Muslim American News Briefs, June 5, 2007
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate,
the Merciful
* Hadith: A
Believer is Like a Tender Plant
* CAIR: Muslim Team Joins D.C.
‘Race for the Cure’
- Photo:
Muslim Team at ‘Race for the Cure’
* CAIR: Poll Shows Muslims
Believe in American Dream (Columbus Disp)
- CAIR-LA:
Some Slant Poll Results on US Muslims
(Daily News)
* AZ: Alamo Must Pay Muslim
Woman for Banning Scarf (AP)
* New US Magazines for Muslim
Women, Teens (Arab News)
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HADITH OF THE DAY: A BELIEVER IS LIKE A TENDER PLANT - TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The example of a
believer is that of a fresh tender plant; from whatever direction the wind
blows, (the plant) bends (with) it, but when the wind becomes quiet, (the
plant) becomes straight again. Similarly, a believer is afflicted with
calamities (but remains patient until God removes his or her
difficulties)."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Number 547
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MUSLIM TEAM JOINS D.C. 'RACE FOR THE
CURE' - TOP
Breast cancer awareness effort part of 'Muslims Care' campaign
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/4/2007) - Dozens of Washington-area Muslims turned out
Saturday to help raise breast cancer awareness by running and walking in the
Komen National Race for the Cure. SEE: http://www.nationalraceforthecure.org/
The Muslim team included staff from the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR) and members of Sisters in Solidarity to Educate, Respond
& Serve (S.I.S.T.E.R.S). The Muslim team carried its own "Muslims
Care" banner and many of the Muslim women participants wore pink
Islamic head scarves symbolizing breast cancer awareness.
Muslim participation in the event is part of CAIR's third annual summer-long
"Muslims Care" campaign designed to encourage volunteerism in the
American Muslim community. SEE: http://www.cair.com/muslimscare/
CAIR is also supporting Hunger Awareness Day on June 5.
SEE: CAIR: Mosques Urged to Hold 'Hunger Awareness Day' Food Drives http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2750&theType=NR
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.
S.I.S.T.E.R.S is a non-profit, grassroots organization committed to
promoting the ties of sisterhood and empowering women through education,
outreach and charitable work. S.I.S.T.E.R.S aspires to cooperate with and
enhance the efforts of like-minded organizations in order to further
contribute to the advancement of women and women's work. SEE: http://www.sistersinsolidarity.com/
CONTACT: CAIR Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or
202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair.com;
CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com;
CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com
SEE ALSO:
PHOTO: MUSLIM TEAM AT ‘RACE FOR THE
CURE’ - TOP
WTOP News 9, 6/4/07
http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=218&sid=1156152&pid=4
Participants from MuslimsCare carry a banner and wear pink "Energizer
Bunny" ears at the Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure on
Saturday.
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CAIR: POLL SHOWS THAT MUSLIMS
BELIEVE IN AMERICAN DREAM - TOP
Columbus Dispatch, 6/2/07
http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/editorials/stories/2007/06/02/Al-Akhras_
SAT_MUST_ART_06-02-07_A9_8O6SQML.html
While there are many ways to interpret the results of the Pew Research
Center survey "Muslim Americans: Middle-Class and Mostly
Mainstream," it is important not to overlook the positive aspects of
the study. The poll clearly showed that American Muslims are mainstream,
highly educated, middle-class people who believe that hard work pays off.
It also confirmed that, overall, American Muslims have a positive view of
the larger society. They are overwhelmingly satisfied with their lives in
the United States, and most say their communities are excellent or good
places to live. The survey found that Muslim Americans reject extremism by
larger margins than do Muslim minorities in western European countries. In
fact, 78 percent of U.S. Muslims say that suicide bombings against civilians
are never justified.
Contrast this to the survey conducted by the University of Maryland's
Program on International Public Attitudes, released in December 2006, which
showed that only 46 percent of Americans think that "bombing and other
attacks intentionally aimed at civilians" are never justified. The Pew
research found that only 1 percent of those surveyed reported "suicide
bombings against civilian targets are often justified to defend Islam"
while another 7 percent reported the bombings are "sometimes justified
in these circumstances." Again, contrast this to the 24 percent of
Americans, reported in the Maryland study, who believe these attacks are
"often or sometimes justified." (See the Christian Science
Monitor's "The Myth of Muslim support for terror" at www.csmonitor.com/2007/0223/p09s01-coop.html).
Having said that, Muslims continue to believe that religious extremism is
unacceptable. The recent fatwa against extremism, issued by the Fiqh Council
of North America and endorsed by more than 120 American Muslim leaders and
institutions (the term fiqh refers to Islamic jurisprudence), clearly states
that "Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of
violence against innocent lives (and that) there is no justification in
Islam for extremism or terrorism." (See www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=1675&theType=NR
).
The question that we all need to ask is what are we, as a whole society,
doing about these numbers and their causes, and how are we going to address
them? Finally, contrary to how certain special-interest groups, including
some media outlets, have been spinning it, the Pew study makes it clear that
Muslims are indeed well-integrated into the fabric of our society, are
content socially and economically, believe in the American dream and are
mainstream and moderate.
These results affirm what Muslims have been saying all along.
Ahmad Al-Akhras, Vice chairman, Council on American-Islamic Relations,
Columbus
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-LA: SOME SLANT POLL RESULTS ON
MUSLIMS IN AMERICA - TOP
Hussam Ayloush, LA Daily News, 6/2/07
http://www.dailynews.com/theiropinion/ci_6046597
A new poll conducted by the Pew Research Center is a welcome indication on
the state of American Muslims. Titled, "Muslim Americans, Middle Class
and Mostly Mainstream," the report shows Muslims are well-integrated in
the fabric of our society, are content socially and economically, and
believe in the American dream.
