COLUMBIA’S MUSLIMS EXAMINE ROLE AS AMERICANS - TOP
‘At the end of the day, we’re all human beings’
John Monk, The State, 6/1/09

The first Muslim member of Congress wowed a mostly Muslim crowd of some 200 Sunday night in Columbia, urging them to celebrate America as well as not let others define Muslims.

“Salaam Alaykum,” said U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., beginning his speech with a traditional Muslim greeting.

But it was typical of Ellison’s speech -- part of which was urging American Muslims to show they are Americans like anyone else -- that he quickly noted that Salaam Alaykum just means, “Peace be unto you” -- which was an expression used by Jesus and quoted in the King James version of the Bible.

“Until you learn how to tell your story, you will always be defined by others,” said Ellison, 46, whose speaking style -- a mix of cheer, sincerity, frank talk and energy -- was often applauded by the audience.

Ellison was the keynote dinner speaker in a series of Sunday Muslim-oriented events at the Metropolitan Convention Center celebrating diversity.

After the meal of hummus, baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant with sesame paste, yogurt and garlic), lamb, chickpeas and Damascus bread prepared by Al Amir restaurant, Ellison also praised Mayor Bob Coble for attending the dinner.

Many mayors would have been afraid “of running a political risk just being seen with you,” said Ellison, but Coble’s presence is a symbol that “everyone is welcome in Columbia.”

Also attending the dinner was U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., House majority whip, who praised President Barack Obama’s win last November as a victory of “love over hate.”

Islam, with more than 1 billion adherents who speak numerous languages, is the world’s second largest religion after Christianity. While divided into two main rival factions -- Sunni and Shia -- it is the major religion throughout the Middle East and Pakistan, as well as much of Africa.

Although much these days concerns Islam’s violent branches -- from Hamas suicide bombings to Taliban “holy war” in Afghanistan and Pakistan to bloody strife between Sunni and Shia in Iraq -- people at the afternoon and evening affair stressed extremists aren’t true Islam.

“In every belief, in every society, you have the mild and the extreme. Extremism is not a healthy sign in any society. Islam respects human life,” said Chaudhry Sadiq, president of S.C. Council on American-Islamic Relations…

Sadiq said, “At the end of the day, we’re all human beings.” (More)

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CAIR-COLUMBUS PRESIDENT RECEIVES AWARD FROM CHURCH COUNCIL - TOP

(COLUMBUS, OH, 6/1/09) - The Columbus Metropolitan Area Church Council recently honored Abukar Arman, president of that city's office of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio), with the 2009 "Living Faith Award." The award recognizes "persons of exemplary faith and the influence of faith within their vocation and larger community." One of the Living Faith Awards granted each year is in the interfaith category.

Arman was recognized for working "tirelessly to build bridges of understanding and respect between people of different faiths" and commended for making it "his life's work to help others through teaching, writing, educating, and being a role model for others."

He also received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy and recognition from Columbus' City Council. At the breakfast awards ceremony, Arman and 10 other honorees addressed more than 200 people at Capital University in Columbus. In addition to being president of CAIR's Columbus office, Arman is also on the governing board of the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio.

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-Columbus President Abukar Arman, 614-451-3232 E-Mail: aarman@cair.com, CAIR-Ohio staff attorney Romin Iqbal, 614-783-7953, E-Mail: riqbal@cair.com

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SISTERS WHO CAIR - TOP
About.com, 6/1/09

Next week, two Islamic advocacy organizations in the United States will team up to support and participate in the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure. This annual walking/running race strives to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and SISTERS, a women's advocacy organization based in Virginia, are joining together to form a single team for this year's race on June 6th.

Click here to join the team.

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CAIR: OBAMA'S OUTREACH TO MUSLIMS IS A BIG GAMBLE - TOP
Jennifer Loven, Associated Press, 6/1/09

WASHINGTON Barack Obama began on Day One of his presidency to "reboot" America's damaged relationship with the world's 1.5 billion Muslims. With this week's Mideast trip and long-promised speech in Cairo, he takes a perilous leap into the effort…

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim advocacy group in the U.S., put it this way in an open letter to Obama before his trip: "It is imperative that your positive statements now be backed up with concrete policy initiatives that will help move us all toward a more peaceful and prosperous future. Otherwise, we as a nation risk wasting the good will that has been garnered by your ongoing outreach to Muslims." (More)

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CAIR: ISLAMIC GROUP URGES OBAMA TO OFFER POLICY - TOP
United Press International, 5/29/09

A U.S. Islamic advocacy group urged President Barack Obama to offer specific policy recommendations for the Muslim world during his visit to Cairo next week.

In an open letter to Obama and Muslim leaders, Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, offered "an American Muslim perspective" about what government, leaders and individuals can do to improve the prospect for international peace.

