ACTION: CAIR-NJ CALLS ON MUSLIMS TO JOIN AUTISM WALK - TOP CAIR-NJ is reaching out to all members of the New Jersey Muslim community to join the 2009 Autism Walk organized by Autism Speaks to raise awareness about and funds to find a cure for autism. Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). Today, it is estimated that one in every 91 children is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined. An estimated 1.5 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide are affected by autism. "As the parent of a child affected by autism, I know how devastating a diagnosis of autism can be for a family", stated CAIR-NJ Public Relations Director Afsheen Shamsi. "The annual Autism Walk organized by Autism Speaks is an opportunity for our communities to come together and share their support in an effort to find a cure for autism." Join the Princeton Cares Team this weekend and help make a difference. Princeton has a significant population of children affected by Autism as they offer some of the best services for autistic children in the country. WHAT: 2009 AUTISM WALK WHERE: Mercer County Community College, West Windsor WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 11th, 2009 at 12 p.m. JOIN Princeton Cares: http://bit.ly/princetoncares If you are unable to join the Walk, please consider sponsoring the Princeton Cares team by going to the website above. In an ongoing effort to promote volunteerism among our communities under the "Muslims Care" Campaign, CAIR-NJ Community Relations Director, Afsheen Shamsi has committed to joining the Autism Walk with the Princeton Cares team and encourages others in the NJ Muslim community to do the same. To learn more about CAIR-NJ or Muslims Care please contact: CAIR-NJ Public Relations Director, Afsheen Shamsi at 908-938-5990 or ashamsi@cair.com 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. ----- FL: FBI TRIES TO DEPORT MUSLIM MAN FOR REFUSING TO BE AN INFORMANT - TOP After Imam Foad Farahi declined to become a federal informant, the government tried to destroy him. Miami New Times, 10/7/09 "This is becoming increasingly common," says Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR's national communications director. "Law enforcement authorities seek to use some vulnerability of the individual, whether it be business, immigration, or personal, to try to gain some sort of informant status. "The issue is law enforcement's basic understanding of the community. Is it one that law enforcement needs to have blanket suspicion toward or is it... well integrated into our multi-faith nation and wants to preserve public safety as well as civil liberties?" Bush-Cheney and Kerry-Edwards signs littered the lawns of North Miami Beach as Imam Foad Farahi walked from a mosque to his apartment a few blocks away. It was November 1, 2004, the day before George W. Bush would win a second term in office. But the Muslim holy man had been too busy fasting and praying to pay much attention to the presidential election. For Farahi, an Iranian citizen who had lived in the United States for more than a decade, it was simply another month of Ramadan in South Florida. Then, around 5 p.m., as he neared his apartment, he saw two men standing outside. They were waiting for him. "We're from the FBI," one of the men said. "OK," he responded. They wanted to know about José Padilla and Adnan El Shukrijumah, two South Florida men linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network. Padilla, the so-called Dirty Bomber, was arrested in May 2002 and initially given enemy combatant status. He eventually stood trial in Miami, was convicted on terrorism charges, and sentenced to 17 years in prison. Shukrijumah is a Saudi Arabian and an alleged Al-Qaeda member whose last known address was in Miramar. The FBI is offering up to $5 million for information leading directly to his capture. "I know José Padilla, but I don't know Adnan," Farahi told the agents. Of course, Farahi knew of Shukrijumah. As imam of the Shamsuddin Islamic Center in North Miami Beach, Farahi was in a unique position to know about local Muslims, including Padilla and Shukrijumah. Padilla had prayed at Farahi's mosque and was once among his Arabic students. Shukrijumah was the son of a local Islamic religious leader. "I have had no contact with Padilla since 1998, when he left the country," Farahi told the government agents. He had once met Shukrijumah but had no contact with him after that. "I don't know anything about his activities." "We want you to work with us," Farahi remembers the agents telling him. And this is when the imam's five-year battle with the federal government began... "This is becoming increasingly common," says Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR's national communications director. "Law enforcement authorities seek to use some vulnerability of the individual, whether it be business, immigration, or personal, to try to gain some sort of informant status. "The issue is law enforcement's basic understanding of the community. Is it one that law enforcement needs to have blanket suspicion toward or is it... well integrated into our multi-faith nation and wants to preserve public safety as well as civil liberties?" (More) ----- FEDS MAY LOOK INTO ATTACK ON ANN ARBOR MUSLIMS - TOP Oralandar Brand-Williams, The Detroit News, 10/7/09 Ann Arbor -- The attorney for two Muslim teens attacked last month aboard a school bus is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to step in after Washtenaw County prosecutors decided not to file ethnic intimidation charges in the case. The girl, 16, and her brother, 15, were attacked Sept. 8 after they left Skyline High School. They said the incident began aboard a school bus and escalated after they got off the bus several blocks from their home. The girl said a group of black teens removed her hijab, a traditional head scarf, and yelled ethnic slurs at her and her brother before punching her. The girl suffered a black eye and said she required stitches to the top of her head. Neither teen is being identified… The girl's attorney, Nabih Ayad, expressed outraged over the prosecutor's decision. Ayad said the case "is clear" that the girl was a victim of a hate crime and said he will be filing a civil lawsuit. Dawud Walid, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Michigan, said his office "will be closely monitoring the outcome of the court proceedings as well as any possible involvement in this matter by the U.S. Department of Justice." (More) ----- ISLAM IN THE OZARKS: WEARING THE HEADSCARF IN MISSOURI - TOP Jennifer Moore, KSMU, 10/6/09 Today, as we continue our series exploring lesser known religious groups in the Ozarks, we ask local Muslim women what it’s like to wear the Islamic headscarf, or “hijab,” in southwest Missouri. KSMU’s Jennifer Moore has this report. (More)