New book examines Muslims, Jews — and their common ground

Emma Silvers, Jweekly.com Last summer, as the debate over the Islamic community center near ground zero reached a fever pitch, longtime friends and former classmates Reza Aslan and Aaron Hahn Tapper were watching, fascinated. “There were some Jewish organizations coming down on the rights of Muslims to build that center, and then some other Jewish… [Read more…]

How Christians, Muslims can find peace

Paul Moses, CNN. com Editor’s note: Paul Moses, professor of journalism at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, is the author of “The Saint and the Sultan: The Crusades, Islam and Francis of Assisi’s Mission of Peace” (Doubleday, 2009). New York (CNN) — Speaking hours after a terrorist attack killed 21 people… [Read more…]

2010 in review: The year for Muslims in the U.S.

NPR Please click here to listen to an interview of Moustafa Bayoumi, author of “How does feel to be a problem?” on NPR. He reviews 2010 with respect to American Muslims. Note from Rafik Beekun: My blog was hacked, and the above link to the interview was changed to refer to a link promoting a… [Read more…]

An Agnostic Jew Speaks Eloquently and Movingly About the Qur’an

Lesley Hazleton explores the Koran and finds much that is quite different from what is reported in commonly cited accounts. A psychologist by training and Middle East reporter by experience, British-born Lesley Hazleton has spent the last ten years exploring the vast and often terrifying arena in which politics and religion, past and present, intersect.… [Read more…]

Muslims and Jews Come together to Deplore Vandalism at Synagogue

(Herald Times) By Dann Denny 331-4350 | ddenny@heraldt.com It was a tiny gathering – 11 people huddled around a table in a small room at the Beth Shalom synagogue – eating cookies, sipping hot tea and talking. But the five Muslims who had come to express their support and solidarity Thursday afternoon to a Jewish community that’s been… [Read more…]

Get to know a Muslim, rather than hate one

By Tom Krattenmaker, USA Today A strong work ethic, devotion to God and family, conservative views on abortion and sexuality — on these scores and more, the newcomers would appear to be right in stride with the traditional-values folk in Anytown, USA. In view of the Christian gospel followed by most of the established residents,… [Read more…]

Good Samaritans drop flowers at Mosque in Reno

KRNV.com Reno-area Christian church presents gift of flowers to Muslim center By Jeff DeLong • jdelong@rgj.com • September 10, 2010 It was a gesture of kindness and understanding during turbulent times. On Friday, members of the Summit Christian Church in Spanish Springs presented a gift of flowers to members of the Northern Nevada Muslim Cultural… [Read more…]

Message from Church: “We support our Muslim Friends”

United States of Islamophobia?

Arsalan Iftikar, CNN Editor’s note: Arsalan Iftikhar is an international human rights lawyer, founder of TheMuslimGuy.com and legal fellow for the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding in Washington. (CNN) — Almost everybody has heard about the protests against the mosque and Islamic center planned to be built about two blocks from ground zero in… [Read more…]

NY Muslim Firefighter Responded When Country Was Under Attack On 9/11

American Muslims have much in common with other faith-based communities

Time Magazine Upcoming Issue: Is America Islamophobic?

At the Dachau Death Camps, Muslim Leaders Empathize With Jews’ Pain

A. J. Goldmann, Forward.com Krakow, Poland — It was a perfect summer day at the Dachau concentration camp. The clear skies and pleasant breeze seemed almost offensive. And there, beneath the main monument, a bronze sculpture of writhing bodies intermeshed with barbed wire, was an uncommon sight: a group of Muslims leaders prostrate in prayer.… [Read more…]

Thank you, New York Times, For Your Editorial: A Monument to Tolerance

Note from Rafik Beekun: Thank you New York TImes.  You got it right in this editorial about the Muslim Community Center in Lower Manhattan. It has been disturbing to hear and read the vitriol and outright bigotry surrounding the building of a mosque two blocks from the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.… [Read more…]

Correcting the Distorted Lens of Islamophobia

Sally Steenland, Huffington Post Protesters have recently been rallying against a proposed Islamic educational center containing a mosque near Ground Zero, claiming that the proximity of anything Muslim to Ground Zero would contaminate a hallowed place. Protesters claim they aren’t anti-Muslim; they merely want the center and mosque to be built someplace else. But it… [Read more…]

Is Islamophobia the new anti-communism for the GOP?

