Verse: Men and Women are Protectors of One Another
CAIR-NY: Rights Groups Question Fairness of Muslim Detainee's NY Trial
Palin Defends Franklin Graham's Anti-Islam Comments (Politico)
CAIR Video: One Man's Fight Against 'Islamophobia' (ABC News)
CAIR: Revoked 'Hate Plates' Restart Free Speech Debate
CAIR: Do You Know This Racist Driver?
CAIR: The Man Behind the 'South Park' Threats (FOX News)
CAIR: Threat Against 'South Park' Creators Highlights Dilemma
Backgrounder: What Would Muhammad Do? - Part 2
CAIR-OK: Edmond Muslim Leader Addresses Immigration Issue
TX: Gang Member Reforms After Converting to Islam
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VERSE OF THE DAY: MEN AND WOMEN ARE PROTECTORS OF ONE ANOTHER - TOP
"The true believers, both men and women, are protectors of one another. They enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil."
The Holy Quran, 9:71
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Rights Groups Question Fairness in Upcoming NY Trial of Muslim Detainee After 3 Years of Solitary Confinement - TOP
(NEW YORK, NY, 4/23/10) -- The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), in conjunction with the Center for Constitutional Rights and Amnesty International USA, today released an open letter expressing serious concerns about the trial of Syed Fahad Hashmi.
Hashmi is scheduled for trial April 28 on charges relating to material support for terrorism.
SEE: US Torturing Muslim Pre-Trial Detainee in NYC
Manhattan Vigil for Muslim Held Prisoner for Three Years
The conditions under which Hashmi has been held have been questioned by a number of human rights advocates:
"He is under 24-hour video and audio surveillance, even when he uses the toilet. He eats all his meals in his small cell. He is not allowed to communicate with other prisoners. He is a Muslim but is not allowed to participate in group prayer. He is not allowed to phone anyone but his lawyer. He did not even have his free choice of that lawyer and had to take one approved by the government.
"The newspapers he receives have whole sections cut out of them by the government. They are always at least a month old. Once a day, for an hour, he is taken to another room where he remains in isolation. He cannot read any translated documents unless the translator is pre-approved by the government. Contact with the media is forbidden.
"For one hour every other week, one member of his family can "visit" through a heavy screen. No touching or hugging is allowed or possible. Sometimes the government takes away his family visits as punishment. He once lost his visits for three months; he was seen shadow boxing in his cell and when asked what he was doing his response apparently failed to pass muster with the authorities."
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In the open letter, the human rights organizations discussed Hashmi's severe conditions of confinement over the last three years in which he has awaited trial under Special Administrative Measures (SAM) and the impact of these conditions on his mental health and his ability to effectively participate in his own defense.

The letter reads in part:
"We are concerned that Mr. Hashmi has not been informed of the reasons for the imposition of SAMs. We are also concerned that Mr. Hashmi is being held under conditions that are not consistent with international standards for humane treatment. Due to their likely impact on his mental health, we are further concerned that these conditions will prejudice his ability to assist in his own defense.

"The Department of Justice stated last year that 46 inmates around the country were being confined pursuant to SAMs. Although we recognize that the department has a legitimate interest in protecting classified information that may harm national security and in protecting the public against acts of terrorism, we are very concerned that inmates held pursuant to such measures are not being given an adequate opportunity to defend against the imposition of SAMs in their cases.

