DAILY SHOW: MANDVI - ALLAH IN THE FAMILY - TOP

Aasif Mandvi hopes to change America's perceptions of Muslims by starring in the Qu'osby Show.

Watch the clip.

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BECK TIES ISLAM TO THE ANTICHRIST - TOP
Adam Shah, Media Matters, 2/17/11

On today's edition of his Fox News show, Glenn Beck tied Islam to the Antichrist described in the New Testament. He even had a side-by-side comparison of the Antichrist and the "12th Imam" or "Mahdi" (terms Beck uses interchangeably to describe the figure many Muslims believe will guide believers in the end times) on his chalkboard.

And to help Beck discuss this connection, Beck hosted Joel Richardson, an anti-Muslim activist who says that Satan will use Islam "to fulfill the prophesies of the Bible" and has written a column headlined "What Obama and the Antichrist have in common."

Although Beck says during the show that only a minority of Muslims have beliefs that should scare you, Richardson makes no such disclaimer. Rather, Richardson suggests that all Muslims (or at least all orthodox Muslims) desire the return of the Antichrist. Here are a couple of things he said: (More)

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CAIR: TEXAS REP. REMOVES BLOG POST WITH ARTICLE CRITICAL OF ISLAM - TOP
Head of CAIR-TX says post from November 2009 was not appropriate
Patrick Brendel, American Independent, 2/17/11

In the wake of the Fort Hood shootings in November 2009, state Rep. Gary Elkins (R-Houston) posted on his blog a commentary by Christian eschatologist Hal Lindsey, who disputed the label of Islam as a "religion of peace," writing that "Islam's own foundational books and its history show conclusively that is not true." The post remained on the front page of Elkins' blog until today, when he removed it after the Texas Independent relayed concerns from a Muslim civil liberties group.

"I don't think it's appropriate for a Texas representative, who is supposed to be a representative of the people, to have things like that up on his blog," said Mustafa Carroll, executive director for the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "He's not saying things just as an individual. He's saying things as a representative of a whole community, a whole group of individuals." ...

Lindsey's 2009 article is still available on his website The Hal Lindsey Report. Here is a screenshot of the article posted on Elkins' blog, the stated purpose of which "is to inform the constituents of District 135 about events and legislation moving at the State Capitol."

In the article by Lindsey -- a best-selling author and professional predictor of impending Biblical Rapture -- he argues that commands in holy text to spread Islam through violence override other messages of peace.

"Since every verse of the Koran is held to be absolutely infallible and binding upon the faithful, it presents a real problem. The 'war verses' not only over-ride the peaceful verses of the early Meccan 'revelations,' they contradict them," writes Lindsey, a Houston native who studied at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Saying he didn't remember the exact content of Lindsey's commentary, Elkins said, "At the time I must have agreed with it, or I wouldn't have posted it." (More)

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CAIR-TX: FLA. 'BURN QURAN' PASTOR ENDORSES TEXAS CANDIDATE - TOP
Karen Smith Welch, Amarillo Globe-News, 2/18/11

The Florida pastor who ignited worldwide controversy last year by threatening to publicly burn a Quran endorsed the mayoral bid of an Amarillo pastor who also tried to torch the Muslim holy book.

On Thursday, Gainesville, Fla., Rev. Terry Jones endorsed the mayoral campaign launched Monday by Pantex security guard and Repent Amarillo Director David Grisham Jr.

Repent Amarillo is known for its confrontational style of witnessing, and Grisham for his thwarted Quran burning in September, his January 2010 call for a boycott of Houston because of its election of a gay mayor, and other controversial actions. ...

Grisham tried to burn the Quran at Sam Houston Park on Sept. 11, the nine-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks, an idea related to "International Burn the Koran Day," an idea originated, but ultimately not carried out, by Jones.

Grisham was thwarted in his attempt when Amarillo skateboarder Jacob Isom swiped the book.

Grisham said Jones' staff contacted him Wednesday to inquire what help he might need for his political campaign, and Grisham sought an endorsement. (More)

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CAIR-NY: KING'S 'RADICALIZATION' HEARINGS CRITICIZED BY MUSLIM LEADERS -TOP
Newsday, 2/16/11

The Muslim "radicalization" hearings called by Rep. Peter King are so flawed that they're doomed to fail, a coalition of Muslim leaders warned yesterday.

The leaders, representing secular and faith groups in New York City and Long Island, complained that the most prominent Muslim-American organizations are being left out of the discussion.

They also contend supporters of King's conservative views will dominate the "politicized" panel to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee, which King chairs. ...

