HADITH OF THE DAY: BETTER TO FORGIVE THAN TO PUNISH - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "It is better for a leader to make a mistake in forgiving than to make a mistake in punishing."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1011

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CAIR CALLS FOR MORATORIUM ON DEATH PENALTY FOLLOWING EXECUTION OF TROY DAVIS - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/22/11) ­- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty following the controversial execution of Troy Davis last night in Georgia for the murder of an off-duty police officer.

Because of circumstances surrounding his trial and sentencing, Davis' execution captured worldwide attention. Seven of the nine key witnesses at Davis' trial later recanted their testimony. Some jurors say they have changed their minds about Davis' guilt. A man who was with Davis the night of the murder reportedly confessed that he actually shot the officer.

Ordinary citizens and prominent figures -- including the Pope and former President Jimmy Carter -- called for Davis' death sentence to be commuted.

In a statement issued today, CAIR said:

"This disturbing case demonstrates the urgent need for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty nationwide. As in this case, studies have clearly demonstrated that poor and minority defendants are more likely to be sentenced to death than members of the majority society who have adequate access to legal representation. Justice can never be served by the execution of the innocent."

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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VIDEO: CAIR-MI REP JOINS CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS SOCIAL JUSTICE PANEL - TOP

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 9/22/2011) ­- A representative of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) yesterday spoke on a panel discussion about the importance of interfaith work and social justice at the annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation conference in Washington, D.C. (More)

View the video.

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NEW REVELATIONS: NYPD SPYING ON MUSLIMS WITHOUT SUSPICION OF WRONGDOING - TOP
Adam Goldman, Eileen Sullivan, Matt Apuzzo, MSNBC, 9/22/11

NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Police Department put American citizens under surveillance and scrutinized where they ate, prayed and worked, not because of charges of wrongdoing but because of their ethnicity, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The documents describe in extraordinary detail a secret program intended to catalog life inside Muslim neighborhoods as people immigrated, got jobs, became citizens and started businesses. The documents undercut the NYPD's claim that its officers only follow leads when investigating terrorism. (More)

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CAIR: OHIO MUSLIMS SAY ANTI-TERRORIST FBI TRAINERS ARE BIASED AGAINST ISLAM - TOP
Michael O'Malley, Plain Dealer, 9/21/11

A group of Greater Cleveland Muslims condemned the FBI Wednesday, claiming the agency is hiring anti-terrorism trainers who view mainstream Muslims with suspicion and their faith as a source of terrorism.

American Muslims recently learned that a trainer at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., told 37 agents in a session six months ago that the prophet Muhammad was a "cult leader" and that American Muslims are likely to be terrorist sympathizers.

The FBI issued a public apology and said the agency would no longer employ that trainer.

Locally, FBI special agent Stephen Anthony apologized Friday to Cleveland-area Muslims.

"Let me reiterate that the views purported by this instructor are his personal views and do not represent the views of the FBI," Anthony wrote in an email to local Muslim leaders. (More)

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VIDEO: CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS SPEAK OUT AGAINST ISLAMOPHOBIC FBI TRAINING (CAIR) - TOP
PRESS TV, 9/21/11

Muslim and civil rights groups are speaking out against the most recent reports of Islamophobia in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In a press conference outside FBI headquarters in Washington DC, speakers laid out their grievances.

Most recently, reports have found the FBI hiring agents for its counterterrorism training program who had a history of making Islamophobic comments. Remarks in training sessions include stating al-Qaeda isn't the security threat but Islam itself, calling the Prophet Muhammad a "cult leader", and alleging that zakat or required Islamic charity giving is a "funding mechanism for combat". (More)

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CAIR: THE FBI AND SHADOWY INTERROGATIONS ABROAD - TOP
Nick Baumann, Mother Jones, 9/22/11

Does the US government use British authorities to detain and question American citizens who don't want to talk to FBI terrorism investigators without a lawyer present? A recent case suggests as much.

Last week, Michael Migliore, a 23-year-old American convert to Islam, was nearing the end of a trans-Atlantic cruise from New York to Southampton, England. From there, Migliore hoped to continue on to Italy, where he has family and holds dual citizenship.

