AIR-NY COSPONSORS MANHATTAN BOROUGH PRESIDENT IFTAR DINNER - TOP

(NEW YORK, NY 9/3/09) - Some 350 people turned out yesterday for the second annual iftar dinner hosted by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial & Educational Center in Manhattan.

Councilmember and Comptroller candidate John Li, public advocate candidate Norman Siegal, and the daughter of Malcolm X, Ilyasah Shabazz, attended the dinner, which was co-sponsored by CAIR-NY, the Council of Peoples Organization, Dalia Mahmoud, the Islamic Cultural Center of NY, Islamic Relief, Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood, Muslim Bar Association of NY, Muslim Consultative Network, Muslim Day Parade, the Muslim Public Affairs Council and Women in Islam, Inc.

“Borough President Stringer has displayed his commitment to Manhattan’s diverse community by not only hosting the second annual iftar dinner, but by joining New York City Muslims in their call for the incorporation of two Muslim holidays in the public school system,” said CAIR-NY’s Civil Rights Director Aliya Latif, who co-moderated the iftar dinner and sits on the steering committee of the Coalition of Muslim School Holidays.

Latif added: “We applaud him for his strong commitment to building bridges with all communities. Ramadan is a time of inner reflection, spiritual growth, and prayer. It is a time to reaffirm our obligations and responsibility to our fellow brothers and sisters, to the great borough of Manhattan, and the great city of New York.”

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. 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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CONTACT: CAIR-NY Civil Rights Director Aliya Latif, 212-870-2002, 732-429-4268, E-Mail: alatif@cair.com; CAIR-NY Community Affairs Director Faiza N. Ali, 212-870-2002, 718-724-3041, E-Mail: fali@cair.com

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WASHINGTON LAWMAKERS OBSERVE RAMADAN - TOP
NPR, 9/3/09

Click here to listen to the story.

Muslims across the world are celebrating Ramadan, the holiest thirty days of the year. Earlier this week, President Obama hosted Iftaar - the evening breaking of the day-long fast by Muslim adults. And another Iftaar is scheduled to be held on Capitol Hill. J. Saleh Williams, the Program and Outreach Coordinator of the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, discusses Ramadan on the “Hill.”

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PRESIDENT CITES CAIR HIJAB CASE AT WHITE HOUSE IFTAR - TOP

In his address during last night's White House iftar, President Obama said:

"One of those values is the freedom to practice your religion a right that is enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution. Nashala Hearn, who joins us from Muskogee, Oklahoma, took a stand for that right at an early age. When her school district told her that she couldn't wear the hijab, she protested that it was a part of her religion. The Department of Justice stood behind her, and she won her right to practice her faith. She even traveled to Washington to testify before Congress. Her words spoke to a tolerance that is far greater than mistrust when she first wore her headscarf to school, she said, 'I received compliments from the other kids.'"

SEE: White House Press Release on Iftar Dinner

In 2004, CAIR issued the following news release:

Muslims Welcome Justice Department Hijab Defense
DOJ supports religious attire of OK Muslim student

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/31/04) The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today welcomes a Department of Justice (DOJ) decision to support the right of an Oklahoma student to wear an Islamic head scarf, or hijab.

School officials in Muskogee, Okla., had suspended the Muslim sixth-grader twice last fall because they claimed her hijab violated their dress code policy prohibiting hats, caps, bandanas or other headwear.

A CAIR alert about the girl's suspension drew international media attention and prompted hundreds of concerned Muslims to contact local and state education officials to request religious accommodation. School district officials subsequently allowed the Muslim student to attend classes pending a review of the dress code policy...

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VIRGINIA POLICE CHIEF THANKS SPONSOR, CAIR FOR QURAN - TOP

A Virginia police chief who received a copy of the Quran sponsored through CAIR’s Share the Quran campaign wrote a letter of thanks to the sponsor and to CAIR. The letter stated in part:

“The Quran will be made a part of our Police Academy Reference Library…I understand the significance of this holy book and making it available to our officers can only help foster a better relationship in our community through an enhanced understanding of Islam. Please know we will put the book to good use.”

