U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE ASKS FOR REVIEW OF HIJAB POLICY - TOP
USOC to advocate on behalf of Muslim weightlifter at international meeting

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/10/11) -- Following intervention by CAIR, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) says it will present the case of a Muslim weightlifter in Georgia who wishes to compete wearing modest Islamic attire (hijab) to an international body meeting June 26 in Malaysia.

Video: International Body to Consider Athlete's Hijab Request (CAIR)
Video: Atlanta Muslim Woman Challenges Weightlifting Rule
CAIR: Muslim Lifter Tries to Compete and Remain Faithful
CAIR: Muslim Woman Wants to Lift Dress Code Rules

CAIR says the USOC will ask a committee of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to review a policy preventing the Muslim athlete, 35-year-old Kulsoom Abdullah (http://liftingcovered.com/), from competing in the USA Weightlifting Senior Nationals to be held this July in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

USA Weightlifting is a United States Olympic Committee National Governing Body (NGB). Officials of USA Weightlifting cite IWF rules in barring Abdullah from competition.

The IWF committee's recommendation will be presented to the body's executive board, which meets the next day in Penang, Malaysia.

“We appreciate the United States Olympic Committee's prompt action in support of religious diversity in sport and will monitor the results of the meetings in Malaysia,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “We believe there is always a way to maintain the legitimate rules of any sport, while offering athletes reasonable religious accommodation.”

Awad thanked all those who contacted the USOC and the other parties involved in the issue to express support for the rights of athletes of all faiths who wish to wear modest attire.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED:

Please donate to support CAIR's important work on behalf of the American Muslims and to protect the civil rights of all Americans.

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CAIR: FLORIDA MUSLIM GROUP APPOINTS NEW TAMPA CHAPTER ED - TOP

(TAMPA, FL, 6/10/11) -- The Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) has announced the appointment of Hassan Shibly as the new executive director of its Tampa chapter (CAIR-Tampa).

Shibly joins CAIR-Tampa after completing law school in upstate New York. In May 2011, Hassan graduated near the top of his law class from the University at Buffalo Law School. During college, he interned at CAIR's national headquarters in Washington, D.C.

“It is a great honor to serve the Florida Muslim Community as executive director of CAIR-Tampa. This responsibility is not a light burden and success cannot be accomplished alone. Our work has never been more critical. It is essential we work together as a community -- with all those who stand for peace, freedom, love, and, mutual respect -- to counter those who wish to promote fear, hatred and violence. Just as ignorance is what creates these problems, outreach and education are the solutions.”

“We must also work hard to protect the very rights, freedoms and civil liberties that make America such a great nation. The legal system this nation is founded on was meant to uphold justice and security, and only by positively engaging in it can we ensure that the rights of all Americans are protected. Through outreach, education and dialogue, it is my hope that CAIR-Tampa can serve to help foster an environment in which children of all faiths and cultures can grow up without fear of discrimination, prejudice or violence.”

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 Tampa Executive Director Hassan Shibly, 813.514.1414, 813.541.4321 (cell), or E-Mail: HShibly@cair.com, Please note the new media number for CAIR-Tampa is 813.541.4321

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ISLAMIC BANKING, A MARKET WITH U.S. POTENTIAL, HAMPERED BY POLITICS - TOP
Robert Barba, American Banker, 06/10/2011

Islamic finance is growing, but politics, and perhaps prejudice, might be hamstringing this business in the United States.

In the past few years bills have been introduced in at least 20 states to forbid courts from invoking foreign laws in rulings. Proponents have touted the bills as a way to prevent Sharia, a code derived from Islamic law, from becoming the law of the land -- a risk that many attorneys say is nonexistent. Arizona, Louisiana and Tennessee have passed "Sharia ban" laws, which critics call a way of scoring political points by exploiting anti-Muslim sentiment.

It is unclear whether those laws would directly affect the growth of Islamic finance, which follows the tenets of Sharia law, such as a ban on paying interest. But at the very least, the political climate for Muslims is certainly not fostering a welcoming environment for what experts call an emerging market. (More)

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ISLAMOPHOBIA'S IMPLICATIONS FOR THE UNITED STATES - TOP
Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy and Akbar Ahmed, Huffington Post, 06/09/11

Amid a surging fear of Muslims -- Islamophobia -- in our nation, it is time for all of us to improve our understanding of Islam and our relationships with Muslims -- if not because it is right to do this morally, then because it is in our best interests nationally.

