HADITH OF THE DAY: SHOW MERCY TO OTHERS - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God will not show mercy to a person who does not show mercy to other people."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 20, Hadith 375

The Prophet also said: "(God) has mercy on those who are merciful. If you show mercy to those who are on the earth, He Who is in heaven will show mercy to you."

Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2322

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CAIR: MUSLIM POST-9/11 HATE VICTIM SEEKS STAY OF EXECUTION FOR ATTACKER- TOP
Dianne Solis, Dallas Morning News, 5/17/11

[Mark] Stroman, a white supremacist, would later confess he was out for revenge against those of Middle Eastern descent in Mesquite and Dallas days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Already, Stroman had killed one Pakistani immigrant; two weeks later, he'd kill an Indian immigrant.

Now, [Rais] Bhuiyan wants to forgive. He'll be asking for a stay of the July 20 evening scheduled execution of Stroman, and a stop to the "cycle of violence," as he calls it. ...

Bhuiyan said his Islamic faith led him to realize "hate doesn't bring any good solution to people. At some point we have to break the cycle of violence. It brings more disaster." ...

Within six months of Sept. 11, there were 1,717 incidents of harassment, violence or discriminatory acts against Muslims, or those perceived to be Muslims, according to the D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. (More)

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CLERGY PLAN QUR'AN READININGS TO COMBAT ANTI-MUSLIM BIGOTRY - TOP
Jeff Kunerth, Orlando Sentinel, 5/17/11

Washington, D.C. -- Christian clergy at churches across the country will host readings from the Qur'an and other sacred religious texts as they welcome their Muslim and Jewish colleagues on Sunday, June 26, 2011 for Faith Shared: Uniting in Prayer and Understanding.

Faith Shared is a project of Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First, which seeks to send a message both here at home and to the Arab and Muslim world about our respect for Islam. The National Cathedral in Washington, DC, along with 50 churches in 26 states have committed to participating in this effort.

A full list of participating houses of worship can be found at faithshared.org.

"The anti-Muslim rhetoric that has pervaded our national conversation recently has shocked and saddened me," said Interfaith Alliance President Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy. "Appreciation for pluralism and respect for religious freedom and other human rights are at the core of our democracy. We believe that demonstrating our commitment to those core American values will help counteract the intensified level of negative stereotypes and anti-Muslim bigotry in our recent public discourse." (More)

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CAIR-FL: VAN WITH THREATENING MESSAGE PARKED OUTSIDE MOSQUE (NY TIMES)- TOP
By Don Van Natta Jr., New York Times, 5/16/11

MIAMI -- The 76-year-old imam of South Florida's oldest mosque will plead not guilty to charges of financing terrorism in Pakistan, his defense lawyer said on Monday.

After a hearing in Federal District Court here, Khurrum Wahid, the lawyer for the imam, Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan, pleaded with the community not to prejudge his client. ...

Since the charges were publicized on Saturday, the Miami Mosque, known as the Flagler Mosque, has received two telephone threats, said Nezar Hamze, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in Pembroke Pines, Fla. On Monday evening, a van was parked in front of the mosque bearing a sign that said it should be burned down.

"This is the type of backlash that occurs," Mr. Hamze said. "We are telling the community to remain on alert." The police have set up a 24-hour presence at both mosques, he added. (More)

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CAIR-MI: ANTI-MUSLIM HATE CRIME IN PORTAGE? - TOP
WKZO, 5/17/11

PORTAGE (WKZO) -- Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling for an investigation after a Muslim's car was vandalized with profanity and a racial slur.

CAIR-Michigan's Executive Director Dawud Walid said the man found the damage when he came back to a public carpool area in Portage last Thursday. (More)

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VIDEO: HOUSTON MOSQUE DELIBERATELY SET ON FIRE (CAIR) - TOP

Watch the video.

At Madrasah Islamiah in southwest Houston, the sound of afternoon prayer fills the air, as does the lingering scent of smoke. It's a grim, yet constant, reminder that someone deliberately set fire to the mosque over the weekend.

"They came through here, sprayed gasoline all over the carpet and just torched it," said mosque member Atif Fattah.

