VIDEO: CAIR NEWS CONFERENCE ON U.S. MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS - TOP

View the video.


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ROBBER THANKS WOULD-BE VICTIM FOR SAVING HIS LIFE - TOP
A deli owner gives a $40 and a loaf of bread to a man who attempted to rob him.
Eric Luu, NBC New York, 12/4/09

What can $40 and a loaf of bread do for a man?

Apparently it can turn a crook’s life around and help him get on track.

An ex-thug sent a thank-you note and a $50 bill to the Long Island deli owner who spared his life and saved him from a life of crime.

Back in May, the letter-writer attempted to rob the deli when the owner, Mohammed Sohail, 47, pulled out a rifle. But after the ex-crook pleaded for his life, explaining he was only doing this because his family was down on luck. Sohail spared the thief's life and gave him $40 and a loaf of bread. (More)

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VA. MUSLIMS TO FEED THE NEEDY IN ‘AMERICA WITHOUT HUNGER’ EVENT - TOP

(Great Falls, Va., 12/4/09) - On Sunday, December 6, Northern Virginia Muslims will offer a free turkey dinner to low-income families at an “America Without Hunger” event in Herndon, Va.

WHAT: Muslim ‘America Without Hunger’ Turkey Dinner for Low-Income Families
WHEN: Sunday, December 6, Noon-2:30 p.m.
WHERE: Hutchinson Elementary School Cafeteria,
13209 Parcher Avenue, Herndon, VA
CONTACT: Aliyah Malik, Founder, Al-Kareem Foundation, 703-906-3149, amalik@alkareemfoundation.org

The dinner is being sponsored by the All Dulles Area Muslims society (ADAMS) and coordinated by the Al-Kareem Foundation. Local Muslims will serve the dinner. SEE:http://www.alkareemfoundation.org/

Tickets to the dinner were distributed by Hutchinson Elementary School, Office of Supervisor John Foust Dranesville District and Fairfax County.

Al-Kareem Foundation's mission is to help struggling individuals and families around the world especially in third-world countries find independence from poverty through education, vocational training and employment.

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SHERIFF'S MUSLIM JOKES DRAW CONCERNS - TOP
Adam Chodak, Fort Collins Coloradoan, 12/3/09

A volunteer for the nonprofit Muslims Against Hunger group is not upset Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden plans to hold a Christmas tree-trimming party - an event Alderden proudly calls politically incorrect.

But the woman, a Muslim who lives in Northern Colorado, is concerned about a comment Alderden made while giving a speech at a Marine Corps Ball last month. The sheriff briefly posted a transcript of the speech on his Web site.

In the speech, Alderden joked about bumper stickers and highlighted one which read, "U.S. Marines: Travel agents to Allah."

The speech has been removed from the sheriff's Web site, and he declined to comment about the speech.

9NEWS also asked a dozen former Marines who heard his speech for their thoughts. None of them wanted to be quoted.

The woman, whose name is not being published because she has received threats, said an elected official jesting about the killing of Muslims goes beyond politically incorrect.

"Anytime you put someone down, whether it's for religion or race or anything, it doesn't just hurt the individual, it actually hurts the community where we live, and it's really not time to start doing things like this," she said.

The Muslim-American community contributes much to society, she said, and she also pointed out Muslim-American soldiers have died in the current wars while fighting for the United States. (More)

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TN MAYOR CALLS OBAMA A MUSLIM IN RACIST FACEBOOK RANT - TOP
Amber van Natten, TPM, 12/4/09

According to a rather unsettling report in The Commercial Appeal, Arlington Mayor Russell Wiseman posted a racist rant on his Facebook page about President Obama -- apparently triggered by President Obama's Afghanistan speech interfering with the annual broadcast of the "Peanut's" Christmas Special.

The second term mayor wrote, "Ok, so, this is total crap, we sit the kids down to watch 'The Charlie Brown Christmas Special' and our muslim president is there, what a load.....try to convince me that wasn't done on purpose. Ask the man if he believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he will give you a 10 minute disertation (sic) about it....w...hen the answer should simply be 'yes'...." (More)

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CAIR-MI OFFERS DIVERSITY TRAINING TO POLICE, FIREFIGHTERS - TOP

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 12/4/09) The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) yesterday provided diversity training to police officers, firefighters and city employees at the Hamtramck City Hall.

The training offered information about basic Islamic beliefs and etiquettes, demographical information of the Muslim community in the Hamtramck area and discussed issues of religious accommodation required by federal and state law.

A racial discrimination lawsuit was recently filed by an African-American police officer in Hamtramck who claims that the former police chief and former interim police chief repeatedly made derogatory references to African-Americans, Arab-Americans and Bangladeshi-Americans. City officials deny the allegations.

SEE: Hamtramck Police Officer Sues City, Police Department (Michigan Public Radio)

“We welcome such opportunities to promote diversity and inclusion in Hamtramck,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. “We will continue to be in discussions with officials to assist in promoting mutual understanding in the city.”

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, 248-559-2247, E-Mail: dwalid@cair.com

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CAIR-SAN DIEGO REP PARTICIPATES IN U.S. CENSUS BUREAU INTERFAITH DIALOGUE -TOP

(SAN DIEGO, CA, 12/4/09) - The San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Diego) yesterday participated in the U.S. Census Bureau Interfaith Community Dialogue at the Chula Vista Census office as part of an effort to reach out to faith community leaders to encourage their congregants to complete the upcoming 2010 census.

The dialogue consisted of a panel discussion on challenges and best practices of faith communities on the census, group brainstorming, and a proposal to form an Interfaith Complete Count Committee in San Diego County.

“The American Muslim community’s participation in the upcoming census is an integral part of civic engagement in this country,” says CAIR-San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida, who was a panelist at the dialogue.

