- Verse: God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth
- CAIR: Muslims Played Key Role in Snagging Fla. Terror Suspect
- CAIR: Federal Court Deals Blow to Anti-Shariah Efforts (MSNBC)
- Video: CAIR Works with Japanese-American Community
- Audio: CAIR Rep Discusses Military Detention of U.S. Citizens
- PA: Religious Right Targets Muslims' School Prayers
- More Murder of Iranian Scientists: Still Terrorism? (Salon)
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VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD IS THE LIGHT OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH - TOP
"God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche, and within it a lamp; the Lamp enclosed in Glass; the glass a brilliant star, lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive neither of the East nor of the West whose Oil is well-nigh luminous though fire scarce touched it. Light upon Light! God doth guide whom He will to His Light."
The Holy Quran, 24:35
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CAIR: MUSLIMS PLAYED KEY ROLE IN SNAGGING FLA. TERROR SUSPECT - TOP
St. Petersburg Times editorial board, St. Petersburg Times, 1/11/12
It was the Muslim community that helped the FBI snag terror suspect Sami Osmakac, the man accused of planning to bomb public buildings in the Tampa Bay area. That should not be forgotten as this case unfolds. Too often the threats of an extremist are extended to the broader Muslim community, which can lead to prejudice and discrimination. Just look at the objections to the Muslim leader who was invited to speak at a Hillsborough high school history class. Osmakac's case is a reminder that the Muslim community often partners with law enforcement, identifying dangerous extremists. The nation would be less safe without that help.
The allegations against Osmakac, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Kosovo, are stunning. According to the federal complaint, Osmakac plotted to carry out car bomb attacks, including at nightclubs in Ybor City. His intention, according to the FBI, was to do something "terrifying" in order to avenge the perceived mistreatment of Muslims. But Osmakac was considered no friend of the Tampa Bay Muslim community. His extremist rhetoric and intimidating behavior had already made him an outcast.
Osmakac was apparently banned by two area mosques, and police were called by the Islamic Society of Pinellas County, a mosque in Pinellas Park, to issue a trespass warning against him. Ahmed Bedier, founder of United Voices for America, a nonprofit group promoting Muslim participation in politics, said that he reported Osmakac to police and the FBI due to his behavior.
And thanks to an informant, who contacted the FBI in September to say that Osmakac had come to his or her business trying to find a flag that represented al-Qaida, Osmakac fully registered on the FBI's radar, according to the federal complaint. That informant became a linchpin of the investigation, introducing Osmakac to a connection who was an FBI undercover agent, so federal agents could track his activities.
It is these efforts by the larger Muslim community to subdue Osmakac and alert authorities that should stick in the mind when his name gets mentioned. (More)
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CAIR: FLA. MUSLIMS GRATEFUL FOR RECOGNITION IN FOILING PLOT (VIDEO) - TOP
Eric Glasser, WTSP, 1/10/12
Watch the video here.
Tampa, Florida -- Sami Osmakac, 25, may not be the only person the feds have their eyes on in the Bay area.
People in the Islamic community, praised for their role in helping to foil Osmakac's alleged terror plot, say the Pinellas Park man had three or four associates who were also asked to leave local mosques for their radical, disruptive behavior. They believe those associates have views as radical as Osmakac's, and the FBI should keep an eye on them.
Before ever showing up on the government's radar screen, Sami Osmakac was already know to Tampa Bay's Muslim community.
He was thrown out of two local mosques, and rejected by several others for what were perceived as "radical views, disruptive behavior, intimidating other worshipers, you know - getting into arguments with people," said Ahmed Bedier, a Muslim community activist.
Bedier says Osmakac physically threatened him for promoting Muslim participation in the democratic process, even calling him an infidel.
He and other Islamic leaders brought Osmakac to the government's attention nearly two years ago, but heard nothing until recently about his arrest. The government said it had been tracking Osmakac since last fall, leaving some to wonder what took so long? (More)
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VIDEO: CAIR-FL REP SAYS SUSPECT 'HAD NO UNDERSTANDING OF MUSLIM FAITH' -TOP
FOX13, 1/11/12
TAMPA - Terror suspect Sami Osmakac frightened many members of Tampa Bay's Islamic community, and in turn, members reported him to authorities.
The FBI said, in fact, Osmakac had turned radical.
Agents say they uncovered a chilling plan to kill with car bombs and grenades in Tampa.
CAIR executive director Hassan Shibly says preventing religious extremism is possible.
