HADITH OF THE DAY: PUT LOVE IN THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE - TOP

When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) entered a new town, he would say: "O God. . .put our love in the hearts of its people and put the love of its righteous people in our hearts."

Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, Number 147

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VIDEO: ILL. STATE SENATOR POSTS ANTI-MUSLIM 'JOKE' ON FACEBOOK - TOP
CBS 23, 7/21/2011

Illinois State Senator Dave Syverson, representative of the 34th district in Rockford since 1993, recently posted an anti-Muslim joke to his Facebook page:

"Father Daughter Talk...My daughter just walked in the room and said, 'Dad, cancel my allowance, rent my room out, throw all my clothes out, take my TV, iPhone, iPod, and my laptop. Please take all my jewelry. Then sell my car, take my house key. And write me out of your will.' Well, she didn't put it like that...she actually said...'Dad this is my new boyfriend, Mohammed from Iran."

Syverson refuses to apologize, not wanting to bend to "political correctness." (Watch thevideo.)

SEE ALSO:

ANTI-MUSLIM FEELING UP SINCE BIN LADEN'S DEATH - TOP
Julian Brookes, Rolling Stone, 7/22/2011

When U.S. Navy Seals killed Osama Bin Laden in May, some dared to hope the virulent anti-Muslim sentiment that arose after 9/11 would die with him. But no. A new survey finds that Americans' fear and distrust of Muslims has actually increased since the Al Qaeda leader's death. Even more surprising, the survey found the biggest shift among political liberals and moderates, whose views became more like those of conservatives. This and more unlikely news the latest installment our Threat Assessment photo gallery. (More)

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SHARIA LAW BECOMES 2012 IOWA CAUCUS ISSUE - TOP
Ian Stewart, The Daily Iowan, 7/22/2011

Though discussion about radical Islam and its connection to terrorism has played a central role in political debates and elections since 9/11, a new issue has surfaced both in domestic policy and in the run-up to the 2012 presidential elections: sharia.

While some Republicans warn that the code of law could infiltrate American culture, scholars and experts say there's little chance of the justice system being overtaken by Islamic rule.

The Family Leader -- an Iowa-based Christian conservative group -- has asked GOP presidential-nomination hopefuls in the last few weeks to sign a "Marriage Vow" that includes a pledge to reject "Sharia Islam and all other anti-woman, anti-human-rights forms of totalitarian control." And earlier this year, Republican hopeful Herman Cain said he would not be comfortable appointing a Muslim to his Cabinet or the federal bench. (More)

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VIDEO: JON STEWART DISMANTLES HERMAN CAIN'S ANTI-MOSQUE ARGUMENT - TOP
David Taintor, Talking Points Memo LiveWire, 7/22/2011

Jon Stewart on Thursday took on the 2012 Republican presidential candidates' fundraising numbers, likening the race to a "survival of the funded."

When it came time to look at former pizza magnate Herman Cain's numbers, Stewart was impressed with the contender's recent $2.5 million haul.

"That's a lot of pepperoni, for the godfather of buffet-style pizza," Stewart said. "Why is Cain connecting?"

Stewart rolled a clip of Cain denouncing a proposed mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn. "Our Constitution guarantees separation of church and state," Cain said on Fox News Sunday. "Islam combines church and state. They're using the church part of our First Amendment to infuse their mosque in that community, and the people in the community do not like it. They disagree with it."

Hmmm...

"First, let's address what I believe may be pronoun issues," Stewart said. "You think our First Amendment protects us from their mosque, when in reality the First Amendment protects their mosque from us. (Watch the video.)

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ISLAMIC PUBLISHING HOUSE FLOURISHES IN U.S. - TOP
David Lepeska, The National, 7/22/2011

But after the September 11 attacks, interest in the religion heightened, as did enrolment in Islamic studies courses at universities across the United States. Demand for copies of the Quran, biographies of the Prophet Mohammed and other key Islamic texts increased dramatically too, and a million Islamic publishers bloomed.

Or at least a couple of dozen, from personal boutique houses such as Muslim Writers Publishing in Arizona to bigger outfits like Tahriki Tarsile Qu'ran in New York. Today,Chicago remains something of an industry nexus - home to American Trust Publications, established in 1976 and run by the Saudi-backed North American Islamic Trust, and Iqra International Educational Foundation, whose popular Sirah series was first published in 1981.

But the oldest Islamic publisher in Chicago, and perhaps all of North America, is Kazi Publications, which has been producing, selling and distributing books from the city's North Side for nearly 40 years. Despite humble beginnings, the firm's annual revenue has nearly quadrupled over the past decade, from $250,000 (Dh918,000) to nearly $1 million, according to co-founder and proprietor Liaquat Ali. (More)

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MUSLIM PRAYERS IN CANADIAN SCHOOLS? HEAVEN FORBID - TOP
Dan Gardner, The Ottawa Citizen, 7/22/2011

OTTAWA -- Well done, concerned citizens. For weeks, in vast numbers, across the nation, you expressed outrage that a public school in Toronto permits Muslim students to pray for half an hour each Friday. In the school cafeteria. A cafeteria built with tax dollars. Your tax dollars.

Clearly, this offends the great Canadian constitutional commitment to the separation of church and state, which doesn’t exist, and you said so in no uncertain terms. Religion has no place in a public school! Not even the cafeteria! Stand away from the chili con carne and french fries, Imam! Get those Korans out of our proud agora!

But there were worse revelations to come.

Intrepid journalists subsequently discovered that other schools, including some in Ottawa, permit Muslim students to pray on school premises, which is, needless to say, an affront to the very principles on which this nation wasn’t founded. "The practising of Islamic prayers in Ottawa public schools must stop immediately," thundered an editorialist at a newspaper chain renowned for keeping a close watch on the strange doings of the Mohammedans.

Somewhat awkwardly, Christians, Jews, and others are also permitted to pray on school premises. They’ve been doing it for years. But this is clearly different. Somehow or other. (More)