CAIR: TN LEGISLATORS STRIP 'SHARIAH' FROM ANTI-TERROR BILL - TOP
Chas Sisk, The Tennessean, 3/23/11

The sponsors of a bill in the Tennessee legislature aimed at organizations that practice Shariah law are rewriting the measure to remove all references to religion.

State Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, and Speaker Pro Tempore Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma, said Tuesday they are amending a bill they introduced last month that they said would combat terrorism.

The new version removes language that described Shariah -- the Islamic legal codes that cover everything from the rules of warfare to prayer and diet -- as advocating violence and a threat to the United States and Tennessee constitutions. The change makes clear that peaceful religious practices would not be considered a violation, the bill's sponsors said in a statement.

"It is about protecting our citizens from those who would use religious doctrine as a justification to commit criminal activities or terrorist acts," Matheny said.

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based Muslim civil rights organization, questioned the need for a state law that empowers Tennessee authorities to combat terrorism. Nonetheless, he said the amendment is an improvement.

"I think it's a victory for common sense and legislative restraint," Hooper said. "This is a win for Tennessee's Muslim community."

The bill, called the Material Support to Designated Entities Act of 2011, is modeled after a federal law that lets the U.S. Treasury Department freeze the assets of groups that have been designated terrorist organizations.

The Tennessee measure would give the governor and the state attorney general the power to identify terrorist groups. The state bill also would make it a felony to support a terrorist group, punishable by up to life in prison. (More)

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CAIR-ST. LOUIS: CONSTITUTION ALREADY BANS WHAT BILL WOULD COVER - TOP
Amany Ragby Hacking, Kansas City Star, 3/22/11

This is a really important time for my family. My son gave a presentation to his class about a famous American. He picked Muhammad Ali -- a famous boxer -- and Muslim, like him.

Little does my son know that this is a really important time for Muslims in Missouri -- beyond the national hearings by Rep. Peter King and the anti-Muslim bills in Tennessee as well as other states.

The Missouri House Judiciary Committee held a hearing last week on HJR 31, which would ban the application of Islamic law and international law in Missouri. This committee heard testimony on the bill the same day that I was listening to my son's speech on Muhammad Ali.

As much as I wanted to testify against the bill, I could not miss my son's presentation. This left me wondering, what would Muhammad Ali say? I think the first thing he would say, which he has said before, is "I believe in the religion of Islam. I believe in Allah and peace."

Next, I think he would ask what do these legislators and others think or understand Sharia law is? Sharia literally means "the path" or "the way." Sharia law is simply the Arabic name for Islamic law.

What exactly is Islamic law?

Muslims believe that Islamic law is derived from two Islamic sources -- the Qur'an (the Muslim holy book) and the Sunna (the life and sayings of the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be Upon Him).

Islamic law encompasses many aspects of a Muslim's life -- marriage, estate planning, finance and business relations. It governs how a Muslim worships God, fulfills prescribed fasting and giving of charity, among other things. It is a very complex body of law. To ban this private law in a private Muslim's life is contrary to everything we understand to be American.

Muslims are not trying to impose Sharia law on United States courts. (More)

Amany Ragab Hacking of Saint Louis is an attorney and assistant clinical professor at Saint Louis University School of Law. She was a founding member and board member of the St. Louis chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

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CAIR-LA: MUSLIM SUPPORTERS PROTEST COUNCILWOMAN'S ISLAMOPHOBIC REMARKS - TOP
Frank Shyong, The Orange County Register, 3/22/11

VILLA PARK - About 500 demonstrators from various groups marched and chanted slogans against or in support of Councilwoman Deborah Pauly in front of Villa Park City Hall on Tuesday evening.

The large majority of demonstrators were Muslim supporters who organized in response to a speech by Pauly last month at a Yorba Linda rally. About 50 people showed up Tuesday night to support Pauly.

The two groups faced off on the walkway in front of City Hall before the council meeting shouting at one another through bullhorns and displaying signs with phrases such as, "I'm a Muslim not a terrorist," and "Deborah Pauly is a patriot."

The protesters also chanted at and over each other: "Deborah Pauly, I'm your neighbor. Why are you such a hater," "No Sharia law," and "Hey, hey, ho, ho, the racism's got to go." ...

About 20 sheriff's deputies were on the scene to make sure the demonstrations were peaceful. The demonstrations are a response to a speech Pauly gave at a rally during an Islamic Circle of North America fund-raiser Feb. 13, which many have interpreted as anti-Muslim. Her remarks are prominent in a YouTube video created by the Council on American-Islam Relations.

Many of the demonstrators on both sides were at the Feb. 13 protest.

Demonstrators said they're angry that Pauly hasn't apologized, and some demanded an official reprimand. But Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR California, said the main purpose of the rally was to show Pauly that Muslims are supported by the community.

"It would be nice if she apologized for her unbefitting behavior ... but what's more important is what happens after," said Ayloush, referring to a general community reconciliation he hoped would occur. (More)

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VIDEO: CALIFORNIANS PROTEST HATE SPEECH AGAINST MUSLIMS (CAIR) - TOP

Watch the video here.

