CAIR-LA WELCOMES TEMECULA CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL OF MOSQUE CONSTRUCTION - TOP

(ANAHEIM, CA, 1/26/11) -- The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today welcomed a unanimous vote by the Temecula City Council upholding a previous decision to allow construction of a mosque in that city.

The council meeting was among the longest in its history, with the vote not occurring until after 3:30 a.m. Some who spoke at the meeting displayed the anti-Muslim hostility that has characterized much of the debate about the new mosque, which is being planned by the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley to accommodate the growing Muslim community.

SEE: Temecula approves mosque after contentious 8-hour hearing (LA Times)
SEE: Council Denies Anti-Mosque Appeal

CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush attended the council meeting and spoke during the public comment period, emphasizing the local Muslim community’s commitment to the area and that it only makes sense to allow them to build a mosque in their home. He encouraged political, religious and community leaders to jointly start a process of healing to bring Temecula residents together on the basis of tolerance and understanding.

Ayloush distinguished between the mosque’s opponents, saying that those with a genuine misunderstanding of Islam demonstrate the need for a local mosque and for stronger interfaith engagement in that area. "Then there were those who largely came from out of town and had nothing but pure bigotry for Muslims and Islam. Their bigotry was and should be exposed and challenged by all sides."

CAIR-LA also commended the many friends and supporters in the interfaith community, such as the Interfaith Council of Murrieta and Temecula Valley, who have consistently stood by the mosque and the Temecula Muslim community. Many of them stayed to the end of the council meeting in solidarity.

"We are grateful to the interfaith community, from Temecula and beyond, who strongly defended our country’s pluralism and supported the Muslim community and its right to worship freely like all other Americans," Ayloush said.

Ayloush was joined by the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California Executive Director Shakeel Syed, who also commented at the hearing.

"This is a great day for all of Temecula, really," Imam Mahmoud Harmoush of the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley told the Los Angeles Times. "Now I think we must again devote ourselves to reaching out to the community."

Opposition to the Temecula mosque sprang up over the summer. In July, an e-mail alert encouraged the state's Tea Party supporters to bring dogs to harass Muslim worshipersduring a Friday congregational prayer.

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-LA Communications Manager Munira Syeda, 714-776-1847 or 714-851-4851; E-mail: info@losangeles.cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, 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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BRIDGEWATER LOOKING FOR BIGGER VENUE TO FIT CROWD TO HEAR MOSQUE APPLICATION - TOP
Kara L. Richardson, Courier News, 1/25/11

BRIDGEWATER -- Township officials are looking for a bigger venue to accommodate the anticipated crowd that will attend the next meeting on a proposal to convert the Redwood Inn into a mosque.

Monday's Planning Board meeting on the Chughtai Foundation's application to create a mosque had to be postponed when a crowd of more than 400 people filled the two available meeting rooms and spilled out the door of the Municipal Complex, 100 Commons Way.

Planning Board Attorney Thomas Collins said the Planning Board needed to find a bigger venue so everyone who wanted to participate could be in the room or in a nearby room with access to the audio and visual aspects of the meeting ... .

James (Yusef) Yee, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' New Jersey chapter, said the reaction and attendance reminded him of the "overblown controversy of the Park 51 mosque," a proposal to build a mosque in lower Manhattan.

Yee, who served as a Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, said misunderstanding of the Islamic faith is "nothing new."

"We're all Americans," he said. "I have faith that the people of Bridgewater will come to an understanding." (More)

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CAIR-MI REP TESTIFIES BEFORE MICHIGAN CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION ABOUT BULLYING - TOP

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 1/26/11) -- A representative of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) testified yesterday at a public forum on bullying held by the Michigan Civil Rights Commission in Detroit, Mich.

The forum was intended to provide an opportunity for guest speakers with expertise on bullying, discrimination and related issues to address the commission. The commission could recommend new policies or lobby for changes in Michigan’s laws to protect victims of bullying.

