Muslim Summit Planned Over NYC Islamic Center - TOP
David B. Caruso, AP, 9/17/10

Groups scheduled to participate in the summit include the Islamic Society of North America, the Islamic Circle of North America, the Muslim Alliance of North America and the Council on American Islamic Relations. (More)

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WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS MUSLIMS SAY HOSTILITIES AGAINST THEM FLARING UP -TOP
Sandra Constantine, The Republican, 9/10/10

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Local Muslims say hostilities against them and their religion have flared up in recent weeks in the wake of the heated controversies about a proposed mosque near Ground Zero, the threatened burning of the Quran and the 9/11 anniversary.

Hostilities include graffiti on signs, a nasty telephone message and apples thrown at midnight at the home of the imam of the mosque on Amostown Road, according to Muslim leaders. (More)

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CAIR-MI: POLICE SAY THEY'VE IDENTIFIED QURAN BURNER - TOP
Oralandar Brand-Williams, The Detroit News, 9/16/10

Police announced today they've identified the person responsible for the burning of a Quran outside an East Lansing mosque that sparked violence in India.

The individual, who has not yet been named by police, voluntarily surrendered Wednesday after police announced a $10,000 reward for tips in the case. He has been released by police pending charges by the Ingham County prosecutor. . .

Local Muslim activist Dawud Walid said prosecutors "should explore any potential hate crime charges or federal prosecution" against the suspect.

"The burning and desecration of a Quran is no less chilling or intimidating than having a cross burned at a black church or a swastika burned at a Jewish temple," said Walid, executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations-Michigan. "Such charges will send a strong symbolic message to any other potential loon who thinks that it's acceptable to intimidate or to desecrate any house of worship be it Islamic or any other faith." (More)

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TN: LAWSUIT FILED CHALLENGING NEW ISLAMIC CENTER - TOP
By Nick Beres, News Channel 5, 9/16/10

Opponents of a new Islamic Center in Rutherford County have filed a civil lawsuit challenging the project.

For months, they've threatened to take legal action and now the issue will go before a Chancery court judge.

The center is already underway on Veals Road south of Murfreesboro with full approval from the Rutherford County commission.

The project did slow after someone set one piece of heavy equipment on fire last month. But work is once again moving forward.

Attorney Joe Brandon filed the lawsuit which he said asks a judge to consider two challenges.

First, the lawsuit contends the county violated state open meeting laws by not properly notifying residents and allowing comment about he project before granting permits for construction.

Second there's a constitutional challenge alleging the mosque would provide a forum for radical Islam and endanger the community. This challenge mirrors a similar lawsuit already filed in New York City challenging the Ground Zero mosque project.

"All we want is a fair chance to voice our concerns before the county commission," said Brandon, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of opponents of the mosque. (More)

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MOSQUE CONFLICT SEEN SHARPENING JEWISH DIVISIONS - TOP
James D. Besser, The Jewish Week, 9/15/10

The New York Islamic center controversy -- and what some analysts say is the worst surge of nativism and bigotry since the Red Scare of the 1950s -- is sharpening longstanding rifts in American Jewish life.

Consider: a prominent Jewish thinker argues that Muslims do not "value life" and do not deserve First Amendment protections (the second statement resulting in an apology and retraction); rabbis sermonizing on Rosh HaShanah both defend the Park51 plan for a cultural center two blocks north of Ground Zero and warn against a rising global tide of jihadism, sometimes in the same sermon. On the Jewish Week Web site, a strong majority of commentators seem to agree with the argument that the problem is Islam itself, not a radical fringe.

In sharp contrast, many major Jewish groups have supported the right of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf to build the cultural center two blocks from the World Trade Center site. Groups such as the Reform movement, the National Council of Jewish Women and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) have been at the forefront of the nascent effort to combat the anti-Islam eruption. (More)

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OK: STATE QUESTION IS XENOPHOBIC - TOP
Walter Jenny Jr., The Edmond Sun, 9/15/10

State Question 755 is ridiculous. It’s also dangerous. Why is it up for consideration? When the Republican-controlled Legislature approved it for the ballot, the author, State Rep. Rex Duncan of Sand Springs, said in a press release, "Judges in other states and on the federal bench have increasingly turned to citing international law in their court decisions, something I and others feel is grossly inappropriate in a sovereign state such as our own."

