CAIR: MUSLIM WOMAN VERBALLY ASSAULTED IN NC WALMART - TOP
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/28/10) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today said a Muslim woman was verbally assaulted Tuesday in a Oxford, N.C., Walmart by a man shouting religious slurs. CAIR is calling for additional hate crime charges to brought against the alleged assailant.
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A 31-year-old African-American Muslim who wears an Islamic head scarf reported to CAIR that an older white man first asked her, "Hey, are you Muslim?" When the Muslim woman replied that she is Muslim, the alleged attacker then reportedly shouted, "God damn you. F*ck you. Go the f*ck back wherever you came from."
The man also reportedly spit in the woman's direction and approached her in a manner she perceived as threatening. He was charged with ethnic intimidation and released. A November 29 court date has been set. The victim says she is now living in fear of retaliation from the alleged perpetrator or his friends.
"An American Muslim woman should be able to go about her daily routine without fear of being assaulted because of her faith," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "We urge local prosecutors and the FBI to consider additional charges based on the apparent bias-motive of the alleged assailant."
Earlier this week, CAIR's New York office called for stepped-up police protection for a mosque that has been targeted by vandals four times in recent months.
Last week, CAIR's Washington State office held a news conference in Seattle with two Muslim women who were allegedly attacked at a gas station by an assailant shouting racial and religious slurs.
Other recent anti-Muslim incidents include an attack on a New York Muslim mother and child, the arrest of New York teens who allegedly harassed a Muslim student because of his faith and the defacement of a South Carolina mosque.
Mosques in California, Tennessee, New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, Arizona, Louisiana, Kentucky, Texas, and Florida have faced vocal opposition or have been similarly targeted by hate incidents in recent months.
SEE: CAIR-NY Seeks Hate Crime Charges in Attack on Muslim Mother, Child
CAIR-NY Seeks Federal Charges for Hate Attacks on Muslim Student
FBI Meets with Members of S.C. Mosque Defaced with Pork
Hate Packages Sent to U.S. Mosques
CAIR's national office recently announced the launch of a department devoted to addressing the alarming rise of Islamophobic sentiment in American society.
American Muslim individuals and institutions are being urged to review advice on security procedures contained in CAIR's "Muslim Community Safety Kit."
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, 202-744-7726, or 202-488-8787, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com
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CAIR-CHICAGO VIDEO: FIGHTING ISLAMOPHOBIA IS A CHALLENGE - TOP
"When I get on a plane if I see people in Muslim garb and they are identifying themselves foremost as Muslim I get worried I get nervous." Those comments from Juan Williams stirred up a national debate on the way Americans view Muslims.
Christina Abraham, the civil rights director of CAIR-Chicago joined us to talk more about their efforts to educate people about Muslims.
Watch the video.
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CAIR-WA: HATE CRIME CHARGES FILED IN ATTACK ON SOMALI WOMEN IN SEATTLE- TOP
Somali Land Press, 10/27/10
Seattle, WA (Somalilandpress) — A woman from Burien, Washington has been charged with a hate crime for physically and verbally assaulting two Muslim women at a Tukwila gas station last weekend.
The incident occurred at a Tukwila AM/PM gas station on Saturday evening when, according a charging documents, 37-year-old Jennifer Leigh Jennings accosted two Muslim women from Somali decent, calling them “terrorists” and “suicide bombers” before physically attacking them...
The Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations held a press conference Thursday morning to denounce the attack and raise awareness for what some see as a recent spike in Muslim hate crimes. (More)
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CAIR-MI FILES FOIA SUITS FOR VIDEO, AUDIO OF IMAM'S KILLING - TOP
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 10/28/10) -- The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today filed lawsuits against the FBI and the Michigan Attorney General for its non-release of video and audio recordings of the fatal shooting of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah last year by FBI agents.
The FBI, which led a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement task force that executed a series of raids that culminated in the death of Imam Abdullah, has denied Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted by CAIR-MI for public information related to the case.
SEE: Lawsuits Coming Today in Death of Imam (Detroit News)
Information requested by CAIR-MI, including all audio and video surveillance from the crime scene in which Abdullah was fatally shot and documents relating to the multi-jurisdictional law enforcement raids, has not been provided by either the FBI or Michigan Attorney General.
CAIR-MI recently filed similar suits against the Michigan State Police, Dearborn Police, Detroit Police and Wayne County Sheriff departments for not releasing public information.
Civil rights and interfaith leaders recently expressed concerns regarding unanswered questions and inconsistencies in released reports after the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division released a report exonerating the FBI in fatal shooting of Abdullah.