"Maybe we can work towards having a program where we can stop radicalization early on and work with law enforcement and the community to educate our youth," said Shibly. "I think the problem with this kid is that he was disturbed and he had no understanding of the Muslim faith."
Watch the video here.
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CAIR: FEDERAL COURT DEALS BLOW TO ANTI-SHARIAH EFFORTS (MSNBC) - TOP
Kari Huus, msnbc.com, 1/11/12
In a decision that Muslim legal advocates celebrated as a major win, a federal appeals court on Tuesday agreed with a lower court that blocked an Oklahoma law that would have barred state courts from considering or using Shariah law -- the Islamic code of conduct.
The law would likely dampen similar legislation proposed in at least 20 U.S. states over the last couple of years, said Noah Feldman, professor of law at Harvard University.
The decision "should have a good, positive, desirable chilling effect," said Feldman. "It should tell people in those jurisdictions that (similar laws) almost all will be judged unconstitutional."
In the November 2010 election, Oklahomans voted overwhelmingly for referendum SQ 755 -- described by its author, Rep. Rex Duncan, as "a preemptive strike against Sharia Law coming to Oklahoma."
The amendment stated that: "The courts shall not look to the legal precepts of other nations or cultures. Specifically, the courts shall not consider international law or Sharia law."
Muslim challenged law
A lawsuit filed two days after the election by Oklahoma resident Muneer Awad, a Muslim, charged that the law violated his First Amendment rights. In addition to stigmatizing him and other Muslims, Awad argued, the amendment would invalidate his last will and testament, which made reference to Islamic writings.
A federal judge in Oklahoma agreed that the amendment was most likely unconstitutional and granted a permanent injunction preventing its implementation until a final determination could be made.
On Tuesday, a judge for the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Colo., agreed with the lower court and upheld the injunction -- rejecting an appeal by the state of Oklahoma.
"Because the amendment discriminates among religions, it is 'suspect,'" the higher court ruled, "and 'we apply strict scrutiny in adjudging its constitutionality.'"
The case returns to Oklahoma for a final determination, but the circuit court decision was met with enthusiasm by Muslim civil rights advocates.
"The decision today is an extremely strong signal that the Oklahoma anti-Muslim amendment will be stricken," said Gadeir Abbas, staff attorney for the Council on American Islamic Relations, who wrote the lawsuit.
"It's not as if the 10th circuit is a bastion of left-wing activism," he said. "This is coming from a very conservative court ... It is unequivocal that there are really serious, very clear violations of the constitution that this amendment poses." (More)
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VIDEO: CAIR REP BEHIND LAWSUIT REACTS TO OKLA. SHARIA RULING - TOP
NewsOn6.com, 1/10/12
Watch the video here.
OKLAHOMA CITY - A federal appeals court upheld a temporary stop to our state's ban on sharia law.
Voters overwhelmingly passed the constitutional amendment in November 2010, but it still hasn't gone into effect because of a fierce court battle.
The amendment bans state courts from considering international and Islamic - or Sharia - Law, when deciding cases.
The man suing the state says Oklahomans were asked to vote on something that was unconstitutional.
Muneer Awad has been fighting for this day for more than a year and the fight's not over.
"We're just hopeful that we can carry the momentum to continue to show politicians that this type of legislation, legislation that targets religious minorities, is unconstitutional," Awad said.
Awad is the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma. He filed a lawsuit that claims banning Sharia Law targets Muslims.
"It demonized Muslims by saying they are somehow a unique threat to the state of Oklahoma. The law says that on its face," Awad said. (More)
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CAIR-OK: COURT UPHOLDS INJUNCTION AGAINST SHARIAH LAW BAN - TOP
Robert Boczkiewicz, Tulsa World, 1/11/12
DENVER - An appeals court on Tuesday said Oklahoma's ban on the consideration of Islamic Shariah law in the state's courts "is likely unconstitutional" and kept in place an injunction against the voter-approved measure.
"While the public has an interest in the will of the voters being carried out ... the public has a more profound and long-term interest in upholding an individual's constitutional rights," the 10th U.S. Court of Appeals said.
The Denver-based court ruled 3-0 that the rights of an Oklahoma City Muslim, Muneer Awad, likely would be violated if the ban on Shariah law takes effect.
"When the law that voters wish to enact is likely unconstitutional, their interests do not outweigh Mr. Awad's in having his constitutional rights protected," the judges wrote in a 37-page decision.
Awad sued to block the "Save Our State" constitutional amendment, approved by 70 percent of Oklahoma voters on Nov. 2, 2010.
The measure, also known as State Question 775, bars Oklahoma state courts from considering or using Shariah law.
