RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AN UNKEPT VOW IN U.S. - TOP
Azadeh Shahshahani, Atlanta Journal Constitution, 6/24/09

I have been watching with interest and apprehension the movement reverberating in my birthplace over the past few weeks. The cries of “Azadi” by the people who have poured out in the tens of thousands into the streets of Iran to demand greater freedom have defied the distance between us.

I was born in Iran four days after the 1979 revolution. My name, Azadeh, means free-spirited, signifying the great hopes that my parents and the many other parents who named their daughters Azadeh that year bore for the revolution.

Their hopes were soon dashed, however, as the oppressive regime of the shah was replaced by a theocracy where rules governed every aspect of people’s lives in public, and even private, spaces.

In this system, advancement in professional and especially official ranks depends in part on the extent to which one chooses to profess religiosity, as dictated by the regime.

With this background, one of the freedoms that was most appealing to me when I came to the United States at age 16 was the right, free from governmental interference, to practice religion — or no religion at all.

I learned that this right is among the most fundamental of the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. In my trips back to visit family and friends, I often boasted about the guarantee of religious freedom in the United States.

This fundamental right has been increasingly denied, however, to Muslim-Americans in the years after Sept. 11, tarnishing America’s reputation as a beacon of religious freedom.

Last week, the ACLU released a report demonstrating how American Muslims’ right to practice zakat, or charitable giving, has been violated…

Closer to home, I recently joined Lisa Valentine and her husband before the Georgia Committee on Access and Fairness in the Courts.

Valentine testified about the experience she faced at a Douglasville courthouse, where she was made to choose between her right to free exercise of religion and her right to access the court. (More)

[Azadeh Shahshahani is the National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project director for the ACLU of Georgia.]

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SECRETIVE U.S. PRISON UNITS USED TO HOUSE MUSLIM, ANIMAL RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS - TOP
Will Potter, 6/24/09

The government is using secretive prison facilities on U.S. soil, called Communication Management Units, to house inmates accused of being tied to “terrorism” groups. They overwhelmingly include Muslim inmates, along with at least two animal rights and environmental activists.

Little information is available about the secretive facilities and the prisoners housed there. However, through interviews with attorneys, family members, and a current prisoner, it is clear that these units have been created not for violent and dangerous “terrorists,” but for political cases that the government would like to keep out of the public spotlight and out of the press.

OPENED QUIETLY AND PERHAPS ILLEGALLY

In April of 2006, the Department of Justice proposed a new set of rules to restrict the communication of “terrorist” inmates. The proposal did not make it far, though: during the required public comment period, the ACLU and other civil rights groups raised Constitutional concerns. The program was too sweeping, they said, and it could wrap up non-terrorists and those not even convicted of a crime.

The Bureau of Prisons dropped the proposal. Or so it seemed. Just a few months later, a similar program (now called the Communication Management Unit, or CMU), was quietly opened by the Justice Department at Terre Haute, Ind.

Then, in May of 2008, a handful of inmates were moved, without warning, to what is believed to be the second CMU in the country, at Marion, Il.

Both CMUs are “self-contained” housing units, according to prison documents, for prisoners who “require increased monitoring of communication” in order to “protect the public.”…

For many inmates in federal prisons, phone calls, mail and visits are flecks of light in the darkness. Virtually eliminating all contact with family, friends and the outside world can have a devastating psychological impact on prisoners, and raises serious concerns about basic human rights. (More)

SEE ALSO:

ACLU SUES OVER LIMITS ON MUSLIM PRAYERS IN PRISON - TOP
Charles Wilson, Associated Press, 6/23/09

INDIANAPOLIS -- Two Muslim inmates held in a special unit at the federal prison in Terre Haute say they aren't allowed to pray in groups as often as their religion commands... (More)

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ALASKA PRIEST TO ENGAGE ISLAM AT NATIONAL LEVEL - TOP
Joel Davidson, Catholic Anchor, 6/24/2009

Anchorage, AK (Catholic Anchor) At the end of this month, Father Leo Walsh heads to Washington, D.C. to begin a new job that deals with some of the roots of age-old human conflicts.

Born, raised and ordained to the priesthood in Alaska, Father Walsh will leave his home state to work for at least three years with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, where his primary task will be to facilitate greater understanding between Catholics and Muslims across the country.

Setting the table

As associate director for the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Father Walsh will do much of the legwork in bringing religious leaders together to address issues, both theological and practical.

Those dialogues will generally include bishops, academic experts and prominent Muslim leaders. The aim of the gatherings is to foster mutual understanding and find areas where greater unity and cooperation are possible.