CAIR-MI Staff Attorney Lena Masri testified on issues related to bullying and discrimination against Muslims in schools and the workplace.

The commission says it plans a series of forums later in 2011 in Grand Rapids and the Upper Peninsula.

"We welcome such opportunities to provide testimony regarding issues facing the Muslim community," said CAIR-MI Staff Attorney Lena Masri.

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.

CAIR-MI Staff Attorney Lena Masri, 248-559-2247, E-Mail: lmasri@cair.com

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CAIR-OH: MCAULEY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CONNECTS TO THE WORLD - TOP
Shauna Steigerwald, The Enquirer, 1/26/11

Karen Dabduob, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Council on American Islamic Relations, was a featured speaker in Laurel Chambers' McAuley senior English class on Jan. 19. The students are reading the book "Princess" by Jean Sasson and are exploring a unit on Islam. This is part of McAuley's global curriculum to educate and inform students about the world around them

Dabdoub explained the Five Pillars of Islam, along with informing students about major Islamic practices, such as wearing Islamic clothing and the fasting period of Ramadan. She addressed stereotypes about Muslims and informed students about the many peace-loving Muslims throughout the word. Dabdoub explained that there are certain groups of Muslims that are extreme in their views, and they often use religion to justify their actions; however, these groups do not represent the views and actions of most Muslims. (More)

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CALIFORNIA AG SAYS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS CAN'T TRUMP BAN ON BEARDS FOR PRISON GUARDS - TOP
Don Thompson, Canadian Press, 1/26/11

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California's attorney general says religious beliefs aren't enough to trump a corrections department ban on prison guards wearing beards -- a stance that drew protests Tuesday from civil rights organizations.

Attorney General Kamala Harris argued in a Sacramento County Superior Court filing Jan. 6 that Trilochan Oberoi can't be properly fitted for a gas mask if he keeps the facial hair required by his Sikh religion.

No exceptions have been granted since the policy took effect in 2004, Harris said, citing the testimony of a corrections department official. She is asking that Oberoi's lawsuit be dismissed at an April 19 hearing.

Civil rights organizations sent a letter to Harris on Tuesday asking her to reconsider her opposition and met with her top aide to discuss their concerns.

They said the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's own regulations allow guards to wear beards for certain medical conditions and should make similar allowances for Sikhs, Muslims, Orthodox Jews and others whose religion requires facial hair.

"Why should those who cannot shave for religious reasons be treated differently from those who cannot shave for medical reasons?" reads the letter from groups including the Asian Law Caucus, American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, Council on American Islamic Relations-California, Sikh Coalition, Asian American Bar Associationand Bay Area Association of Muslim Lawyers. (More)

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VIDEO: COLBERT WARNS OF 'RADICAL MUSLIM SNACKS' - TOP

Watch this video for a humorous take on one bizarre aspect of Islamophobia.

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JUDGE: ALLEGED CABBIE SLASHER MAY STILL FACE ANTI-MUSLIM HATE CRIME CHARGES - TOP
By Jon Schuppe, DNAinfo, 1/26/11

MANHATTAN -- Film student Michael Enright will still face hate-crime charges for allegedly stabbing a cabbie after asking if he was Muslim, a judge ruled Wednesday.

The judge upheld the charges by saying a grand jury had enough evidence to indict Enright for the Aug. 24 assault, the AP reported.

Enright, 22, allegedly asked cabdriver Ahmed Sharif whether he was Muslim and told him to "consider this a checkpoint" before slashing him in the neck. (More)

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UNIV. OF MINN TO LAUNCH ISLAMIC LAW THINK TANK - TOP
The Law School's Human Rights Center will house the new program.
By Sarah Nienaber, The Minnesota Daily, 1/25/11

A new University of Minnesota think tank focused on Islamic law is set to launch through the Law School on Feb. 4.

The Islamic Law and Human Rights Program will focus on topics and controversies involving Islamic law, human rights, terrorism and the Muslim world. It will incorporate publications, research, field work and public seminars in its public outreach. (More)