FLA. MUSLIMS ASK SYNAGOGUE TO BALANCE PRESENTATION ON ISLAM - TOPControversial speaker says hijab related to ‘growth of terrorism’
(TAMPA, FL, 2/17/09) - The Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Tampa) today called on a local synagogue to invite a representative of the Muslim community who can offer a balancing perspective to a controversial speaker who claims wearing an Islamic head scarf, or hijab, is related to the “growth of terrorism.”
CAIR-Tampa said that “inflammatory” claim about hijab could endanger the tens of thousands of Florida Muslim women who wear Islamic head scarves every day.
The speaker, Tawfik Hamid, will lecture Wednesday at Temple Beth Sholom in Sarasota, Fla. Part of Hamid’s lecture will outline the alleged role hijab plays in the “proliferation of radical Islam.” In 2007, the Detroit Free Press quoted Hamid saying that there is a “correlation between the increase in the use of the hijab, an Islamic headscarf, and the growth of terrorism.” (3/14/07) Wednesday’s event is sponsored by West Coast Florida Chapter of the American Jewish Committee.
SEE: Islamic Reformer, Former Terrorist to Speak
Hamid has in the past faced criticism over the credibility of his claim to be an “Islamic reformer.”
SEE: Tawfiq Hamid, “Islamic Reformer” Who Hates Islam
“Any inflammatory claim that Islamic attire is related to terrorism should be balanced with accurate information about Islam and Muslims,” said CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ramzy Kiliç. “We respectfully request that Temple Beth Sholom invite a representative of the mainstream Florida Muslim community to offer a balancing perspective.”
Kiliç contacted Temple Beth Sholom last week about adding a balancing perspective to the controversial speaker, but the synagogue has not responded.
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: CONTACT: CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ramzy Kiliç, 813-486-2529, E-Mail: rkilic@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, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com
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CAIR-CHICAGO: MUSLIM AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT ATTENDANT ALLEGES BIAS - TOP(CHICAGO, IL, 2/17/09) - The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) announced today that it has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, on behalf of a Muslim flight attendant who allegedly suffered discrimination by his employer, American Airlines.In 2004 and 2007 the flight attendant requested religious accommodations, which included working a ground job, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.Although American Airlines regularly grants special ground assignments in similar situations, the Muslim man was denied any such assignment. A Flight Service representative allegedly told the victim that the company feared that other Muslim employees would request similar accommodations.The flight attendant, who has been working for American Airlines since 1998, also cited other incidents of discrimination in the workplace. CAIR-Chicago is working to achieve a just resolution to this matter.CAIR-Chicago, a chapter of America's largest Muslim civil rights 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: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, CAIR-Chicago, E-Mail: director@cairchicago.org, 312.212.1520; or 202.870.0016; Amina Sharif, Communications Coordinator, CAIR-Chicago, 630.935.5562; E-Mail: communications@cairchicago.org
---CAIR-MN: GROUP SAYS SOMALIS ARE BEING DETAINED UNFAIRLY - TOPJulianna Olsen, KARE 11 News, 2/16/09
Click here to watch the video.
A civil rights group says federal investigators have been randomly stopping Somali residents at malls, college campuses and the airport to question them.
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations says it has heard from 50 to 100 people stopped by federal agents since news broke about the disappearance of several young Somali men. The men's families worry they have returned to Somalia to fight.
"There seems to be no consistency here on who's being questioned," said Civil Rights Director Taneeza Islam. "It does seem like religious or racial profiling." Twenty-year-old University of Minnesota sophomore Saida Hassan says she was questioned at the airport for three hours and never told why she was detained. (MORE)
-----RESPONDING TO THE KILLING OF AASIYA HASSAN: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE LEADERS OF AMERICAN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES - TOPImam Mohamed Hagmagid Ali, ISNA, 2/16/09
By Imam Mohamed Hagmagid AliExecutive Director, ADAMS CenterVice-President, The Islamic Society of North America
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is saddened and shocked by the news of the loss of one of our respected sisters, Aasiya Hassan whose life was taken violently. To God we belong and to Him we return (Qur’an 2:156). We pray that she find peace in God’s infinite Mercy, and our prayers and sympathies are with sister Aasiya’s family. Our prayers are also with the Muslim community of Buffalo who have been devastated by the loss of their beloved sister and the shocking nature of this incident.
This is a wake up call to all of us, that violence against women is real and can not be ignored. It must be addressed collectively by every member of our community. Several times each day in America, a woman is abused or assaulted. Domestic violence is a behavior that knows no boundaries of religion, race, ethnicity, or social status. Domestic violence occurs in every community. The Muslim community is not exempt from this issue. We, the Muslim community, need to take a strong stand against domestic violence. Unfortunately, some of us ignore such problems in our community, wanting to think that it does not occur among Muslims or we downgrade its seriousness.
I call upon my fellow imams and community leaders to never second-guess a woman who comes to us indicating that she feels her life to be in danger. We should provide support and help to protect the victims of domestic violence by providing for them a safe place and inform them of their rights as well as refer them to social service providers in our areas.