Coalition members, including representatives from the Islamic Center of Long Island and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, met yesterday with Newsday's editorial board. (More)

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LONG ISLAND FAITH LEADERS CALL ON PETER KING TO CANCEL 'MUSLIM RADICALIZATION' HEARINGS - TOP
George Zornick, Think Progress, 2/17/11

As Rep. Peter King (R-NY) prepares to hold a congressional inquiry into the "radicalization of the American Muslim community and homegrown terrorism," faith leaders in and around his district are forcefully asking him to cancel the hearings. Over 80 representatives of Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu congregations on Long Island signed a letter to King expressing their concern that his hearings will "only further divide our community and undermine our nation's highest ideals."

While King has said he does not "want anything said at my hearing that could justify someone throwing a brick at a mosque," his isolation of Muslim extremism as the only domestic terror threat, along with a history of troubling statements about Islam -- he once said there are "too many mosques in this country" -- concerns the faith leaders: (More)

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80+ LONG ISLAND FAITH LEADERS CALL ON REP. PETER KING TO CANCEL MUSLIM HEARINGS - TOP
Press Release, Faith in Public Life, 2/17/11

Over 80 people of faith from Long Island, including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and interfaith leaders, sent a letter today to Representative Peter King (R-NY), urging him to cancel his planned Congressional hearings to investigate claims of "radicalization" in the American Muslim community. These diverse faith leaders believe the singling out of the Muslim community undermines fundamental American values and is counterproductive to improving national security.

The signers urge Rep. King, who represents part of Long Island, to "conven[e] a dialogue among faith leaders, law enforcement and elected officials" rather than hold hearing that "will only further divide our community and undermine our nation's highest ideals."

The hearings have attracted national controversy and concern among religious, civil rights , and national security organizations. Representatives Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) have urged Rep. King to broaden the scope of the hearings to account for the array of threats our nation faces, but Representative King has refused. A poll released this week by Public Religion Research Institute also shows that nearly three-quarters (72%) of Americans agree that Congress should investigate religious extremism anywhere it exists and not single out Muslim -Americans.

Rep. King's stated motivation for the hearings is a concern that Muslim Americans do not adequately cooperate with law enforcement but he continues to ignore prominent law enforcement officials who disagree with his claim on Muslim cooperation.

Full text of the letter is here or below: (More)

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SD REP. WHO AUTHORED ABORTION BILL NIXES SHARIA BAN - TOP
Tim Murphy, Mother Jones, 2/18/11

On Tuesday, MoJo's Kate Sheppard broke the news about a controversial new bill in front of the South Dakota legislature that would (in some instances) classify murder in defense of an unborn child "justifiable homicide." After initially defending the language, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Phil Jensen, caved, and legislators scrapped the bill on Wednesday. Now he's backed down from another piece of controversial legislation which, according to legal experts, could have had similarly drastic consequences.

As Adam Serwer noted when the news first broke, Jensen was also the the author of HJR 1004, a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban the use of "international law, the law of any foreign nation or any foreign religious or moral code" in state courts. Sharia, in other words. Jensen couldn't just write that, because so explicitly targeting a religious tradition would, as Oklahomans learned, pretty much make the law DOA in the event of a lawsuit. So Jensen used the vaguest language possible--and it turns out, that can backfire too. (More)

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CAIR-MI REP ANSWERS FAQS ABOUT ISLAM - TOP

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 2/17/11) ­ A representative from the Michigan chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today answered some of the most frequently asked questions about Muslims and Islam at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, Mich.

CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid answered questions from students and staff pertaining to the role of Jesus in Islam, traditional dress codes for Muslims, the similarities and differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims, the status of sharia among American Muslims and the Shia concept of taqiyyah.

The discussion, which was sponsored by the Muslim Students Association (MSA), was part of the campus' "Islamic Awareness Week."

"We welcome such opportunities to engage the public about questions pertaining to Muslims and Islam with the hope of dispelling misconceptions," said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid.

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, 248-559-2247, E-Mail: dwalid@cair.com

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MUSLIM TEEN INSPIRES BONE MARROW DRIVE - TOP
15-year-old's death fuels urgency of adding South Asians to registry
Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune, 2/18/11

When doctors diagnosed Bilal Mallick with leukemia in January, they told his parents a bone marrow transplant often presented the best chance for survival and a cure.

But of 9 million potential donors on the national registry, only 160,000 are South Asian, making the likelihood of finding a match unlikely.

So as Bilal, 15, began his first round of chemotherapy at Advocate Hope Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn last month, his congregation at the Islamic Foundation of Villa Park set out to save his life, spawning a movement in mosques across suburban Chicago and the nation.

On Friday, hundreds of Chicago area Muslims will flock to mosques in Villa Park, Des Plaines and Naperville to participate in weekly congregational prayers. They also will have the opportunity to swab their cheeks and add their names to the roster of bone marrow donors ready to step up if their DNA is a match.

Unable to fight off a sudden infection, Bilal died Sunday before many of the drives could take place. His unexpected death has fueled the urgency of the cause for the Muslim community. (More)

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