Browsing All Posts filed under »Balance vs Extremism«
US Government Lifts Ban on Tariq Ramadan
PRESS RELEASE London, January 20 2010 After more than five years of waiting, the American State Department has decided, in a document signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to lift the ban that prohibited me (as well as Professor Adam Habib from South Africa) from entering the United States. The American Civil Liberties Union […]
Torture in Abu Dhabi by Royal Family Member: Guilty or Not Guilty?
January 10, 2010
Rafik Beekun Islam is strictly against torture. Here is what a Royal Family member, Sheikh Issa Bin Zayed, did to an Afghan man because he suspected him of having overcharged him in a grain deal for about $5,000. Video 1 Video 2 Video 3–if you understand arabic For more information, please go to this site: […]
Open Season on Muslims: Increase in Profiling
January 9, 2010
CAIR Nadia Hassan says she was the victim of profiling during a full body search at an airport. CNN’s Alina Cho reports. (CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad quoted on profiling incidents.) Muslim Fears Over Profiling Heightened Debate over Racial Profiling
Islamophobia 101: Episode 36–Mayor Koch: Hundreds of Millions of Muslims Are Terrorists
January 8, 2010
Rafik Beekun Amazing words from Mayor Koch who suddenly sounds like right wing extremists, Steve Emerson and Ann Coulter, labels “hundreds of millions” of Muslims as terrorists, and voices his support for profiling every Muslim who is flying. Should we profile every person of Jewish faith because of the past actions of the Jewish Defense […]
Report Recommends Ways to Discourage Muslim-American Radicalization
January 6, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010 CONTACT: Karen Kemp (Duke) (919) 613-7394 karen.kemp@duke.edu or Dee Reid (UNC) (919) 843-6339 deereid@unc.edu REPORT RECOMMENDS WAYS TO DISCOURAGE MUSLIM-AMERICAN RADICALIZATION Note to editors: A copy of the report is online at http://www.sanford.duke.edu/news/Schanzer_Kurzman_Moosa_Anti-Terror_Lessons.pdf. (Note from Rafik Beekun: It can also be downloaded from my blog if the Duke […]
Obama’s TSA Rules Amount to Profiling
January 4, 2010
CAIR (WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/4/2010) – A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today said new security measures announced by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) amount to profiling of Muslims. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the new guidelines, under which anyone traveling from or through 13 Muslim-majority nations will be required […]
Prophet Muhammad (s) Promise to Christians
December 30, 2009
By Muqtedar Khan Director of Islamic Studies at the University of Delaware Muslims and Christians together constitute over 50 percent of the world. If they lived in peace, we would be half way to world peace. One small step we can take towards fostering Muslim-Christian harmony is to tell and retell positive stories and abstain […]
To profile Muslims or Not?
December 30, 2009
Ibrahim Hooper on the O’Reilly Show CAIR-LA Comments on Airport Profiling Questions Raised on Airport Profiling The director of the Bay Area Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, Zahra Billoo, tells ABC7 when airport screeners focus on anyone who looks Middle Eastern or Muslim, the screeners may miss more important indicators. “If someone […]
U.S. Right Wing Calls for Profiling of Muslims or Anyone with the Name “Abdul”
December 28, 2009
Dr. Rafik Beekun Here we go again. Al the right wingers are out of the closet again. Source: Think Progress The right wing’s predictable policy prescription in the aftermath of any terror incident is to impose greater ethnic profiling of Muslims. For instance, following the Ft. Hood shooting, Sarah Palin said, “profile away.” After six […]
ABC Primetime: Is there Discrimination Against American Muslims?
December 16, 2009
Rafik Beekun While some may discriminate against Muslims, many day-to-day Americans are just and decent folks, and will also stand up for and defend Muslims’ rights to practice their faith. This sense of balance and fairness among my American countrymen is what makes America such a great and welcoming country.
