LESSONS OF RAMADAN AND 9/11 (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER) - TOP
Moein M. Khawaja, Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/18/11

This season brings a confluence of two important events for me as an American Muslim, one spiritual, one civic. Ramadan, which coincides with August this year, is the sacred month when Muslims believe God revealed the text of the holy Quran to the prophet Mohammed. And Sept. 11 is the day when my country was attacked as never before, as well as when my faith was tarnished as never before.

Many Muslims would cringe at juxtaposing Ramadan and 9/11. Yet both the holy month and the coming 10th anniversary of 9/11 call on our higher senses of humanity and citizenship.

During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food, sensual pleasures, and vain talk during the daylight hours, focusing on charity, sacrifice, self-discipline, and introspection. Rather than using our free will to pursue whatever animal instincts appeal to our lower minds, Muslims believe we can reach our highest potential by disciplining and ultimately elevating our minds and bodies.

The burn of hunger, giving one's money to others, and performing extra prayers can be painful, and the temptation to go the easy road is always there. But by taking the hard road, I hope to end up with a healthier body, better relationships, and ultimately a satisfied conscience. (More)

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CAIR: CINCINNATI MUSLIMS PROVIDE SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR LOW INCOME STUDENTS - TOP

(CINCINNATI, OH, 8/18/11) -- The Cincinnati office of Council on American-Islamic Relations-Ohio (CAIR-OH) yesterday delivered school supplies to several hundred students at a local elementary school through a national "School Supplies for Students" effort.

"School Supplies for Students," is part of the national "Muslims Care" project that will benefit the 450 students attending Hays-Porter Elementary School in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood by providing school supplies for the whole year. (More)

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CAIR-LA REP TO TAKE PART IN RELEASE OF HATE CRIMES REPORT - TOP
Matt Coker, OC Weekly, 8/18/11

The Orange County Human Relations Commission this morning unveils a 2010 Hate Crime Report that shows African-Americans were victims of one-third of such crimes reported in the region last year. ...

The 2010 report will be released to the press at 10 a.m. today in downtown Santa Ana.

Besides Kennedy, experts helping to break down the data will be Commissioner Ken Inouye; Ed Thomas of Christ Our Redeemer AME Church in Irvine; Kevin O'Grady, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of Orange County/Long Beach; Ameena Qazi, deputy executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations; and Ginger Hahn, executive director of The Center OC. (More)

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VIDEO: MUSLIMS CALLED 'ENEMY' AT HEARING ON MINN. ISLAMIC CENTER - TOP

Watch the video.

PLYMOUTH, Minn. (WCCO) -- An Islamic Community Center is one step closer to moving into a Plymouth neighborhood, but not everyone in town is happy about it.

A downtown Plymouth post office doesn't use most of the space in their building and it's for sale. So, the Northwest Islamic Community Center made an offer to buy it.

That move brought a rare crowd into the Plymouth Planning Commission meeting Wednesday night.

It's because the Islamic group would like to share the building with the post office, leasing it back for rent, which means prayer services and postal services would be in the same building.

During a public hearing on whether the building should be used for religious purposes, citizens sent strong messages -- on both sides.

"Aiding the enemy is treason," said one man opposed to the center. (More)

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CAIR: FROM THE COMMENTS SECTION: EVERYONE HATES MUSLIMS EDITION - TOP
Rich Abdill, Miami New Times, 8/18/11

Sure, the Tea Party may be economically illiterate and prone to asking stupid questions of important people, but if its pols are booted out of office in 2012, it won't be because of poor communication. Those online commenters are really on their collective game. They hunt in packs, like wolves, or really patriotic bees.

We published the letter Tuesday that Congressman Allen West sent to the Center on American-Islamic Relations. We suggested that his letter -- which said nothing but "NUTS!" -- was kind of a stupid way to respond to a group trying to stand up for your constituents' civil liberties.

But the civil liberties of American citizens seem to matter to West and his supporters only if they're being meted out to Christians -- you know, the good Americans. They say the government should stay the hell out of Americans' business, unless you're gay or Muslim or a woman, in which case you get the classic Allen West "[expletive] you, I was in the Army" treatment.