"We urge the Attorney General to review and revise the agency's regulations governing the imposition of SAMs to ensure that all prisoners regardless of their security status are held in humane conditions, are not subjected to discriminatory treatment, are given adequate information about why SAMs are being imposed, and are given a full opportunity to argue and present evidence against their imposition."
To view the letter in full click here.
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties group. 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 Civil Rights Director Aliya Latif, 212-870-2002, 732-429-4268, E-Mail: alatif@cair.com; CAIR-NY Community Affairs Director Faiza N. Ali, 212-870-2002, 718-724-3041, E-Mail: fali@cair.com
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PALIN DEFENDS FRANKLIN GRAHAM'S ISLAM COMMENTS - TOP
Ben Smith, Politico, 4/23/10
Sarah Palin dipped a toe into the explosive politics of religion today, blasting the Army's decision to disinvite Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son, from an official ceremony because he has called Islam "a very violent religion.
Palin defended not only Graham's character, but the substance of his remarks:
"His comments in 2001 were aimed at those who are so radical that they would kill innocent people and subjugate women in the name of religion," she wrote on her Facebook page. "Are we really so hyper-politically correct that we can't abide a Christian minister who expresses his views on matters of faith? What a shame. Yes, thing have changed."
Graham has long had hard words for Islam, which he called "a very evil and wicked religion" in 2006.
SEE ALSO:

CAIR VIDEO: ONE MAN'S FIGHT AGAINST 'ISLAMOPHOBIA' - TOP

CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad takes on the critics of the Islamic faith. (ABC News, 4/20/2010)

View the video.