To learn more about CAIR’s Share the Quran campaign or to sponsor a copy of the Quran, go tohttp://www.explorethequran.com

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US MUSLIMS UNITE AGAINST MALARIA - TOP
Dilshad D. Ali, IOL, 9/2/09

WASHINGTON America’s most prominent imams and Muslim leaders are uniting in an extraordinary one-day gathering to raise awareness and funds in support of Islamic Relief’s “Bite the Bug” campaign to combat and eradicate malaria in Western Africa.

“We need to put this on the radar of the community,” Tariq Subhani, event chairperson and president of United for Change, a new Muslim umbrella organization, told IslamOnline.net.

Billed as a “historical event” and a “turning point in Islamic work in the US,” the one-day conference will be held on Saturday, September 5, just outside of Washington, D.C.

It is the brainchild of Imam Zaid Shakir, of the Zaytuna Institute in California, who took an eight-day trip with Islamic Relief to see their work to eradicate malaria in Mali last March.

“Seeing the work of Islamic Relief, how they’re filling the gaps and empowering the Muslims in sub-Sahara Africa to take charge of their health and their selves, to see how they’re building a healthcare infrastructure--it was truly inspiring,” Imam Shakir told IOL.

He came back from Africa convinced that an issue like malaria couldn’t be tackled by one group or individual.

He immediately approached all 11 major Muslim organizations in the US, including Islamic Society of Northern America (ISNA), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Relief and the Zaytuna Institute, to come together in a unified effort for this cause. (More)

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CAIR ASKS MUSLIMS TO JOIN RAMADAN ANTI-MALARIA EFFORT - TOP

(WASHINGTON, DC, 8/19/2009) - CAIR is urging American Muslims to increase the benefits of the upcoming Ramadan fast by participating in a “United Against Malaria” event on September 5 near Washington, D.C.

SEE: United for Change

CAIR, along with other major American Muslim organizations led by United for Change and Islamic Relief, is sponsoring the day-long event that will feature speakers such as Shaykh Muhammad Ninowy, Imam Mohamed Majid, Shaykh Yasir Qadhi, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Imam Suhaib Webb, Imam Siraj Wahhaj, Dr. Fatimah Jackson, and Imam Zaid Shakir.

WHAT: Muslims United Against Malaria
WHEN: September 5, 2009, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
WHERE: Gaylord National Resort & Conventional Center, 201 Waterfront Street, Fort Washington, MD 20745
CONTACT: CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857, E-Mail: csaylor@cair.com

See the Muslims United for Change Against Malaria video.

“Ramadan is not only a time for prayer and fasting, it is an opportunity to strengthen and renew one’s faith through positive actions that benefit society,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “Malaria is a serious concern in Africa and American Muslims can play an important role in helping to alleviate the suffering caused by this disease.”

United for Change notes that malaria affects some 420 million individuals in Africa annually, resulting in one million deaths. Children under five are among those hardest hit by malaria. One African child dies every 30 seconds as a result of the disease.

Join the struggle to ease the suffering of those afflicted with malaria by registering for the United Against Malaria event here.

A separate iftar dinner featuring speakers from the event is also scheduled. Register here.

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CAIR-IL: REPORT: MEATPACKING PLANTS WRONGLY FIRED MUSLIMS - TOP
Nicole Neroulias, Religion News Service, 9/2/09

A meatpacking company was wrong to fire more than 200 Muslim employees who walked off the job to protest insufficient breaks during Ramadan last year, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission…

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is not aware of any specific changes or plans to rehire the fired workers yet, said Christina Abraham, civil rights director for CAIR's Chicago chapter.

"The workers are still not working there," said Abraham, who had filed complaints on behalf of the Grand Island employees. "Now, the EEOC is going to try to facilitate some sort of resolution or settlement through a conciliation process. And if that doesn't work out, we file a lawsuit." (More)

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CAIR: 3 STATES STILL BAN RELIGIOUS CLOTHING FOR TEACHERS - TOP
William McCall, Associated Press, 9/3/09

Rajdeep Singh Jolly, legal director for the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, both say the laws are not only unconstitutional, but discriminatory because their enforcement now tends to fall on minorities…Jolly and Hooper say the best way to deal with any problem involving religion in classrooms is to discipline teachers if they try to proselytize students or advocate favoring a particular religion, not for the way they dress. (More)

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CAIR VIDEO: SOMALI MAN SHOT AFTER LEAVING MOSQUE IN MAINE - TOP
MyFoxMaine.com, 9/3/09

Click here to watch the video.

