www.ccun.org

    Muslim American News Briefs, September 5, 2007

Opinion Editorials

News

News Photos

* Hadith: Contentment is the Best of Riches
* CAIR-NV Supports Jewish Officer's Right to Skullcap, Beard
            - CA: Business Leaders Asked to Embrace Diversity (Press-Ent)
* Video: FL Anti-Muslim TV Host Says Jews, Mormons Going to Hell
            - CAIR: Florida TV Station Drops Anti-Islam Program
* CAIR-Cleveland to Host Ramadan Interfaith Banquet
            - CAIR-FL to Take Part in Interfaith Celebration
* Video: CAIR Rep Discusses Korean Hostage Crisis (Al-Jazeera)
            - Video: Islam Vs Islamists - A Florida Dialogue
* Abandon Stereotypes, Muslims in America Say (NY Times)
            - IL: Dean Tells Muslims to Run for Political Office (Sun-Times)
            - CA: March in Solidarity with Community of Burned Mosque
            - New Magazine in Vogue for American Muslim Girls
* NY: Despite Controversy, Classes Start at Arabic School (WABC)
            - CAIR: Critic of NY Arabic School Accused of Anti-Semitism
* TX: Muslim Clinic Helps Those in Need, Regardless of Religion
* MI: Muslim Charities to be Forum Topic (Detroit Free Press)
            - Holy Land Federal Witnesses Go Uncalled (LA Times)
* Israeli Editor Unrepentant on 'Apartheid' Comment (JTA)

-----

HADITH OF THE DAY: CONTENTMENT IS THE BEST OF RICHES - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Being rich does not mean having a great amount of property, but (true wealth) is self-contentment."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 453

VERSE OF THE DAY: THE BEST OF ALL GOALS

"Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons; heaped-up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded (for blood and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world's life; but in nearness to God is the best of all goals."

The Holy Quran, 3:14

-----

CAIR-NV SUPPORTS JEWISH OFFICER'S RIGHT TO SKULLCAP, BEARD - TOP

(LAS VEGAS, NV, 9/4/07) - The Nevada chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NV) today offered its support to a Jewish police officer who is being denied the right to wear a religiously-mandated yarmulke (skullcap) and beard.

The nine-year veteran of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department filed a discrimination lawsuit last week after failing to negotiate a compromise with his superiors.

SEE: Lawsuit: Jewish Detective Sues Police (Review-Journal)

"Police officers, like any other citizens, should have the right to religious freedom," said CAIR-NV Executive Director Yasser Moten. "We urge Metropolitan Police Department officials to work out a mutually-agreeable compromise on this important issue."

In 2002, CAIR condemned a decision by Illinois' Cook County Sheriff's Department to strip police powers from an Orthodox Jewish deputy after he refused to remove his yarmulke while on duty.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals because of their religious beliefs or practices. The act requires employers to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of an employee, unless to do so would create an "undue hardship."

CAIR has defended the right of Muslim officers to wear Islamic scarves and beards. The Washington-based group publishes a booklet, "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices."

In 1999, a Supreme Court action left intact a lower court ruling supporting the right of Muslim police officers to wear beards. The earlier ruling, issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, said the Newark (N.J.) Police Department's no-beard policy was discriminatory because it allowed medical but not religious exemptions. (Fraternal Order of Police v. City of Newark)

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-NV Executive Director Yasser Moten, 702-448-8601, 702-824-3553, E-Mail: ymoten@cair.com; 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

SEE ALSO:

HUMAN RELATIONS OFFICIAL TELLS BUSINESS LEADERS TO EMBRACE DIVERSITY - TOP
Doug Haberman, Press-Enterprise, 9/3/07
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_B_rzaki04.3e502c0.html

RIVERSIDE - Halfway through his yearlong term as chairman of Riverside's Human Relations Commission, Omar Zaki made a pitch to business leaders.

Embrace diversity -- it can be good for your bottom line, he told the audience at August's Good Morning Riverside, a monthly gathering organized by the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce and held at the Mission Inn.

A company with a diverse workforce can tap into markets with which it may not have had experience, Zaki said.

"Social capital equates to economic growth," he told the audience.

As a Muslim in post-Sept. 11, 2001, America, Zaki knows better than many Riverside residents the value of an inclusive society.

It's been his goal for years.

Zaki, whose family is from Egypt, has long invited non-Muslims to participate in Muslim celebrations, such as Ramadan, to understand better what Islam is about.