“It is important for us to be in dialogue,” Father Walsh explained in an interview with the Anchor. “We’ve seen what happens when those prejudices and antagonisms are allowed to run unchecked.”

For example, Father Walsh pointed to the mischaracterization of Islam that occurs when memories of the September 11, 2001 attacks are the primary perception that people have of the religion.

“Dialogue is especially important because of how skittish people are today,” Father Walsh said. “Most people, you talk to them about Islam and they are going to mention 9/11 somewhere within the first three minutes of the conversation because that is the image in their mind. And believe me, it is the image in the Muslim’s mind too. They live with that every day.” (More)

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MOTHER SAYS SCHOOL IGNORED BULLY ATTACKS ON HER SON - TOP
11-year-old beaten twice at Los Alamitos middle school says he is ridiculed for being Persian
Jaimee Lynn Fletcher, Orange County Register, 6/24/09

LOS ALAMITOS The mother of an 11-year-old alleges the Los Alamitos Unified School District ignored her pleas to discipline a group of bullies she says beat up her son on at least two occasions, leaving the 6th grader with a concussion, bruises and scratches.

School officials say they always examine claims of bullying and conduct extensive investigations.

Violet Fard said she is desperate for help after multiple attempts appealing to Oak Middle School officials and the district to stop the attacks on her son, Bernard Ramin.

"I don't know where else to turn," Fard said. "Nobody will help me."

While district officials said they cannot talk about specific cases because the children involved are minors, Assistant Superintendent Sherry Kropp said bullying issues are never ignored.

"I am not ignoring any parent and we are investigating all claims of bullying," Kropp said. "We certainly, as a district, take bullying extremely seriously and we have a long-standing record of discipline (in these cases)."

Fard said her son has been the victim of relentless attacks by a group of bullies at Oak Middle School. They steal her son's school supplies and physical education clothes, tease him and push him around, she said. (More)

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CAIR-SA PARTICIPATES IN WORLD REFUGEE DAY CELEBRATION - TOP

(SAN ANTONIO, TX, 6/24/09) - The San Antonio chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-SA) recently participated in the celebration of World Refugee Day at the St. Francis Episcopal Church on Blumel.

Local Muslims & Friends Celebrate World Refugee Day, 6-20

CAIR-SA President Sarwat Husain talked about "Know Your Rights" and the "Welcome to United States: A Welcome Guide for New Immigrants" and distributed about 100 copies of the material.

Some 300 refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Cambodia, and nations attended the event.

The material distributed by CAIR-SA was in the English, Somali and Arabic languages.

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.

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CAIR-TAMPA OFFERS CONDOLENCES TO FAMILY OF PHYLLIS BUSANSKY - TOP

(TAMPA, FL, 6/23/09) - The Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Tampa) today offered its condolences to the family of Phyllis Busansky, Hillsborough County’s supervisor of elections. Busansky passed away from natural causes earlier this morning in St. Augustine, FL.

Ramzy Kiliç, executive director of CAIR-Tampa said: “We are saddened by the sudden loss of an honest public servant and leader in Phyllis Busansky. She will be missed and remembered for her confidence, work ethic and positive changes she brought during her brief time in office.”

Kiliç added: “Busansky reached out to the American Muslim community of Hillsborough County during her campaign, when she shared her vision and platform for the office of Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections. Tonight, our community reaches out to the Busansky family with our prayers and condolences.”

SEE: Supervisor of Elections Office Announces the Passing of Supervisor of Elections Phyllis Busansky (Supervisor of Elections Hillsborough County)
SEE: Hillsborough Elections Supervisor Phyllis Busansky Dies (St. Petersburg Times)

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, 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 Tampa Executive Director Ramzy Kiliç, 813-486-2529, E-Mail: rkilic@cair.com

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DANIEL PIPES ADMITS ATTENDING MEETING OF DESIGNATED TERROR GROUP - TOP
Daniel Pipes, Jerusalem Post, 6/24/09

The other protest took place in a vast exhibition hall just north of Paris, where the largest and best organized Iranian opposition group, the Mujahedeen-e Khalq or the People's Mujahedeen of Iran (MeK or PMOI) joined with smaller groups to hold their annual meeting. Tens of thousands attended it, including me…

The MEK mounted an impressive display in France, as it did at the last meeting I attended, in 2007, with dignitaries, made-for-television pageantry, and a powerful speech by its leader, Maryam Rajavi. (More)

SEE ALSO:

MEK on State Department List of Foreign Terrorist Organizations