WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/10/2010) -- CAIR today issued a travel advisory for airline passengers who may be subjected to new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) "enhanced pat-downs" that many of those who undergo the procedure describe as invasive and humiliating.

The advisory comes after two of the nation's largest pilots' unions urged commercial pilots to avoid both full-body scanners and public pat-downs. Pilots have compared the new pat-downs to "sexual molestation." A union for flight attendants has expressed similar concerns.

SEE: Pilots Refusing to Use Full Body Scanners or Submit to Patdown
Flight Attendants Union Upset Over New Pat-Down Procedures
TSA Statement on New Pat-Down
ACLU: TSA Pat-Down Search Abuse

Travelers are being asked to educate themselves about the new policy and to know their rights if asked to undergo security pat-downs. CAIR's advisory is particularly important for Muslim travelers leaving for or returning from Hajj because of concerns that they will be singled out for secondary screening by security personnel.

CAIR offices have already received complaints, particularly from female travelers who wear hijab, about being subjected to the new pat-down procedure.

The enhanced pat-down involves a much more intrusive manual search of passengers' bodies by TSA officers. Passengers who have undergone the new pat-down procedure have reported feeling humiliated by a search they describe as invasive and that has involved TSA officers touching the face and hair, the groin area and buttocks, and in between and underneath breasts.

SEE: CNN Report on TSA Pat-Down
Pilot Refuses Full-Body Pat

One traveler wearing hijab, a 56-year-old Muslim flying out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, told CAIR the TSA screener patted-down her entire upper body, including, head, neck, chest, and hips, with the backs of her hands. The Muslim woman said she had "no idea" how invasive the procedure would be and would otherwise have opted for a private room or demanded to know why she was selected for secondary screening.

[NOTE: The woman had been referred to secondary screening even though the metal detector did not go off, a phenomenon reported frequently to CAIR by female Muslim travelers.]

BACKGROUND: Beginning earlier this year, the TSA began using full-imaging scanners in airports. In February, CAIR supported a statement by a prominent group of Muslim scholars that the full-body scanners violate religious and privacy rights.

SEE: Airport Body Scanners Violate Islamic Law, Muslims Say

As of August 2010, passengers who opted out of the full-body scanners were subject to the enhanced pat-down.

In light of the growing concerns about the invasiveness of the new enhanced pat-down procedure, CAIR offers the following recommendations to Muslim travelers:

• If you opt out of the full-image body scanner, you have the right to request that the manual search be conducted in private.
• It is your right to be screened by an officer of the same gender. The TSA states in its Head-to-Toe Screening Policies: "It is TSA's policy that passengers should be screened by an officer of the same gender in a professional, respectful manner."
  
• If you experience any disturbing incidents with the new pat down procedure, particularly if you feel you have been subjected to religious or racial profiling, harassment or unfair treatment, immediately file a complaint with the TSA and report the incident to your local CAIR chapter.
  

Special recommendations for Muslim women who wear hijab:

• If you are selected for secondary screening after you go through the metal detector and it does not go off, and "sss" is not written on your boarding pass, ask the TSA officer if the reason you are being selected is because of your head scarf.
• In this situation, you may be asked to submit to a pat-down or to go through a full body scanner. If you are selected for the scanner, you may ask to go through a pat-down instead.
• Before you are patted down, you should remind the TSA officer that they are only supposed to pat down the area in question, in this scenario, your head and neck. They SHOULD NOT subject you to a full-body or partial-body pat-down.
• You may ask to be taken to a private room for the pat-down procedure.
• Instead of the pat-down, you can always request to pat down your own scarf, including head and neck area, and have the officers perform a chemical swipe of your hands.
• If you encounter any issues, ask to speak to a supervisor immediately. They are there to assist you.

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

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: MUSLIM GROUP SAYS MORE PILGRIMS' PASSPORTS DELAYED - TOP
By Sarah Brumfield, Associated Press, 11/10/10

WASHINGTON - A Muslim civil rights group said Tuesday it's concerned that the U.S. government is delaying the shipment of passports to those who are trying to make religious pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia. (More)

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CAIR VIDEO: VIRGINIA MUSLIMS' PASSPORTS INTERCEPTED - TOP

A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today questioned the legality of recent incidents in which United Parcel Service (UPS) flagged packages containing passports of American Muslims traveling on pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) and turned them over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said 17 Virginia pilgrims missed their flight to Saudi Arabia when UPS failed to deliver the package containing their passports that had been sent to a travel agent in California to receive visas. The package was instead turned over to CBP officials. Only after CBP released the passports and agreed to cover the additional travel costs incurred by the pilgrims were they able to leave for hajj.

Watch the video.

