News, March 2010

Muslim American News Briefs, March 29, 2010

Hadith: Kindness to Mothers CAIR Reps Meet with Lawmakers on Capitol Hill PA: A Call to Help Muslims in Need of Health Care (Inquirer) CAIR-MI Rep Clarifies Misconceptions About Islam

CAIR-Chicago Rep to Moderate After 'Unveiled' Performance

CAIR Video: Anti-Muslim Incidents on Rise in Minnesota Schools

CAIR-MN Says Harassment on the Rise in Schools (MPR)

Muslim Group Asks For Look Into Harassment Claims (AP)

TN: Sentencing Scheduled in Mosque Firebombing (AP)

HADITH OF THE DAY: KINDNESS TO MOTHERS - TOP

A man asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "To whom should I show kindness?" The Prophet replied: "Your mother, next your mother, next your mother, and then your father..."

Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2438

----- CAIR REPS MEET WITH LAWMAKERS ON CAPITOL HILL - TOP Muslim activists discuss profiling, immigration reform, foreclosures

(WASHINGTON, DC, 3/25/2010) -- Representatives from a number of chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) met recently with elected officials and staffers at dozens of Capitol Hill offices in Washington, D.C., to discuss issues such as racial profiling, immigration reform and housing foreclosures. Lawmakers were asked to re-introduce and pass the End Racial Profiling Act and to reject racial profiling because it is an ineffective law enforcement tool.

The CAIR representatives asked that any comprehensive immigration reform legislation include 1) measures that regulate wages and working conditions to protect workers from being exploited and 2) security procedures that ensure professional and effective border enforcement while respecting basic legal protections. Elected officials were asked to support legislation that would give bankruptcy judges the ability to rework defaulted home mortgages to make them affordable. They were also asked to support the recently-created unit within the Department of Justice that will target unfair lending practices. CAIR has published a "Civic Participation Handbook" designed to provide best practices and step-by-step guides for everything from holding voter registration drives to making the most of a meeting with elected officials. Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook Subscribe to CAIR's E-Mail List 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 National Legislative Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857, E-Mail: csaylor@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 or 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com -----

A CALL TO HELP MUSLIMS IN NEED OF HEALTH CARE - TOP By Don Sapatkin, Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/25/10

When Imam Siraj Wahhaj was diagnosed with prostate cancer a year ago and discovered that his health insurance did not cover treatment, the word went out.

"People all over the world called me and said, 'I'm praying for you,' " said Wahhaj, head of the Muslim Alliance in North America. "But what about the little guys? No one is praying for them. No one is raising money for them."

Yesterday, the national social service organization announced intentions to create a network of free clinics - some existing, others new - staffed by volunteers in underserved Muslim communities nationwide, starting in Philadelphia. (More)

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CAIR-MI REP CLARIFIES MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ISLAM AT COMMUNITY COLLEGE - TOP

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 3/25/10) -- A representative of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) yesterday gave a presentation to students at Macomb Community College in Clinton Township clarifying misconceptions about Islam and Muslims.

CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid discussed the Islamic belief that Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same deity, the importance of Jesus in Islamic texts, women’s rights in the Qur’an, and the meaning of jihad (exertion) according to mainstream Islamic scholars.

"We welcome such opportunities to dispel misconceptions about Islam and to highlight the common values which all people of faith share," 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:

CAIR-CHICAGO CIVIL RIGHTS DIRECTOR CHRISTINA ABRAHAM TO MODERATE DISCUSSION AFTER PERFORMANCE OF 'UNVEILED' - TOP Critically acclaimed play on Muslim women post-9/11 addresses racism, hate crimes and Islam

(CHICAGO, 3/25/2010) - On March 25, CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Director Christina Abraham will moderate the discussion after the critically acclaimed performance of "Unveiled."

This compelling one-woman show about Muslim women in a post-9/11 world beautifully interweaves the topics of racism, hate crimes, love, Islam, tea, culture, language, life, and hope.

Viewers will share their reactions afterward during a facilitated discussion. Tickets are $25.

WHAT: "Unveiled" by Rohina Malik WHERE: Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL 60614 WHEN: Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 7pm

CAIR-Chicago is a chapter of 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: Christina Abraham, Civil Rights Director, CAIR-Chicago, 312-212-1520 or E-Mail cabraham@cair.com; Amina Sharif, Communications Coordinator, CAIR-Chicago, 630.935.5562 or E-Mail: asharif@cair.com

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CAIR VIDEO: ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS ON RISE IN MINNESOTA SCHOOLS - TOP

WCCO Minneapolis (3/24/2010) - A Muslim civil rights group is calling on the U.S. Department of Education to investigate reports of harassment in Minnesota public schools, Liz Collin reports.

Watch the video here.

SEE ALSO:

MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP SAYS HARASSMENT IS ON THE RISE IN MINNESOTA SCHOOLS - TOP Ambar Espinoza, Minnesota Public Radio, 3/24/10

St. Paul, Minn. -- A Muslim civil rights group says racial and religious tensions in Minnesota public schools are on the rise -- and they're asking the U.S. Department of Education to investigate.

A growing number of Muslim high school students are reporting harassment from other students, teachers and even a bus driver, according to Lori Saroya, president of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic relations (CAIR).

Saroya says the worst complaints that students filed with her group come from outside the Twin Cities.

"But the bigger problem that we're seeing is from St. Cloud and Owatonna--some of the non-Twin Cities metro schools. And they're just so severe," said Saroya. (More)

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MUSLIM GROUP ASKS FOR LOOK INTO HARASSMENT CLAIMS - TOP Amy Forliti, Associated Press, 3/25/10

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A Muslim civil rights group said Wednesday it wants the U.S. Department of Education to investigate reports of harassment in Minnesota public schools -- including a report of a bus driver who routinely left Muslim students stranded in the middle of winter. (More)

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TN: SENTENCING SCHEDULED IN COLUMBIA MOSQUE FIREBOMBING - TOP Request to change plea could be a glitch Associated Press, 3/25/10

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- One of three people who pleaded guilty to the firebombing of a Columbia mosque in 2008 is scheduled to be sentenced. (More)