Shari’ah Law: A Matter of Belief
December 16, 2009
Georgina Fuller, PersonnelToday.com With increasing numbers of Muslims employed in the UK is it time for employers to pay more than lip service to Islamic law? Georgina Fuller reports. The furore after Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, suggested earlier this year that integrating some aspects of Shariah law into the UK legal system might […]
Muslim Customer Allegedly Harassed at CitiBank for Wearing Hijab
December 9, 2009
CAIR FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CAIR-Chicago Asks Citibank to Apologize for Hijab Incident Muslim customer allegedly harassed by bank guard because of Islamic scarf (CHICAGO, IL, 12/8/09) — The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today called on Citibank to apologize to a Muslim woman who was allegedly verbally abused by a security […]
Switzerland Ban on Minarets Condemned
December 1, 2009
“[The ban] raises concerns as to whether fundamental rights of individuals, protected by international treaties, should be subject to popular votes.” , Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary-general of Council of Europe. Al Jazeera Switzerland is facing international criticism and charges of intolerance following a shock referendum vote backing a constitutional ban on the construction of new minarets. […]
Inside Islam: What A Billion Muslims Really Think
November 25, 2009
Dear Reader, How many times have you heard the following: “Islam has nothing to do with democracy,” “Muslims are violent,” “They oppress women?” In partnership with Unity Productions Foundation, the makers of a new PBS documentary “Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think,” Link TV broadcasts this prescient and important new film that reveals […]
Filling A Gap in Pakistan’s School System
November 24, 2009
Amna Nawaz, NBC News KARACHI, Pakistan – No one is exactly sure how old Taimur Muslim is. A soft-spoken, lanky lad with a chipped front tooth and eyes undecided between green and gray, Taimur told me that school is his favorite part of the day, that he hates having to watch over his younger siblings […]
Islamophobia 101: Episode 34–”Going Muslim” vs. “Going Postal”
November 14, 2009
Tunku Varadarajan, a clinical professor (akin to a lecturer hired because of professional, not academic experience) at NYU’s Stern Business School and a fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, is executive editor for opinions at Forbes. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree. He writes a weekly column for Forbes Forbes.com Tunku Varadarajan, 11.09.09, 12:00 AM ET ”Going […]
Islamophobia on the Rise After the Massacre at Fort Hood
November 14, 2009
Robert Spencer on the Savage Nation Lt. Col. Ralph Peters Says The Problem Is Islam Source: CAIR “It is the proper role of national religious and political leaders to challenge those who promote hatred and intolerance,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “Extremists who seek to exploit the Fort Hood tragedy are doing a […]
Army Muslim Chaplain: No Hostility Since Fort Hood
November 12, 2009
NPR Please click here to listen to the interview of a U.S. Army Muslim Chaplain after the tragic events at Fort Hood.
Videos: U.S. Muslims Condemn Cowardly Fort Hood Attack
November 9, 2009
Oklahoma Muslims Condemn Unequivocally Fort Hood Attack Fort Hood (Texas) Muslims Condemn The Deadly Rampage Rachel Maddow says Right-Wing Wrong on Fort Hood Attack Muslims Condemn Shootings, Urge Calm and Unity Cair Rep Discusses Fort Hood Attack on PBS ‘Newshour’ South Florida Muslims Pray Fr Peace Muslims Worry About Backlash N. Texas Muslims Fear Fort […]
Swiss Muslims open mosque doors
November 7, 2009
BBC News Muslims in many parts of Switzerland have invited the public into mosques – three weeks before a vote on whether to ban the construction of minarets. Muslim organisations say they hope their open day will counter what they say are fears and prejudices. The conservative group that initiated the vote – the largest […]
Duke University News Tip: Muslim-American Values Not Reflected in Fort Hood Shooting
November 6, 2009
——————————————- DUKE UNIVERSITY NEWS Duke University Office of News & Communications http://www.dukenews.duke.edu ——————————————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, Nov. 6, 2009 CONTACT: Camille Jackson (919) 681-8052 camille.jackson@duke.edu NEWS TIP: MUSLIM-AMERICAN VALUES NOT REFLECTED IN FORT HOOD SHOOTING, DUKE EXPERT SAYS Note to editors: Jen’nan Read can be reached for additional comment until 7 p.m. Friday at […]
Indian Muslims Denounce Terrorism
November 4, 2009
Al Jazeera Some of the most influential Muslim scholars in India have passed a resolution condemning all forms of violence in the name of Islam. The Deoband is an influential Islamic school inspiring tens of thousands of religious study centres across the world, which some say has even inspired the Taliban’s ideology in Afghanistan. Prerna […]
Islamophobia: Muslim Interns Infiltrating Congress?
