free Press, 6/14/07
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/CityandRegion/2007/06/14/4259181-sun.html

The case of a respected London Muslim leader, detained for hours at the Detroit airport last month, has been brought to the attention of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

Dr. Munir El-Kassem, who was detained, interrogated and fingerprinted for hours in Detroit, met yesterday in Ottawa with Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay.

MacKay told El-Kassem -- a local imam, university chaplain and UWO professor -- that he brought the issue to Rice's attention over the weekend.

"(MacKay) told me . . . he spoke with Secretary Rice and she was quite concerned and promised to do a thorough investigation," El-Kassem said last night.

"Overreacting to security issues in this manner is not acceptable . . . and I hope they'll recognize that and find other solutions."

The Foreign Affairs Minister also instructed his own staff to follow up with a complete investigation into the series of events, El-Kassem said.

El-Kassem, a director at UWO's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, was interrogated for hours at the airport after telling an official he was Muslim. (MORE)

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CAIR
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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