WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/3/10) - On Monday, March 8, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will join in supporting an event at Georgetown University hosted by the American Muslim Interactive Network (AMIN) to encourage participation in the 2010 U.S. Census.

WHAT: Census 2010: Muslim Voices Matter
WHEN: Monday, March 8. 6-7 p.m. dinner reception, 7-8:30 p.m. panel discussion with Q&A
WHERE: Lohrfink Auditorium, Rafik B Hariri Building, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
RSVP: http://muslimcensus2010.eventbrite.com

[CAIR chapters across the country will be holding similar events in the coming weeks.]

Speakers will include Congressman Andre Carson (D-IN), Imam Johari Abdul-Malik of Dar al-Hijra mosque and a representative of the U.S. Census Bureau.

In an effort to promote and encourage public and civic engagement among the American Muslim community, the event is designed to educate the public about the census and its importance and relevance to the Muslim community, dispel stereotypes and myths about Census information sharing, inspire interest in the process and encourage participation. Although the census does not ask about faith and religion (rather it asks about ethnicity/heritage), Muslims make up a ethnically and culturally diverse subset of the American population.

Why the Census should matter to Muslims:

• Every year, the federal government distributes more than $400 billion to state, local and tribal governments based on the Census.
• Faith-based organizations and institutions use census data to apply for grants and determine locations for new facilities.
• Census data guide funding decisions for community facilities, such as schools, hospitals, child-care centers, senior centers and more.
• Census data affects your voice in Congress, as well as redistricting of state legislations, county and city councils, and voting districts.

The event is free. For additional information, details and to RSVP, go tohttp://muslimcensus2010.eventbrite.com

CONTACT: Hazami Barmada, E-Mail: president@amindc.org or Tel: (228) 324-2325; Aseel Elborno, E-Mail: aelborno@cair.com, 919-696-7796

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FIRST U.S. APPEARANCE: TARIQ RAMADAN TO SPEAK AT 6TH ANNUAL CAIR-CHICAGO BANQUET - TOP

CAIR-Chicago is pleased to announce that Professor Tariq Ramadan will be the keynote speaker at its 6th annual banquet on April 10, 2010. The appearance of ProfessorRamadan will be a milestone for the American Muslim community since he was banned from visiting the United States almost six years ago. Late last month Secretary of State Hilary Clinton signed an order revoking Professor Ramadan's visa ban.

Professor Ramadan is one of the most prominent Muslim academics, philosophers, and social activists in the West. He was chosen as one of the 100 most influential thinkers who shape our lives by TIME magazine, Foreign Policy magazine, and Georgetown University.

WHAT: CAIR-Chicago's 6th annual banquet: "Unapologetic Activism: Our Legacy, Our Promise"
WHEN: Saturday, April 10, 2010, 6 p.m.
WHERE: 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, IL

For more information visit the CAIR-Chicago website, or RSVP here.

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CONSTITUENTS CONFRONT GOP REP. MYRICK OVER MUSLIM-BASHING AT TENSE TOWN -TOP
Hall Justin Elliott, Talking Points Memo, 3/3/10

Muslim constituents repeatedly challenged Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) at an emotional town hall meeting in Charlotte Thursday, with Myrick scrambling to distance herself from the Islam-bashing co-author of the book Muslim Mafia, whose foreword was written by the congresswoman herself.

Myrick has had a tense relationship with her district's Muslim community for many years, but it's been aggravated recently by her campaign to investigate undercover Muslim intern "spies" on Capitol Hill.

That effort arose from purported revelations in Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that's Conspiring to Islamize America, written by Paul Sperry and David Gaubatz, with a foreword by Myrick.

But when confronted by some of Gaubatz's past inflammatory statements -- particularly that Islam is a "terminal disease that once spread is hard to destroy" -- Myrick said she did not agree, later claiming that he did not even write the book that bears his name. (More)

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DOES REP. SUE MYRICK THINK THAT ISLAM IS A "TERMINAL DISEASE"? - TOP
Adam Linker, Progressive Pulse, 3/3/10

TalkingPointsMemo today describes the confrontation between Myrick and her Muslim constituents over her wacky investigation of "intern spies" and her endorsement of a WorldNetDaily book called Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that's Conspiring to Islamize America. Myrick wrote the forward to the book.

