CAIR: U.S. MUSLIM ON NO-FLY LIST DETAINED IN U.K. - TOP
Oregon resident took train to N.Y., ship to U.K., was detained on arrival

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/12/11) --- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported today that an Oregon Muslim who traveled by ship to Europe because he is on the U.S. government's "no-fly" list has been detained in the United Kingdom when he disembarked in Southampton.

CAIR recently sent letters to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and FBI Director Robert Mueller seeking assistance for 23-year-old Michael Migliore, who is trying to travel to Italy to live with his mother. Migliore's mother told CAIR that she received a call from law enforcement authorities in the U.K. who said her son had been "arrested."

American officials told Migliore, a dual citizen of the United States and Italy, that he is on the no-fly list when he tried to take a flight from Portland, Ore., to Italy. Migliore believes he was placed on the list after he refused to be interviewed by the FBI without an attorney present.

SEE: Muslim Civil Rights Group Continues Fight Over Government's Implementation of No-Fly List (AP)

Because of the no-fly list restrictions, Migliore purchased a train ticket from Portland to New York City and a ticket for travel by sea from New York City to Southampton. He left Oregon on September 1 and arrived in the United Kingdom today.

"We are in contact with the family and with officials in the United Kingdom to determine why he is being held and whether his detention is at the request of American officials," said CAIR Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas. "We are concerned that Mr. Migliore's detention is due to his placement without due process on the no-fly list and maintain that the United States must protect an American Muslim travelling abroad just as it would any other American citizen."

Abbas said CAIR has dealt with a number of cases in which American Muslims are placed on the no-fly list or barred from returning to the United States without explanation.

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Video: FBI Prevents Va. Muslim from Returning to U.S.

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 Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas, 720-251-0425, E-Mail: gabbas@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-OK: APPELLATE COURT TO HEAR ISLAMIC LAW CASE - TOP
Associated Press, 9/12/11

DENVER (AP) -- A federal appeals court in Denver is considering Oklahoma's voter approved law that prohibits state courts from considering international law or Islamic law when deciding cases. ...

The executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma, Muneer Awad, filed the lawsuit. (More)

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CAIR-ST. LOUIS: MUSLIMS REMEMBER 9/11 WITH PRAYER, COMMUNITY SERVICE -TOP
Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio, 9/11/11

Members of many faiths gathered at the grounds of the Gateway Arch on Sunday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

The St. Louis office of the Council of American-Islamic Relations organized the event, which included a recitation of the Muslim afternoon prayer.

After 9/11, members of the Muslim community were blamed for the attacks simply because of their religion, said Faizan Syed, CAIR's executive director here in St. Louis.

"Ten years later we have come here and we have gathered under the shade of the Arch as a way of standing together in a united front, and a way of showing our unity towards the people and the society that we live in," he said. (More)

SEE ALSO:

VIDEO: CAIR-SACRAMENTO DIRECTOR RECALLS 9/11 AND AFTERMATH - TOP

Life became infinitely more complicated for CAIR-Sacramento Executive Director Basim Elkarra and his family when terrorists attacked America 10 years ago today. Elkarra passionately defends his faith.

Watch the video.

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CAIR-SACRAMENTO: MUSLIM REFLECTIONS ON 9/11 - TOP
Cynthia Hubert, Sacramento Bee, 9/11/11

"Once someone yelled at my sister, 'Go back to where you came from!'" said Elkarra, director of the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "They seemed confused and puzzled when my sister, who happens to be a doctor, responded in flawless English, 'I am from here.' "

Life became infinitely more complicated for Elkarra and his family when terrorists attacked America 10 years ago today. Many American Muslims have felt the need to passionately defend their faith and their backgrounds, and to make clear that they do not hold the same values as the men who carried out the attacks. (More)

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CAIR-MN PROMOTES EDUCATION, TOLERANCE IN POST 9-11 AMERICA - TOP

(MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 9/11/11) -- The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) is commemorating today the tenth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks with the nation. CAIR-MN, the state's only Muslim civil rights organization, has taken a leadership role in promoting education and tolerance in post 9-11 America.