SEE: FBI Cover-Up (The Michigan Citizen)
Local Muslim Leader Explains Lingering Concerns (Mlive.com)
"Now that various government agencies have released reports about the fatal shooting of Imam Abdullah, we are troubled that some law enforcement agencies are failing to release public information that has been requested," said CAIR-MI Staff Attorney Lena Masri.
Masri said CAIR-MI will release a report in the near future highlighting inconsistencies in currently released reports and raising questions that were left unanswered in the DOJ's superficial and premature report.
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-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, E-Mail: dwalid@cair.com; CAIR-MI Staff Attorney Lena Masri, 248-390-9784, E-Mail: lmasri@cair.com
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CAIR VIDEO: TEA PARTY ATTACKS MUSLIM CONGRESSMAN - TOP
Press TV, 10/28/10
View the video.
Since his election into Congress in 2006, Ellison's religion has often been a target of opponents. Islamophobia has once again been used as a campaign strategy in US politics as the founder of a controversial Tea Party faction targets one of the Muslim members of Congress.
Tea Party Nation leader Judson Phillips has called on voters to oppose Minneapolis Representative Keith Ellison in his reelection bid merely because he is a Muslim.
In a letter issued to members of his party on Tuesday, Phillips called Ellison "one of the most radical members in Congress," stressing that Ellison "is the only Muslim member of Congress."
Experts say much of that letter is not true, and contrary to Philips' allegation, Ellison is not the only Muslim member of Congress. Representative Andre Carson from Indiana is also a Muslim.
Since his election into Congress in 2006, Ellison's religion has often been the target of opponents. However, few have gone so far as to say that his religion alone was grounds for his removal from Congress.
"Every time Congressman Ellison runs for office someone tries to challenge him based on his Islam. What is really disconcerting is how brazen certain elements in our country have become in attacking Muslims," Corey Saylor, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations told Press TV.
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EXPOSING THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF ANTI-MUSLIM HATE - TOP
By Frankie Martin, Washington Post, 10/28/10
The dismissal of Juan Williams' from NPR once again exposes the difficulty America is having discussing Islam in a cool or rational manner. Williams' exchange with Bill O'Reilly featured much of the usual ignorance, with both agreeing that, although undefined "good Muslims" do exist, all Muslims must be considered potential soldiers in an Islamic war against America. This ludicrous belief is not only a distortion of reality, but also poses a serious threat to the well-being and security of the United States. In adopting this position, Williams and O'Reilly were reflecting the climate of hatred against Muslims that is fueled by prejudice and lack of knowledge.
The controversy comes in the context of the conflict around the Islamic center near Ground Zero, Pastor Terry Jones' desire to burn the Quran, a growing belief that sharia law is being imposed on America by Muslims, and increasing attacks on mosques in the United States. The interminable wars in Muslim countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the upcoming midterm elections, in which campaigns have employed heavy doses of anti-Muslim bile, also contribute to the darkening storm.
Today's high anti-Muslim antipathy is the latest wave of xenophobia in a nation that has seen many, especially when a threat was perceived to the country. While current anti-Islamic voices, like the hatemongers of previous eras, frequently attempt to co-opt the Founding Fathers' ideals to support their agenda, there can be no reconciling the vision of a pluralistic nation with the spewing of hate against a particular ethnic or religious group, in this case Muslims. While the debate stirred by these hateful voices is on one level about Islam and how to depict and understand it, it is also about the very definition of American identity.
Much of this bigotry and misinformation can be traced directly to what I am calling the infrastructure of hate, an industry which connects venomous anti-Islamic blogs, wealthy donors, powerful think tanks, and influential media commentators, journalists, and politicians. The most visible component of the infrastructure is the hate blogs, which have recently grown exponentially in number, influence, and stature.
From my position as a research fellow working with American University's Chair of Islamic Studies, Professor Akbar Ahmed, I have watched with horror as the hate blogs have begun to diffuse from their online cesspool to infect mainstream media, political rhetoric, and the larger discussion about Islam in America. There are hundreds, if not thousands of such blogs on the Internet. (More)
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CAIR-NY: GROUPS REACH OUT TO ATTORNEY GENERAL; FAHAD HASHMI IMPRISONED UNDER DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS - TOP
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/10/27-13
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2010
CONTACT: Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)
press@ccrjustice.org
Groups Reach Out to Attorney General; Fahad Hashmi Imprisoned Under Deplorable Conditions
Special Administrative Measure Set to Expire Friday for Man Whose Acquaintance Allegedly Sent Waterproof Socks, Rain Ponchos to Al-Qaeda
NEW YORK - October 27 - Today, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the Council on American-Islamic Relations of New York (CAIR-NY), and Educators for Civil Liberties, and Muslim Justice Initiative wrote Attorney General Eric Holder to request that the unduly harsh unjustifiably severe Special Administrative Measures (SAMs) regulations under which Syed Fahad Hashmi is being held under not be continued renewed when they expire this Friday. Mr. Hashmi has already suffered was kept under these harsh deplorable conditions of confinement for three years while of detention awaiting his trial last April, and has remained in solitary confinement and under SAMs since then. The impact on his mental health has been devastating.