Obama should focus on what he can do to "help repair relations with the Muslim world that have suffered such damage in recent years," Awad wrote. "Your statements since the inauguration have raised the level of hope for real change in our nation's foreign and domestic policies." (More)

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CAIR: OPEN LETTER URGES OBAMA TO BACK HIS PLEDGES IN CAIRO - TOP
Erika Niedowski, The National, 5/31/09

An Islamic advocacy group in the United States has sent an open letter to Barack Obama before his much-anticipated address in Cairo this week, calling on him to back his pledge for better relations with the Muslim world with concrete, clearly defined policies.

“Your statements since the inauguration have raised the level of hope for real change in our nation’s foreign and domestic policies,” the letter from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair), delivered to the White House on Friday, said.

“It is imperative that your positive statements now be backed up with concrete policy initiatives that will help move us all toward a more peaceful and prosperous future.

“Otherwise, we as a nation risk wasting the good will that has been garnered by your ongoing outreach to Muslims.”

Nihad Awad, Cair’s executive director, who signed the letter, called Mr Obama’s upcoming speech a “real opportunity”, but added: “The test for him is to commit to an action plan of change.”

The letter called on Mr Obama to work to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which it said has contributed significantly to anti-US sentiment in the Muslim world. The peace process is a stated priority of the new US administration. (More)

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FLORIDA CASE ANGERS MUSLIM GROUPS - TOP
Joel Millman, Wall Street Journal, 5/30/09

A federal immigration judge denied bail Friday to a 23-year-old engineering student from Tampa who has been charged by the U.S. government for engaging in terrorism.

The defendant, Youssef Megahed, has already been acquitted by a federal jury of related charges. But now, he faces essentially the same charges again in an immigration court, where if he is found guilty he faces deportation back to his native Egypt.

The case has inflamed Muslim immigrant groups, and has become a cause célèbre in Egypt, where President Barack Obama makes a much anticipated trip next week. The issue: Whether an immigrant defendant who is acquitted in one U.S. court can be detained and then retried in an immigration court, without invoking protection against double jeopardy, which forbids prosecutors from trying defendants more than once on the same evidence…

Under current law, a noncitizen doesn't enjoy protection from double jeopardy says Mr. Megahed's attorney, Charles Kuck of Atlanta, at least not in immigration proceedings, where rules on evidence are different. "They obviously can't convict my client of criminal charges," Mr. Kuck said. "So they've gone for a venue where there is a lower burden of proof." Mr. Megahed couldn't be reached to comment. (More)

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CAIR: INFORMANT'S ROLE QUESTIONED IN U.S. SECURITY PROBES - TOP
Edith Honan, Reuters, 5/31/09

The arrests of four men in a suspected plot to bomb two New York synagogues have drawn fire from critics who say U.S. law enforcement relies on informants who infiltrate extremist groups that otherwise would be incapable of mounting an attack.

Civil liberties advocates and legal scholars say the case is part of a pattern since the September 11 attacks of 2001 in which paid informants are sent to mosques where they aid and encourage disgruntled Muslim men in criminal pursuits.

"We're concerned that it was the actions of the FBI informant that really led to the alleged plot," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American Islamic Relations.

Police on May 20 arrested four men who they said worked with an undercover informant for a year and were caught on video leaving what they believed were live bombs outside a pair of synagogues in the Bronx borough of New York.

The men then planned to shoot down military aircraft with a guided surface-to-air missile that, like the explosives, was deactivated and provided by the informant, authorities said.

The suspects -- James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen -- are charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and face up to life in prison if convicted. None is believed to have links to al Qaeda.

"Why the FBI is going out to create a terrorist group just so they can then solve the crime by prosecuting the terrorist group seems a little odd," said Michael German, who spent 16 years as an FBI special agent and now works with the American Civil Liberties Union.

He cited the fact that the men in the Bronx case had difficulty buying a pistol as evidence they needed help to do real harm. (More)

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IRVINE MOSQUE SPEAKS: OC WEEKLY WORLD EXCLUSIVE! - TOP
Nick Schou, OC Weekly, 5/29/09

On Feb. 21, FBI agents arrested Ahmadullah Sais Niazi, an Afghan immigrant, and charged him with lying about his brother-in-law's status as an alleged Al Qaeda terrorist. A few days later, Craig Monteilh, a convicted con artist, held a press conference to announce that he was an FBI informant and had helped the FBI bust Niazi.

Over the next few months, Monteilh made numerous claims in published articles--including this one in the Weekly--asserting that he had been recruited by the FBI to snoop out terrorists at the Islamic Center of Irvine (ICOI), the very mosque where two years ago, an FBI assistant director promised that the bureau would never do any such thing.

Until he stepped forward to take credit for the Niazi arrest, Monteilh's only claim to fame was being reported to the FBI by the ICOI for making terrorist threats. (He later served several months in prison for grand theft). So far, the FBI--which did acknowledge that Monteilh had provided a tape recording of Niazi praising Osama bin Laden as an "angel"--has refused to confirm or deny Monteilh's claims that he was a highly-paid informant who helped the bureau stymie terrorist attacks in Orange County.

Meanwhile, ICOI officials have also refused to comment, citing Monteihl's legal effort to have the mosque's restraining order against him lifted. (A judge recently vacated the restraining order after Monteilh signed a voluntary agreement not to go near the mosque).