Most major media outlets covered this story even-handedly, focusing on the
overall positive conclusions that nearly two-thirds of American Muslims do
not see a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern
society. This picture of the comfortable integration of American Muslims is
a sharp contrast to the "ghettoization" of Muslim communities in
parts of Western Europe.
Unfortunately, a few outlets could not resist the urge to sensationalize or
slant the report. So, instead of embracing and reporting the crux of the
poll - the contented integration of Muslims in America - they sought out a
minor statistic dealing with suicide bombings.
In the Pew report, 1 percent of those polled reported "suicide bombings
against civilian targets are often justified to defend Islam," while an
additional 7 percent reported the bombings are "sometimes justified in
these circumstances." Some media outlets chose to incorporate a
selective analysis of the report in their stories, projecting a
sensationalized and pessimistic view.
For instance, a New York Post headline read: "Bomb Shell: U.S. Muslims
in new terror poll shocker." An Associated Press headline was:
"Some Young Muslims Support Bombings," and World Peace Herald's
headline ran: "Many young U.S. Muslims justify suicide bombings."
Furthermore, we can also observe a double standard coming into play here.
Those who chose to sound the alarm regarding the suicide bombing statistic
held by a minority of Muslims were completely silent when earlier views held
by an even larger segment of the American population were revealed in polls.
At least, the Muslim views should have been compared to that of the larger
public. For instance, polls in 1945 showed over 80 percent of Americans
supporting the use of the A-bomb on Hiroshima, with the knowledge that the
bomb would mainly target innocent civilians. Such widespread support was
justified by the desire to defend America and save American lives.
Over the years, that support has hovered around just about 54 percent,
according to a 2005 Associated Press poll. Basically, more than half of
Americans still support the precise targeting of civilians in defense of
America. Moreover, in February, The Christian Science Monitor reported that
"a survey conducted in December 2006 by the University of Maryland's
Program on International Public Attitudes shows that only 46 percent of
Americans think that `bombing and other attacks intentionally aimed at
civilians' are `never justified,' while 24 percent believe these attacks are
`often or sometimes justified."' (MORE)
Hussam Ayloush is executive director of the Los Angeles-area chapter of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
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AZ: ALAMO RENT A CAR MUST PAY
MUSLIM WOMAN FOR BANNING SCARF - TOP
Bob Christie, Associated Press, 6/3/07
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0603scarflawsuit-ON.html
A federal jury has ordered Alamo Rent A Car to pay a Muslim woman $287,640
for firing her because she refused to remove a head scarf she was wearing
during the holy month of Ramadan.
The firing of Bilan Nur, then 22, came just four months after the Sept. 11,
2001 terror attacks. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
sued the company for what it termed a "post 9/11 backlash,"
alleging that she was fired because of her religious beliefs in violation of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn O. Silver ruled last year that the
government had proven religious discrimination and Alamo had shown no proof
that it had taken reasonable steps to allow Nur to follow her beliefs before
firing her.
That left the jury in the trial that ended Friday with only the question of
how much damages to award, said Mary Jo O'Neill, the regional attorney for
the EEOC.
The jury in the three-day trial awarded Nur $21,640 in back wages, $16,000
in compensatory damages and $250,000 in punitive damages.
Nur, a Somali who fled the war-ravaged country and came to the U.S. in 1998,
was hired by Alamo as a rental agent at its Phoenix office in November,
1999. Her job performance was described as "fine," until the
events leading to her firing, Judge Silver wrote in her ruling.
But that changed in 2001, when Nur asked her bosses at Alamo for permission
to wear a head scarf during Ramadan, which began November 16. She was told
that she could wear a scarf while in the back office, but must remove it
when she came to the counter to help customers.
The company's dress code did not specifically ban scarves but contained a
provision barring any "garments or item of clothing not specifically
mentioned in the policy." (MORE)
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NEW US MAGAZINES TARGET MUSLIM WOMEN
AND TEENS - TOP
Barbara Ferguson, Arab News, 6/3/07
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=97013&d=3&m=6&y=2007
A new publication is aiming to break negative stereotypes about Islam and to
help young Muslim women feel confident and optimistic about being Muslim in
America.
Muslim Girl was launched in January with the headline: “Enlighten,
Celebrate, Inspire.” The bi-monthly magazine targets hundreds of thousands
Muslim teenagers in North America who want a magazine that reflects their
values, ambitions and goals.
Muslim Girl is the latest of several new magazines catering to Muslim
Americans. Each targets distinct demographics teenagers, professionals,
mothers, secular Muslims, but each also aims to take pride in who they are,
and what they believe.
Muslim teenage girls have said they are delighted when they discover Muslim
Girl, because it features young Muslim American women who stand out in
academics, the arts and sports. It also gives them ideas for modest fashions
they can wear. Being comfortable with Islam is certainly one of the goals of
Muslim Girl, says editor-in-chief Ausma Khan. She describes the monthly
publication as a magazine for young Muslim women whose faith means a lot to
them, but who are just like other teenage girls in America. Khan created the
magazine as a way to serve what she says is a huge community that needs more
positive representation in the mainstream media.
Khan a writer, human rights lawyer and activist said in a recent
interview that she left a teaching position at Northwestern University to
become editor in chief of the new magazine. “Most representations of
Muslims in the media are negative,” she said. “Muslim Girl Magazine
challenges those perceptions by telling the stories of Muslim teens who are
proud to be American and who contribute to American society in so many
positive ways. This is a chance for their voices to be heard. We want to
reach as many people as possible by telling the stories about American girls
who are Muslim and getting other communities to see them as part of American
life, as teens that they have something in common with and to clear away
misunderstandings, and hope for a better dialogue,” said Khan. (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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