2 PLEAD GUILTY TO FIREBOMBING TENNESSEE MOSQUE

GOP WOMEN'S BOARD RESIGNS AFTER REMARKS ON MUSLIMS - TOPAssociated Press, 11/4/08
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) - The head of the Republican Women of Otero County refused to resign after calling Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama a "Muslim socialist."
Otero County GOP chairwoman Sassy Tinling says that when Marcia Stirman refused to quit, the rest of the board of the Republican Women's group gave Stirman their resignations. (MORE)
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GOP WOMEN'S BOARD RESIGNS IN ALAMOGORDO OVER MUSLIM REMARKS - TOPCurrent-Argus, 11/4/08
The head of the Republican Women of Otero County refused to resign after calling Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama a ''Muslim socialist'' — so the rest of the group's board quit, the county GOP chairwoman says.
Marcia Stirman, a 56-year-old interior decorator, wrote a letter published Oct. 21 in the Alamogordo Daily News in which she wrote, ''I believe Muslims are our enemies.''
The letter prompted a quick response from the New Mexico Republican Party, which said she does not speak for the party and that her comments do not reflect its values and beliefs.
The executive board of the Otero County Republican Party and the Republican Women of Otero County asked Stirman to resign last week, county GOP Chairwoman Sassy Tinling said.
Stirman refused, and Tinling said the rest of the board of the Republican Women's group immediately gave their resignations to Stirman.
Tinling also said the county party's executive committee ''has chosen to disassociate itself from the RWOOC as it exists today'' and that the Otero County GOP will no longer recognize Stirman's position on its board.
While people are entitled to their opinion, when they head an organization their views reflect on the entire group, she said. (MORE)
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RPOC ASKS STIRMAN TO RESIGN - TOPAlamogordo Daily News, Elva K. Österreich, 11/4/08
In a recent letter to the editor in the Alamogordo Daily News, Republican Women of Otero County Chairman Marcia Stirman, expressed an opinion about presidential candidate Barack Obama that some felt was inappropriate for a party official.
Stirman's letter, "Why I am a Republican," garnished national interest primarily because of two statements, "I believe Muslims are our enemies" and "(Obama) is a Muslim socialist."
Various groups have called for her to step down as chair of the Republican Women, including a national Islamic group and the state Republican Party. Now the Republican Party of Otero County has also asked Stirman for her resignation. (MORE)
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CAIR-MI OFFERS SENSITIVITY TRAINING TO UNIVERSITY STAFF - TOP
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 11/4/2008) The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) yesterday offered sensitivity training about Islam and Muslims to staff of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The training, which was held at the Robert H. Lurie Engineering Center, covered basic Muslim beliefs, American Muslim demographics and Islamic etiquettes. A CAIR-MI representative also fielded questions on a range of issues related to Islam and Muslims.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. 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, Tel: 248-559-2247, E-Mail: dwalid@cair.com
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TN: 2 PLEAD GUILTY TO FIREBOMBING TENNESSEE MOSQUE - TOPAssociated Press, 11/4/08
Two men pleaded guilty Monday to firebombing a storefront mosque that was reduced to rubble with black swastikas spray painted on it.
A federal indictment said the two and a third defendant also tagged "White Power" on the outside of the mosque before torching the building with Molotov cocktails. No one was injured in the February fire that burned down the Islamic Center of Columbia, about 40 miles south of Nashville.
Jonathan Edward Stone, 19, and Michael Corey Golden, 23, both pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of destruction of religious property and one count of use of fire to damage religious property, both civil rights charges.
A sentencing date hasn't been set for the men, who each face up to 30 years in prison. (MORE)
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POLICE: MD. ISLAMIC CENTER HIT BY PAINTBALLS - TOPAssociated Press, 11/4/08
Montgomery County police are investigating why the Islamic Center of Maryland in Gaithersburg was hit with 30 paintball blasts over the weekend.
Police say a witness told a patrol officer it occurred early Saturday morning. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national civil liberties group, says the building was hit by as many as 70 paintballs.A council spokesman asked police to investigate if bias was involved.