Although ICOI has passed on interview requests from the LA Times, Associated Press, Al Jazeera and CNN, yesterday two of its officials, Imam Sadullah Khan, the mosque's religious director, and Asim Khan, an ICOI executive council member, agreed to an exclusive interview with the Weekly.

In a two-hour interview, which was also attended by ICOI's attorney, Omar Siddiqui, ICOI officials provided an in-depth account of Monteilh's appearance at the mosque, his conversion to Islam and the complaints that other congregants eventually made about him, complaints that ultimately led ICOI to report Monteilh to the FBI and Irvine Police Department for making terrorist threats.

I'll be reporting the details of this as-yet-unheard side of the story soon. For now, let it suffice to focus on a revelation that is likely to lead to increased skepticism about Monteilh's credibility. ICOI officials told me they recently held two friendly meetings with high-ranking FBI officials--John Miller, assistant director of public affairs, and Salvador Hernandez, assistant director for the bureau's LA division--in which the FBI distanced itself from Monteilh's widely publicized claims. (More)

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CAIR: FBI DIRECTOR SAYS MUSLIM-AMERICAN RELATIONS GOOD - TOP
Carolyn Thompson, Associated Press, 5/28/09

FBI Director Robert Mueller Thursday acknowledged tension between his department and some in the Muslim-American community over recent anti-terrorism tactics but said cooperation remains strong toward the shared goal of preventing attacks…

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has been recently critical of FBI tactics it says only alienate Muslim-Americans, such as sending paid informants, some with criminal pasts, into mosques to try to identify members who might be swayed by fiery rhetoric or financial gain.

"There have been issues with CAIR and we're hoping to resolve those issues," Mueller said. (More)

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TN: LOEWS PULLS PLUG ON ISLAMOPHOBE SYMPOSIUM - TOP
Jack Silverman, Nashville Scene, 5/29/09

Judging from the reader comments, the folks at New English Review and their sympathizers were none too thrilled with our preview of their symposium "Understanding the Jihad in Israel, Europe and America," which was scheduled to be held at Nashville's Loews Vanderbilt this weekend. (Epithets such as "multicultural fool," "f***ing hypocrite," "uneducated arrogant pompous fool," "jack**** suck***" and "Mr. Silverdouche" come to mind.)

Now it seems that Loews Vanderbilt has pulled the plug on the symposium, whose lineup includes a variety of speakers who all share the view that Islam is inherently evil and is the root of all our problems. (Apparently it hasn't occurred to these folks that by making such absurd generalizations--in essence, suggesting that all Muslims are radical extremists or terrorists who want you dead--they're playing right into the extremists' hands, providing them with more fodder for recruitment, and alienating moderate Muslims with whom we should be seeking to improve relations.) (More)

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VA: COMMUNITY SERVICE PAYS OFF FOR SHEIKH - TOP
Jason Kane, The Winchester Star, 6/1/09

A passion for fighting poverty translated into a pile of money for Clarke County High School senior Bisma Y. Sheikh.

Bisma, 18, received the school’s 2009 Star Leadership Award at the Clarke County High School Senior Recognition Ceremony on Sunday night at Johnson-Williams Middle School.

Thomas T. Byrd, publisher, president, and general manager of The Winchester Star, presented her with the $5,000 prize for best exemplifying “a combination of excellence of character, qualities of leadership, and devotion to duty.”

For Bisma, those traits are best seen in her community service activities — ones that help people not just locally, but worldwide. And pursuing such activities is a natural component of her faith, said Bisma, a Muslim.

“I do what I do because I love it,” she said. (More)

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CT: GIRL, 13, WILL STUDY FULL TIME AT UNH - TOP
Mary E. O’Leary, New Haven Register, 5/31/09

In many ways, Maeda Hanafi is a typical kid.

She likes to ride her bicycle, inline skate and play with friends, as well as with other youngsters who attend Masjid Al-Islam, her family’s mosque in New Haven.

But while most 13-year-olds are just completing seventh grade, Maeda already has earned 15 college credits and will be a full-time student at the University of New Haven in the fall.

“I have lots of friends of different ages,” Maeda said of her stint this year at Gateway Community College in North Haven, where she was on the dean’s list, completing courses in physics, pre-calculus, calculus and computer programming.

The oldest child of Anna and Imam Hanafi, Maeda and her three siblings, Aisya, 5, Idris, 10, and Adam, 11, all are home-schooled.

She did attend Forest Elementary School through second grade, but found she was bored. Five years later, with her parents as her teachers, Maeda had advanced enough to win a $12,000 merit scholarship to UNH.

Both parents have math and science backgrounds — Imam Hanafi has marine engineering and computer science degrees, while Anna Hanafi was trained as an economist — and felt confident they could offer their children a good education. (More)

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VIDEO: 13-YEAR-OLD CONN. MUSLIM HEADED TO UNIVERSITY - TOP

Click here to watch the video.