They may feel it’s "grossly inappropriate," but any first-year law student knows the job of the courts is to interpret the laws under which parties operate. This radical proposition is astonishing and unprecedented in American jurisprudence.

If approved, Oklahoma’s Constitution would require the courts to "uphold and adhere to" the federal and state constitutions, statutes, rules, regulations and common law in making judicial decisions. Sounds good. And, of course, they do that already. But they also rely on the precedent of published opinions, which may end because case law is omitted as an approved source of legal authority.

"The courts shall not look to the legal precepts of other nations or cultures," according to the proposed language, even though our entire legal code is built upon our British legal heritage. "Specifically, the courts shall not consider international law or Sharia Law." (More)

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PASTOR BEHIND QURAN BURNING PLAN MAY MOVE TO TAMPA BAY - TOP
Ray Reyes, The Tampa Tribune, 9/17/10

TAMPA - The preacher from Gainesville who ignited a firestorm of criticism over his plan to torch 200 copies of the Quran said he wants to move his church to the Tampa Bay area by the end of the year.

"A fresh start is a good term," Terry Jones said today. "There's a more favorable atmosphere for the church and our message in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area."

A site for a future church here has not been selected, but the Tampa Bay area is at the top of the list for relocation, he said.

Jones, 58, owns a condominium on Treasure Island, according to Pinellas County property records.

Jones said the move could happen as soon as he can sell his current church, Dove World Outreach Center. The property -- a prefab warehouse turned into a sanctuary and an adjoining building -- has been for sale for some time, he said.

Ramzy Kilic, communications director of the Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said if Jones does move here, he hopes the preacher will show tolerance.

"If he ever chooses to come here with open arms and good intentions, the interfaith community would receive him," Kilic said. "If you want to be a member of the Tampa community, you should exemplify neighborly qualities. Tampa is a great city and he's more than welcome." (More)

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CAIR-CAN: N.Y. CENTER IS OBJECTIONABLE ONLY FOR BEING MUSLIM - TOP
Julia Williams, The Ottawa Citizen, 9/17/10

Re: The biggest non-story of the year, Sept. 15.

Columnist David Warren attempts to equate the proposed Koran-burning bonanza in Florida with the building of an Islamic community centre in lower Manhattan. He contends that both acts are constitutionally permissible, but, because of offended feelings, both Pastor Terry Jones and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf should answer the question: not could you, but should you?

To use Warren's own term, this is a "false equivalence."

The burning of religious texts, or any type of book for that matter, is an inherently despicable act, regardless of who perpetrates it. Building a community centre is not an inherently despicable act, quite the opposite in fact. The only thing that makes the building of a community centre in lower Manhattan objectionable to some is the community behind it, i.e. Muslims. There has been no argument put forth opposing the building of this centre that is not rooted in this single fact. (More)

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NEW REPUBLIC CONTROVERSY ON ISLAM BLOG POST ROILS HARVARD - TOP
Kevin Flower, CNN, 9/16/110

A blog post on Islam on the website of the liberal political magazine The New Republic has prompted a torrent of criticism that is roiling the hallowed halls of Harvard University.

Writing about Muslims in America, New Republic editor and former Harvard professor Martin Peretz posted the following on the magazine's site:

"....Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims. And among those Muslims led by the Imam Rauf there is hardly one who has raised a fuss about the routine and random bloodshed that defines their brotherhood. So, yes, I wonder whether I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse."

The reaction to Peretz's comments was swift and blistering. New York Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof called the post an example of how "debased and venomous the discourse about Islam has become" and The Atlantic's James Fallows characterized Peretz's words as "an incredible instance of public bigotry in the American intelligentsia."

After ten days of heavy and sustained criticism from various quarters of academia and media Peretz issued a quasi-apology for his comments, saying he was wrong and embarrassed to have suggested that any group of Americans is not deserving of First Amendment rights. But he defended his description of Muslim attitudes toward the lives of other Muslims, arguing that the comment was "a statement of fact, not value." (More)

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AT HARVARD, PROTEST OVER HONOREE’S REMARKS ABOUT MUSLIMS - TOP
By Katie Zezima, New York Times, 9/17/10

Some Harvard University faculty members and students are objecting to a plan to honor an alumnus and editor of The New Republic because of a blog post he published this month that said Muslim life is "cheap."

