By William Wan Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, March 24, 2010; A08 At 2 o’clock on a Monday morning, the sound of angry pounding sent Army Spec. Zachari Klawonn bolting out of bed. THUD. THUD. THUD. Someone was mule-kicking the door of his barracks room, leaving marks that weeks later — long after Army investigators […]
March 23, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CAIR Seeks Probe of Anti-Islam Bias in Military Training Training film features Islamophobes, Islam compared to Nazism, ‘Hajji’ used as pejorative (WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/23/2010) – A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today said it has asked the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) to investigate a report of anti-Islam bias […]
March 15, 2010
March 12, 2010 By ANDREA ELLIOTT, New York Times A federal commission has determined that New York City’s Department of Education discriminated against the founding principal of an Arabic-language public school by forcing her to resign in 2007 following a storm of controversy driven by opponents of the school. Acting on a complaint filed last […]
March 13, 2010
Rafik Beekun I knew Sr. Aminah from 1979 until her death. She was very close to my family, helping me get married to my wife, Nadiah, and being a very close friend. Her whole life was dedicated to Islam and to representing it in the best possible way. Sr. Aminah brought many to Islam and […]
February 24, 2010
Calif. Muslim employee fired for refusing to remove scarf in public (SANTA CLARA, CA, 2/24/10) – The San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA) is calling on Abercrombie & Fitch customers who value diversity and inclusion to contact the company to express their concerns about a Muslim employee who was […]
February 16, 2010
The Fiqh Council of North America (an association of Muslims who interpret Islamic law on the North American continent) issued a ruling (fatwa) earlier this week that says Muslims shouldn’t go through full body scanners since this violate Islamic rules on modesty. Nihad Awad heads the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and their purpose is to […]
January 22, 2010
43% of Americans admit to feeling some prejudice toward followers of Islam Analysis by the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 4 in 10 Americans (43%) admit to feeling at least “a little” prejudice toward Muslims — more than twice the number who say the same about Christians (18%), Jews (15%) […]
January 10, 2010
Islamonline.com Muslim groups in Malaysia are offering their help to prevent any further attacks on Christian places of worship amid a spree of attacks on churches in the multi-ethnic, Muslim-majority Asian country, The Star reported on Sunday, January 10. “This is an offer of peace and goodwill,” Nadzim Johan, the executive secretary of the Muslim […]
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
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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]
October 28, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma man complains about losing his job after allegedly receiving a hateful phone call at work. A former Sprint worker says he was let go from Oklahoma City’s call center after he hung up on a customer who told him he ‘could go to hell’ because he’s Muslim. The employee claims […]
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, […]
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), […]
October 5, 2009
Probes Test Trust That Authorities Strove to Win From U.S. Muslims By Carrie Johnson and Robin Shulman Washington Post Staff Writers Monday, October 5, 2009 Investigators seeking to uncover terrorist plots for years have walked a fine line between keeping tabs on the Muslim community and alienating the same people who could serve as an […]
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 […]
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 […]
September 24, 2009
Time Magazine, Sean Gregory Given the hyper-sexualized advertising that Abercrombie & Fitch has long embraced, it is no surprise that the company encourages its employees to let their hair down. But is the company practicing discrimination if it won’t hire a young woman who covers her head for religious reasons? Yes, according to the Equal […]
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 […]
September 16, 2009
Swearing-In Ceremony for Farah Pandith US Dept of State’s (first) Special Representative to Muslim Communities. While we congratulate our sister in Islam for her appointment, please note that Secretary Clinton is dressed more modestly and thus in a way more acceptable to Muslims than Pandith. http://www.state.gov/video/?videoid=40275422001 by Secretary Clinton: September 2009 While U.S. Muslims applaud this […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
August 7, 2009
Manav Taneeru, cnn.com Esra’a al Shafei, a recent university graduate in Bahrain, is young, Muslim and frustrated. The 23-year-old says the complexity of who she is as a Muslim is being distorted by extremists and the media coverage of them. Channeling her frustration, she started Mideastyouth.com, a Web site she describes as a place for […]
August 6, 2009
Anger as Indian ex-leader frisked Tuesday, 21 July 2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8160698.stm India’s parliament has been in uproar after it emerged that former president APJ Abdul Kalam was frisked before boarding a flight to the US. Several MPs have condemned reports that Mr Kalam was made to wait, take off his shoes and undergo a body frisk […]
August 1, 2009
THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE July 31, 2009 President Obama Nominates Abdul K. Kallon and Jacqueline Nguyen to Serve on the District Court Bench WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama nominated Abdul Kallon and Jacqueline Nguyen to United States District Court judgeships. “These nominees have dedicated their careers to […]
July 22, 2009
Wesleyan University invites applications for a tenure-track position at the assistant professor level starting July 2010, from scholars specializing in Gender and Islam. The successful candidate will hold a joint appointment in the Religion Department and in the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. Applicants should have expertise in one or more of the following: […]
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, […]
June 4, 2009
The U.S. State Department has just released a very beautiful and informative brochure about “Being Muslim in America”. Please click here to see the brochure.
June 4, 2009
Please click here to download the transcript of President Obama’s speech in Cairo.
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 […]
May 14, 2009
Ilene Prusher, Staff Writer, Christian Science Monitor RAMALLAH, WEST BANK - Khouloud el-Faqeeh has shattered the glass ceiling of Islamic jurisprudence. After years of pushing to break into the all-male ranks of sharia judges in the Palestinian territories, she finally secured a post after scoring among the best – along with another woman – in a recent test […]
May 7, 2009
Chicago Council on Global Affairs The Chicago Council on Global Affairs released the findings of its independent Task Force on the civic and political integration of Muslim Americans on June 26, 2007. “Strengthening America” calls for Muslims and non-Muslims to work together to create full and equal opportunities for Muslim Americans to participate in American […]
May 7, 2009
In the wake of the controversy generated by Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni’s suggestion that the increasing number of veiled women in Egypt was a sign of “regression”, Al-Ahram Weekly asked two leading cultural commentators how they interpreted the subsequent furore. The importance of national dialogue, in the absence of which we lapse into a […]
March 19, 2009
CAIR A recently-issued policy directive from the City of Cleveland, USA, prohibits Muslim cab drivers from praying at Hopkins International Airport while waiting for fares in the taxi queue. Other policy directives ban the drivers from using airport restrooms to make ritual ablutions (wudu) and from praying in the airport chapel while on the job. […]
March 7, 2009
Other Challenges to Muslim Women Wearing Religiously-Mandated Hijab 1. Georgia Muslim Woman Arrested Over Hijab 2. Denied Job at Abercrombie & Fitch
March 7, 2009
A Hometown Bank Heeds a Call to Serve Its Islamic Clients By SAMUEL G. FREEDMAN, New York Times ANN ARBOR, MICH. Until a stranger without an appointment showed up one day in late 2001, Stephen L. Ranzini was feeling rather pleased with himself. University Bank here, which he led as president, had just won a […]
March 3, 2009
By Teresa Watanabe and Paloma Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, March 1, 2009 The Islamic Center of Irvine is a beige stucco building that blends into the rows of office buildings surrounding it. But last week, it became the most publicized mosque in California with disclosures that the FBI sent an informant there to spy and […]
March 24, 2010
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