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CAIR: REVOKED 'HATE PLATES' RESTART FREE SPEECH DEBATE - TOP
Carl Franzen, AOL News, 4/23/10
Personalized or vanity license plates typically fall somewhere between sentimental and silly, but this week, a photo of a license plate containing a coded message of white supremacy made the rounds on the Web before the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles formally recalled them.
But now, the person who photographed the "hate plates" and brought it to the attention of the wider public isn't so sure that the DMV did the right thing.
"I hate Nazis as much as the next guy," said Nik Y. "But the First Amendment is the First Amendment, and you should be able to express yourself no matter how much of a jerk you come off as when you do."
Nik, who agreed to be interviewed on the condition that his last name be withheld, was first drawn to the parked Ford pickup truck by the vehicle's elaborate and startling custom paint job: The back window is entirely covered by a Confederate flag decal; the tailgate has a large color image of the 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the phrase: "Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Islam I Learned on 9/11." (More)
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CAIR: DO YOU KNOW THIS RACIST DRIVER? - TOP
Adam Weinstein, Mother Jones, 4/22/10
Proof positive that racial justice, of a sort, can be crowdsourced: A few days ago, someone posted this photo of a rolling Inner America stereotype on the Internet, and Gawker picked it up. Apparently, a patriotic Confederate--as evidenced by his love for the stars and bars--wanted everybody behind him to know how much he hates Muslims while driving past the Philip Morris plant south of Richmond on I-95. "EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ISLAM I LEARNED ON 9/11," his slick tailgate decal reads, in block letters superimposed over explosions at the World Trade Centers, which must have been oh, such a personal blow to this south-of-the-Mason-Dixon waterdrinker.
But then the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) took a look at the photo and noticed Jebediah Q. Public's license plate: Turns out it's laden with white supremacist code. The "88" you might know: That's a popular way among yahoos of subtly saying "Heil Hitler," since "H" is the 8th letter of the alphabet. (Apologies to all you well-intending NASCAR fans of Jarrett, Junior and Geoff.) The "CV" means "confederate veteran", which is consistent with the plate's tiny confederate battle flag denoting the licensee as a Sons of Confederate Veterans member.
Best of all, though, is the lesser-known "14," which is a reference to the "14 Words," a white supremacist manifesto first coined by The Order member David Lane: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." Turns out the driver of this mystery machine isn't just a racist lunatic; he's a joiner.
"If the license plate had been on a VW Beetle with nothing else on it, or a Volvo station wagon, no one would probably have noticed," CAIR's director told the Washington Post. "But when the Confederate flag is thrown in...it shows the convergence of anti-government and anti-Islamic sentiments that unfortunately seem to be growing." (More)
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CAIR: THE MAN BEHIND THE 'SOUTH PARK' THREATS - TOP
Joshua Rhett Miller, FOXNews.com, 4/23/10
By all appearances, Zachary Adam Chesser was the boy next door. He played football and was on the crew team at one of the best high schools in the country. He even studied Japanese. He was hardly the sort of boy you'd expect would suggest on a radical Islamic website that the creators of the edgy cartoon series "South Park" will be targeted for death.
But Chesser also had a dark side. He was a "loner," a former classmate said, one who frequently drew pictures of Satanic figures in his notebooks and had just a few friends, most of them male.
"He was definitely sort of weird," the classmate told FoxNews.com. "He was very into violent industrial music, borderline Satanic bands and stuff like that. He had dark undertones in his interests."
Two years later, Chesser is literally a changed man. He now uses an alias and has a new set of hobbies. He now likes to be called Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee, and his primary interest in this world appears to be Islamic radicalism.
Last week, Chesser, 20, posted a warning on the website RevolutionMuslim.com following the 200th episode of "South Park," which included a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad disguised in a bear suit. The young man, who just two years ago was studying foreign languages at George Mason University, wrote on the site that Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the cartoon's creators, "will probably end up" like Theo van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who was murdered in 2004 after making a film critical of Islamic society...
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, characterized Revolution Muslim as a loosely-organized group with such outrageous beliefs he believes it may be a "setup" to smear Islam.
"They say wild and irresponsible things periodically," Hooper told FoxNews.com. "There's a strong suspicion that they're merely a setup to make Muslims and Islam look bad. They say such wild and crazy things that you have to wonder." (More)
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CAIR: THREAT AGAINST 'SOUTH PARK' CREATORS HIGHLIGHTS DILEMMA FOR MEDIA COMPANIES - TOP
Scott Collins and Matea Gold, Los Angeles Times, 4/23/10
In its 200 shows, the irreverent animated program "South Park" has mercilessly satirized Christianity, Buddhism, Scientology, the blind and disabled, gay people, Hollywood celebrities and politicians of all persuasions, weathering the resulting protests and threats of boycotts.
But this week, after an ominous threat from a radical Muslim website, the network that airs the program bleeped out all references to the prophet Muhammad in the second of two episodes set to feature the holy figure dressed in a bear costume. The incident provides the latest example that media conglomerates are still struggling to balance free speech with safety concerns and religious sensitivities, six years after Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was slain for making a film critical of Islamic society...
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based civil rights and advocacy group, called Revolution Muslim "an extreme fringe group that has absolutely no credibility within the Muslim community." (More)
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BACKGROUNDER: WHAT WOULD MUHAMMAD DO? PART 2 - TOP