The editor, Martin Peretz, is scheduled to be honored Sept. 25 during a 50th-anniversary celebration of the university’s social studies program. Friends, alumni and former students of Mr. Peretz, who taught at Harvard for more than 40 years, established an undergraduate research fund in his name this year. Harvard already has a professorship in Yiddish literature named for Mr. Peretz.

But some on the campus are calling on the university to rename the fund or rescind the honor in light of a blog post Mr. Peretz wrote on Sept. 4. In the post, written in response to a New York Times poll on a proposed Muslim community center near ground zero, Mr. Peretz said that "Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims."

Mr. Peretz asserted that among Muslims led by the founder of the proposed center, "there is hardly one who has raised a fuss about the routine and random bloodshed that defines their brotherhood," and went on to say that he wondered "whether I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment, which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse."

After being criticized by Nicholas D. Kristof on Sunday in his Op-Ed column in The Times, Mr. Peretz apologized Monday for the "embarrassing sentence" about the First Amendment, but stood by his other comments.

Mr. Peretz did not respond to an e-mail message and telephone call for comment on Thursday. (More)

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CAIR-CT: OPENING PRAYERS: COWARD'S CHOICE - TOP
Republican American, 9/17/10

The adage that a brave person can die but once, but a coward dies a thousand deaths, was illustrated again last week at Hartford's City Council. The council had been in the habit of opening its sessions with prayers delivered by local clergy on a rotating basis.

Over a period of weeks and months, prayers had been delivered by members of a variety of faiths and denominations, and a meeting Monday was to have been another for a local Muslim leader.

But when word got out that a Muslim prayer was scheduled, even though such prayers had been delivered without controversy in the past, members of the council began receiving what The Associated Press described as "negative e-mails and phone calls."

Council president Jo Winch and council member Luis Cotto described the comments as "filled with harsh and sometimes bigoted language" . . .

Hartford's Muslims understandably felt slighted. Mongi Dghaouadi, executive director of the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, rightly asked, "Why reward ignorance? We understand, of course, that politicians are always going to try and seek the middle ground, but in this incident, we think this is a case of caving in to bigots and an immoral position."

Had the Hartford City Council made either of the brave choices -- going ahead with the Muslim prayer or permanently discontinuing prayers before its meetings -- the issue likely would have faded quickly.

Instead, by trying to weasel around the question and simultaneously saying yes and no, Winch and the council unnecessarily created an enduring controversy.

Can Winch and the council find a quick, clean way out of the mess they created for themselves? The guess here is that they haven't got a prayer. (More)

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FL: MUSLIM CANDIDATE FOR STATE HOUSE TACKLES RELIGION ISSUE HEAD-ON - TOP
By Janet Zink, St. Petersburg Times, 9/17/10

Z.J. Hafeez worked the room at a recent candidate forum in Tampa, he shook hands with a man who leaned in and peered at his name tag.

"Z. J. Hafeez," he read slowly. "That's a funny name."

Hafeez gets that reaction a lot as he campaigns for the District 67 state House seat that represents parts of Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

People often ask, "Are you American?"

"I tell them I'm American," Hafeez said. "And then they ask where are you from, and I say the Tampa Bay area. And then they say, 'No, no. Where are you from?' So I say, 'Okay. I was born in England.' "

He said he knows what they're really asking: What is your ethnicity or religion?

For the record, Hafeez, 26, is a Muslim of Pakistani descent. He moved to Florida when he was 3 years old with his parents, both physicians, who were born in Pakistan.

He attended public schools, earned a law degree at Georgetown University and now works as a lawyer for a health insurance company.

He describes himself as religious, attending a mosque at least once a week and following the Muslim tradition of praying five times a day.

He also is a rarity: a Muslim running for public office in Florida during an election season marked by seething anger over a planned mosque near ground zero and a controversy about burning the Koran. (More)