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MD: POLICE INVESTIGATE PAINTBALL INCIDENT - TOPDan Morse, Washington Post, 11/4/08Montgomery County police said yesterday that they are investigating why the Islamic Center of Maryland in Gaithersburg was hit with 30 paintball blasts over the weekend. A police spokesman said a witness told a patrol officer it occurred early Saturday morning.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national civil liberties group, said the building was hit by as many as 70 paintballs. A council spokesman asked police to investigate if bias was involved.
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CAIR-MI: AMBIVALENT ABOUT THEIR TREATMENT IN THE ELECTION, MUSLIMS STILL POLITICALLY ENGAGED - TOPCity of Dearborn officials expect large turnout at the polls todayCharles Gregg-Geist, Michigan Daily, 11/3/08
When former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama last month, he cited an election issue that has troubled many American Muslim for months.
“It is permitted to be said such things as, ‘Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.’ Well, the correct answer is, 'He’s not a Muslim, he’s a Christian,' ” Powell said on Meet the Press on Oct. 19. “But the really right answer is, ‘What if he is?’ Is there anything wrong with being a Muslim in America?”
The Muslim faith has been a prominent issue throughout the campaign. Polls have shown that more than 10 percent of Americans believe Obama is a Muslim. Even conservative commentators have made reference to the Illinois senator's middle name, Hussein, to suggest that he is Muslim even though he has long been a member of a Christian church.
Dawud Walid, executive director of the state chapter of the nonpartisan Council on American Islamic Relations, said Muslims have been disappointed with the way the word “Muslim” has been used in a derogatory sense during the election cycle. Despite their disappointment, Walid and Muslim leaders at the University of Michigan believe Muslims will play an active role in today's election. (MORE)
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WI: REACHING OUT TO MUSLIM AMERICANS - TOPCapital Times, 11/04/2008
When he endorsed Barack Obama for president in mid-October, former Secretary of State Colin Powell did more than merely cross a partisan divide. Yes, of course, the headlines after Powell made his dramatic endorsement on NBC's "Meet the Press" highlighted the fact that one of the country's most prominent Republicans had given his backing to the Democratic nominee.
But the lingering phenomenon that Powell's endorsement created in Muslim American communities across the United States has been far more profound.
Powell made what will be remembered as the campaign's most powerful statement regarding religious tolerance. (MORE)
---MA: WESTBOROUGH MAN RALLYING MUSLIM-AMERICAN VOTERS - TOPDavid Riley, Daily News, 11/3/08
On Halloween, Sen. John McCain was battling for votes in Columbus, Ohio, while Sen. Barack Obama was rallying supporters in Highland, Ind.
At another gathering in nearby Fishers, Ind., Westborough resident Tahir Ali was trying to rally a different crowd - about 350 Muslim-American voters.
He was there on behalf of the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections, or AMT, a coalition of 12 major Muslim organizations.
Its members are trying to maximize turnout among Muslim voters in a time when the choices are not ideal, Ali said. (MORE)
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MUSLIM YOUTH GET OUT THE VOTE - TOPFree Speech Radio, 11/3/08
Click here to listen to this radio report.
John McCain and Barack Obama are making a mad dash to tomorrow's historic finish. Obama is in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia today, in his last attempt to sway undecided voters in these battleground states. McCain, meanwhile is campaigning in seven states, all in one day: Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Mexico and Nevada before arriving in his home state of Arizona. FSRN is broadcasting from Chicago today, where Obama will host a massive Election Rally tomorrow at Grant Park. As many as a million people will be descending on the Windy City for tomorrow's event.
Meanwhile, like in many cities and towns across the country on Election Day eve, massive get out the vote efforts are underway. Under Karl Rove in the 2000 and 2004 election, the 72-hour strategy successfully turned out hundreds of thousands of Republican voters a tactic McCain's campaign hopes to replicate. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign is using its own grassroots organizing strategies hoping to turn out even bigger crowds. And independent groups have their own voter mobilization efforts. In Chicago, the Muslim and Arab community has set lofty goals for voter outreach. Washington Editor Leigh Ann Caldwell is here in Chicago and with the story.