He was so worried about the way the terrorist attacks affected how Muslim Americans were perceived that he spent two years between 2003 and 2005 as director of governmental affairs for the Southern California chapter of the Council of American. (MORE)

-----

VIDEO: ANTI-MUSLIM TV HOST SAYS JEWS, MORMONS GOING TO HELL - TOP
http://www.abcactionnews.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=3632@wfts.dayport.com

CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier debates anti-Muslim TV host Bill Keller.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: FLORIDA TV STATION DROPS ANTI-ISLAM PROGRAM - TOP
http://cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2929&theType=NR

-----

CAIR-OH: CLEVELAND MUSLIMS TO HOST RAMADAN INTERFAITH BANQUET - TOP

(CLEVELAND, OH, 9/4/07) - On Saturday, September 15, the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OHIO) will host its 4th Annual "Sharing Ramadan" Iftar Banquet with members of the interfaith community. ("Iftar" is the meal eaten after sunset each day during Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting.)

WHEN: Saturday, September 15, 2007
TIME: Registration - 6:30-7:30 p.m., Program begins at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Joseph Cole Center, Cleveland State University, 3100 Chester Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio
CONTACT: CAIR-Ohio Cleveland Chapter Executive Director Julia A. Shearson, 216-830-2247 or 216-440-2247; E-Mail: jshearson@cair.com

Award-winning author and former diplomat Michael Hamilton Morgan will speak about his new book, "Lost History: the Enduring Legacy of Muslim Scientists, Thinkers, and Artists," published by National Geographic.

The evening will include a Middle Eastern dinner and entertainment and crafts for children. The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 216-830-2247.

"The month of Ramadan is a time of spiritual renewal and charitable giving," said Isam Zaiem, president of the Cleveland Chapter of CAIR-OHIO. "This event is a wonderful chance for Americans of all faiths to build interfaith harmony and mutual understanding."

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

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-FL TO TAKE PART IN INTERFAITH CELEBRATION - TOP
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 9/1/07

Fourth annual Interfaith Celebration, 10:45 a.m. Sept. 9 at Amaturo Theater, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Speaking: Pastor Tita Calzada, Unity of Fort Lauderdale; Rabbi Chaim Solomon, Kabbalah Center of Aventura; Altaf Ali, Florida director for Council on American-Islamic Relations. Admission free, offering collected.

-----

VIDEO: CAIR REP DISCUSSES KOREAN HOSTAGE CRISIS - TOP

CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper discusses the Korean hostage crisis on Al-Jazeera's English network.

South Korean Missionaries home
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C39E93F7-29C9-4BBE-9E58-B9E5BE7176DA.htm

South Korean missionaries have finally returned home after their ordeal in Afghanistan was over.

Was it an unfortunate accident or due to lack of awareness and understanding of the culture and history of their destination?

What about the missionary work in general and how they choose their destination to provide aid/help and spread the word?

Inside Story investigates. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

VIDEO: ISLAM VS ISLAMISTS: A BAY AREA DIALOGUE - TOP
http://www.wedu.org/Content/VideoPop/IslamvsIslamists_August_2007.aspx

WEDU Public affairs host, Rob Lroei and a distinguished panel of guests explore what it means to be a Muslim in the world today. (The panel includes CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier.)

-----

ABANDON STEREOTYPES, MUSLIMS IN AMERICA SAY - TOP
NEIL MacFARQUHAR, 9/4/07
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/04/us/04muslims.html

It is time for the United States to stop treating every American Muslim as somehow suspect, leaders of the faith said at their largest annual convention, which ended here on Monday.

Six years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Americans should distinguish between mainstream Muslims and the radical fringe, the leaders said.

"Muslim Americans feel an increasing level of tension and scrutiny in contemporary society," said Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim organization in the United States and the convention organizer.

The image problems were among the topics most discussed by many of the 30,000 attendees. A fresh example cited was an open letter from two Republican House members, Peter Hoekstra of Michigan and Sue Myrick of North Carolina, that attacked the Justice Department for sending envoys to the convention because, the lawmakers said, the Islamic Society of North America was a group of "radical jihadists."

The lone Muslim in Congress, Representative Keith Ellison, Democrat of Minnesota, the keynote speaker here, dismissed the letter as ill informed and typical of bigoted attacks that other minorities have suffered.

Leaders of American Muslim organizations attribute the growing intolerance to three main factors: global terrorist attacks in the name of Islam, disappointing reports from the Iraq war and the agenda of some supporters of Israel who try taint Islam to undermine the Palestinians.

American Muslims say they expect the attacks to worsen in the presidential election and candidates to criticize Islam in an effort to prove that they are tough on terrorism. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

DEAN TELLS MUSLIMS: RUN FOR POLITICAL OFFICE - TOP
SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH, Chicago Sun-Times, 9/2/07
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/religion/539406,CST-NWS-Islam02s1.article

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean told American Muslims gathered in Rosemont to think beyond voter registration drives.

"You need to run for political office," Dean said Saturday. "The only way you can achieve your goals is to stand up and say who you are and be proud of it."

Those in the packed house rose to their feet and applauded.

