Hadith: Restrain Your Hands From Injustice

CAIR-PA Doing Public Relations Work for Islam

Video: CAIR-LA Rep Discusses Case of 'Irvine 11'

CAIR: Imam Asks for Return of Quran

Only Handful Attend Protest of Va. Imam's Prayer

CAIR-MI Reps Speak to Students About Islamophobia

MI: Muslims Criticize Federal Prosecutions

VT: Muslim Holiday to be Added to School Calendar

CA: Local Muslims Step Up to Help Haiti

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HADITH OF THE DAY: RESTRAIN YOUR HANDS FROM INJUSTICE - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If you guarantee me six things on your part, I shall guarantee you Paradise. Speak the truth when you talk, keep a promise when you make it, when you are trusted with something fulfill your trust, avoid sexual immorality, lower your gaze (in modesty), and restrain your hands from injustice."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1260

VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD DOES NOT DO INJUSTICE

"God does not do injustice to mankind in any way: It is man that wrongs his own soul."

The Holy Quran, 10:44

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DOING PUBLIC-RELATIONS WORK FOR ISLAM - TOP By JEFF HAWKES, Intelligencer Journal, 3/11/10

He's a happily married, Chicago Bears-crazed, pizza-loving former Boy Scout.

He listens to alternative rock by U2 and Collective Soul, belongs to a rowing club in Philadelphia and hails from Springfield, Ill.

So the evidence suggests that Moein Khawaja, 27, has every reason to consider himself as American as, well, Springfield's own Homer Simpson.

Heck, when I called Khawaja's cell phone with follow-up questions, I actually caught him in a Dunkin' Donuts.

"I'm from Springfield," Khawaja said with pride, "but my dad is not Apu."

Who but someone steeped in American culture would make an Apu reference?

But to be Khawaja is to live with his Americanism being suspect.

A Muslim born to well-educated Pakistani immigrants, Khawaja wonders what it's going to take to not have fellow Americans wonder about him.

Guilt by association

Remember the news on Christmas Day? Khawaja does.

A Nigerian with extremist Islamic beliefs tried to detonate a liquid explosive attached to his underwear while on board a commercial flight landing in Detroit.

"It was Christmas. We had the day off. My wife turns on the news," Khawaja recalled. "And she's like: 'You've got to be kidding me!' And then she unleashes a whole set of expletives."

Khawaja said Muslims across the United States had the same reaction.

In the name of Allah, a lunatic tried to blow up himself and a plane full of innocents, quite likely Muslims among them. And Muslims everywhere got tarred.

"When I hear on the news that there's been a shooting," Khawaja said, "I'm like, 'Please, God, don't let it be a Muslim.' "

And if it is an Islamic radical, Khawaja lamented, "I have to prove to everyone that I'm not one of them."

I spoke with Khawaja after a talk he gave to Lancaster Rotary Club members. He is the civil rights director for the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). (More)

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VIDEO: CAIR-LA REP DISCUSSES CASE OF 'IRVINE 11' - TOP Inside OC

One month after pro-Palestinian students were arrested for shouting down the Israeli ambassador while he was speaking at Univ. of Irvine, the controversy continues to rage. Should the Irvine 11 be expelled from school? Should they be punished at all? And why is UCI a flash-point for Middle Eastern politics? Rick discusses these questions with Rabbi Dov Fischer (Young Israel of OC) and Hussam Ayloush (Council on Amer.-Islamic Relations)...

Watch the video here.

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CAIR: IMAM ASKS FOR RETURN OF QURAN - TOP Joyce Kelly, Daily News, 3/11/10

WALTHAM — After vandals wreaked havoc on the Muslim Student Association suite last week, Imam Talal Eid, Brandeis University's Muslim chaplain, said the theft of his Quran "is what keeps me upset."

"I use it for my sermon, and it had my notes in it - it's the work of two years," said Eid, his voice shaking slightly, yesterday.

"The notes cannot be replaced, so I have to start all over again," said Eid, founder of the Islamic Institute of Boston (www.iiboston.net).

Eid is asking whoever has his Quran to "please return it."