It was 3 a.m. Saturday when the men parked in front of the mosque, cut through an alley and broke in through a window in the back. A caretaker who lives on the premises was awakened by smoke and called the fire department. ...

"It sounded very nefarious, so I called the FBI and asked them to investigate this as a hate crime," said Mustafaa Carroll, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

CAIR says it's seen a spike in vandalism against Muslims nationwide since the death of Osama bin Laden.

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VIDEO: CAIR OFFICIAL SEEKS FBI HELP IN PROBING TEXAS MOSQUE ARSON - TOP

Watch the video.

An official from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has explained what led to his decision to call the FBI to investigate an arson attack on a mosque in Houston as a hate crime.

Mustafaa Carroll, Texas Executive Director of CAIR told Press TV's U.S. Desk on Monday what went down on the day of the incident. Carroll said "according to what I was told, they had cameras at the mosque and it showed two masked men coming in and dousing the carpet with gasoline and they also had someone driving a getaway car."

Carrol stated "all indications were that it wasn't just a fire that started in the kitchen. It sounded like an intentional arson event and I immediately called the FBI and asked that they investigate it as a possible hate crime." ...

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CAIR-MI: FAMILY PLEADS FOR HELP TO RESCUE DAUGHTER TRAPPED IN SYRIA -TOP
WWJ, 3/16/11

DEARBORN (WWJ) - A Southeast Michigan family from Syria is appealing for the U.S. to help evacuate their daughter who is trapped in the war-torn country.

American-born, 11-year-old Sara Alouh has not been heard from since the beginning of democratic protests and clashes with government troops.

The girl's father, Ahamad Alouh of Flint, said Sara is with her grandparents in Syria, where their home in Dara'a was destroyed by tanks.

"As a parent, we need Sara back. My concern is my daughter. And I understand the feelings of parents and kids in this critical situation," Alouh said.

"In the past few weeks, over a thousand people, including women and children, have been killed and over 12,000 arrested," he said.

Congressman Hansen Clarke, together with local advocacy group CAIR-MI, are appealing to the Obama Administration to help bring the girl home. (More)

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VIDEO: CAIR-MI PRESS CONFERENCE FOR AMERICAN CHILD STUCK IN SYRIA - TOP

CAIR-MI and Rep. Hansen Clarke call for the Syrian regime to release and ensure the safety of Americans trapped in Syria.

Watch the press conference.

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CAIR-MI: FLINT PARENTS SAY 11-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER STRANDED IN SYRIA - TOP
Oralandar Brand-Williams, The Detroit News, 3/16/11

Southfield -- A Flint man and his wife say their 11-year-old daughter is stranded in Syria, unable to leave because of violence sweeping the Middle East.

Ahmad and Wisam Alouh say their daughter, Sara, has been in the Syrian town of Dara'a since last year, where she went to study Arabic and live with her grandparents. The town has been under siege as the government is cracking down on a two-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. Since March, Syrian troops have killed about 700 demonstrators who, like others in the Middle East, are peacefully demanding democratic reforms.

The girl's grandparents' home reportedly was recently shelled and destroyed by Syrian tanks.

"As parents we need our Sara back," Ahmad Alouh, a pharmacist, said during a press conference today at the office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Michigan (CAIR-MI) in Southfield. (More)

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JEWISH GROUPS SUPPORT CAIR'S LAWSUIT CHALLENGING OKLA. SHARIA BAN - TOP

NEW YORK, May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC is urging a federal appeals court to block implementing a new Oklahoma provision targeting Sharia law.

"Singling out the religious law of one faith is simply unconstitutional and smacks of fear-mongering," said AJC Associate General Counsel Marc D. Stern.

In a brief filed today with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in the case of Awad v. Ziriax, AJC argues that an Oklahoma constitutional provision adopted by referendum last November banning Oklahoma courts from relying on Sharia law is "flagrantly unconstitutional" for violating the "core nondiscrimination command of the Establishment Clause."