Portland police still haven't released the name of the victim in Monday nights shooting in the city’s Bayside neighborhood, but they have revealed that he is of Somali descent and was shot in the back after leaving a mosque on Anderson Street.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Washington D.C. is calling on state and national law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive.

Police say they have not tracked down the two suspects, described only as a black male and a white male.

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CAIR: NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP WANTS HATE CHARGES PURSUED IN ATTACK ON CAB DRIVER - TOP
Sophia Kazmi, Contra Costa Times, 9/1/09

PLEASANTON — A national civil-rights group is asking authorities to pursue hate crime charges against two San Ramon Valley men who allegeldy used slurs and beat a cabdriver.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is urging that the arrested men be held accountable if there was any bias motive in the attack that left 38-year-old Jaswinder Bangar with a broken tooth, bruises and stitches to his face.

Police say Bangar was called "Taliban" and "terrorist" by the men during the Thursday morning attack.

"We get involved with this any time anti-Muslim slurs are used, regardless whether the alleged victim is a Muslim himself," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based organization. (More)

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LOCAL MUSLIMS, SCHOOL OFFICIALS CRITICIZE 'ISLAM OF THE DEVIL' SHIRTS - TOP
By Christopher Curry, The Gainesville Sun, 9/1/09

Dr. Nausheen Khuddus has four children in the local public school system -- three in elementary school and one in middle school.

A member of the Muslim faith, Khuddus said her young children experienced "bigotry and prejudice" for the first time after a few other school children who are members of Dove World Outreach Center church showed up for the first week of school wearing shirts with the message "Islam is of the Devil." (More)

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CAIR-NJ CALLS SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR ‘UNITED WE SERVE’ SERVICE PROJECTS -TOP

(SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ, 9/2/2009) CAIR-NJ is asking American Muslims and their institutions to support President Obama’s recently-announced “United We Serve” initiative, which is designed to “meet community needs and make service a way of life for all Americans.”

In response to the President’s call to service, CAIR-NJ, in conjunction with our “Muslims Care” campaign, partnered with several different organizations to set up several community service projects in New Jersey. We are now calling on all volunteers to come out and assist with these projects. To volunteer or assist with a community service project in your area, please contact the identified volunteer coordinator below.

Project I
WHAT: Free Health Fair and Legal Clinic sponsored by the Islamic Society of Central Jersey and CAIR-NJ.
WHEN: Saturday, 9/5/2009 from 10 am 1pm
WHERE: Islamic Society of Central Jersey, 4145 Rt. 1 South and Rt. 522, Monmouth Junction, NJ
CONTACT: Atiya Aftab at aaesq@comcast.net or 732-422-2682; Arif Patel at arif74@gmail.com or 732-329-2040

Project II
WHAT: Interfaith Serve Day sponsored by Muslims Against Hunger and CAIR-NJ
WHEN: Sept 5th, 2009, Saturday 9am to 1:30pm
WHERE: Rahway Foods For Friends Soup Kitchen, Second Presbyterian Church,
1221 New Brunswick Ave, Rahway, NJ 07065
TIME: 9:00am to 1:30pm
Lunch Prep in kitchen Shift: 9:30 am to 11:15am,
Lunch Serve Shift: 11:00am to 1:30pm,
Clean up shift: 12:30pm to 1:30pm
CONTACT: Volunteers (12 year +) need to register by Sept 2nd; submit your contact information by e-mail to muslimsagainsthunger.mmo@gmail.com or by Phone: 908-364-4441,
Please mention the Shift you wish to volunteer.
Note: Community Service Certificate for 4 hours will be available upon request

Project III
WHAT: Day of Dignity Free health fair, clothing and food sponsored by SHARE of Essex County and CAIR-NJ
WHEN: Saturday, 9/5/2009 from 10 am 4:00 pm
WHERE: JFK Recreation Center, 211 West Kinney St., Newark, NJ
CONTACT: Siddiq Ali Hofler at martin22a@optonline.net or 201-446-9831

Project IV
WHAT: Interfaith School Supply Drive sponsored by the Islamic Center of Passaic County and CAIR-NJ
WHEN: Saturday, 9/5/2009
WHERE: Islamic Center of Passaic County, 152 Derrom Avenue, Paterson, NJ
CONTACT: Mohamed Elfilali at m_elfilali@icpc.com or (973) 278-7070 x (15)

"We encourage New Jersey Muslims to continue to contribute to the fabric of American society by giving back and volunteering, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan." stated CAIR-NJ Public Relations Director Afsheen Shamsi. "This is consistent with the spirit of Islam and we encourage Muslims to share the true spirit of Islam and Muslim generosity with the greater public by answering the President's call to service."