On September 8, over 70 Minnesota attorneys attended a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminar organized by CAIR-MN, held at Hamline University School of Law. The CLE provided legal practitioners an opportunity to learn background information on Islam, become aware of common religious accommodation needs of Muslims, and dispel common misconceptions and stereotypes.

On September 9, CAIR-MN awarded local community activist Mohammad Zafar, an American Muslim and U.S. Marine, with the "Unity and Renewal Award" in observance of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The $2,000 award is presented to individuals who "exemplify the spirit of moving America forward from the national tragedy of 9/11." (More)

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CAIR-TAMPA: COMMUNITY MOVES FORWARD WITH INTERFAITH DIALOGUE POST-9/11 - TOP
Zachary Tomlinson, New Roots News, 9/11/11

In commemoration and memory of Sept. 11, the Islamic community of Tampa aligned with Christian and peace-centric organizations from throughout Tampa Bay to break bread and speak on how a multicultural humanity copes with horror and what action, as an entire people working across lines of belief and conviction, can be taken to restore dignity and community abroad. These are the wounds of an entire nation and culture, and one must wonder if they are healing.

"9/11 happened to us all," a featured speaker said in a video presentation from the Council for American-Islamic Relations. It was that sentiment which encapsulated the event: the boundaries of faith and politics were exceeded by the will to foster a sense of cosmic unity.

Hassan Shibly, executive director of CAIR Tampa, desires a world that is unbridled by fervent nationalism and bigotry, where diversity and humanity are essential. "Let us unite today and say no to those who wish to justify violence and hatred to our brothers and sisters in humanity ...," he said. (More)

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CAIR: A DECADE OF BEING SINGLED OUT - TOP
Sadef A. Kully, Dawn.com, 9/12/11

For all Americans, it was marked as one of the most tragic days in the history of the United States, but America is not alone. September 11 and its damaging domino effect has changed the world's history as well.

The United States declared a war that has yet to finish, national security for many countries has dramatically changed, an oscillating global economy, and the stifling fear of growing terrorism.

While the world changed so did the quiet lives of Muslim Americans.

Over the past ten years, many events have taken place within the United States that are considered controversial and have stirred many Muslims in their communities.

There were many assaults, mosque vandalism, and protests against Muslims but the first fatal backlash occurred in on September 15, 2001 when Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh, was murdered in Arizona. It was a sign of things to come. ...

The public opinion quickly changed to political opinion when the Chairman of Homeland Security Committee Republican representative Peter King held a McCarthy-like hearing on "radicalisation" of Muslims in the United States. To date, King has held three hearings on the same issues and has planned for more hearings.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) along with 50 other groups wrote a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives in response stating, "The hearings planned by Chairman King, however, are inconsistent with this vision of America. Singling out a group of Americans for government scrutiny based on their faith is divisive and wrong. These hearings will inevitably examine activities protected by the First Amendment, an affront to fundamental freedoms upon which our country was founded." (More)

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CAIR-MI LAUNCHES "REMEMBER THROUGH SERVICE" FOR 9/11 ANNIVERSARY -TOP

SOUTHFIELD -- The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) this week launched a billboard and Internet campaign designed to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11 terror attacks by highlighting the service of Michigan Muslims to the nation.

The CAIR-MI "Remember Through Service" campaign is designed to tell the stories of Michigan Muslims who have given back to the United States and to provide an accurate depiction of how Muslims contribute to the broader society. (More)

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CAIR-MI: ISLAMIC LEADERS REMEMBER 9/11, CONDEMN TERRORISM - TOP
Jessica Carreras, Patch.com, 9/11/11

Islamic leaders from multiple local organizations and mosques met Sunday morning in Dearborn to publicly recognize the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, as well as to stand against terrorism.

Standing on the steps of the Islamic Center of America, they sent a message that Islam is not about terror, but about building bridges within the communities in which they live, work and worship. The event brought together imams from Canton, Rochester Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Detroit, Hamtramck, Dearborn Heights and Dearborn. ...