The brief points out that there is no mistaking the discriminatory purposes of the provision's sponsors. They and their supporters repeatedly said that the proposal was intended to ward off the threat -- of which there was no evidence -- of an Islamic law takeover of Oklahoma's courts. The proposal, AJC notes, did not ban reliance on other forms of religious law, including Jewish and canon law.

AJC is asking the appellate court to uphold a lower court decision granting a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the provision, known as State Question 755. (More)

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TWEET AT DELTA: IT'S NOT OK TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST MUSLIMS - TOP
Meredith Slater, Change.org, 5/17/11

Despite going through multiple security screenings and being cleared to fly, two Imams were kicked off a Delta flight last week because the pilot said he was not comfortable flying with them aboard.

These Muslim religious leaders, ironically on their way to a conference on fear of Islam, were two of seven Imams who were denied boarding on their way to the conference.

Over 1,200 activists on Change.org have already stood with the Imams, demanding that Delta publicly apologize, institute new non-discrimination and sensitivity training for all pilots and flight crew about religious tolerance, and create a set of public guidelines and consequences for any employee who violates the code of conduct. You can join the campaign and sign the petition here, calling on Delta to do the right thing.

According to Delta, "As the individuals responsible for the safety and security of their flight and everyone on board, pilots industry-wide do have authority over their aircraft within the parameters set by their individual carrier."

But if that's the case, it seems that Delta needs to set new parameters - ones that do not allow religious discrimination by pilots against the passengers they are supposed to be serving.

Starting today we are asking you to join us in a social media campaign to really get the message across to Delta.

Join the Facebook bomb by going to Delta's Facebook page, liking the page, and then leaving a message demanding that Delta publicly apologize, institute sensitivity training for pilots and flight crew, and create a set of consequences for those who violate the code of conduct.

Here's one comment you can use:

It is not ok to judge passengers based on appearance or religion. Institute sensitivity training for pilots and flight crew to be sure that discrimination does not happen, and apologize to the Imams who were kicked off your flight!

Then, sign in to Twitter and send messages like:

@Delta Apologize for kicking Imams off your flight! @change http://tinyurl.com/6zbz4rz @DeltaNewsroom @DeltaBlog @DeltaAssist

Thanks everyone! (More)

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CAIR-NY: NYC STUDENTS TAKE A STAND ON SOCIAL ISSUES - TOP

NEW YORK, May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Does the death penalty violate the eighth amendment? Is marriage for same-sex couples a civil rights issue? Do gun control laws violate a person's Constitutional right to own a gun?

Next week -- as part of Teaching Matters' citywide Voices and Choices culminating events -- hundreds of middle school students will convene at the Intrepid Air and Space Museum and Pace University to take a stand and voice their opinions on these questions and many more.

The week begins with a Civil Rights Student Summit at Pace University on Monday, May 16 at 9:00 AM. Eighth-grade students from middle schools across the city will present Citizen Media Campaigns drawing attention to today's most pressing civil rights issues including environmental injustices, gay marriage and racial profiling.

Students will then present their campaigns to a panel of NYC community activists and representatives from Sustainable Flatbush, African Refuge, Do Something, the law firm Proskauer Rose, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Islamic Center at New York University. New York City Council Speaker, Christine C. Quinn, will be the keynote speaker. (More)

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GEORGIA MUSLIM WIFE, MOTHER IS CLASS VALEDICTORIAN - TOP
Tracey McManus, Augusta Chronicle, 5/16/11

The realization came to Deborah Rashada while she was lying flat out in bed with a broken ankle, staring at the ceiling.

Until then, every ounce of her had been dedicated to the happiness of her family. She raised nine children and had her soul mate by her side to prove it.

She graduated from Butler High School in 1978, skipped college to marry at 18 and never stopped to worry about herself until that day in 2005 when she toppled like a bowling pin from her roller blades.

"I was lying in bed with a broken ankle feeling sorry for myself," Rashada said. "I was very satisfied being a wife and mother, but I wanted more for myself. I asked myself 'Is this the best I can do?' "

It wasn't, and as soon as she could walk again, Rashada, not quite 50, enrolled in college. (More)