Last Friday, just four weeks after $80,000 worth of renovations were completed, the Muslim Student Association's suite was vandalized, Eid said...

Vandalism getting national attention

Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Council of American-Islamic Relations, said CAIR, the country's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is monitoring the case.

He said the council is relying on Talal Eid's judgment about whether the vandalism is a hate crime, and noted the theft of his Quran "adds evidence to a possible bias motive, but you never know."

"Unfortunately, we've had a spate of mosque vandalisms around the country recently, and often, there's not some graffiti that says, 'Death to Islam,' so in initial investigations, you can never label it categorically as a hate crime," Hooper said. (More)

SEE ALSO:

ONLY HANDFUL ATTEND PROTEST OF VA. IMAM'S PRAYER - TOP Washington Post, 3/11/10

Protestors oppose Northern Virginia imam who gave House's opening prayer Correction: Del. Jackson H. Miller (R-Manassas) was sitting in his seat with his head bowed in prayer when the imam was delivering the prayer.

Update: About a dozen delegates, most Republicans, were not in the House chamber at the time of Imam Johari Abdul-Malik's prayer. They were in their lounge or downstairs, where members had met immediately prior to the opening of session.

In his prayer, Abdul-Malik asked them "to go beyond tolerance to understanding...Where there is fear, let us find faith." Delegates joined him in saying saying "amen" at the conclusion.

Missing delegates included: Robert B. Bell (R-Charlottesville), Kathy J. Byron (R-Lynchburg), John A. Cosgrove (R-Chesapeake), Timothy D. Hugo (R-Fairfax), Riley E. Ingram (R-Hopewell), Jackson H. Miller (R-Manassas), Lacey E. Putney (I-Bedford), James Edmunds (R-Halifax) and John Cox (R-Ashland). Many would not comment about their absence. (More)

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CAIR-MI REPS SPEAK TO STUDENTS ABOUT ISLAMOPHOBIA - TOP

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 3/12/10) ­ Two representatives from the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) yesterday spoke about Islam, Islamophobia and contemporary American Muslim issues for two classes at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich.

Representatives discussed basic Islamic beliefs and how Islamophobia in public discourse influences government policies affecting Muslims.

"We welcome such opportunities to engage college students regarding misconceptions about basic Islamic beliefs and to elaborate on how Islamophobia displays itself in the public discourse," said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid.

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.

CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-559-2247, E-Mail: dwalid@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

ARAB-AMERICANS CRITICIZE FEDERAL PROSECUTIONS - TOP Niraj Warikoo, Free Press, 3/10/10

At a meeting in Dearborn today, Arab-Americans slammed federal law enforcement officials for targeting their community, saying a disproportionate number of prosecutions in recent years are aimed at them. (More)

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ONE JEWISH AND ONE MUSLIM HOLIDAY TO BE ADDED TO SCHOOL CALENDAR - TOP Matt Sutkoski, Free Press, 3/11/10

The Burlington School Board has voted to add two holidays to future school calendars to give students time off on Jewish and Muslim holy days, but board members say the changes won't lengthen the school year.

The board approved the chances Tuesday by an 8-1 vote.

The additions will give students the day off on Eid al-Fitr and Yom Kippur. Muslims mark Eid al-Fitr as a feast to end the holy month of Ramadan. Yom Kippur is a Jewish day of atonement and considered among the holiest days of the year; it typically occurs in early fall. (More)

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CA: LOCAL MUSLIMS STEP UP TO HELP HAITI - TOP Matt Coker, OC Register, 3/11/10

Orange County Muslims on Friday plan to ship out to Haiti a 40-foot container full of clothes, medicine, medical equipment, bottled water and other basic necessities.

The relief comes courtesy of the Muslims For Haiti Project, which is a campaign the Anaheim office of Helping Hand USA launched immediately after the devastating quake shook the tiny impoverished nation. (More)

CAIR-NY Welcomes EEOC Finding of Bias in Ouster of Principal

EEOC: Debbie Almontaser discriminated against ‘on account of her race, religion and national origin’
 
(NEW YORK, NY, 3/13/10)-

The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today welcomed a determination by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that city officials discriminated against Debbie Almontaser “on account of her race, religion and national origin” by removing her as interim principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy in 2007 and disqualifying her for the permanent position as principal of that Arabic language school.
 