The fact is that we live in a world alongside one and a half billion Muslims, and regardless of the desire of some on the fringes of society, our Muslim neighbors are not going anywhere. A failure to understand this population and its religion is bad enough. Choosing to intentionally demonize those who follow this religion and provoke the anger of the Muslim people qualifies not just as insensibility but insanity.

General David Petraeus, the current commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, seems to be the type of person who would have a good sense of how the Muslim world perceives the rising level of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States. Just as importantly, he would see the impact of that rhetoric on the men and women serving in the U.S. military abroad. (More)

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CAIR-OH: FAIR QUESTIONS ABOUT TERROR WATCH LISTS (EDITORIAL) - TOP
The Plain Dealer Editorial Board, The Plain Dealer, 06/10/11

When a U.S. citizen is arrested, that person has the right to a lawyer and to learn what crime he or she is suspected of committing. But when a citizen is handcuffed at the border, questioned for 2 1/2 hours without an attorney and her car is secretly searched -- all because her name appears, apparently erroneously, on a terrorist watch list -- such rights seem to evaporate.

At least, that's what Julia Shearson, a Muslim activist and executive director of the Cleveland office of the Council on American Islamic Relations, says she discovered in 2006 on her way back from Canada.

Even after the government acknowledged its mistake by releasing her, it would not say how Shearson got on the watch list or whether the growing complexity of the Automated Targeting System computer program used to track and rank terrorist threats was contributing to errors. Nor could Shearson figure out how to get her name off the list -- or, possibly, lists. (More)

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PA: MUSLIM WORKER FILES DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST DIOCESE - TOP
Kyle Andersen, WFMZ-TV, 06/09/2011

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- The Diocese of Allentown has found itself the target of a lawsuit that claims a woman was fired for being a Muslim.

Omayma Arafa filed the federal lawsuit against the Diocese in May.

The lawsuit states Arafa, who is a Muslim from Egypt, had no problems as an employee of the Diocese until August 2008, when her supervisor changed. (More)

Watch the video.

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NORTH CAROLINA CHURCH CANCELS QURAN READING, PLANS INTERFAITH DIALOGUE - TOP
Catholic News Service, 06/10/2011

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (CNS) -- A plan to allow for the reading of the Quran from the pulpit during a Mass at St. Peter Church in Charlotte June 26 has been canceled, with an interfaith dialogue planned for October instead.

St. Peter Parish had agreed to take part in an event called Faith Shared, in which priests, rabbis and Muslim scholars are scheduled to read sacred texts in each other's houses of worship. The event is a project of two groups, the Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First.

In announcing the cancellation June 7, Jesuit Father Patrick Earl, pastor of St. Peter, noted that a 2004 Vatican document, "Redemptionis Sacramentum" ("The Sacrament of Redemption") expressly forbids the reading of texts from other religions during the celebration of Mass.

Father Earl was not aware of the Vatican prohibition when he agreed to host the event. (More)

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HERMAN CAIN'S UGLY REMARKS ABOUT MUSLIMS - TOP
Peter Wehner, Commentary Magazine, 06/10/2011

Herman Cain is popular among certain small groups within the GOP. But some of his views are not only wrong; they are pernicious. Three months ago, for example, Cain said he wouldn't be comfortable appointing a Muslim either to his cabinet or as a federal judge.

He then “clarified” his comments by saying, according to this news report, that he might be willing to name a Muslim who disavows Sharia law -- and then added he's unaware of any Muslim who'd be willing to make such a disavowal. Now Cain, in an interview with Glenn Beck, says he wants to impose a “loyalty proof” on Muslims but not on Catholics or Mormons or any other religious group.

It's worth recalling that a half-century ago, John F. Kennedy's Catholic faith was a source of concern, with some people believing that if he was president he would be loyal to the Pope rather than the Constitution. (More)

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