The letter reads in part:
Scholarly and medical research has overwhelmingly demonstrated the severe health effects of prolonged solitary confinement; military officials and Vietnam veterans including Senator John McCain have testified to its damaging results. The use of prolonged solitary confinement puts the United States increasingly out of step with world opinion and is an affront to American values of civil rights and humane treatment. Other people convicted of terrorism-related charges, including John Walker Lindh, Richard Reid, and Matt Hale have seen their SAMs not renewed. We ask the U.S. Department of Justice to not renew Syed Hashmi's SAMs and to end his solitary confinement.
The material support and services charges against Mr. Hashmi were based on the allegation that he allowed an acquaintance, Junaid Babar, to use his cell phone and to stay with him at his apartment in London where he was pursuing a Master's degree. According to Mr. Hashmi's indictment, he allowed Babar to store waterproof socks and rain ponchos in his luggage apartment that he Babar later allegedly later delivered to Al Qaeda in South Waziristan. Mr. Hashmi denies any intentional involvement with any violent organization, but accepted a 15-year sentence in a plea bargain when he faced a possible 70-year sentence.
For more information about Syed Fahad Hashmi's case, click here. To download a PDF of the letter click here.
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The Center for Constitutional Rights is dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Founded in 1966 by attorneys who represented civil rights movements in the South, CCR is a non-profit legal and educational organization committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change.
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VIDEO: IS FBI USING GPS DEVISES TO SPY ON MUSLIMS? - TOP
Zahra Billoo, an attorney and director of CAIR's San Francisco Bay Area chapter, discusses the FBI's use of GPS surveillance devices to track Muslims without warrants.
Watch the video.
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PINK HIJAB DAY A HEADS UP TO BREAST CANCER AWARENESS - TOP
Tricia L. Nadolny, Chicago Tribune, 10/27/10
If you noticed women throughout the Chicago region donning pink headscarves Wednesday, they weren't making a fashion statement.
They were participating in Pink Hijab Day, a growing campaign that is part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
What started in 2004 as a small health effort in Missouri has gone global, with Muslim women in several countries wearing the pink head covering to raise awareness about the cancer.
In Bridgeview, every girl at the Aqsa School showed up for classes Wednesday wearing the same-color headscarf. Girls too young to wear the hijab wore pink clothes. Boys in the elementary school sported pink armbands.
"It is an opportunity to use a symbol that we cherish to also promote a cause," said Tammie Ismail, principal of Aqsa School. (More)
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CAIR WELCOMES UN RESOLUTION DECLARING 'WORLD INTERFAITH HARMONY WEEK' - TOP
(Washington, D.C., 10/28/10) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today welcomed a resolution passed yesterday by the United Nations urging member states to declare the first week of February every year World Interfaith Harmony Week.
SEE: Why did the U.N. proclaim World Interfaith Harmony Week? (Reuters)
The resolution encourages member states to “support, on a voluntary basis, the spread of the message of interfaith harmony and goodwill in the world’s churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and other places of worship during that week based on Love of God and Love of the Neighbour, or based on Love of the Good and Love of the Neighbour, each according to their own religious traditions or convictions.”
SEE: Text of the UN resolution on World Interfaith Harmony Week
The idea was proposed to the General Assembly in September by Jordan’s King Abdullah, and Jordan’s Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad presented the resolution before the vote on Wednesday. Prince Ghazi is the coordinator of the Common Word group, which promotes dialogue and understanding between Muslims and Christians worldwide.
CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad is a member of the Common Word group and was a signatory, along with 137 other Muslim leaders and scholars, to an open letter titled "A Common Word Between Us and You," which was sent to Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and more than 20 other Christian leaders in 2007.
SEE: CAIR Joins in Message of Peace to Christian Leaders
SEE ALSO: A Common Word website
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, 202-744-7726, or 202-488-8787, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com
