TERROR SUSPECT HAD BOMB GUIDE, AUTHORITIES SAY - TOP
DAVID JOHNSTON and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM, New York Times, 9/21/09

…Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group, said in a telephone interview that the charges raised concerns about civil liberties.

“It heightens our concerns about the case because you would expect that if the government’s allegations were based on strong evidence, that there would be charges brought based on terror-related evidence, not making false statements,” he said. (More)

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,fali@cair.com

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CAIR VIDEO: WASHINGTON-AREA MUSLIM COMMUNITY GROWING - TOP
Press TV, 9/19/09

CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper comments on the growth of the Muslim community in the Washington, D.C., area.

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ISLAMIC ADVOCACY GROUP CONDUCTS DIVERSITY WORKSHOP FOR TWIN CITIES EMPLOYERS - TOP
Ted Trautman, TC Daily Planet, 9/19/09

On August 4, the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) hosted a workshop in St. Paul that brought together employers from a variety of industries to discuss issues of religious diversity in the workplace. The workshop, whose primary audience was the managers of businesses that employ relatively large numbers of Muslim workers, was called "Positive Interactions."

With some 25 employers representing seven companies in attendance, "Positive Interactions" is the largest workplace training CAIR-MN has yet conducted. Previously, the group has led a number of smaller, on-site sessions for individual businesses. (More)

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BY FASTING, MUSLIMS CAN REDIRECT LIVES - TOP
Sarwat Husain, Express-News, 9/19/09

Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar, is almost over. Today is the last day. The month concludes with 29 or 30 days, depending on the sighting of the new moon.

Ramadan fasting is the fourth of five pillars of Islam. Thee other pillars are declaration of faith, five daily prayers, almsgiving and pilgrimage or “hajj.”

The Arabic word for fasting is sawm, which literally means to refrain.

During the entire month Muslims do not eat or drink anything from dawn to sunset. However, fasting is not merely abstaining from food and drinks, but it is also time for Muslims for reflection, devotion, generosity and sacrifice.

It is time for abstaining from ignorant and indecent behavior. This is the month for self-evaluation, self-redemption, self-control and self-restraint. For instance, if you smoke, you have to stop if you are fasting. If you can control the urge of smoking for 14 hours a day for 30 days, you can practically kick the habit for the rest of your life. (More)

Sarwat Husain is president of the Council on American Islamic Relations-San Antonio.

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FIRST MUSLIM ELECTED TO CONGRESS VISITS INLAND AREA WITH MESSAGE ABOUT HIS FAITH - TOP
DAVID OLSON, The Press-Enterprise

The nation's first Muslim congressman will speak in Riverside on Sunday during prayers for Eid ul-Fitr, which celebrates the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., will attend Eid prayer services at the Riverside Convention Center and make brief remarks. The annual event last year attracted several thousand people…

Ellison's election has been used by American officials to show foreign Muslims that the country is not hostile to Islam. President Barack Obama referred to Ellison's use of the Quran to take the oath of office in a June speech in Cairo that was designed to strengthen U.S. relations with the world's Muslims.

Corona's Hussam Ayloush, who will deliver Sunday's Eid sermon, said Ellison is a source of inspiration and hope for Muslims, especially those who believe they are treated as second-class citizens.

"He's living proof that once people get to know Muslims, they can have friendship, respect and partnership with them on all matters that bring benefit to people in our country," said Ayloush, executive director of the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "It reassures American Muslims they are...equal citizens in their own country."

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THE NEOCONS, THE BNP AND THE ISLAMOPHOBIA NETWORK - TOP
Tom Griffin, Spin Watch, 9/17/09

Events in London in recent weeks have highlighted the growing collusion between American neoconservatives and the European far right in stirring up hatred of Muslims.

Richard Bartholomew has details of a meeting at the George Restaurant in east London in August attended by Jihad Watch's Robert Spencer and Douglas Murray of the Centre for Social Cohesion at the invitation of the Christian Action Network. Also invited were the English Defence League, the group responsible for a number of recent violent anti-Muslim protests.

Robert Spencer says on his blog that he and Murray refused to meet with the EDL, and cites Adrian Morgan as a witness to this version of events. But the presence of Morgan, who did meet the EDL, is itself evidence of the emerging relationship between the neocons and the far-right.

Morgan is a contributing editor to Family Security Matters, which has been described as a front for the Center for Security Policy, a Washington think-tank run by the ultra-neoconservative Frank Gaffney. (More)

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INCITEMENT WATCH: MUSLIMS MASS-PRODUCING CHILDREN TO TAKE OVER AFRICA, SAYS ARCHBISHOP - TOP
Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent

One of the most powerful figures in the Anglican Church believes that Africa is under attack from Islam and that Muslims are “mass-producing” children to take over communities on the continent. (More)

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TRAUMA LEADS DEL. MAN ON JOURNEY OF FAITH - TOP
Terror-attack survivor becomes student of Islam
SEAN O'SULLIVAN, The News Journal, 9/21/09

WILMINGTON-- After surviving a terrorist attack in Mumbai, India, 10 months ago, when armed men targeted westerners in two five-star hotels, Greenville resident Dennis O'Brien did not turn to hate.

Instead, he sought to understand the root faith the people behind the attacks claimed to practice and discovered it had been twisted by the gunmen.

Eventually, he came to embrace it.

On Sunday, standing before a crowd of thousands, following prayers to mark the end of Ramadan, O'Brien, a Catholic, embraced Islam in a testimony of faith called Shahada, where he publically declared that there was only one God and the Prophet Muhammad is his last messenger and servant. (More)