VERSE OF THE DAY: ENCOURAGE DEEDS OF KINDNESS AND COMPASSION - TOP

"And what will explain to thee the path (of virtue) that is steep? (It is) freeing the slave, or the giving of food in a day of privation to the orphan with claims of kinship, or to the indigent (down) in the dust.

"Then will he be of those who believe and enjoin patience (constancy and self-restraint) and encourage deeds of kindness and compassion."

The Holy Quran, 90:12-17

-----

CAIR: MOSQUE INFILTRATION FEEDS MUSLIMS' DISTRUST OF FBI - TOP
Jerry Markon, Washington Post, 12/5/10

IRVINE, CALIF. - Before the sun rose, the informant donned a white Islamic robe. A tiny camera was sewn into a button, and a microphone was buried in a device attached to his keys.

"This is Farouk al-Aziz, code name Oracle," he said into the keys as he sat in his parked car in this quiet community south of Los Angeles. "It's November 13th, 4:30 a.m. And we're hot."

The undercover FBI informant - a convicted forger named Craig Monteilh - then drove off for 5 a.m. prayers at the Islamic Center of Irvine, where he says he spied on dozens of worshipers in a quest for potential terrorists.

Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, the FBI has used informants successfully as one of many tactics to prevent another strike in the United States. Agency officials say they are careful not to violate civil liberties and do not target Muslims.

But the FBI's approach has come under fire from some Muslims, criticism that surfaced again late last month after agents arrested an Oregon man they said tried to detonate a bomb at a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony. FBI technicians had supplied the device ...

[CAIR's] Ayloush reported the FBI's own informant to the FBI. He said agents interviewed Niazi, who gave them the same account, but the agency took no action against Monteilh. (More)

-----

CAIR VIDEO: OREGON COLLEGE CANCELS ISLAM CLASS WITH HATE GROUP LEADER- TOP

View the video.

SEE ALSO:

PARVEZ AHMED: VICTIMIZED BY BELLIGERENT GROUP - TOP
Rev. Harry Parrott, Florida Time-Union, 12/4/10

The Times-Union reports that an anti-Muslim group is demanding that Parvez Ahmed be removed from the Human Rights Commission, only seven months after he was appointed.

This demand to the Jacksonville City Council is completely spurious, since a full investigation of Ahmed was carried out before his appointment.

Furthermore, I would urge all City Council members to "consider the source" before giving any credibility to this demand.

The ACT! for America group making this demand lumps together all Muslims as terrorists, and uses any means to spread fear and create maximum suspicion and hysteria against them. (More)

-----

CAIR-CA: STATE DAY OF INCLUSION CELEBRATION TO FOCUS ON IMMIGRATION LAWS - TOP
Stephen Magagnini, Sacramento Bee, 12/5/10

As California's immigration debate heats up, Sacramentans across race and ethnicity will celebrate the "Day of Inclusion" Monday night at the California Railroad Museum.

The event, honoring the role immigrants have played in the state's history, was created last year by Assemblyman Mike Eng, D-Los Angeles, who had Dec. 17 designated as California's "Day of Inclusion." On Dec. 17, 1943, the Magnuson Act repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 that severely restricted immigration from Asia. ...

Barry Broad of the Jewish Community Relations Council will speak on anti-Semitism. Basim Elkarra of the Council on American-Islamic Relations will discuss Islamophobia. (More)

-----

MOSQUE RANCOR - TOP
The Press-Enterprise, 12/5/10

The debate over a proposed mosque in Temecula has no room for vitriolic, hateful comments that embarrass the city and anyone who values the Constitution. Such behavior needs to stop, now. The mosque proposal is a land-use issue, not a battle for the nation's soul. (More)

SEE ALSO:

'PERSON OF INTEREST' IDENTIFIED IN CORVALLIS MOSQUE ARSON - TOP
KEZI 9, 12/4/10

Investigators have identified a person of interest and searched his home in connection with a mosque arson in Corvallis. The home investigators searched is in a neighborhood near the mosque targeted in the arson early last Sunday morning. The person of interest is Cody Crawford, 24. He is described as a loving father and typical neighbor, now he finds himself in the middle of an investigation that stretches from Corvallis to Portland and overseas. (More)

-----

CAIR: MUSLIMS CONDEMN TERRORISM - TOP
ABDULLAH VAKILY, Cornwall Standard Freeholder, 12/4/10

In a recent intercultural meeting a friendly gentleman sitting next to me expressed his wish to see Muslims, especially Canadian Muslims, take a stand against terrorism and condemn it. He mentioned that this would be a positive step to create trust for Muslims and let everybody live comfortably with each other free of fear and suspicion. In respecting the wish of this gentleman, and in an attempt to provide relevant information for all those concerned about this issue, I will briefly outline some of the responses made by Muslims in this regard.

To start with, immediately after 9/11 our centre, then on Pitt Street, issued a press release, "Terrorism is un-Islamic." This document, quoted in an article in the Sept. 22 Standard-Freeholder stated, among other things, that "terrorism is un-Islamic and irreconcilable with the specific teachings of Islam, which forbid the targeting and killing of innocent civilians. Terrorism is also contrary to the spirit of Islam that is peace." And "although some terrorists might be devout believers of their respective faiths, they are, nonetheless, misguided in their choice of actions.

Bin Laden is no more representative of Muslims than Timothy McVeigh was representative of Christians." Moreover, ever since I was given the privilege to write this column, I have repeated this condemnation in many different contexts pertaining to different issues.

In the US, the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has constantly voiced its condemnation of terrorism in official statements and press releases. The following is a sample of their statements:

CAIR condemns "barbaric" London Terror Attacks July 7, 2005
CAIR condemns attack on Seattle Jewish Center July 29, 2006
CAIR condemns Iraq church bombings Aug. 1, 2004
CAIR condemns killing of British hostage in Iraq Oct. 8, 2004 (More)

-----

MUSLIM WOMAN FIGHTS BOULDER JAIL TO KEEP HIJAB FOR MUG SHOT - TOP
Erica Meltzer Daily Camera, 12/3/10

A University of Colorado student who started wearing hijab after converting to Islam is fighting the Boulder County Jail's insistence that she remove her headscarf for a booking photo, saying that to do so would violate her religious beliefs. (More)

SEE ALSO:

SENIOR CARMEDY WEST UNCOVERS FREEDOM WITH HIJAB COVERING - TOP
Carmedy West, The Lamron, 12/2/10

"Do you have a bomb under there?"

This isn't a question I'm used to receiving.

I reply with a question: "You mean under my headscarf? Do I have a bomb?"

The two older men in flannel jackets sitting inside of the lumberyard nod and one grins a little uneasily at me. We're all alone in the tiny storefront where I stopped in to get some scrap wood. Since I walked in, things have become a bit strange ...

I've learned that covering your hair can shift your focus from the world around you to the one within. When I began wearing my scarf I did not felt oppressed at all but instead liberated from the pressures of expectations around me. By covering up, really, I felt freer. (More)