By Ibrahim Hooper
Word Count: 691
NOTE: This op-ed was written and distributed following a previous incident involving insults directed at the Prophet Muhammad. Interestingly enough, that incident also involved a bear.
[Ibrahim Hooper is national communications director for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties group. He may be contacted at: ihooper@cair.com ]
During last year's protests over publication of the Danish cartoons designed to insult the Prophet Muhammad, I wrote a commentary called "What Would Muhammad Do?"
Given the ongoing controversy over the jailing of British teacher Gillian Gibbons in the Sudan for "insulting Islam," perhaps it is time to remind us all how the Prophet himself reacted to insults, both real and perceived.
Even if Ms. Gibbons had the intent to cause insult, which does not seem to be the case, Islamic traditions include a number of instances in which the Prophet had the opportunity to retaliate against those who abused him, but refrained from doing so.
"You do not do evil to those who do evil to you, but you deal with them with forgiveness and kindness." (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
That description of the Prophet Muhammad is a summary of how he reacted to personal attacks and abuse.
Muslims are taught the tradition of the woman who would regularly throw trash on the prophet as he walked down a particular path. The prophet never responded in kind to the woman's abuse. Instead, when she one day failed to attack him, he went to her home to inquire about her condition.
In another tradition, the prophet was offered the opportunity to have God punish the people of a town near Mecca who refused the message of Islam and attacked him with stones. Again, the prophet did not choose to respond in kind to the abuse.
A companion of the prophet noted his forgiving disposition. He said: "I served the prophet for ten years, and he never said 'uf' (a word indicating impatience) to me and never blamed me by saying, 'Why did you do so or why didn't you do so?'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
Even when the prophet was in a position of power, he chose the path of kindness and reconciliation.
When he returned to Mecca after years of exile and personal attacks, he did not take revenge on the people of the city, but instead offered a general amnesty.
In the Quran, Islam's revealed text, God states: "When (the righteous) hear vain talk, they withdraw from it saying: 'Our deeds are for us and yours for you; peace be on to you. We do not desire the way of the ignorant'. . .O Prophet (Muhammad), you cannot give guidance to whom you wish, it is God Who gives guidance to whom He pleases, and He is quite aware of those who are guided." (28:55-56)
The Quran also says: "Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching, and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knows best who have strayed from His Path and who receive guidance." (16:125)
Another verse tells the prophet to "show forgiveness, speak for justice and avoid the ignorant." (7:199)
These are the examples that Muslims should follow as they express concern at the publication of insulting cartoons or at misperceived actions of a well-meaning teacher.
After the Danish cartoon controversy and allegations of Quran desecration at Guantanamo Bay, CAIR initiated educational campaigns as a peaceful, constructive response. This is an approach that people of all faiths can appreciate, as it helps us move toward respect and religious tolerance.
This most recent episode can be used as a learning opportunity for people of all faiths who wish to promote mutual understanding. It can also be viewed as a "teaching moment" for Muslims who want to emulate the Prophet through the example of their good character and dignified behavior.
As the Quran states: "It may well be that God will bring about love (and friendship) between you and those with whom you are now at odds." (60:7)
This week's unfortunate incident in the Sudan points to the need for an increased level of dialogue between ordinary people in the Muslim world and the West.
The complaint brought against Gillian Gibbons was an inappropriate use of Sudan's legal system to deal with what was in essence a disagreement between parents and a teacher. Ms. Gibbons should never have been charged. She should be released immediately.
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CAIR-OK: EDMOND MUSLIM LEADER ADDRESSES IMMIGRATION ISSUE - TOP
Edmond Sun, 4/23/10
An Edmond-based representative of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations spoke recently at the "Immigration in the Heartland" conference at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.
The conference, co-sponsored by the Institute for Justice and Journalism and OU's Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, convened members of the media from throughout the Midwest. The purpose of this conference was to discuss reporting the complexities of immigration with clarity, depth and context.
CAIR-OK Executive Director Razi Hashmi, of Edmond, spoke in a session on Muslim Immigration and spoke about the scrutiny Muslim foreign-born immigrants have faced since 9/11. Mohamed Elibiary, president and CEO of the Freedom and Justice Foundation, also spoke during this session.
"If we continue down the path we are going now, we will turn away some of the best and brightest minds and they will end up going somewhere else, leaving us at a disadvantage in competing in a global economy," Hashmi said. "Our community is proof positive of the success stories and contributions that Muslims have made to our great nation. We have an obligation to continue that promise of hope and prosperity."
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. 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.
For more information, visit http://immigrationintheheartland.wordpress.com/
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TX: GANG MEMBER REFORMS AFTER CONVERTING TO ISLAM - TOP
By Abby Lee, Daily Cougar, 4/23/10
A former Latino gang member told a story to a group of UH students Tuesday of how converting to Islam saved his life, and he described why Latinos are more likely to convert to Islam.
As part of Islam Awareness Week, the Muslim Student Association welcomed Mujahid Fletcher, who moved to Houston from Colombia at age 8.
Starting in middle school, Fletcher led a troublesome life after he began his own gang based on self-defense.
"If it weren't for Islam and their rehabilitation of the Islamic lifestyle, I don't even know if I'd be here today," he said. "I may be in jail, or I may be dead. I used to have people calling my house and telling my mother at three in the morning that they were going to kill me." (More)