CAIR-LA: ISLAMAPHOBES TARGET FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOLS - TOP
By Matt Cocker, Orange County Weekly, 07/22/10

…The book, approved by the state education department, gives "cleansed'' portrayals of Islamic history, according to the group.

They want additional pages dropped into the textbook that present what they consider to be the true story if Islam. . .

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Anaheim-based state office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), accuses ACT! of misquotes, inaccuracies and cherry picking negative events to put his religion in the worst light possible.

Not that he's surprised.

"ACT! for America represents a small, but vocal, minority of extremists promoting anti-Muslim bigotry and religious disharmony around the country," Ayloush tells the Weekly.

He noted that the group's founder, Brigitte Gabriel, has said that Muslims should not be allowed to hold public office, that an American Muslim "cannot be a loyal citizen," that Islam is the "real enemy," and that "every practicing Muslim is a radical Muslim". . .

"Involving ACT! for America in educational material on Islam," Ayloush says, "is akin to allowing the KKK to educate American students on the history of African Americans or Judaism." (More)

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CAIR: TRUSTEES DECLINE TO CHANGE PORTRAYAL OF ISLAM - TOP
Ryan Mac, The Orange County Register, 07/23/10

Schools in the Fountain Valley district will not change the way they portray Islamic history to 7th-graders.

After a long, contentious meeting Thursday night, a unanimous school board declined to go further with a proposal by Fountain Valley resident Steve Jackson that they provide supplemental material to the district's 7th grade social science textbook. Jackson contends the textbook shows a "totally positive view of Islam at the expense of accuracy."

After listening to 18 speakers on the matter, board members said they felt they didn't have the authority to determine whether supplementary material, which had not been state approved, could be used in district classrooms. . .

Islamic activists have strongly objected to the supplementary materials. Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the material quoted from the Qur'an, but without context. (More)

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BACKGROUNDER: BRIGITTE GABRIEL AND ACT! FOR AMERICA - TOP

ACT! for America leader Brigitte Gabriel claims an American Muslim "cannot be a loyal citizen" and that Islam is the "real enemy." She once told the Australian Jewish News: "Every practicing Muslim is a radical Muslim." She also claimed that "Islamo-fascism is a politically-correct word. . .it's the vehicle for Islam. . .Islam is the problem."

When asked whether Americans should "resist Muslims who want to seek political office in this nation," Gabriel said: "Absolutely. If a Muslim who has -- who is -- a practicing Muslim who believes the word of the Koran to be the word of Allah, who abides by Islam, who goes to mosque and prays every Friday, who prays five times a day -- this practicing Muslim, who believes in the teachings of the Koran, cannot be a loyal citizen to the United States of America."

Gabriel stated: "America and the West are doomed to failure in this war unless they stand up and identify the real enemy: Islam."

SEE: Islam's March Against the West

Along with her stated desire to have Muslims barred from public office, Gabriel has also claimed that Arabs "have no soul" and that Muslims worship "something they call 'Allah,' which is very different from the God we believe [in]."

SEE: A Case Study in Sincere Hypocrisy: Brigitte Gabriel
Video: Brigitte Gabriel Says Arabs Have No Souls

Earlier this year, a person staffing an ACT! for America information table in Florida was caught on video bragging that he desecrated the Quran, Islam's revealed text, and urinates in the washing stations Muslims use to perform their ritual ablutions (wudu) for prayer.

That person states: "Their foot baths, I love pissing in them. . .The Quran makes worthless toilet paper. It just kind of scratches my a** a little bit. . .To me, I like desecrating their [Muslims'] holy stuff."

SEE: Person at ACT! for America Table in Fla. Brags of Desecrating Quran

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CAIR: MOSQUE TRIAL TEAM: MORE TALES FROM THE ANTI-MUSLIM FRONT LINES - TOP
Evan McMorris-Santoro, Talking Points Memo, 07/23/10

Earlier this week, we delved into the growing anti-Muslim sentiment from conservatives -- often taking the form of outraged opposition to the construction of new mosques and Islamic cultural centers around the country. We offered three examples -- the vitriol aimed cultural centers set to be built in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Riverside County, California, and, of course, New York City -- to show that the real problem conservatives have with new buildings for Muslims to worship in isn't their proximity Ground Zero, but the very idea of new mosques themselves.

