SHARIA LAW, COURTS LIKELY ON 2010 BALLOT - TOP
Mark Schlachtenhaufen, The Edmond Sun, 6/5/10

SEE ALSO: Oklahoma International Law Amendment, State Question 755

EDMOND -- State lawmakers say it's a pre-emptive strike against Sharia law, needed to prevent here what has happened in the United Kingdom.

An Islamic leader says it's another example of a rising tide of anti-Islamic bigotry in America.

State Question 755, which likely will be on the ballot in November, would make in-state courts rely on federal and state laws when deciding cases and forbid courts from using international law or Sharia law when making rulings.

The proposal, which has an Edmond connection, would amend Article 7, Section 1 of the Oklahoma Constitution, and stems from House Joint Resolution 1056, dubbed the "Save Our State" amendment, passed during the just-finished legislative session...

State Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, primary author of HJR 1056, said Oklahoma is the first state to pass such legislation and he hopes other states will follow.

Council on American-Islamic Relations spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said he has been working on Muslim civil rights issues for several decades and anti-Islam rhetoric is approaching "Nazi-like" levels.

"This is just the flip side of the anti-Semitic coin," Hooper said.

Hooper said Duncan is voicing a misconception of Sharia, which is based on the Quran, the traditions of Muhammad and interpretation of scripture, that it is comparable to laws related to other religions.

Regarding unintended consequences, Hooper wondered aloud what the amendment would mean for Muslims who want to wear a scarf in a driver's license photo, for Muslims who want to pray in the workplace, if Muslims attending Oklahoma's public schools will be forced to eat pork. (More)

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BACKGROUNDER: AMENDMENT SPONSOR REFUSED GIFT OF QURAN - TOP

Official Refuses Copy of Quran
By MICK HINTON, Tulsa World, 10/23/07

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A state lawmaker strongly objected Monday to receiving a centennial copy of the Quran, compliments of the Governor's Ethnic American Advisory Council.

Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, wrote his fellow legislators that he is refusing a copy of the Quran because, "Most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of ideology." (More)

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BACKGROUNDER: AMENDMENT AUTHOR SPONSORED ANTI-HIJAB BILL - TOP

Oklahoma Muslims Asked to Challenge Anti-Hijab Legislation
CAIR, 3/3/09

NOTE: The anti-hijab bill was eventually dismissed.

(Oklahoma City, OK, 3/3/09) - The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) today called on Oklahomans concerned with constitutionally-protected religious freedoms to contact their state representatives about a bill that bans religious headwear in driver's license and other identification card photos.

The bill, HB 1645, passed in the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Monday. An Oklahoma Senate subcommittee is expected to take up the bill next week.

The proposed amendment states: "The photograph or image shall clearly identify the licensee or cardholder and shall depict a full front unobstructed view of the entire head and shoulders of the licensee or cardholder. Hats, head scarves, head garments...that cover or partially cover the head or shoulders are strictly prohibited and shall not be worn by the licensee or cardholder when being photographed for a license or identification card."

CAIR-OK believes the amendment proposed by Rep. Rex Duncan (R-Sand Springs) was introduced in reaction to CAIR-Oklahoma's successful resolution of a dispute over a Muslim woman's right to wear hijab in her driver's license photo. (More)

Please help support CAIR's important work.

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NIKKI HALEY AND ACCEPTABLE RACISM - TOP
Newsweek, 6/4/10

A lawmaker on Thursday called a Republican gubernatorial candidate of Indian descent a "raghead," saying we have one in the White House, we don't need one in the governor's mansion...

There's still space for racism, in different levels of clarity, though. Many observers seem to think Muslims are fair game. That's partly a legacy of history. Because of the painful, centuries-long relationship between white and black Americans--from the Atlantic slave trade to the civil-rights movement--white-on-black racism draws fast and angry responses. Muslims, meanwhile, don't have that history in the U.S., and have traditionally not been subject to the same sort of racism.

We've seen the willingness to attack Middle Easterners and Muslims in the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama is either a Muslim or an Arab--neither of which, of course, would affect his legal ability to do his job. There's also the right-wing writer who's determined to prove that the Council on American-Islamic Relations is an anti-American movement. You won't see similar books on CAIR's equally mainstream equivalent, the NAACP. More recently, there's been an outcry against opening a mosque near Ground Zero in New York. (More)

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BEACH OFFICIAL OBJECTS TO MOSQUE PLAN, TAKES HEAT - TOP
Aaron Applegate, The Virginian-Pilot, 6/5/10

City Councilman Bill DeSteph irked fellow council members and local Muslims on Friday by sending a letter to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg protesting a plan for an Islamic community center near the World Trade Center site.