Marriage is a relationship that should be based on love, mutual respect and kindness. No one who experiences a marriage that is built on these principles would pretend that their life is in danger. We must respond to all complaints or reports of abuse as genuine and we must take appropriate and immediate action to ensure the victim’s safety, as well as the safety of any children that may be involved.
Women who seek divorce from their spouses because of physical abuse should get full support from the community and should not be viewed as someone who has brought shame to herself or her family. The shame is on the person who committed the act of violence or abuse. Our community needs to take a strong stand against abusive spouses. We should not make it easy for people who are known to abuse to remarry if they have already victimized someone. We should support people who work against domestic violence in our community, whether they are educators, social service providers, community leaders, or other professionals. . .
As Allah says in the Qur’an: “O ye who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you swerve, and if you distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do” (4:136).
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never hit a women or child in his life. (MORE)
Click here to read the full statement.
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CAIR-MI REP. SPEAKS AT HIGH SCHOOL ABOUT HISTORY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSLIMS - TOP
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 2/17/09) - A representative of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today participated in a school discussion pertaining to the historical significance between Muslims and Black History Month at Finney High School in Detroit, Mich.
CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid spoke to students about the history of African-American Muslims, from West African Muslims who were brought to America during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade to recent accomplishments of prominent African-American Muslims.
“We welcome opportunities like this to inform the future leaders of our country that Islam in America is not a new phenomenon, but an integral part of American history,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid.
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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CAIR-SAN DIEGO REP JOINS 'OCCUPATION 101' PANEL DISCUSSION - TOP
(SAN DIEGO, CA, 2/17/09) - The San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Diego) participated last night in a panel discussion after a screening of the documentary “Occupation 101,” which covers the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The event was organized by Activist San Diego.
CAIR-San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida addressed an audience of progressive activists on practical ways to inform the wider public about the brutal Israeli military occupation. Edward Sweed the co-founder of Alternate Focus was also part of the panel to discuss the different media tools activists could use to promote justice for the Palestinians.
“It is important for progressive activists in San Diego to learn more about the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to help mobilize a wider grassroots effort in bringing an end to injustice in the Middle East,” said CAIR-San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida.
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-San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida, Tel: 619-913-0719 or 858-278-4547, E-Mail: ehopida@cair.com
-----THOUSANDS OF SHI'ITE MUSLIMS MARCH IN DEARBORN - TOPNiraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 2/15/09
Thousands of Shi'ite Muslims trudged through snow-covered sidewalks in Dearborn Sunday afternoon in a procession to remember the death of a Muslim leader killed in 7th century Iraq.
The 2-mile procession featured colorful flags in honor of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Islam's prophet, religious songs, and cries of "We support you, Oh Hussain."
The worshippers started at the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center on Warren Ave., the main commercial strip of Dearborn, and then walked to nearby Hemlock Park. There, they recited poetry and tapped their chests in mourning rituals known as latmiya.
Dearborn Police Lt. Wayne Seccombe estimated the crowd was between 2,000 and 5,000.
"We are here as lovers of Imam Hussain, lovers of freedom, of justice, of democracy," said Imam Husham Al-Husainy, the head of the Karbalaa center and the parade's organizer. "Imam Hussain is still alive with us, even though he was martyred 1400 years ago. His spirit is still alive."
The parade was held close to the 40th day after the death anniversary of Imam Hussain, who was killed in battle. Shi'ite Muslims, a minority among the broader Muslim community, remember Hussain every year during a holiday known as Ashura. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:TN: YOUNG MUSLIMS, JEWS WORK TOWARD PEACE - TOPGroups try to bridge gap between religionsBob Smietana, The Tennessean, 2/17/09
Shoshana Jaffa sums up the conflict in the Middle East like this: "Everybody wants to meet halfway, but no one knows where halfway is."
Jaffa was one of about 45 Jewish and Muslim teens and young adults who met Sunday at Congregation Micah in Brentwood to discuss the recent fighting in Gaza.
It's part of a dialogue between local Jews and Muslims aimed at building understanding between young people of different faiths. Organizers hope that if young people can learn to discuss the Middle East civilly, perhaps their parents can, as well.
In fact, there was just one rule in place at Sunday morning's meeting — no parents allowed.
"Adults can't have this conversation," Michael Pote, a Sunday School teacher at Congregation Micah, said to the interfaith group meeting in a classroom at the Brentwood synagogue. "Things like this don't happen, and it's a shame."
Pote says that Jewish and Muslim adults rarely discuss the Middle East conflict without ending in a shouting match. He and other organizers hope that young people can show their parents and faith communities a better way.
Sunday's meeting was part of an ongoing dialogue between youth groups at the Islamic Center of Nashville and two local synagogues, Congregation Micah and West End Synagogue in Nashville. (MORE)
-----NE: IMAM, CHAPLAIN 'BRIDGING TWO WORLDS' - TOPOmaha World-Herald, 2/17/09
The man who could become the first Muslim chaplain in National Guard history is the son of a Baptist mother and a Catholic father who will face east toward Mecca today and pray alone inside his Omaha, Neb., office.