In a letter issued Tuesday, the EEOC stated that the Department of Education (DOE) “succumbed to the very bias that creation of the school was intended to dispel and a small segment of the public succeeded in imposing its prejudices on D.O.E. as an employer.”
 
SEE: Federal Panel Finds Bias in Ouster of Principal (NY times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/nyregion/13principal.html
 
“This preliminary victory is a strong rebuke to the vocal, agenda-driven minority that seeks to marginalize the American Muslim and Arab-American communities,” said CAIR-NY Civil Rights Director Aliya Latif. "We call on the Department of Education to reinstate Ms. Almontaser or place her in a comparable position."
 
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.

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CAIR ACTION ALERT #601:

Islam-Bashers Try to Block Muslim Prayer in Va. Legislature Action: Contact elected officials to support religious diversity, inclusion

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/11/2010) -

CAIR is calling on American Muslims and other people of conscience to contact elected officials in Virginia to thank them for inviting a respected imam to offer the opening prayer in todays session of that states House of Delegates.

A coalition of notorious Islam-bashers has called for a boycott of the prayer by legislators.

SEE: Boycott Urged for Muslim Imam's Prayer in Virginia House (Wash. Post) SEE ALSO: http://www.imamjohari.com

The head of one of the Islamophobic groups organizing the boycott, ACT! for Americas Brigitte Gabriel, once told the Australian Jewish News: Every practising Muslim is a radical Muslim. She also claimed that Islamo-fascism is a politically-correct wordit's the vehicle for IslamIslam is the problem. When asked whether Americans should resist Muslims who want to seek political office in this nation," Gabriel said: "Absolutely. If a Muslim who has -- who is -- a practicing Muslim who believes the word of the Koran to be the word of Allah, who abides by Islam, who goes to mosque and prays every Friday, who prays five times a day -- this practicing Muslim, who believes in the teachings of the Koran, cannot be a loyal citizen to the United States of America."

The New York Times Magazine described Gabriel as a radical Islamophobe.

SEE: A Case Study in Sincere Hypocrisy: Brigitte Gabriel

Another group calling for a boycott of the prayer, the Virginia Anti-Shariah Task Force, calls Islamic beliefs barbaric and claims Islamic law violates the Constitution.

"My hope is that from this gathering we will all get know each other and build new bridges of understanding, no matter how much some narrow-minded people dislike it, said Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, who will offer todays prayer.

We cannot let a vocal minority of hate-mongers deny American Muslims their constitutionally-guaranteed right to take part in the political process, said CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor.

Saylor noted that another group of Islamophobes is today seeking to block Muslim political participation in Florida.

SEE: Muslim Group Heads to Tallahassee; Anti-Muslim Group Stokes Fear IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED:

1. CONTACT the sponsors of the prayer to thank them for supporting religious diversity and inclusion in Virginia.

Before calling, see: Tips for Calling Your Representatives

Delegate Adam Ebbin General Assembly Building P.O. Box 406 Richmond, Virginia 23218 Phone: (804) 698-1049 Fax: (804) 698-6749 Email: DelAEbbin@house.virginia.gov http://www.adamebbin.com/

Delegate Kaye Kory General Assembly Building P.O. Box 406 Richmond, Virginia 23218 Phone: (804) 698-1038 Fax: (804) 698-6738 Email: DelKKory@house.virginia.gov

2. CONTACT the speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates to thank him for standing up to the Islam-bashers.

Mr. William J. Howell Speaker Virginia House of Delegates P.O. Box 8296 Fredericksburg, Virginia 22404 Phone: (540) 371-1612 Fax: (540) 371-7449 E-mail: delwhowell@house.virginia.gov

3. COPY all correspondence to CAIR and Imam Johari: info@cair.com, communications@daralhijrah.net

4. COPY to the delegate who the Washington Post quoted in opposition to Imam Joharis prayer: DelTGilbert@House.state.va.us

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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;

CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726,

E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com;

CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com