October 28, 2009
The above video is referring to the attack by four Republican Congressional Representatives on Muslim interns in Congress and on CAIR. Please click here to read about the unjustified attack by these lawmakers. Rep. Ellison Speaks Out Against Muslim ‘Intern Spy’ Hunt [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STSqmcs-Y_U]
Double Standards for Freedom of Expression At Columbia University
October 21, 2009
Al Jazeera Blog When President Ahmadinejad of Iran spoke to students at Columbia University in September 2007, the students, the faculty and the media were all given front row seats to condemn and to vilify. Even the President of the University, Lee Bollinger, took the opportunty to get a dig in, telling Ahmadinejad: ““Mr. President, […]
Islamophobia 101: Episode 33–Muslim Interns “Spying” on Congress
October 18, 2009
Rachel Maddow Exposes Anti-Muslim Extremists in Congress Media Matters and CAIR The Council of American-Islamic Relations has recently come under attack from four Congressional Republicans who accuse the group of attempting to plant spies in key Congressional offices in order to affect policy. Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ), Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), […]
Islamophobia 101: Episode 32– Frank Gaffney calls Islam A Virus More Deadly than Swine Flu
October 1, 2009
Frank Gaffney demonstates his ignorance of and his bias towards Islam. He says that according to the Shariah, “Allah’s Will says that you need to force others to submit to Islam”. Clearly, he has never read the Qur’an. Here are two verses and a chapter from the Qur’an that contradict Frank Gaffney and expose his […]
U.S. attorney targeted N. Miss. store owners
September 29, 2009
Clarion Ledger Jerry Mitchell jmitchell@clarionledger.com The U.S. attorney’s office in Oxford targeted convenience store operators in north Mississippi, many of Middle Eastern descent, despite a lack of any connection to terrorism, according to documents obtained by The Clarion-Ledger. The Convenience Store Initiative arose from meetings with local law enforcement officers in the years following 9-11 […]
Fault Lines – Religion and Evangelical Fundamentalism in the United States and Israeli Military
September 21, 2009
Part 1 The United States is a deeply religious country, over 90% believe in god and 80% believe in miracles. For the US military, dealing with its own religious identity has become an internal battle. Growing evidence points towards a rising influence of evangelical Christianity, and with two wars still raging in Muslim countries with […]
Perilous Job: Reporter Fired Upon By Israeli Soldiers on West Bank
September 13, 2009
On September 4, 2009, Israeli soldiers have fired tear gas on Palestinians protesting against the Israeli separation barrier (apartheid wall) which cuts through their West Bank village of Bilin. The soldiers also fired tear gas at Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera’s correspondent who was covering the event live from near the village of Bilin. Here is […]
Americans See Muslims As Facing More Discrimination
September 12, 2009
Pew Forum Eight years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Americans see Muslims as facing more discrimination inside the U.S. than other major religious groups. Nearly six-in-ten adults (58%) say that Muslims are subject to a lot of discrimination, far more than say the same about Jews, evangelical Christians, atheists or Mormons. In fact, of […]
Pew Forum Poll: Only A Minority of Americans Hold Favorable Views of Muslims
September 10, 2009
Time/ CNN Eight years after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Muslim Americans — particularly Muslim-American women — continue to face battles in their struggle for acceptance and the right to wear religious garb in public settings. A new poll from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life finds that Americans see Muslims as encountering […]
When Muslims Saved Jews
August 31, 2009
Dina Rabie, Islamonline.net “They came in as guests. They were given Muslim names, they were living with Muslim families,” Gershman told IOL. CAIRO — Norman Gershman has become accustomed to the reactions from people who see his photos and read his stories about Muslims sheltering Jews and saving their lives during the Holocaust. “I had […]
Fired for comparing the Holocaust experience to the Naqba
August 27, 2009
Haaretz Yad Vashem fires employee who compared Holocaust to Nakba By Yoav Stern Yad Vashem has fired an instructor who compared the trauma of Jewish Holocaust survivors with the trauma experienced by the Palestinian people in Israel’s War of Independence. Itamar Shapira, 29, of Jerusalem, was fired before Passover from his job as a docent […]
Attack on Muslim Business Probed as Hate Crime
August 24, 2009
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/22/09) A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group reported today that anti-Iranian graffiti was scrawled inside a Philadelphia store ransacked by vandals earlier this week. According to the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the vandals also overturned counters, broke glass windows and doors and scattered food and other items around […]
Will China Again Forbid its Muslim Uighurs to Fast During Ramadan?