Republicans in the USA are using Islamophobia to galvanize their political base for the upcoming elections.

Good Samaritan 101: Mayor Bloomberg Stands Up For Muslim Community Center Near Ground Zero

Commentary from Rafik Beekun: Mayor Bloomberg, who is of the Jewish faith, stands up for the Community Center near Ground Zero–one more reason why Muslims should draw a clear distinction between Judaism and Zionism. As for myself, I have friends from many faith-based communities and we respect each other’s faith and try to dialogue as… [Read more…]

Coffee and conversation finds common ground between Muslims and Jews

by Brianna McClane, Medill Reports May 12, 2010 Religious conversations between Muslims and Jews take place in coffee shops across Chicago. They gather every other month to discuss religious text and its application to daily life, an attempt to bridge cultures with distinct differences and similarities. Discussions over Coffee is one of many events hosted… [Read more…]

Tariq Ramadan on Democracy Now

Once-Banned Muslim Scholar Tariq Ramadan on His First Visit to US in Six Years, President Obama and Why Muslims Should Make Their Voices Heard Democray Now speaks with leading Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan, who was banned from entering the United States for six years. In 2004, Ramadan had accepted a job to become a tenured… [Read more…]

Fears over non-Muslims’ use of Islamic law to resolve disputes

The Guardian, Afua Hirsch Muslim Arbitration Tribunal reports 15% rise in non-Muslims employing sharia law in commercial cases Campaigners have voiced concerns over a growing number of non-Muslims using Islamic law to resolve legal disputes in Britain despite controversy over the role of sharia law. A spokesman for the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal (MAT) said that… [Read more…]

Study: Young Americans Less Religious Than Their Parents

CNN CNN) — Ministering to young adults at New York’s Riverside Church, the Rev. J. Lee Hill Jr. hasn’t had much success in recruiting for Sunday morning services. But his mission trips to New Orleans, Louisiana, since Hurricane Katrina and his efforts to connect with older teens and 20-somethings — the so-called millennial generation —… [Read more…]

Unexpected Partners: Muslims Helping in Haiti

By WAJAHAT ALI http://www.counterpunch.org/waj01282010.html Haiti is experiencing unimaginable suffering from its devastating earthquake, with more than 150,000 dead and one to three million individuals displaced. Individuals, groups and governments from around the world have stepped in to do what they can. United by their religious tradition of charity, Muslims have emerged as effective partners in… [Read more…]

In U.S., Religious Prejudice Strongest Against Muslims than Against Christians, Jews or Buddhists

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%)… [Read more…]

Working with Mormon Church, U.S. Muslims Fly $1 Million in Relief to Haiti

Haiti Earthquake Emergency January 13, 2010 http://www.islamicreliefusa.org/emergencies/haiti-earthquake Haitians are in desperate need for support after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked their island nation on Tuesday. An estimated 3 million people were affected by the quake, which was the worst in the region in 200 years. “More than 100,000 are dead,” the Haitian Consul General to the… [Read more…]

Good Samaritans: Malaysian Muslims Protect Churches

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… [Read more…]

Dr. Laurence Brown Explains Why He Embraced Islam

 Doctor and former military officer Laurence Brown explains why he became a Muslim Video 1 of 3 Video 2 of 3 Video 3 of 3   This is an incredible story about an Atheist who found God then tried very hard to be a Christian and you have to watch the show to find out… [Read more…]

Prophet Muhammad (s) Promise to Christians

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… [Read more…]

ABC Primetime: Is there Discrimination Against American Muslims?

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.

Guide to Religious Beliefs in the Workplace

PersonnelToday.com, edited by the Islamic Workplace… [Read more…] Christianity There are a wide variety of Christian churches and organisations. Festivals: - Christmas Day December 25th - Easter Sunday March/April (date set by lunar calendar) - A festival starting on Maundy Thursday and finishing on Easter Sunday In addition there are a number of ‘holy days of… [Read more…]

Christian Registrar Loses Religious Discrimination Appeal

Kat Baker, PersonelToday.com Lillian Ladele, a Christian registrar who claimed she faced religious discrimination after she refused to conduct civil partnership ceremonies, has lost her appeal. Ladele, a registrar of births, deaths and marriages for the London Borough of Islington, refused to conduct civil partnership ceremonies when they were introduced in 2005, as she believed… [Read more…]

Inside Islam: What A Billion Muslims Really Think

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… [Read more…]

Islamophobia on the Rise After the Massacre at Fort Hood

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… [Read more…]

Army Muslim Chaplain: No Hostility Since Fort Hood

NPR Please click here to listen to the interview of a U.S. Army Muslim Chaplain after the tragic events at Fort Hood.

