CAIR 'Cautiously' Welcomes CIA Probe of Role in NYPD Mosque Spying - TOP

(NEW YORK, NY, 9/13/11) -- The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today "cautiously" welcomed a decision by the CIA to launch an internal investigation into whether that agency broke the law by helping the New York City Police Department (NYPD) engage in widespread religious and ethnic profiling and monitoring of Muslim communities.

SEE: CIA Investigates Whether Laws Broken Helping NYPD
CAIR: New York Police Reportedly Spy on American Muslims

"We cautiously welcome the CIA's decision to probe its apparent cooperation in the profiling of an entire religious community, and hope the agency's investigation will be undertaken honestly and transparently," said CAIR-NY Civil Rights Manager Cyrus McGoldrick. "Constitutional rights and protections need not be sacrificed to ensure our nation's safety and security, and our law enforcement agencies must protect all Americans by investigating crimes and not communities."

McGoldrick said he would have preferred a third-party independent investigation of the issue.

He said an ongoing investigation by the Associated Press revealed that undercover NYPD officers in a so-called "Demographics Unit" targeted Muslim communities and houses of worship in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut with the assistance of individuals linked to the CIA.

NYPD officials initially denied the Demographics Unit existed, despite the AP's publication of an NYPD presentation that described the mission and makeup of the unit.

McGoldrick said CAIR, along with a coalition of other religious and civil liberties groups, recently called on the New York City Council and Mayor Michael Bloomberg to enforce a law that prohibits the use of racial or ethnic profiling by law enforcement officers.

He said CAIR also called on the Senate Intelligence Committee, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Justice to take action in response to the revelations.

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-NY Civil Rights Manager Cyrus McGoldrick, call/text: 203-206-6883, 212-870-2002, E-Mail: cmcgoldrick@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

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CAIR Asks FBI to Probe NC Arson as Hate Crime - TOP
'911 Go Home' spray-painted on outside of Sikh-owned store.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/13/2011) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the FBI to investigate an arson fire at a Sikh-owned store in North Carolina as a possible hate crime. (NOTE: Sikh men in beards and turbans are often targeted for discrimination by bigots who mistake them for Muslims.)

The alleged perpetrators reportedly spray-painted "911 Go Home" on the outside of the burned store. Officials say an accelerant was used to start the fire.

SEE: Fire Targeted Sikh-Owned Shop in Clay County
AP: Message at NC Store Fire Prompts Hate Crime Probe

"No American should be harassed or intimidated because of his or her perceived faith or ethnicity," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "Because of the apparent bias motive of the perpetrators, we ask the FBI to add its resources to the state hate crime probe of this disturbing incident."

He noted that earlier this year, CAIR's Sacramento Valley chapter (CAIR-SV) offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals who gunned down two elderly Sikh men in Elk Grove, Calif.

Last fall, CAIR-SV called for an FBI investigation of an attack on a Sikh cab driver in West Sacramento. The driver said passengers made anti-Muslim remarks during the attack. Two men were later arrested on charges of felony assault and commission of a hate crime.

Hooper said that following recent incidents targeting American Muslims and their institutions, CAIR urged members of the Muslim community to review security procedures using advice contained in its "Muslim Community Safety Kit."

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 National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

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CAIR-MI Decries Official Platform Given to Hate Group Speakers - TOP

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 9/13/2011) ­- The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today expressed concern over Michigan State Representative Dave Agema's (R-Grandville) endorsement of speakers who expressed xenophobic and anti-Muslim views at a hearing and rally at the Michigan State Capital Building today in Lansing.

Agema, who sponsored Michigan House Bill No. 4026 Occupational Code Bill, promoted views and statistics on immigration by the Federation of American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has designated a "hate group" for its ties to White Supremacists.

FAIR: Crossing the Rubicon of Hate (SPLC)

Also testifying at the hearing and later speaking at the rally was controversial, self-proclaimed ex-terrorist Kamal Saleem, who has been connected to "ex-terrorist" Walid Shoebat.

CNN recently aired a two-part series exposing Shoebat as an anti-Islam fraud.

Video: CNN Exposes Walid Shoebat's Terror Training Scam: Part 1 and Part 2

SEE ALSO: USAF Pays Fake 'Terrorism Experts" Speakers to Bash Islam?
Fake 'Ex-Terrorist' Wants Sharia Banned in Missouri (Loonwatch)

Saleem today asserted without empirical evidence that undocumented immigrants are a threat to national security and that sleeper cells are in Michigan, an Islamophobic claim similarly made by Agema in the context of immigration enforcement.

SEE: Is Farmworkers' Challenge For Legislators Supporting Strict Immigration Reform to 'Take Our Jobs' Bogus? (Grand Rapids Press)

Also speaking at the rally was Oakland County Commissioner Jim Runestad (R-Waterford), who is the founding board member of FAIR in Michigan.

Supporters during the hearing made racist statements that immigrants bring diseases such as "tuberculosis" and "bed bugs" into Michigan, reflecting past statements of Agema relating to immigrants and disease.

CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid offered testimony at today's hearing regarding the need for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level as well as pointing out to committee members the bias motives behind Agema's FAIR-driven legislation.