Council on American-Islamic Relations Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid also used the opportunity to speak out publicly against the anti-religious law bill currently up for debate in the Michigan House of Representatives, which he said he sees as an example of political anti-Islamic sentiment that has been largely focused on Dearborn and metro Detroit.

"People who are outside the state of Michigan have come here to stir up problems and it has reflected itself in many different ways, including outsiders trying to introduce--through a state leader here--anti-Sharia legislation," Walid said. (More)

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CAIR-MI: WE NEED TO CHALLENGE POLITICS OF FEAR 10 YEARS AFTER 9/11 - TOP
Dawud Walid, The Michigan Citizen, 9/11/11

[Dawud Walid is executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Michigan (CAIR-MI)]

As we reflect on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, our country has the opportunity to reflect upon how far we have collectively moved away from being seen as a moral authority on civil and human rights in the world and where we need to go in the future to restore this perceived authority.

Ten years ago, the world grieved with us as we lost our fathers, mothers, sons, daughters and friends to the most deadly terrorist attack upon American soil. Even countries and organizations that have continued to be deemed extremist -- Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah -- denounced the attack by Al-Qaeda as a crime against humanity and "un-Islamic." However, much of the sympathy and empathy that we received from the world has fundamentally eroded 10 years later.

In less than two months after 9/11, President George W. Bush signed into law the U.S. Patriot Act, which provided unprecedented powers to federal law enforcement entities to surveil persons without predication of terrorism-related activities, including the expanded usage of paid informants (15,000 FBI informants alone, according to current data) to infiltrate religious institutions and the ability to detain citizens during border reentry without charges in the name of national security.

Such powers have led to systematic abuses ranging from United State Border Patrol agents having the authority to detain and question persons -- including citizens up to 100 miles from the U.S. border -- without proof of criminal activity and anti-war activists having their homes raided and being served with grand jury subpoenas due to their lawful political expressions to citizens being placed on the no-fly list while being overseas, then being barred from flying home to their own country, America. (More)

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CAIR-SAN DIEGO: MUSLIMS REFLECT ON CHANGES SINCE 9/11 - TOP
City News Service, 9/11/11

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, proved to be a catalyst for increased political involvement by the Muslim community in the United States, said the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in San Diego.

"In general, we have all come out of this stronger," said Hanif Mohebi. "I do pray the scapegoating after 9/11 is over."

Young Muslims in America have changed over the past 10 years, mostly in their political awareness, leading to the election of two Islamic members of Congress, he said in reference to Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind. (More)

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CA: OAKLAND MUSEUM CANCELS PALESTINIAN KIDS' WAR ART - TOP
Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/10/11

An Oakland children's museum, citing pressure from the community, canceled a planned exhibit of artwork by Palestinian youth that depicted the Israeli assault during the 2008-09 Gaza conflict.

The Museum of Children's Art was scheduled to display the art from Sept. 24 to Nov. 13. The exhibit had been in the works for several months, with an opening reception to feature poetry and special art activities for children.

The drawings in the exhibit were created by children ranging in age from about 9 to 11 and included bombs dropping, tanks and people getting shot.

"They are pictures of what these children experienced. It's their experience," said Barbara Lubin, executive director of the Middle East Children's Alliance, which was organizing the exhibition. (More)

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CAIR-CAN: MUSLIM-CANADIAN BUSINESSMAN NOT ALLOWED INTO U.S. - TOP
The Link, 9/11/11

OTTAWA -- Hamoud can no longer travel to the United States, and the middle-aged Calgary businessman says he doesn't know why.

He's one of many Canadians who now think twice before they head to the U.S. -- or can't go there at all -- because of post-9-11 security restrictions.

"The whole thing has just been a nightmare, really," he said in an interview. ...

Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations, said his group still receives reports from Muslims about difficulty crossing the border.

"When I speak to members of the community, some of them do express a concern about travelling," he said.

"They may choose to travel to different destinations as a result of this." (More)