MUSLIM GROUP SHARES QURAN TO PROMOTE UNDERSTANDING - TOP
Kansas City infoZine, 7/7/09
http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/36553/

By Michael Novinson - If knowledge is indeed power, then the Council on American-Islamic Relations' latest campaign will eventually empower a million Americans to combat stereotypes against Islam. (More)

SEE ALSO:

HELP SHARE A QURAN WITH AN AMERICAN OPINION LEADER - TOP
http://www.explorethequran.com/

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CAIR WELCOMES FBI PROBE OF CALIF. IMAM’S DEATH - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/7/09) The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today welcomed the FBI’s decision to join the investigation into the death of a California imam, or Islamic religious leader, killed in a “suspicious” fire last month.

SEE: FBI Joins Investigation of Muslim Leader's Death (The Sun)
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_12764435
SEE ALSO: FBI Now Involved in Yermo Fire Investigation (Desert Dispatch)
http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/yermo-6428-report-adds.html

Last week, CAIR’s Greater Los Angeles Area office called on the FBI to add its resources to the investigation of the death of Imam Ali Mohammed, whose body was found inside a burned Yermo, Calif., residence on June 27.

Family members say the imam went to clean hate graffiti scrawled inside an unoccupied house that was once the family’s home, but he never returned. The family had recently moved out of the house because of alleged anti-Muslim harassment and prejudice by individuals in the area. According to authorities, an individual who was suspected of harassing the family was sent to prison in 2008.

Graffiti written on the walls inside the house prior to the fire stated: “F*** you Arab,” “KKK, sand n**ger,” “go home Arab.” An American flag and a Nazi swastika were also drawn on the walls.

SEE: Hate Graffiti at Yermo House
http://tinyurl.com/kpglaz

Local law enforcement authorities are calling the explosion and fire “suspicious” but have not yet made a determination as to the cause of the blaze. The results of an autopsy on the imam’s body have not been released.

“We welcome the FBI’s intervention in this case and hope that the cause of Imam Mohammed’s death and of the fire can be determined quickly,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “The community needs to know whether or not anti-Muslim bias was a factor in the imam’s death.”

In June, a mosque in Cypress, Calif., was vandalized with graffiti, which stated: "F**k You, "we're going to kill you," and "US Military is going to kill you all." Police are treating the vandalism at the Cypress mosque as a hate crime.

SEE: Islamic Center Tagged with Graffiti
http://tinyurl.com/okozdp

In July, CAIR’s south Florida chapter (CAIR-SFL) called on the FBI to investigate a possible bias motive for vandalism at a mosque in that state. Two teens were later arrested in the case. One of the teens told police that the vandalism had been planned for months and that “all Muslims are terrorists.”

SEE: Police: 2 Vandalized Mosque (Miami Herald)
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/1126630.html

Today, CAIR reported a controversy over a Florida church sign that claims “Islam is of the Devil.”

SEE: Fla. Church Sign Says ‘Islam is of the Devil’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlZuco4zOew

CAIR offers advice for reacting to anti-Muslim hate crimes in its "Muslim Community Safety Kit."

SEE: CAIR Muslim Community Safety Kit
http://www.cair.com/ActionCenter/CommunityToolKit.aspx

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties 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-LA Communications Manager Munira Syeda, 714-776-1847, 714-851-4851, E-Mail: info@losangeles.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

SEE ALSO:

FLA. CHURCH SIGN SAYS ‘ISLAM IS OF THE DEVIL’ - TOP

Watch the video.

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VIDEO: MCKINNEY RETURNS TO U.S. AFTER BEING HELD BY ISRAEL - TOP

WATCH the video.

Former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney speaks on her arrival in Washington, D.C., on July 7, 2009. McKinney had been held in an Israeli prison for trying to deliver humanitarian relief supplies to the Gaza strip.

MCKINNEY RETURNS TO U.S. AFTER RELEASE FROM ISRAELI JAIL - TOP
Fox, 7/7/09

Former Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney was released from Israeli custody Monday after being detained for trying to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. (More)

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AN OPEN LETTER TO THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION & THE ETHNIC & MULTICULTURAL INFORMATION EXCHANGE ROUNDTABLE - TOP
http://openlettertoala.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/an-open-letter-to-ala-the-ethnic-and-multicultural-information-exchange-roundtable/

We, the undersigned, would like to voice our concerns regarding the inclusion of Robert Spencer in the EMIERT panel “Perspectives on Islam: Beyond the Stereotyping.” As we are sure you know, Mr. Spencer is founder of the web sites “Jihad Watch” and “Dhimmi Watch”, author of such books as The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World’s Most Intolerant Religion; The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades); Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World’s Fastest Growing Faith; Onward Muslim Soldiers: How Jihad Still Threatens America and the West; Religion of Peace? Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn’t; Stealth Jihad: How Radical Islam is Subverting America without Guns or Bombs; coauthor, with Daniel Ali, of Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics; and editor of the essay collection The Myth of Islamic Tolerance: How Islamic Law Treats Non-Muslims.

Even the most cursory overview of Mr. Spencer’s oeuvre makes it clear that in fact he has no place on a panel whose aim is to dispel stereotypes about Islam. Indeed, we, as librarians, scholars, and individuals are deeply concerned by ALA & EMIERT’s choice of Mr. Spencer for such a panel: Mr. Spencer espouses a view of Islam as a system of belief which is essentially violent, undemocratic, totalitarian, exclusive and at war with all non-Muslims. (More)

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FAR-RIGHT EXTREMISTS 'ARE PLOTTING SPECTACULAR TERRORIST ATTACK IN UK', POLICE WARN - TOP
Niall Firth, The Telegraph, 7/7/09
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1198003/Far-Right-extremists-plotting-spectacular-terrorist-attack-UK-police-warn.html

Neo-Nazis are plotting a 'spectacular' terrorist attack on Britain to fuel racial tension, Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism officers fear.

Senior officers have increased their surveillance of suspects to monitor their ability to carry out a deadly attack aimed at causing a 'breakdown in community cohesion'. (More)