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CAIR-OHIO SPONSORS FIRST COMMUNITY DAY AT STATE CAPITOL - TOP

(CINCINNATI, OH, 11/10/10) -- The Cincinnati office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Cincinnati) coordinated the first annual Community Day at the State Capitol Tuesday. The event gathered American Muslims across the state of Ohio at the statehouse to spend the day in civic engagement.

Professionals, students and other community members learned about how state government works, toured the Ohio State House and discussed pertinent community issues with legislators. A proposed Halal Food Bill has been submitted for review and will likely be introduced to the Ohio Senate soon.

"We had a lot of participation from middle school and high school students," said CAIR-Cincinnati Executive Director Karen Dabdoub. "The students learned a lot about how they can effect positive change within our state and they made proposals for legislation to increase recycling, increase accessibility to higher education and to prohibit animal cruelty."

The purpose of the Community Day is threefold: To encourage the Muslim community to be more politically engaged, to let representatives know that the Muslim community is active and diverse, and to lobby on particular issues of concern to the Muslim community and which benefit the state of Ohio and help ensure justice.

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-Cincinnati Executive Director Karen Dabdoub, 513-281-8200, E-mail: kdabdoub@cair.com; Roula Allouch, E-mail: rallouch@cair.com

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2012: EXPLOITING ISLAMOPHOBIA TO WIN BIG - TOP
Kelley B. Vlahos, Antiwar.com, 11/9/10

Why did Renee Ellmers, a Republican candidate for Congress from North Carolina, produce a campaign ad skewering her opponent for not vociferously opposing the Park 51 Islamic center planned for Manhattan near Ground Zero, over 500 miles away?

Because it was good campaign strategy, that's why. She presumed that the Newt Gingrich-hyper-generated history of the Muslims conquering the city of Cordoba 13 centuries ago, complete with illustrations and the juxtaposition of Ground Zero, would pay off, particularly among the disgruntled southern conservatives in her district, which covers the central and eastern parts of the state. And she was right -- this blatant exploitation of their fears certainly didn't hurt and might very well have helped her beat seven-term incumbent Democrat Rep. Bob Etheridge in one of the many GOP upsets of the midterm elections.

In fact, anti-Muslim rage in today's national discourse is populism's low-hanging fruit, and many Republicans hungrily grabbed at it with both fists and were duly rewarded this campaign season. (More)

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NEW ANTI-ISLAM GOP CONGRESSMAN APPOINTS ANTI-ISLAM CHIEF OF STAFF -TOP
ThinkProgress, 11/9/10

Republican Allen West was just elected to the House of Representatives in Florida's 22nd district, defeating two-term Democratic Rep. Ron Klein. His first move since being elected is rather strange: he has hired a conservative talk radio host, Joyce Kaufman, to be his congressional chief of staff. "Her 20 years of experience on the political scene in South Florida (always as a radio host) will give me helpful insights and perspective," West said. "As chief of staff, she'll be my right-hand person."

WFTL said in a statement that Kaufman will continue to work for the station but not as a host: she has been "retained as our Washington correspondent, with details on her new exciting schedule to be announced soon."

Carol Dixon, counsel for the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, told ThinkProgress that she had not heard of Kaufman's situation in particular, but said that generally this setup could be "potentially problematic." "There may be potential confidentiality issues -- some of the issues she's reporting on may be gained by virtue of her House status. At a staff level it seems problematic," Dixon said. The committee's rules also say Kaufman must earn a fair market salary from WFTL, and refrain from using any office equipment for her radio duties. ...

West retired from the Army after facing a court martial for abusing an Iraqi man, and ran an unusual, bombastic and often offensive congressional campaign, frequently targeting Islam. "Islam is a totalitarian theocratic political ideology, it is not a religion. It has not been a religion since 622 AD," West told an audience in March. A month earlier, he told supporters that jihad "is not a perversion" of the Quran -- "they're doing exactly what this book says." (More)

SEE ALSO:

JOYCE KAUFMAN: U.S. MOSQUES 'ARE PREACHING HATRED' - TOP
Imam's invocation sparks controversy in Pompano Beach
Commission considered canceling prayers
By Linda Trischitta, Sun Sentinel, 5/16/10

POMPANO BEACH -- A Muslim cleric's prayer at the start of a commission meeting provoked an uproar in this city, prompting officials to consider an end to religious petitions altogether. ...

In April, city resident and conservative radio host Joyce Kaufman told the commission that she worships at Hopewell Baptist Church there.

"It is the tradition of this land that people be tolerant of one another's religious beliefs," she said. "However, once any group or religious organization evidences an ideology that conflicts with our Judeo-Christian values and our principles, it is incumbent upon you to safeguard your constituents."