Dean was one of several prominent Democrats on Saturday to address the nation's largest gathering of American Muslims. Republicans declined invitations, organizers said. (MORE)

---

NEW MAGAZINE IN VOGUE FOR AMERICAN MUSLIM GIRLS - TOP
McClatchy News Service, 9/4/07
http://www.daily-journal.com/archives/dj/display.php?id=402812

The glossy pages of most teen mags feature articles on dating, celebrities' jaunts to and from rehab, and the latest miniskirt trend -- topics of little relevance to girls who grow up practicing Islam, which frowns upon such things.

But inside Muslim Girl magazine, which premiered its first issue this year, readers will not find "Guys: Decode His IMs" or "585 Sexy New Looks." Rather, the magazine offers a profile of a professional woman (Mishal Hussain, a BBC broadcast journalist), a fashion spread in which models sport cute-yet-conservative clothes, and advice on dealing with crushes in a culture that looks down on dating. (MORE)

---

CA: MARCH IN SOLIDARITY WITH ISLAMIC COMMUNITY - TOP
Congregations will rally in show of tolerance after arson fire destroyed mosque last month
Simon Read, Contra Costa Times, 9/4/07
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_6796983

The Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County is inviting all congregations to march in support of the East Bay's Islamic community later this month in Antioch.

The event is a chance for outreach organizations to encourage tolerance after a fire this month destroyed an Antioch mosque, organizers said. The march and rally are planned for Sunday, Sept. 23.

The Islamic Center of the East Bay was the target of an arson fire Aug. 12 that gutted the building and caused an estimated $200,000 in damage. The mosque had been broken into and vandalized in three prior incidents this year. Police are still investigating the fire but have said they found no evidence to indicate the arson was religiously motivated. (MORE)

-----

NY: DESPITE CONTROVERSY, CLASSES START AT CITY'S FIRST ARABIC SCHOOL - TOP
Art McFarland, WABC, 9/4/07
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=our_schools&id=5633290

(Brooklyn-WABC, Sep. 4, 2007) - School's open for a new city-sponsored Arabic academy in Brooklyn. The Khalil Gibran International Academy's 55-students arrived for class amid increased security... after a summer of controversy. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: CRITIC OF NY ARABIC SCHOOL ACCUSED OF ANTI-SEMITISM - TOP

-----

TX: MUSLIM CLINIC HELPS THOSE IN NEED, REGARDLESS OF RELIGION - TOP
Elizabeth Bassett, Fort Worth Business Press, 9/3/07
http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/display.php?id=6443

Dr. Nikhat Qureshi says that providing free health care is something that runs in her family.

Qureshi's grandfather had a successful career as a physician in Pakistan. He drew a pension when he retired, but decided to open a free clinic where he treated anyone who came by from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. He died in 1936, in his 60s, after coming home from the clinic and having dinner.

Qureshi runs her own internal medicine practice in Fort Worth, and follows her grandfather's example as one of about 15 physicians who volunteer their time and medical skills to the Muslim Community Center for Human Services in Richland Hills. The center runs the Al-Shifa clinic, which offers free medical services every Saturday morning for people who don't have health insurance, regardless of their race or religion. (MORE)

-----

MI: MUSLIM CHARITIES TO BE FORUM TOPIC - TOP
NIRAJ WARIKOO, Detroit Free Press, 9/3/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070903/NE

WS05/709030322/1001/NEWS

Metro Detroit Muslims and Arab Americans say the government crackdown on Muslim charities has been too tight, ensnaring what they see as innocent efforts to help needy people.

But the federal government says its actions, including raids, are a move to stanch the flow of money to terrorist groups in the Islamic world.

As Ramadan, a time of fasting and giving, approaches, the U.S. Attorney in Detroit, Stephen Murphy, is hosting a forum Tuesday in Dearborn on charitable donations to address concerns of metro Detroit Muslims and Arab Americans.

An official with the U.S. Treasury Department who deals with terrorist financing also plans to attend the forum. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

HOLY LAND FEDERAL WITNESSES GO UNCALLED - TOP
Prosecutors rely on FBI and Israeli testimony to make their case against the charity. The defense begins Tuesday.
Greg Krikorian, Los Angeles Times, 9/2/07
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-holyland2sep02,1,4823623.story

The Justice Department's decision not to call additional witnesses in its prosecution of an Islamic charity for alleged ties to terrorism suggests it is resting its case on the strength of contested documents and the testimony of FBI agents and Israeli security officials. (MORE)

-----

RUBINSTEIN UNREPENTANT ON 'APARTHEID' COMMENT - TOP
JTA, 9/4/07
http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/103963.html

In a speech to a Jewish group in London, Ha'aretz Arab affairs editor Danny Rubinstein stood behind his characterization of Israel as an apartheid state.

Speaking to about 100 people at the New North London Synagogue on Monday evening, less than a week after he declared Israel was "an apartheid state" at a U.N. conference in Brussels, Rubinstein said "apartheid" is a political term he and his newspaper increasingly use and he is not sorry for invoking it, audience members reported him saying. (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

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent ccun.org.

editor@ccun.org