2nd Lt. Rafael Lantigua -- half African-American, half Dominican-American, entirely Muslim-American -- has an easy way to describe his long strange trip from Army brat to Air Force veteran to the brink of Guard history.
He first points to his Guard-issued camouflage jacket, then to his matching green Muslim prayer cap. He smiles.
Lantigua's journey began at age 11, when he went to an Army post library in Oklahoma and checked out a book he'd never heard of: the Koran.
It eventually led him to Afghanistan, where he posed as an Arab businessman for the CIA. It sent him to Iraq, where he prayed in Arabic while holding the hands of Muslim civilians bleeding to death from an insurgent's bomb.
Now it finds the 32-year-old in Omaha recruiting Pakistani-Americans and Sudanese refugees to the Nebraska National Guard by day and studying Islamic theology by night.
According to Nebraska National Guard officials, he is the first Muslim candidate for chaplain in the 372-year history of the National Guard, which traces its origins to colonial militias. He is scheduled to finish his religious training in 2012 and become the Guard's first Muslim chaplain.
"I see myself as a bridge between two worlds, because I can stand on both sides," Lantigua said. "When our new commander in chief said he wanted to extend a hand to the Muslim world, I thought, 'I can do that.'" (MORE)
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TESTIMONY OF SPC. BRANDON NEELY - TOPCenter for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas
On December 4, 2008, Specialist Brandon Neely approached CSHRA with testimony he wished to contribute to the Guantánamo Testimonials Project. He believed that insufficient attention had been paid to "the hell that went on at Camp X-Ray." He would be in a position to know, as he arrived in Guantánamo while the cages of Camp X-Ray were still being welded, and escorted the second detainee to hit the prison grounds.
In this interview, Specialist Neely provides testimony of the arrival of the detainees in full sensory-deprivation garb, sexual abuse by medical personnel, torture by other medical personnel, brutal beatings out of frustration, fear, and retribution, the first hunger strike and its causes, torturous shackling, positional torture, interference with religious practices and beliefs, verbal abuse, restriction of recreation, the behavior of mentally ill detainees, possible isolation regime of the first six children in GTMO, utter lack of preparation for guarding individuals detained during the War on Terror, and his conversations with prisoners David Hicks and Rhuhel Ahmed.
Click here to read the interview transcript.
SEE ALSO:
FORMER GITMO GUARD TELLS ALL - TOPScott Horton, Harper’s Magazine, 2/15/09
Army Private Brandon Neely served as a prison guard at Guantánamo in the first years the facility was in operation. With the Bush Administration, and thus the threat of retaliation against him, now gone, Neely decided to step forward and tell his story. “The stuff I did and the stuff I saw was just wrong,” he told the Associated Press. Neely describes the arrival of detainees in full sensory-deprivation garb, he details their sexual abuse by medical personnel, torture by other medical personnel, brutal beatings out of frustration, fear, and retribution, the first hunger strike and its causes, torturous shackling, positional torture, interference with religious practices and beliefs, verbal abuse, restriction of recreation, the behavior of mentally ill detainees, an isolation regime that was put in place for child-detainees, and his conversations with prisoners David Hicks and Rhuhel Ahmed. It makes for fascinating reading.
Neely’s comprehensive account runs to roughly 15,000 words. It was compiled by law students at the University of California at Davis and can be accessed here. Three things struck me in reading through the account.
First, Neely and other guards had been trained to the U.S. military’s traditional application of the Geneva Convention rules. They were put under great pressure to get rough with the prisoners and to violate the standards they learned. This placed the prison guards under unjustifiable mental stress and anxiety, and, as any person familiar with the vast psychological literature in the area (think of the Stanford Prison Experiment, for instance) would have anticipated produced abuses. Neely discusses at some length the notion of IRF (initial reaction force), a technique devised to brutalize or physically beat a detainee under the pretense that he required being physically subdued. The IRF approach was devised to use a perceived legal loophole in the prohibition on torture. Neely’s testimony makes clear that IRF was understood by everyone, including the prison guards who applied it, as a subterfuge for beating and mistreating prisoners—and that it had nothing to do with the need to preserve discipline and order in the prison.
Second, there is a good deal of discussion of displays of contempt for Islam by the camp authorities, and also specific documentation of mistreatment of the Qu’ran. Remember that the Neocon-laden Pentagon Public Affairs office launched a war against Newsweek based on a very brief piece that appeared in the magazine’s Periscope section concerning the mistreatment of a Qu’ran by a prison guard. Not only was the Newsweek report accurate in its essence, it actually understated the gravity and scope of the problem. Moreover, it is clear that the Pentagon Public Affairs office was fully aware, even as it went on the attack against Newsweek, that its claims were false and the weekly’s reporting was accurate. (MORE)