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 San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida, 619-913-08719 or 858-278-4547, E-Mail: ehopida@cair.com

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INTERFAITH PROGRAM AIMS TO ‘STOP’ HATRED - TOP
Elaine Thompson, Telegram & Gazette, 12/4/09

SHREWSBURY -- When Farida Alam-Huda got a cell phone call from her 11-year-old son after she had dropped him off at a friend’s birthday party last year, she immediately knew something was wrong. She and her husband, Manny Huda, had bought the cell phone for their son two years earlier and had told him only to use it if it were an emergency.

“I just needed to hear her voice. It made me feel better,” Imaad Huda said yesterday. He waited until his mother picked him up to tell her about his first encounter with racism.

“We were cracking jokes and then this one kid said all Muslims are terrorists. Me being a Muslim, I found that harmful. I told him I am a Muslim and I wasn’t a terrorist,” Imaad recalled. “The kid threatened me. He said he wanted to meet me at the back of the school to fight and that scared me.” …

Mrs. Alam-Huda said that when her son recounted what had happened, she told him that he had handled the situation properly. But she wanted to get him tools to handle similar situations in the future. She had heard about an interfaith program called Students Together Opposing Prejudice, and enrolled him in it in Wayland.

The seven-session program, which was started in 1991 in Sudbury, helps young people to identify and confront discrimination, stereotyping and prejudice and to appreciate diversity. (More)

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CAIR-OH VIDEO: MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS REPORT RELEASED - TOP

Watch the video here.

The number of civil rights complaints reported by Muslims nationwide increased 28% [sic] from 2007 to 2008.

That's according to an annual report put out today by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

The organization says they processed over 2,700 civil rights incidents last year. That's the highest number of cases the report has ever documented.

The good news, they say, is that the number of actual hate crimes against Muslims is down 14%.

"When we see a trend in a certain direction, we do look for ways to address that within the Muslim community in terms of education, also in terms of entertainment and media and in terms of our government if that's appropriate," says Karen Dabdoub, executive director of CAIR's Cincinnati chapter.

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CAIR: 49 STATE CIVIL-RIGHTS COMPLAINTS IN 2008 - TOP
Seattle Times, 12/4/09

The Council on American Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organization, said its chapters received 2,728 civil-rights complaints in 2008 — slightly more than the year before…

The Washington state CAIR chapter took on 49 civil-rights cases in 2008. About a third had to do with government agencies, including the FBI and Customs and Border Protection. Others involved incidents at workplaces or schools. (More)

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CAIR: REPORTS FINDS MANY MUSLIMS COMPLAIN OF CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS - TOP
Robert Handa, KTVU, 12/4/09

Watch the video here.

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REPORT: ANTI-MUSLIM DISCRIMINATION UP, HATE CRIMES DOWN - TOP
Omar Sacirbey, Religion News Service, 12/4/09

Muslim Americans faced more anti-Muslim bias but fewer physical assaults in 2008, according to a report released Thursday (Dec. 3) by the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"In 2008, Muslims continued to face barriers to their full and equal participation in American society. Certain individuals and institutions persisted in profiting by smearing Islam," CAIR's annual civil rights report said. "American Muslims continued to fear profiling, surveillance and undue scrutiny by law enforcement and other authorities."

According to the study, CAIR recorded 2,728 incidents of anti-Muslim discrimination or bias in 2008 -- an increase of 3 percent from 2007.

So-called hate crimes -- incidents involving threats or physical violence -- fell 14 percent, from 135 to 116.

CAIR also expressed concern about government surveillance of Muslims and mosques, profiling, and worries that many politicians were willing to play on public fears about Muslims, and equate tolerance of Muslims with weakness on national security. (More)

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DISCRIMINATION UP, HATE CRIMES DOWN: PICTURE MIXED FOR AMERICAN MUSLIMS, CAIR REPORT SHOWS - TOP
Evan McMorris-Santoro, TPM, 12/3/09

The state of Muslim America in 2008, according to a new report from the Council on American-Islamic Relations out today: Civil rights for Muslims are in peril, even as America becomes a less dangerous place to practice Islam.

The data comes from CAIR's annual "Seeking Full Inclusion" report, which aggregates and analyzes the civil rights violations reported to the group throughout the year. The report on 2008 was released today, and shows a rise in discrimination against school-age Muslims and Muslim institutions, but a sharp decline in hate crime violence. Despite the increases, though, there are signs that the country is becoming more tolerant toward Muslims.

Eight years after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., CAIR legislative director Cory Saylor told TPMDC the report suggests the darkest days American Muslims faced after 9/11 have past.

"Our thinking is that the spike after 9/11 has dissipated," he said. "I hate to say it like this, but it's looking like violence against Muslims in America has returned to normal level."

At the same time, Saylor said, other data from the report is worrying. CAIR received 153 reported cases of discrimination in schools last year, a 31% increase over the year before.

"It's really troubling," Saylor said. Many of the incidents reported involved grade-school age children, and included epithets and attacks on traditional Muslim garb, such as girls having their headscarves ripped off. (More)

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CAIR-NY: U.S. MUSLIMS DENOUNCE SWISS MINARET BAN - TOP
UPI, 12/4/09

Switzerland's decision to ban minarets has angered Muslim-Americans who have called the vote "xenophobic and bigoted," officials said.

The minaret ban, passed by Swiss voters on Sunday, heightens a general concern by Muslims in the United States about the challenges faced by Muslims living in Europe.

It also drew denouncements from several major U.S. newspapers, Swissinfo reported.

"Our fear is that the ban is going to further alienate a growing population of Muslims in Europe," said Faiza Ali of The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a leading Muslim-American group. (More)