West supporters love this treatment, and their defense of him this week was both steadfast and loyal, which is coincidentally the same phrase West uses at the end of all his [expletive] letters. His letter was well-timed, though: He was labeled a "tea party traitor" for his support of the debt ceiling compromise (an entirely different stupid story), and there isn't any better way to mend Tea Party fences than to break out some good old-fashioned prejudice.

Here are some of the more spectacular comments from his Internet defenders, annotated for maximum truthiness:

West has transformed himself into a "G.I. Joe Goes To Congress" caricature, and the people who are wholeheartedly swooning over it seem to be excited just because someone in power holds the same prejudices they do. (More)

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DESPITE ECONOMY, U.S. MUSLIMS GIVE GENEROUSLY TO DROUGHT VICTIMS - TOP

(Washington, D.C. 8/17/11) American Muslims are donating in record numbers to the current crisis in East Africa, in spite of an overall decline in charitable giving among US donors over the last several years*. Islamic Relief USA has received record online donations this Ramadan, the ninth month of Muslim calendar when Muslims fast and give to charitable causes, with most donors giving overwhelmingly to the East Africa Crisis appeal. ...

Offline, community leaders and imams are galvanizing their local communities to host fundraising events for East Africa. At one fundraiser in Anaheim, Calif., donations to IRUSA’s East Africa Crisis Appeal garnered $600,000 in one night, with hip hop star Lupe Fiasco donating $50,000 for the cause.

"Muslim American donors have time and time again responded to humanitarian appeals of this nature in droves," said Abed Ayoub, CEO of IRUSA. "We have witnessed this with Pakistan’s floods of 2010, Haiti’s earthquake in 2010 and the disasters following the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Now we are receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from the community eager to help alleviate the famine in East Africa." (More)

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CAIR: ANTI-SHARIA BILL LEADS TO PROTESTS IN DETROIT - TOP
Vanessa Evans, Yahoo! Contributor Network, 8/17/11

The anti-Sharia movement has landed in Michigan. A bill sponsored by Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville, would prohibit state courts from using what are being termed "foreign laws" in their cases. While the bill does not specifically cite Islamic law, otherwise known as Sharia, Agema has admitted that those strictures would fall under the banner of "foreign" being legislated in his proposal.

A scheduled protest against the bill, involving prominent Muslim leadership and groups such as the NAACP, was held in Detroit on Tuesday.

Rep. Agema's bill may be the first of its kind in Michigan, but it is one of many such laws currently being sponsored and debated across the United States. The bill has garnered much criticism since its introduction for its perceived racial and religious undertones and has been charged with being a tool for future discrimination, all of which Agema has denied. ...

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Council on American-Islamic Relations are leading the charge to defeat anti-Sharia bills before they are implemented, and to legally challenge the ones, like the Oklahoma constitutional amendment, that have already been implemented. (More)

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CAIR-MI: CRITICS DENOUNCE 'FOREIGN LAWS' BILL - TOP
United Press International, 8/17/11

DETROIT, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Opponents criticized as discriminatory a measure that would forbid Michigan courts to consider "foreign laws," including Shariah, or Muslim law.

"This plan goes against our country's core values of accepting people from all races and walks of life," state Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, a Muslim, said as she joined other opponents in Detroit Tuesday. ...

On Tuesday, the Michigan chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations said it would sue if the measure becomes law. (More)

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FOR MUSLIM WOMEN, WEARING A VEIL ISN'T OPPRESSION - TOP
M. Imran Hayee, Star Tribune, 8/17/11

'It's a scorching day, aren't you feeling warm in this?"

These polite words touched our ears when my wife and I entered the grocery store on one of the few hot summer days in Duluth. My wife was wearing a head scarf and a loose outer garment over her regular clothes.

By far, she was well overdressed for the weather.

A pleasant conversation followed between my wife and the polite enquirer, leaving behind a fundamental question echoing in our minds. What makes us choose our dress? (More)

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