August 21, 2009
During Ramadan in 2008, our Muslim brothers and sisters were forbidden from fasting by Chinese authorities in Xinjiang. Students, teachers and civil servants were barred from fasting. For example, students in schools through out this region were being ordered to eat. Children under 18 years were being specifically targeted: they could not fast or enter […]
Can Muslim Women Work Outside Their Homes?
July 22, 2009
By Maulvi Waris Mazhari (Translated from Urdu by Yoginder Sikand) Some traditional ulema are of the view that Muslim women must not work outside their homes. They even argue that women can step out of their homes only under extreme necessity. Otherwise, they insist, they must remain within the four walls of their homes. Ironically, […]
“A New Beginning”? President Obama Addresses the Muslim World
June 4, 2009
Please click here to download the transcript of President Obama’s speech in Cairo.
American Muslims Condemn Alleged Temple Bombing Plot
May 25, 2009
NEW YORK (CBS) ― As we saw after Sept. 11, 2001, the invisible victims of Islamic terrorism are other Muslims, millions of people who are horrified by the thought that some of their own could turn the words of the Quran into a justification for murder. On Thursday, some of them took a stand against […]
Riz Khan: Unemployment in the Arab World
March 21, 2009
Al Jazeera Riz Khan speaks with Ron Bruder, a successful American businessman who took a deep look at the problems of the Middle East after the attacks of 9/11 and founded Education for Employment which now operates in several Arab countries.
The Heights of Hysteria in Britain: Anti-terror code ‘would alienate most Muslims’
February 16, 2009
• Draft strategy brands thousands as extremists • Ministers ponder plan to be unveiled next month · Vikram Dodd · The Guardian, Tuesday 17 February 2009 The government is considering plans that would lead to thousands more British Muslims being branded as extremists, the Guardian has learned. The proposals are in a counterterrorism strategy which […]
Islam in America
February 9, 2009
CNN ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — Hailey Woldt put on the traditional black abaya, expecting the worst. Hailey Woldt, in a traditional Muslim head scarf, studied how people react to her garb in Arab, Alabama. The last time she’d worn the Muslim dress that, with a head scarf, covered everything but her face, hands and feet, […]
“Artistic” Insensitivity Aimed At Insulting Muslims
February 4, 2009
The Shoe The Toilet High Fashion Warning: please click here to see a more offensive picture of a model wearing Islamic writing.
Dallas rabbi emerges as leader in Muslim-Jewish dialogue
December 16, 2008
02:28 PM CST on Saturday, December 13, 2008 By SAM HODGES / The Dallas Morning News samhodges@dallasnews.com Rabbi Jeremy Schneider spends a lot of time talking to Muslims, and wants other Jews to do the same. At age 32, the assistant rabbi at Dallas’ Temple Shalom has emerged as a national leader in Jewish-Muslim dialogue. […]
GA Muslims Barred from Court Because of Hijab
December 16, 2008
www.cair.com (WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/16/08) The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate a series of incidents in which Muslim women in Georgia were prevented from entering courtrooms because they were wearing Islamic headscarves, or hijabs. In the most recent incident, a Muslim woman was jailed today following […]
National U.S. Muslim Organizations Condemn Terrorist Attacks in India
November 28, 2008
KAC calls Mumbai Terrorist Attacks Reprehensible Crimes Against Humanity Washington, D.C. November 27, 2008. The Kashmiri American Council (KAC) expressed its utter disgust at the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Mumbai, India. Condemning the bestiality in the strongest terms, the KAC pledged to contribute, in whatever form possible, to the rehabilitation effort of the affected families. […]
Al-Zawahiri, isn’t time for you to shut up and turn yourself in?