DeSteph wrote on city letterhead that "the citizens of Virginia Beach and the Commonwealth of Virginia" are opposed to the plan.

"Obviously, he doesn't represent the city of Virginia Beach just because he's a council member using that stationery," Mayor Will Sessoms said. "I'm very disappointed he would do that." (More)

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ONE YEAR AFTER OBAMA'S CAIRO SPEECH, U.S. MUSLIMS DISAPPOINTED BUT STILL HOPEFUL - TOP
Beliefnet, 6/4/10

A year has passed since President Obama addressed the Muslim world in his Cairo speech, viewed at the time as a potential turning point in U.S.-Muslim relations. Consistent with a Gallup survey of several majority-Muslim countries, in my recent reporting, American Muslims have consistently told me that they are disappointed -- though still hopeful -- about the actions that have followed those words.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has issued a detailed statement on the areas that have improved or still need improvement, both in America's domestic and foreign policy, and also among America's Muslim communities. (More)

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MUSLIM-AMERICAN GROUPS GIVE OBAMA MIXED REVIEWS - TOP
By Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, 6/3/10

President Obama thrilled Muslims around the world one year ago with a speech in Cairo in which he said America seeks "a new beginning" in its relations with the Muslim world, and gave voice to concerns ranging from the status of the Palestinians to law enforcement scrutiny of Muslim charitable giving...

Advocates also praised the administration for a variety of moves, including broadly "setting a new tone," said CAIR government affairs director Corey Saylor. He noted that the White House had defended its Muslim-American appointees - Rashad Hussain, the U.S. representative to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and Dalia Mogahed, who serves on the President's faith advisory council -- who came under some criticism for allegedly being soft on extremism. He also praised the administration for following through on promises to link Muslim business leaders from around the world with American business leaders. (More)

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REVIEW OF AUTOPSY FINDS IMAM KILLED BY FBI HAD DOG BITES ON FACE, HANDS - TOP
Sean Delaney, Press & Guide Newspapers, 6/4/10

DEARBORN -- A Detroit mosque leader killed Oct. 28 in a shootout with the FBI in Dearborn had dog bites on his face and hands, according to an independent review of the autopsy released Wednesday by a Muslim advocacy group.

The head of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the bites raise the possibility that Luqman Ameen Abdullah fired a gun trying to defend himself against an FBI dog before he was shot 21 times by agents.

"Most individuals if they felt this imminent threat of a dog sinking their teeth into their arms and legs -- most individuals would do anything to get rid of that imminent danger," Executive Director Dawud Walid said Wednesday at a news conference. (More)

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CAIR-CT VIDEO: MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS, JEWS PROTEST BLOCKADE OF GAZA - TOP

View the video.

Hartford, Conn. (WTNH) - Local Muslims continue to protest in Connecticut over the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Hundreds showed up for a demonstration in Hartford in front of the Federal Court House after an Irish-flagged ship threatened to break through the Israeli barricade...

"This is a broad coalition of Muslims, Christians and Jews who came out to support us," said Mongi Dhaouadi of The Council on American-Islamic Relations or CAIR. "This is loud and a clear violation of the basic human rights of anybody." (More)

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CRITICAL OF ISRAEL - TOP
Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/4/10

Regarding the letter ("Israeli defense move," June 3) about the loss of life caused by Israeli armed commandos recently in international waters is more than regrettable, it's a criminal act. The most important fact being ignored in relation to the killing of peace activists on the aid ship is that the three-year Israeli blockade of Gaza is illegal according to international law. The blockade is illegal because it deprives a civilian population of vital food, medicines and home building supplies. When the world's fourth largest military starves a civilian population the rest of the world has the right, and indeed the obligation, to act to relieve the suffering. It is truly shocking that Israel's government blames the victims of their pre-dawn raid on the humanitarian aid flotilla.

Remember, it was Israeli commandos who dropped onto the aid ships from military helicopters, carrying machine guns and attacked civilians. In the end nine peace activists were killed by the Israelis; none of the Israelis were killed. It is time for Israel to be held accountable by the US and the world community for its illegal siege of Gaza. In calling for peace we join the 25American rabbis, who call upon the government of Israel, to turn away from the policies of occupation, siege and indifference to international law, and to turn toward actions that will truly bring an end to the cycle of violence and hatred.