She alleged, without providing proof, that a majority of mosques in the U.S. "are preaching hatred of the United States of America, hatred of Jews, hatred of Christians." (more)

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JOYCE KAUFMAN: MUSLIMS ARE 'AN ENEMY WHO DECLARED WAR ON US' - TOP
Publix grocery chain pulls calendar that listed Muslim new year on Dec. 7 but not Pearl Harbor
By Meg Laughlin, St. Petersburg Times, 1/8/10

Bowing to complaints from angry customers, the Publix grocery chain has agreed to remove a free 2010 calendar from its stores that mentions the beginning of the Islamic new year on Dec. 7 but not the anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

The flap started when South Florida radio talk show host Joyce Kaufman complained on her WFTL program earlier in the week that the calendar identifies Dec. 7 as the start of the Islamic new year. She told her listeners in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Miami to let Publix know if they were offended.

"Not Pearl Harbor Day. Instead, happy new year, Islam, or some such?" she said on air Thursday. ...

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C., said: "Getting the calendar pulled is more about a cottage industry of Muslim bashers who seek every opportunity to demonize Islam than it is about Pearl Harbor Day."

"Certainly, no one has an issue with including Pearl Harbor Day," said Hooper. "But that's not what this is about."

Kaufman said she objected because she didn't want World War II veterans "to be disappointed" and because she views Muslims as "an enemy who declared war on us," Kaufman told the St. Petersburg Times. (More)

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CAIR: JUDGE DETAILS RATIONALE FOR HALTING ANTI-SHARIAH LAW MEASURE -TOP
Josh Gerstein, Politico, 11/10/10

A federal judge is detailing her reasons for her decision Monday barring the state of Oklahoma from putting into effect a newly passed ballot measure that would bar the use of Islamic law, also known as Shariah, in the state's courts.

In a nine-page order released Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange said she was persuaded that a constitutional amendment known as State Question 755 seemed to have a legally improper religious purpose and posed a threat to violate the rights of Muslims like Muneer Awad, the Oklahoma resident who filed a lawsuit over the measure. The ballot measure passed last week by a vote of 70 percent to 30 percent.

"The Court finds that plaintiff has made a preliminary showing that State Question 755's amendment does not have a secular purpose, that its primary purpose inhibits religion, and that it fosters an excessive government entanglement with religion," Miles-LaGrange wrote. She noted Awad's arguments that one of the authors of the measure, state Rep. Rex Duncan, described the purpose of the amendment as making sure that Oklahoma courts were not used to undermine what Duncan has called the "Judeo-Christian" founding principles of the country. Duncan also described Shariah law as a "looming threat" to the U.S., the judge noted. ...

The judge also appeared to credit Awad's arguments that the law would place a special burden on Muslims, since state courts are not prohibited from contracts and other documents that might incorporate religious law from other religious traditions. In particular, she noted, Awad argued that "the amendment would prevent plaintiff's will from being fully probated by a state court in Oklahoma." (More)

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CAIR-OK: TRIBES FEAR SIDE EFFECTS OF SQ 755 - TOP
By Trevor Brown, The Norman Transcript, 11/10/10

NORMAN -- David Narcomey, a business owner and member of the Seminole Nation, said he sees dangers beyond just the religious issues at stake over the controversial Sharia law state question.

Narcomey agrees with several law experts that tribal relations and international trade within the state could feel the unintended consequences of State Question 755. Voters overwhelmingly approved the ballot measure last week that bars judges from considering international or Islamic Sharia law when deciding cases.

"This could blossom into a major threat to the sovereignty of our Indian nations," Narcomey said. "There really is just a remote chance it could happen, but Pandora's box can be opened with just that one case."

The state question garnered national attention when Muneer Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma, filed a lawsuit against the state question on grounds it unfairly targets his religion. A U.S. District court judge issued a temporary restraining order Monday to stop the state question from taking effect. (More)

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RESEARCHERS: DOCTORS MUST WORK ON TRUST WITH MUSLIM PATIENTS - TOP
By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY, 11/9/10

U.S. doctors must become more attuned to Islamic beliefs and values that could affect the physician-patient relationship with Muslim Americans, researchers found in a recently released study. This will become even more important as the U.S. Muslim population of nearly 7 million continues to grow, they found.

In focus groups of Muslim Americans, "women would say, 'I delay care because I can't find a provider that's of the same gender. They want me to put this gown on, but I'm uncomfortable,' " says the study's lead author Aasim Padela, a Muslim emergency medicine doctor at the University of Michigan who is a visiting fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies in London.

Assessing how a preference for doctors of the same sex and anxiety about a revealing hospital gown might contribute to health care disparities between Muslims and other religious groups is tricky, Padela says, because patient databases identify individuals by ethnic group and race but not by religion. (More)