November 19, 2008
Note from Rafik Beekun: Muslims reject terrorism of any kind, and take particular offense to al-Zawahri’s use of the offensive term “house Negro” in reference to President-elect Barack Obama. Islam abhors racism and emphasizes universal peace and brotherhood. We reject any and all use of racial slurs or insults. Al-Qaida’s second in command releases new […]
Key Obama Advisor Has Hindu Extremist Baggage from Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America
November 8, 2008
For all the talk of change and hope, one of the first thing that Obama did after getting elected was appoint Sonal Shah, a right wing Hindu extremist figure, as a key advisor to his transition team. Folks may be aware that it is Hindu extremist groups such as the VHP and its student wing […]
An American Muslim’s experience with democracy
October 24, 2008
About a decade and a half ago, I ran for the office of state assemblyman in District 31 of Nevada. My first name Rafik did not sit well with some, and one of my advisors (who happened to be a state assemblyman then) suggested that I change my name to “Rocko Beekun” from “Rafik Beekun”. […]
Peace be upon you
"Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error; whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things." - (The Qur’an, Al-Baqarah, 2: 256)
"Be tolerant to be tolerated." Prophet Muhammad (s) as narrated in Ahmad B. Hanbal, Musnad 1/248.
"No mercy would be shown to him who does not show mercy." Prophet Muhammad (s) in Sahih Bukhari 18 and in Sahih Muslim 85.
"Every soul is held in pledge for its deeds." - (The Qur'an, Al-Muddathir, 74:38)
God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was asked what type of earning was best and replied, ”A man’s work with his hand and every business transaction which is approved." Rafi‘ ibn Khadij, Mishkat al Masabih, hadith no. 2783.
"Woe to those who give short measure, who demand of other people full measure for themselves, but give less than they should when it is they who weigh or measure for others! Do these people not realize that they will be raised up on a mighty Day, a Day when everyone will stand before the Lord of the Worlds? " (The Qur'an, Al-Mutaffifin, 83:1-4)
"O you who believe! Fulfill your obligations" (The Qur'an, Al-Ma'idah, 5:1)
"If the debtor is in difficulty, then delay things until matters become easier for him; still, if you were to write it off as an act of charity, that would be better for you if you only knew."(The Qur'an, Al-Baqara, 2: 280)
On the Day of Judgment, the Prophet (saaw) will be a witness against “one who employs a laborer and gets the full work done by him, but does not pay him his wages." Abu Hurayrah, Sahih al Bukhari, hadith no. 3.430.
"O you who believe! Give of the good things which you have (honorably) earned. And of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you, and do not even aim at getting anything which is bad, in order that out of it you may give away something, when you yourselves would not receive it except with closed eyes.(The Qur'an, Al-Baqarah, 2: 267)
"He who buys the stolen property, with the knowledge that it was stolen, shares in the sin and shame of stealing.“ Prophet Muhammad (s) in a hadith reported by al Bayhaqi and cited in al Qaradawi.
"God commands you [people] to return things entrusted to you to their rightful owners, and if you judge between people, to do so with justice." (The Qur'an, An-Nisa, 4:58)
"And spend of your substance in the cause of God. And make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; But do good; for God loves those who do good."(The Qur'an, Al-Baqarah, 2: 195)
"None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself "(Hadith #13 in An Nawawi and related by Bukhari and Muslim)
"When someone helps the good deeds to be practiced, it is as if he performed those good deeds indeed," Prophet Muhammad (s) in Tirmizi, 14.
"The blessed of mankind is the one who is the most beneficial for mankind." Prophet Muhammad (s) in Beyhaki 6/112.
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January 20, 2010
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