"Instead of introducing bills that will unite us as a state and attract investments, Agema is introducing controversial and xenophobic legislation," said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. "We call on Agema's colleagues within the state house to disassociate themselves from bias-driven legislation and from those who promote such bizarre bills."

Walid also noted that Agema is the sponsor of Michigan House Bill Ho. 4679 also called an "anti-Sharia bill," which has been resolutely condemned by civil rights organizations such as the ACLU and NAACP.

SEE: Detroit Legislators, Civil Rights Groups Speak Out Against 'anti-Sharia' Bill(Mlive.com)

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-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, E-Mail: dwalid@cair.com, CAIR-MI Outreach Coordinator Raheem Hanifa, 248-559-2247, E-Mail: rhanifa@cair.com

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CAIR: U.S. MUSLIM RELEASED AFTER DETENTION IN ENGLAND - TOP
Matthew Barakat, The Associated Press, 9/13/11

McLEAN, Va. -- An Oregon man who traveled to England by boat because of his apparent placement on the U.S. no-fly list has been released from custody by British authorities after being detained upon arrival from a trans-Atlantic cruise, according to his family. ...

Gadeir Abbas, Migliore's lawyer with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, had challenged Migliore's placement on the no-fly list, saying he had been denied due process. Abbas was writing letters to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and FBI Director Robert Mueller seeking Migliore's removal from the list. (More)

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CAIR-OK: JUDGES ASKS WHY ANTI-SHARIA LAW APPLIES TO ONLY ONE RELIGION -TOP
Robert Boczkiewicz, The Oklahoman, 9/13/11

DENVER -- Judges who will decide whether Oklahoma can ban Islamic law from the state's courts raised questions Monday about the effect of the ban and why it applies to only one religion.

"There's no mention of any other specific law," Judge Scott Matheson of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said during oral arguments about the ban voters approved in November by a wide margin.

"We just have Sharia law singled out," Matheson said as he questioned Oklahoma Solicitor General Patrick Wyrick, who argued in defense of the ban becoming part of the state constitution.

"The intent here was to exclude Sharia law and international law," Wyrick responded.

Oklahoma City Muslim Muneer Awad, with support from Islamic believers in other parts of the United States, claims in a court challenge that the ban violates the U.S. Constitution's protection for freedom of religion.

Another of the three appellate judges who will decide whether the ban will take effect, Terrence O'Brien, wondered if it would affect the preferences of people of other religions in child custody court cases.

Wyrick assured the judge the ban would not apply in those circumstances.

Awad's ACLU attorney, Micheal Salem, of Norman, cast the outlook in a different light. "It will only take 50 percent plus one to ban the next religion."

"This was a pre-emptive strike against a religion they singled out," Salem said. (More)

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TX: PETROL STATION EMPLOYEE WISHES MUSLIM CUSTOMER 'HAPPY 9/11' - TOP
Richard Connelly, Houston Press, 9/13/11

Talk about a PR nightmare.

A guy named Tarek G. wrote a Yelp review of Houston's Petrol Station that included quite a tale: His to-go box, which included an un-American hamburger ordered so he could participate in the Satanic Islamic ritual of watching the Cowboys game, came with a drawing of a plane about to hit the World Trade Center and "Happy 9/11" on it. ...

The good news is that the owner of the Petrol Station seems to be a stand-up guy.

He tweeted: "We sincerely apologize for our employees actions, he has been terminated. We are ashamed to have been associated with this individual".

He also met personally with the customer and apologized. Tarek G. added an addendum to his review: (More)

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AT U.K. TERROR INQUIRY, REP KING DEFENDS I.R.A. TERROR - TOP
By Justin Elliott, Salon.com, 9/13/11

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) stood by his past support for Irish terrorism during an appearance today before a British parliamentary inquiry into the roots of Muslim terrorism.

King, the chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, came under fire as a hypocrite earlier this year when he launched his own hearings into "domestic radicalization" in the American Muslim community.

Critics, including a civilian survivor of a 1990 Irish Republican Army bombing in London, called out King for being an unrepentant supporter of the I.R.A. King built his career in the Irish Catholic community of Nassau County as a pro-I.R.A. firebrand in the 1980s, and was even involved with a fundraising organization suspected of providing the militant group with money and weapons. (More)

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CAIR-PA: 9/11 A DAY TO REFLECT - TOP
Tephanie Farr & Regina Medina, Philadelphia Daily News, 9/13/11

It was a day when other, more wounded corners of the country were the main focus of attention. But Philadelphia did more than its share to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks yesterday, as hundreds joined hands to mourn and remember.

At Rittenhouse Square, a circle of hand-holding strangers - from a young man in a Beatles yarmulke to a friar in a Franciscan robe - was the culmination of "Hands Across the Square," an interfaith festival and remembrance service. ...

Nearby, Fatin Guzlan and Sally Selim, of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, handed out dates, a traditional Muslim treat.

"We're here to explain that we're Americans, too, and that Sept. 11 was a double whammy for us," said Selim. "It hit us as Americans and it hit our religion." (More)