CAIR Director Discusses Fort Hood Shootings on Hardball with Chris Matthews

Swiss Muslims open mosque doors

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… [Read more…]

Fault Lines – Religion and Evangelical Fundamentalism in the United States and Israeli Military

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… [Read more…]

Muslim-Jewish Cooperation: Ramadan in Virginia Synagogues

Islamonline.net CAIRO — With mosques in the southern US state of Virginia are already bursting at the seams with worshippers, Muslims are turning to synagogues to perform prayers during the holy fasting month of Ramadan. “We say our prayers, and a few hours later they meet for Sabbath and they say their prayers,” Rizwan Jaka,… [Read more…]

“A New Beginning”? President Obama Addresses the Muslim World

Please click here to download the transcript of President Obama’s speech in Cairo.

American Muslims Condemn Alleged Temple Bombing Plot

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… [Read more…]

Spirituality in the Workplace: Each Faith Offers Guidelines For Business Ethics

Helen Gray, The Kansas City Star Shortly after the Bernard Madoff story broke, “Religion & Ethics Newsweekly” broadcast a program called “Jewish Reaction to Madoff Scandal.”… [Read more…] In the broadcast, Rabbi Yitzchok Breitowitz of Silver Spring, Md., said Madoff’s crime was an affront to the Jewish religion.… [Read more…] “If you are not honest in business,… [Read more…]

Obama extends a hand to all faiths, including Islam

Excerpt from President Obama’s speech at the National Prayer Breakfast: We know too that whatever our differences, there is one law that binds all great religions together.  Jesus told us to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” The Torah commands, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.”  In Islam, there is… [Read more…]

Obama at National Cathedral: Muslims referred to positively

This is a great sermon. Listen to what she says about Muslims.

Never Forget the Muslim Heroes of the Holocaust

Robert Satloff lecture on how Muslims risked their life to save Jews during World War II   To order Robert Satloff’s book “Among the Righteous” which details these stories and more, please click here:

Dallas rabbi emerges as leader in Muslim-Jewish dialogue

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.… [Read more…]

New social entrepreneurship program aims to foster dialogue

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Marie Burks, 212.854.2747 or meb2155@columbia.edu   New social entrepreneurship program aims to foster dialogue among Jewish and Muslim communities   The Edmond de Rothschild Foundations Partner with Columbia Business School and Scholars from Cambridge University   New York, NY – December 9, 2008 – Columbia Business School’s Executive Education division will… [Read more…]

Al-Zawahiri, isn’t time for you to shut up and turn yourself in?

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… [Read more…]

Young Muslims and Muslimas on “Islam and the U.S. Presidential Elections”

Please click here to watch this interesting exchange of views on “Islam and the Elections” from young Muslims and Muslimahs. In a forum at New York University, Muslim students consider how Islam was used by the McCain and Obama campaigns.

Good Samaritan 101: Rabbi Steven Jacobs Confronts Clarion Fund’s Gregory Ross

After a press conference against the “Obsession” movie held by the Coalition for Renewing American Democracy, the Communications Director of the Clarion Fund confronted the coalition members. Here, Rabbi Steven Jacobs is shown talking to the Communications Director. Interfaith leaders call ‘Obsession’ DVD hateful Detroit News Critics say film instills fear of Muslims with misleading… [Read more…]

Islamophobia 101–Episode 28: Linking Muslim Subway Ads to Terrorism

According to the New York Post, MUSLIM SUBWAY ADS HAVE TERROR TIE-IN By JEREMY OLSHAN Last updated: 6:37 am July 21, 2008 Posted: 4:42 am July 21, 2008 Allah board! An Islamic group plans to blitz 1,000 subway cars with advertisements this September in a campaign being promoted by a Brooklyn imam whom federal officials… [Read more…]

Christians, Jews and Muslims Working Together in Uganda

I found this video clip on Mohammad Latiff’s blog, and liked it so much that I am reposting it here. It is a positive and heart-warming video, and speaks to the inherent good in each one of us. Thank you Br. Mohammad.