More than 500 people gathered in the small California community of Villa Park to support freedom of religion in America.

Organizers of this Stop the Hate rally say it's in response to a number of recent examples of hate speech in Southern California.

Demonstrators say they chose Villa Park because of comments Councilwoman Deborah Pauly gave at a rally during an Islamic Circle of North America fund-raiser back in February.

The comments were viewed by many as anti-Muslim and were included in a video produced by the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Greater Los Angeles.

The Islamic Circle of North America says Pauly's comments were unprecedented.

Many demonstrators are upset that Pauly has yet to apologize for the remarks and are demanding that she be censured. But officials with CAIR-LA say the rally is meant to show Pauly the overwhelming support Muslims have in the community. (More)

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CAIR-NY: NYPD ASKED TO EXPLAIN ALLEGED SCREENING OF ANTI-MUSLIM FILM -TOP
Arun Venugopal, WNYC, 3/23/11

Muslim groups and elected officials are calling on the NYPD to explain why it allegedly screened a controversial documentary known as "The Third Jihad" for trainees.

"Films like this promote religious profiling and harmful stereotypes, and we find that unacceptable," said attorney Asim Rehman, a member of the Muslim American Civil Liberties Association, at an event on the steps of City Hall on Tuesday. "In a time when Muslim Americans have come under increased scrutiny, we need our police to protect us, not to profile us."

Rehman was joined by City Council members Robert Jackson, Jumaane Williams, Melissa Mark-Viverito and Charles Barron.

The screening of the film was first reported in The Village Voice, which quoted an officer as saying it was "so ridiculously one-sided. It just made Muslims look like the enemy. It was straight propaganda."

Based on excerpts available online, the film suggests that Islamic extremists are bent on taking over America. ...

According to Cyrus McGoldrick, the civil rights manager for the New York division of the Council on American Islamic Relations, groups hoping to promote videos such as "The Third Jihad" have "certain inroads into the national security community, into the law enforcement community, through former law enforcement and former police officers."

The 72-minute film was produced by the Clarion Fund, which was also behind "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West." (More)

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MUSLIM NEW YORKERS SEEK DIGNITY, RESPECT FROM NYPD - TOP
Margaret Lau, Epoch Times, 3/23/11

NEW YORK -- "No to racial bias," and "Yes to dignity for all," read the posters held by community leaders and members from diverse groups on the steps of City Hall.

On Tuesday, city officials joined civil rights leaders, representatives from the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition (MACLC), Muslim and immigrant organizations, and interfaith groups to voice their concerns over the New York Police Department's (NYPD) use of a controversial film about Islam and Muslims to train officers working in Muslim communities.

The documentary film, "The Third Jihad," recently reported on by The Village Voice and described as an "anti-Muslim horror flick,' was seen as smearing American Muslims and Islam.

The 72-minute film explores the existence of radical Islam in America and depicts Islam and Muslims in an offensive and prejudicial way stated MACLC officials. They claim that using it as part of NYPD training will lead to increased racial and religious profiling. (More)

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CAIR-CHICAGO: COUNTY APPROVES MOSQUE - TOP
Serena Maria Daniels, Chicago Tribune, 3/22/11

The distinctive minaret and golden dome will be absent, but a Muslim group -- after months of controversy -- won approval Tuesday to build a mosque near Willowbrook.

A conflict between the religious group's right to practice its faith and the local community's concern about overdevelopment gave way to compromise when the DuPage County Board accepted a scaled-back proposal of the mosque from the Muslim Educational Cultural Center of America, or MECCA.

After rejecting a call to send the matter back to the county's Zoning Board of Appeals for further study, the board signed off on the revised plan by approving a conditional-use permit 13-5. ...

Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the group that filed the lawsuit against the county in the Naperville case, said Tuesday's decision bodes well for other proposals.

"I think they made the right decision not just for the Muslim community but for the county and the country," Rehab said. "They voted yes for pluralism, they voted yes to strengthened diversity and yes to equal opportunity for all of us. We hope that this decision will have a positive influence on the other pending cases." (More)

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CAIR-MI: MICHIGAN MUSLIM CAPITOL DAY PLANNED - TOP
Associated Press, 3/23/2011

A coalition of community organizations is planning a daylong event at the state Capitol during which Muslims from across Michigan can interact with state lawmakers and other Lansing decision-makers. (More)

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CAIR-CINCINNATI DIRECTOR FEATURED AT WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH EVENTS -TOP

(CINCINNATI, OH, 3/22/11) -- Karen Dabdoub, executive director of the Cincinnati chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Cincinnati), was recently a featured speaker for the annual Women's History Month program at the two Miami University Regional Campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, Ohio. The program was entitled "Women in Islam" and gave students a chance to learn more and ask questions about this timely topic.

"This program was a wonderful opportunity for sharing between people of different faith and cultural backgrounds," said Dabdoub. "I find that the more opportunities that people have to talk to each other about all kinds of topics the more commonality we find."

This is the 6th year of the Women's History Month program that is hosted by the Women's Studies Program at Miami University. Students attending the program came from the Women's Studies program and the Journalism program as well as others.

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

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