Migliore would have flown, but when he tried to, he discovered that he seemed to be on the US government's no-fly list. He believes this was because he was a casual acquaintance of Mohamed Osman Mohamud, the accused "Christmas tree bomber." He had to take a cruise ship across the Atlantic instead of flying. (More)

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CAIR-LA: CALIF. COUNCILMAN CHASTISED FOR MUHAMMAD REMARK - TOP
Mercury News, 9/21/11

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif.--A Southern California councilman is being chastised for mentioning in a public meeting that he named his dog after the Muslim prophet Muhammad.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has called on Derek Reeve to apologize for his comment at a recent San Juan Capistrano council meeting. The Islamic advocacy group says Reeve mentioned naming his dogs America and Muhammad during a discussion about a new dog park.

CAIR's executive director in greater Los Angeles says while Reeve has a right to free speech, his "distasteful remark" is unbefitting of an elected official. The city's mayor and another councilman also criticized Reeve.

An e-mail message seeking comment from Reeve was not immediately returned Wednesday.

The Orange County Register reports that Reeve said he named his dog Muhammad as a political statement. (More)

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CAIR: IRAN FREES AMERICAN HIKERS AFTER TWO YEARS - TOP
Thomas Erdbrink and Ian Shapira, Washington Post, 9/21/11

TEHRAN -- Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, the American hikers jailed in Iran on spying charges since 2009, were freed from prison Wednesday and flown to Oman for a joyful reunion with family members.

"We're so happy we are free," Fattal told reporters at Muscat International Airport in Oman. The 29-year-old Californians and a companion, Sarah Shourd, were arrested in the mountainous region straddling Iraq and Iran for supposedly crossing the border; their detention further frayed diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran.

Shourd, who was freed last year on medical grounds and is engaged to Bauer, was on hand in Oman to greet the two men as they ran down the stairs from the private plane that picked them up in Iran. (More)

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CAIR: FREED HIKERS REJOICE WITH FAMILIES - TOP
Michael Matza, Philly.com, 9/22/11

Racing to meet the outstretched arms of their cheering families on the tarmac in Oman's capital, American hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer alighted from the plane that had whisked them out of Iran, and reveled finally at the room to romp.

Bauer spun in the arms of his fiancee, Sarah Shourd, who had been set free in similar fashion a year ago. Fattal, of Elkins Park, gripped his brother, Alex, in an endless bear hug.

For 26 months, Fattal and Bauer, both 29, were imprisoned in Iran, which last month convicted them of espionage - charges that they and supporters all the way up to President Obama had denied - and imposed eight-year sentences. Their continued detention had further inflamed tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic. (More)

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VIDEO: CAIR DIRECTOR DISCUSSES RELEASE OF IRAN HIKERS ON CNN - TOP

(PARTIAL CLIP) CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad on CNN to discuss the release of Americans Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. (More)

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VIDEO: CAIR REP DISCUSSES PALESTINIAN BID FOR STATEHOOD - TOP

View the video.

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ISLAMOPHOBIA: COMMITTEE OPPOSES ARAB-AMERICAN CANDIDATE FOR VA. HOUSE - TOP
Julian Walker, Virginia Pilot, 9/20/11

As the international debate over Palestinian statehood takes center stage this week, a separate row over Arabs in American politics is brewing in Virginia.

A newly registered state political action committee has been set up to oppose Arab American David Ramadan's bid to win a northern Virginia seat in the House of Delegates, according to paperwork submitted to state election officals.

Ramadan is the Republican nominee running against Democrat Mike Kondratick in the 87th House District that covers part of Loudoun and Prince William counties. (South Hampton Roads lost that seat, most recently held by Norfolk Del. Paula Miller (D), during reapportionment.)

Opposing Ramadan is the Virginia Anti-Shariah Task Force PAC, a group whose Web site explains its mission as an effort to block "implementation of the radical, barbaric and anti-Constitutional" Muslim religious law in this country. (More)

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EEOC SUES ALBUQUERQUE HOTEL FOR REFUSING WORKER'S HIJAB REQUEST - TOP

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - 704 HTL Operating, LLC and Investment Corporation of America, doing business as MCM Elegante Hotel in Albuquerque, violated federal law by subjecting a Muslim woman to religious discrimination and to retaliation for opposing the discrimination, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed on September 21, 2011.

In its suit, the EEOC said that the hotel failed to accommodate Safia Abdullah's request to work wearing a hijab, a head scarf worn by Muslim women for religious purposes. In addition, the EEOC alleges that the hotel either failed to hire Abdullah or discharged her because of her religion and/or because she engaged in the protected conduct of opposing discrimination, including requesting religious accommodation. (More)