In the following days, reader emails poured in offering more examples of anti-mosque protests in all corners of the country. What's particularly interesting is it's not just new mosque construction that angers the right -- even the idea of Muslims reusing existing, non-mosque-looking buildings seems to be a step too far for many Americans . . .

Act for America is labeled a "hate group" by CAIR, the Muslim civil rights group. CAIR calls the the head of Act For America, Brigitte Gabriel, an "extremist" and "anti-Islam." On AFA's website, the group says it was "created to provide American citizens a means to be a collective voice for the democratic values of Western Civilization, such as the celebration of life and liberty, as opposed to the authoritarian values of Islamofascism, such as the celebration of death, terror and tyranny." (More)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: ISLAMOPHOBIA THREATENS RIGHTS OF MUSLIM AMERICANS - TOP
Jennifer Harper, Washington Times, 07/22/10

. . ."Given the political right's hate-filled and hysterical response to all things Muslim, one has to ask whether American Muslims face a future in which they will no longer be treated as equal citizens," counters Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"The best example of the right's campaign to deprive American Muslims of the civil liberties enjoyed by citizens of other faiths is the neo-McCarthy-ite response to a planned Islamic cultural center in New York City," Mr. Hooper says, citing as examples Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, New York gubernatorial hopeful Rick Lazio and security analyst Frank Gaffney.

"Why is all this bigotry and hatred being employed to stop the construction of a community center that will house recreational and banquet facilities, meeting rooms, an auditorium - and yes, a prayer space for Muslims and people of other faiths?" he asks. (More)

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CAIR: SAN DIEGO MUSLIMS TO HOLD YOUTH CONFERENCE - TOP
Day-long event to focus on spirituality, education, activism, social concerns

(SAN DIEGO, CA, 7/23/10) -- On Saturday, July 24, the San Diego Muslim community will hold a day-long conference for American Muslim youth at the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD). The theme of the conference is "Muslim Youth in America: Seeking the Straight Path."

WHAT: "Muslim Youth in America: Seeking the Straight Path" Conference
WHEN: Saturday, July 24th, 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.; A Press Conference for the event will be held at 1 p.m. in the 2nd Floor Library, Islamic Center of San Diego.
WHERE: Multipurpose Room (1st Floor) Islamic Center of San Diego, 7050 Eckstrom Avenue, San Diego, CA
CONTACT: CAIR San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida, 619-913-0719 or 858-278-4547, E-mail: ehopida@cair.com

The conference will feature dialogue-oriented sessions on the development of a good Muslim spiritual character and the importance of obtaining both religious and secular education. Other discussions will focus on "Radicalization of American Muslim Youth: Myth or Reality" and on social problems that are experienced by Muslim youth.

"The purpose of this conference is to provide Muslim youth a constructive environment in which to discuss issues of spirituality, education, activism, and social problems in order to help them pursue a path that will positively impact the broader society," said CAIR-San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida.

The conference is sponsored by the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD), Masjidul Taqwa, the Council on American Islamic Relations - San Diego Chapter (CAIR-San Diego), Logan Islamic Community Center (LICC), and Muslim American Society (MAS) Youth San Diego.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties group. 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.

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CONTACT: CAIR San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida, 619-913-0719 or 858-278-4547, E-mail: ehopida@cair.com

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CAIR: WASHINGTON IN A WAR OF WORDS ON HOW TO LABEL TERRORISTS - TOP
Maggie Hyde, Religion News Service, 07/23/10

In addition to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Obama administration is fighting on another front: a domestic war of words on how to describe the threat posed by "Islamic" terrorism. . .

The word "Islamist" has come under particular scrutiny--mostly because it can carry numerous and often derogatory connotations. First heard in academic circles, the word eventually found a home in the blogosphere, where hard-line conservatives don't use it kindly, and Muslims find it offensive.

"I have no idea what the term 'Islamist' means," said Ibrahim Hooper, national spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic relations. "Muslims don't use the word."

Groups looking to disparage the entire religion of Islam, he said, typically employ the word. Terms like "Islamo-fascism" and "Islamo-terrorism" are particularly offensive, he said, and should be off-limits. He suggests phrases like "religious extremist," which can encompass violent movements in other faiths. (More)