CONTACT: Afsheen Shamsi, Public Relations Director, CAIR-NJ at ashamsi@cair.com or 908-938-5990

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-CHICAGO PARTICIPATES IN ‘UNITED WE SERVE’ CAMPAIGN - TOP

CAIR-Chicago, along with the Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium (MYLS), will join thousands across the country this summer in answering President Barack Obama’s call on all Americans to participate in our nation's recovery and renewal by serving our communities.

American Muslims all over the US are joining the President’s service campaign, as he acknowledged in his recent Ramadan Message

“Faith-based organizations, including many Islamic organizations, have been at the forefront in participating in this summer of service.”
- President Barack Obama

Continuing its long stance of volunteerism and activism, CAIR-Chicago is leading two service initiatives this month. A back-to-school drive and a park clean-up project. In the spirit of Ramadan, let us seize this invaluable opportunity to serve those in need and give back to our communities.

What: Back to School Drive: Books and Supplies Distribution
When: September 1-30
Where: CAIR-Chicago, 28 E. Jackson Blvd., Ste. 1700 Chicago, IL 60628
Details: TBA

What: Cook County Forest Preserve clean up
When: Saturday, September 5
Where: Schiller Woods, Indian Boundary, west of Irving Park Rd. and Cumberland Ave. near the Des Plaines River
Details are on Facebook.

If you are interested in supporting the cause, please contact Outreach Coordinator Gerald Hankerson at ghankerson@cair.com, 312-212-1520 or 708-829-9069, and find out how to get involved.

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CAIR-LA: MUSLIM ROOTS IN JERUSALEM AS DEEP AS JEWS, CHRISTIANS - TOP
Kennebec Journal, 9/2/09

In his letter to the editor ("Jerusalem belongs to Jews, not Muslims," Aug. 23), Andrew Busque denies Islam's historical connection to Jerusalem.
Muslim roots in Jerusalem go as deep in history as their faith in all the prophets, up to the Prophet Muhammad, who instructed Muslims initially to pray in the direction of Jerusalem.

The Islamic centerpiece of Jerusalem is Haram Al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary), the compound in the Old City that contains both the Dome of the Rock mosque and the even more significant Al-Aqsa mosque, one of the three holiest places in the world for Muslims.

The Quran states: "Glorified be He (God) who took his servant (Muhammad) for a journey by night from Al-Haram mosque (in Mecca) to Al-Aqsa mosque (in Jerusalem), whose precincts We have blessed." (17:1)

This verse refers to the Prophet Muhammad's miraculous night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, and from the rock now located in the Dome of the Rock mosque to heaven. Many other references in the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad focus on the significance of Jerusalem, repeatedly calling it the sacred land and the blessed land.

While maintaining a strong historical connection to Jerusalem, Muslims also recognize its importance to the Christian and Jewish faiths. Any lasting peace in the Middle East will depend on respecting the historical claims of Muslims, Christians and Jews, thereby symbolizing the religious tolerance and freedom for which this holy city stands.

Hussam Ayloush, director
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Greater Los Angeles Area

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CAIR-OK: WITH WHITE WOMEN CONVERTING, OKC AREA NOW HOUSES FIVE MOSQUES - TOP
Greg Horton, Oklahoma Gazette, 9/2/09

Razi Hashmi, the Oklahoma director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said several of Oklahoma's mosques are undergoing expansion. (More)

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AMERICAN-MUSLIM CONSUMER CONFERENCE (AMCC) FOCUSES ON MARKETING TO MUSLIMS, A GROWING AND AFFLUENT BUT OFTEN OVERLOOKED NICHE - TOP

Read the press release here.

The American Muslim Consumer Conference presents a key marketing opportunity for marketers and PR firms. American Muslims represent an affluent and largely untapped market segment. The conference features well-known journalists, members of the Muslim community and experts to focus on "Marketing to the American-Muslim: Trends and Opportunities." It will be held October 31st at Rutgers University (Busch Campus) in New Jersey.