CAIR ASKS CONGRESS TO PROBE FEDERAL AGENCY'S ANTI-MUSLIM BIAS - TOP U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom accused of discriminating against Muslim staffers, targeting Muslim countries (WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/18/10) - A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy group today called on Congress to probe allegations of anti-Muslim bias at the taxpayer-funded agency that advises the president and other government officials on issues related to religious freedom worldwide. Current and former staff and commissioners of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom say the agency discriminates against Muslim staffers, targets Muslim countries for extra scrutiny, focuses disproportionately on the persecution of Christians, and downplays violations of religious rights in places like Israel and Europe. A Muslim policy analyst contracted by the commission recently filed a complaint with theEqual Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleging that her contract was canceled because of her faith and her past affiliation with an American Muslim organization. SEE: Agency that Monitors Religious Freedom Abroad Accused of Bias (Wash. Post) The commission was created by Congress in 1998 as part of the International Religious Freedom Act. It has a $4.3 million budget. Next year, Congress must decide whether to extend the commissions life beyond its 2011 sunset date. "The disturbing allegations of anti-Muslim bias at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom must be investigated by Congress prior to instituting any necessary reforms," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Taxpayer dollars should not be used to promote the religious agendas or pet projects of those with an ideological ax to grind." Awad noted that the commission devoted extensive resources to examining the textbooks used at an Islamic school in Virginia, despite the fact that the agency was created to monitor religious freedom overseas. In 2001, a group of American Muslim, Christian and secular organizations criticized the commission's lack of balance in its reporting on violations of religious freedom. 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 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, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com SEE ALSO: GROUP LAUNCHES RACIAL PROFILING: FACE THE TRUTH DIALOGUE SERIES - TOP From February 22-28, 2010, the Rights Working Group will host dialogue events to help people "talk about how government policies are undermining the civil liberties and human rights of people living in America and how to work together to ensure these rights are restored." This year's topic is racial, religious and ethnic profiling. CAIR strongly opposes such profiling and encourages people of conscience to join these conversations. To learn more about the project, see: http://www.nightof1000conversations.org/ ----- CAIR: BAY AREA PREMIERE OF INSIDE ISLAM: WHAT A BILLION MUSLIMS REALLY THINK - TOP CAIR-SFBA, ICCNC and Illume Magazine to host film based on Gallup Poll that dispels stereotypes, reveals Muslim views on gender, terrorism and democracy (SANTA CLARA, CA 2/18/10) - On February 20, the San Francisco Bay Area office of theCouncil on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), Illume Magazine and the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California (ICCNC) will host the Bay Area premiere of Unity Production Foundation's latest film Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think. The documentary provides an eye-opening view of global Muslim opinions on hot topics such as terrorism, democracy, women, and the West. It is based on the findings of the Gallup Organization's first-of-its-kind opinion poll of the entire Muslim world. Saturdays event also includes an on-stage conversation with author and Islam expert Dr. John Esposito about his new book The Future of Islam. Esposito, who is featured in the film, will be available to sign his books. WHAT: Bay Area premiere of UPF's Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think WHEN: Saturday, February 20, 2010. Film starts 4:30 p.m., conversation with Dr. Esposito at 6:15 p.m. WHERE: Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, 1433 Madison Street, Oakland, CA CONTACT: CAIR-SFBA Events and Office Manager Sana Rydhan, 408.986.9874, E-Mail:srydhan@cair.com Order tickets online here. Background: The film examines questions on every Americans mind: Why is there so much anti-Americanism in the Muslim world? Who are the extremists and how do Muslims feel about them? What do Muslims like and dislike about the West? What do Muslim women really want? This 55-minute documentary is executive produced by Michael Wolfe and Alex Kronemer(Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet; Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain; Prince Among Slaves) and produced and directed by Robert Gardner (Arab and Jew:Return to the Promised Land; Elie Wiesel: First Person Singular; Islam: Empire of Faith). Unity Productions Foundation is a nonprofit production company whose mission is to develop balanced, fair and accurate journalistic material concerning the world's cultural and spiritual traditions in order to help increase understanding and tolerance. For more information, visit www.upf.tv. 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-SFBA Event and Office Manager Sana Rydhan, 408.986.9874, E-Mail: srydhan@cair.com; UPF Outreach Manager Daniel Tutt, 202-298-8088, daniel@upf.tv SEE ALSO: CAIR-OH: FILM EXPLORES MUSLIM LIFE - TOP Columbus Dispatch, 2/18/10 The Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations will sponsor a screening of Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Drexel Theatre, 2254 E. Main St., Bexley. The 55-minute documentary examines the findings of a Gallup Poll in which researchers interviewed tens of thousands of residents in 35 predominantly Muslim countries. A panel discussion will follow the screening. Admission is $5, or free for students. For ticket information, call 614-451-3232 or send e-mail to bdarvish@cair.com. ----- DUIN: MUSLIMS HERE SINCE SLAVERY - TOP By Julia Duin, Washington Times, 2/18/10 Indiana University religious studies professor Edward Curtis' recent book, "Muslims in America," is, according to his publisher, the first single-author history of American Muslims from Colonial times to the present. There is not a whole lot of competition. I don't know of any textbooks that mention how there were Islamic names like Hassan and Ali in documents from our Spanish colonial period (in the American Southwest) in the 1600s. In 1730, roughly 280 years ago, the first identifiable Muslim arrived on the Eastern Seaboard. (More)