Her constituents noted that the author of the book, David Gaubatz, has said that Islam is a "terminal disease that once spread is hard to destroy". Myrick now claims that she disagrees with that statement and that Gaubatz didn't write a word of the Muslim Mafia book. (More)

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LOWER PAXTON POLICE INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE HATE CRIME - TOP
ABC27, 3/2/10

Lower Paxton Township, Pa. - Lower Paxton Township Police said a beating Monday night may have been a hate crime.

Police said the victim, whose name is not being released, was attacked by two men around 9:30 p.m. while walking in an alley between Jonestown Road and Fritchey Street.

Lt. Gary Seefeldt said the two men began punching the victim in the head and face.

Seefeldt said the attackers did not demand money, so he doesn't believe the incident was an attempted robbery.

He said police are investigating the possibility this was a hate crime since the victim appears to be of Middle Eastern descent. (More)

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POST 9/11 EXPERIENCES SHARED AT CAMPUS FORUM - TOP
By Cahil Bhanji, State Hornet, 3/3/10

The power to change the injustice toward minority groups in America is "in the youth," said sophomore teacher preparation and math major John Kanemoto at today's Voices Unite in Solidarity: Japanese-American and Muslim-American Experiences Post 9/11 forum.

The forum, which was held in the Redwood Room, focused on paralleling the experiences of Japanese-Americans during World War II and Muslim-Americans after 9/11.

Speakers included Carole Hayashino, Sacramento State's vice president of university advancement, Adel Syed, civil rights coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, and Andy Noguchi, representative from the Japanese-American Citizen League, or JACL.

The speakers shared their personal experiences as Japanese-Americans and Muslim-Americans living in America. (More)

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CONFLICT IN ISRAEL, PALESTINE IS POLITICAL -- NOT RELIGIOUS - TOP
Chicago Sun-Times, 2/28/10

On Feb. 12, the Sun-Times published a letter by Maniza Azam in which she discussed Israel's double-standards as illustrated by its relief work in Haiti and restriction of relief work in Gaza. She titled the letter "Israel's kind acts in Haiti create double standard" but the paper ran it as "Jews hurting Palestinians." This title is dangerously misleading.

Saying that "Jews [are] hurting Palestinians" is a sweeping generalization and falsely gives the impression that all Jews are hurting Palestine. In reality, many Jews -- even in Israel-- sympathize with the Palestinians and criticize their own government's policies toward Gaza and the West Bank.

Jews in Israel were also among the first to note the double standard of their government helping Haiti while creating a humanitarian crises in Gaza.

The conflict in Israel and Palestine is political, not religious. It is not between Jews and Muslims; it is between the government of Israel and the people of Palestine (who are Muslim and Christian).

At no point in her letter did Maniza state that "Jews are hurting Palestine." In fact, she acknowledges that Jews believe in "repairing the world" and she commended them for acting on that mandate in Haiti. When the media conflates Jews with Israel, it makes it harder to discuss the real problems facing the Mideast peace process.

Amina Sharif, communications coordinator, Council on American-Islamic Relations-Chicago

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HOUSE TO HEAR MUSLIM CHAPLAIN - TOP
By Yonat Shimron, News & Observer, 3/3/10

Duke University's Muslim chaplain will deliver the opening prayer for the U.S. House of Representatives today, an honor few clergy, and even fewer Muslim clergy, get.

Abdullah Antepli, appointed the university's first full-time Muslim chaplain in 2008, was invited to give the 10 a.m. prayer by Rep.David Price, a Democrat from Chapel Hill.

The Turkish-born chaplain is one of a dozen Muslim chaplains at U.S. universities, of which only a handful are full-time staff members. He directs religious programs for Duke's Muslim students and teaches in the Duke Divinity School and the Duke Islamic Studies Center. (More)

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MUSLIM WOMEN WHO REFUSED TO TAKE 'NAKED' FULL-BODY SCAN ARE BARRED FROM MANCHESTER TO PAKISTAN FLIGHT - TOP
Daily Mail, 3/3/10

Two Muslim women have become the first passengers to refuse to subject themselves to controversial 'naked' full body airport scans, it emerged today.

The pair - who security officials insist were selected at random - opted to miss their flight to Pakistan and forfeit tickets worth £400 each rather than be screened

The X-ray machines allow security staff to see a 'naked' image of passengers to show up hidden weapons and explosives, but it has attracted criticism for also showing clear outlines of passengers' genitals. (More)