ELLISON DENOUNCES CALLS FOR PROBE OF ISLAMIC GROUP - TOP Eric Roper, Star Tribune, 10/27/09 Speaking on the House floor last night, Rep. Keith Ellison read a statement denouncing a group of conservative lawmakers who think an Islamic group may be sending spies into Congress. The statement, which was co-authored by several minority caucuses, criticized four representatives for seeking an investigation into the Council on American-Islamic Relations in response to claims in a new book, "Muslim Mafia," that CAIR is trying to plant interns on Capitol Hill. One of the representatives calling for the investigation, North Carolina Republican Sue Myrick, wrote the forward to the book. Ellison, the first Muslim member of Congress, has had a long relationship with CAIR, which called the allegations "racist." Ellison related the probe to McCarthyism in the 1950s. (More) SEE ALSO: VIDEO: ELLISON READS TRI-CAUCUS SUPPORT FOR MUSLIMS ON HOUSE FLOOR - TOP View the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STSqmcs-Y_U Mr. ELLISON. Madam Speaker, I come here to read a statement that was recently issued by an organization here in our own Congress, our own body, known as the Tri-Caucus. The Tri-Caucus includes members of the Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus and the Asian Caucus, and is made up of about 87 Members of this body. The statement says as follows: “Four of our colleagues, Representatives JOHN SHADEGG of Arizona, PAUL BROUN of Georgia, TRENT FRANKS of Arizona and SUE MYRICK of North Carolina recently requested the House Sergeant at Arms to launch an investigation of the civil rights group CAIR, or Council on American-Islamic Relations, to determine whether it was placing staff and interns in key congressional offices who they fear are acting as `spies.' “This proposed investigation coincides with the launch of a book by Dave Gaubatz, an anti-Islamic activist and author of the book `Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that's Conspiring to Islamize America.' It features an introduction by Representative Myrick and was written after Gaubatz posed as an intern at CAIR in an effort to `infiltrate' the group. “These charges smack of an America 60 years ago where lists of `un-American' agitators were identified. We should be affirming the importance of diversity and tolerance for all interns and staff who serve in Congress without suspicion of being identified as `spies.' (More) --- ELLISON TAKES TO HOUSE FLOOR TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST MUSLIM 'INTERN SPY' HUNT - TOP TPMMuckraker, 10/27/09 ----- BACKGROUND: RACHEL MADDOW EXPOSES ANTI-ISLAM EXTREMISTS IN CONGRESS -TOP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E271Es21vaM CAIR REP DISCUSSES 'MANCHURIAN INTERNS' WITH CNN'S RICK SANCHEZ - TOP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBcT33rJBFw (Sound is low. Boost your volume.) ----- CAIR-LA, CALIF. MUSLIMS JOIN RALLY AGAINST NEO-NAZIS - TOP (ANAHEIM, CA, 10/27/09) The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), along with members of the Riverside Muslim community, joined a rally on Saturday against neo-Nazis who had gathered to protest undocumented day laborers. The organizers of the counter-protest said more than 600 members of diverse faiths and backgrounds joined the rally to speak out against the hatred and bigotry espoused by the neo-Nazis. CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush, who attended the rally with his children, said: “It’s important for all Americans -- whether Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Asian, Latino, African-American, or other -- to strongly and vehemently speak out against the hatred and bigotry of those who seek to dehumanize others. “I brought my teenage children with me to the counter-protest to make sure they never take for granted the sacrifices of early civil rights activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Cesar Chavez. “With the continued economic downturn, anti-immigrant and racist groups are increasingly promoting anti-immigrant sentiment by unfairly blaming immigrants documented or otherwise for ‘stealing’ American jobs. “CAIR-LA rejects such scapegoating and calls for immigration reforms that preserve the dignity and respect of immigrants and their families.” SEE: A Muslim Perspective on Illegal Immigration SEE: Neo-Nazi Demonstration in Riverside Spurs Confrontations SEE: Neo-Nazi Group Rallies in Riverside as Hundreds of Counter-Demonstrators Protest The neo-Nazi group, National Socialist Movement, held a rally last month but was met with hundreds of counter-protesters. Earlier this month, Jewish worshipers at Temple Beth El in Riverside were intimidated and harassed by neo-Nazis who held signs and flags bearing Nazi swastikas in front of the synagogue. SEE: Calif. Muslims Condemn Neo-Nazi Harassment The counter-protest was organized by 50 community organizations, including CAIR-LA and the Islamic Center of Riverside. 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. 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 or 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com ----- CAIR-MI OFFERS ‘KNOW YOUR RIGHTS’ INFO TO HAJJ TRAVELERS - TOP (SOUTHFIELD, MI, 10/27/09) The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), along with the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), yesterday offered a “Know Your Rights” presentation to travelers who are about to make Hajj, or the pilgrimage to Mecca, from the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn. The presentation included information on how to request same-gender screening in private rooms instead of going through full-body screening machines and how to file complaints if a traveler believes he or she has been subjected to ethnic or religious profiling. In 2007, a Hajj group from the Islamic Center of America was barred from boarding a Northwest Airline plane. Northwest Airlines later apologized and gave compensation to those who were barred. SEE: Northwest Apologizes to ‘Bumped’ Hajis (Arab News) CAIR-MI encourages all who plan on leaving for Hajj in November to review CAIR’s American Muslim Civic Pocket Guide. SEE: Your Rights and Responsibilities as an American Muslim 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. CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, 248-559-2247, E-Mail: dwalid@cair.com ----- FAIRMONT COPLEY ACCUSED OF BIAS AGAINST 7 WORKERS - TOP By Erin Ailworth, Boston Globe, 10/27/09 Seven current and former employees are suing the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston and its parent company for discrimination, alleging that hotel managers treated them unfairly and failed to act when other workers verbally abused and physically threatened them because of their Moroccan descent and Muslim religious beliefs. “There became a pattern of harassment and after the attacks on Sept. 11, the level of harassment increased,’’ said Rahsaan Hall, an attorney with the nonprofit Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law of the Boston Bar Association, which filed the complaint against the Fairmont Copley yesterday in US District Court. (More)