Awad contended the measure stigmatizes him and others who practice the Muslim faith, limits results Muslims can obtain from the courts and would prevent his last will and testament from being probated in Oklahoma because the will has references to Shariah law. (More)
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CAIR: COURT REMINDS OKLAHOMA IT CAN'T DISCRIMINATE AGAINST MUSLIMS -TOP
Bud Kennedy, Star-Telegram, 1/10/12
Thank goodness for Oklahoma.
Every time Texas begins to feel like some remote backwater -- say, during a presidential campaign -- Oklahoma is right there to make Texans feel downright civilized.
In the latest example of Oklahomans Gone Wild, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Sooner State can't ban courts from considering Islamic law.
An Oklahoma City lawyer, Muneer Awad, argued successfully that an "anti-Shariah" constitutional amendment discriminates against Muslim residents. He said it prevents courts from even probating a will if it mentions Islam.
State lawyers argued that the amendment was never meant to single out Islam or deprive Muslims of religious freedom.
Gosh.
That must be why the ballot proposal -- spelled Oklahoma-style -- forbids "using Sharia Law" and even added, "Sharia Law is Islamic Law ... the Koran and the teachings of Mohammed." (More)
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VIDEO: CAIR WORKS WITH JAPANESE-AMERICAN COMMUNITY - TOP
This is the first 5 minutes of the Passing Down the Legacy documentary. Watch the videohere.
Passing Down the Legacy follows the Bridging Communities youth program in Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco. This program was established as a proactive response by Japanese American Citizens League, Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress and Council on American-Islamic Relations to a number of incidents of hate and intolerance incurred by the American Muslim community in the long aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. R
ecognizing the similarities that Japanese Americans faced in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor ultimately resulting in Japanese American incarceration, Bridging Communities was meant to build solidarity and partnership between these two communities. This documentary captures the culmination of the program as the students visit Manzanar, Tule Lake and Minidoka where they must face history, connect to the present and learn the importance of taking action for the future.
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AUDIO: CAIR REP DISCUSSES MILITARY DETENTION OF U.S. CITIZENS - TOP
KBOO, 1/10/12
Listen to the interview here.
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PA: RELIGIOUS RIGHT TARGETS MUSLIMS' SCHOOL PRAYERS - TOP
Simon Brown, Opposing Views, 1/11/12
Religious Right zealots are always griping when they think public schools are infringing on Christian students' religious expression, but if there is even a hint that a Muslim student might be praying in school, they get very upset.
In the West Shore School District near Harrisburg, Pa., some parents have been getting pretty angry that Muslim children might be allowed to pray during school hours - even though it hasn't even been confirmed that any students are actually praying.
The "controversy" apparently arose when a district parent was on WHP 580 with talk radio host Bob Durgin and claimed that a multicultural awareness training session at West Shore included a discussion of Muslim prayer in schools.
Durgin, a right-wing agitator and Bill O'Reilly wannabe, went on to do several shows on the topic, and apparently he touched a nerve with some listeners.
According to the Harrisburg Patriot-News, one woman who called the newspaper said she thought Muslim students had received special privileges. The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said students are forbidden from singing religious songs at holiday concerts.
"It's accommodating one religion in lieu of all the others," she said.
Not exactly. (More)
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MO: MUSLIM DOCTORS OPEN FREE CLINIC - TOP
Mary Shapiro, Metro St. Louis Suburban Journals, 1/11/12
Athar Khan, of O'Fallon, Mo., had no insurance and no clue where to go when he started having knee pain.
"But I found out about the new Volunteers in Medicine West County Clinic through my mosque," he said Sunday afternoon, as he sat in the waiting room of the clinic in Manchester.
"If I didn't come here, I would have had to go to a hospital emergency room. I'm very glad they're here."
Helping those in the community and taking some of the pressure off jammed hospital emergency rooms are the goals of the new clinic, which is operated by medical and non-medical volunteers.
It's a public health project of the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis, which pitches in by paying rent for the clinic offices. Many of the volunteers attend the mosque.
The two-month-old clinic is open from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sundays and offers free, non-emergency primary health care for uninsured, low-income people aged 18 to 64. (More)
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MORE MURDER OF IRANIAN SCIENTISTS: STILL TERRORISM? - TOP
Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com, 1/11/12
In general, the American covert war against Iran is extraordinarily dangerous and probably illegal (it's certainly unauthorized), but in particular, the assassination of Iran's scientists is just reprehensible. Now that it's actually happening, one wishes the reaction to it were even partially as aggressive as it was when a right-wing blogger suggested it. (More)
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