HADITH OF THE DAY: TENDER FEELINGS - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Anyone who is deprived of tender feelings is in fact deprived of goodness."

Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1185

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CAIR: MUSLIM VOTERS FEEL SLIGHTED BY BOTH PARTIES (ROLL CALL) - TOP
Ambreen Ali, Roll Call, 1/30/12

The presidential candidates of both parties are competing for cash and votes on every front, with one possible exception.

Muslim Americans, particularly conservatives, say they feel slighted this election cycle. Rather than court Muslims, Republican candidates have been competing for the toughest stance on national security and openly discussing whether Muslims should be allowed to serve in their administrations. ...

Muslims have been swing voters in recent elections. Theirs is a diverse community from many parts of the world and varying socioeconomic backgrounds but one that appears to vote in unison.

In 2000, 70 percent of Muslims backed Bush. Four years later, a similar percentage supported Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). The community backed Obama even more resoundingly, giving him 90 percent of its vote in 2008.

Muslims make up less than 1 percent of the population, but large concentrations live in key electoral states such as Ohio, Michigan and Virginia. Many in the community have attained higher income and education levels than the general population, and they remember a time when presidential contenders went out of their way to court them and their dollars. ...

Though many Muslims are immigrants with ties abroad, a survey conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations in 2008 found that Muslims vote based on domestic priorities such as education, civil rights, health care and jobs. The community teeters between the parties depending on the issue, according to Robert McCaw, CAIR's government affairs coordinator.

"There's a conservative vein that could be taken advantage of, but, in the current political climate, it's not," he said. (More)

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CAIR: ISLAM CRITIC'S INVITE TO WEST POINT DRAWS PROTEST - TOP
Associated Press, 1/30/12

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) -- A veterans' advocacy group asked the Army chief of staff Monday to rescind a West Point prayer breakfast invitation to a retired U.S. general who made comments denigrating Islam. ...

CAIR also has asked West Point officials to retract Boykin's invitation.

"It gives Islamophobes a platform at the nation's most prestigious military academy. And I doubt that they would invite a KKK speaker and claim that they want to expose the students to a variety of opinions," said CAIR national executive director Nihad Awad. (More)

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CAIR: WEST POINT INVITEE'S COMMENTS ABOUT ISLAM DRAW IRE - TOP
Michael Randall, Times Herald-Record, 1/30/12

WEST POINT -- A retired general with some controversial opinions about Islam is among the scheduled speakers at a Feb. 8 national prayer breakfast at the U.S. Military Academy.

But despite objections from some veterans and an Islamic group, West Point officials say they have no intention of withdrawing the general's invitation. ...

VoteVets.org, which claims 100,000 supporters, including veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan; and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, have sent letters to West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. David Huntoon, asking that Boykin not be included in the breakfast. (More)

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CAIR: WEST POINT ASKED TO PULL SPEAKING INVITE FOR ANTI-ISLAM RETIRED OFFICER - TOP
The Blaze, 1/28/12

A group of veterans is calling on the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to retract its speaking invitation to a retired Army officer known for his controversial views about Islam.

Retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin was the Pentagon's senior military intelligence official until 2004, when he was reprimanded for remarks comparing the war against radical Islam to a Christian struggle against Satan and for saying Muslims worship idols and not "a real God," according to the Washington Post. He has also said he believes no mosques should be built in America and has called Islam "a totalitarian way of life." ...

The Council on American-Islamic Relations joined in the call as well Thursday, issuing its own statement imploring West Point to retract the invitation.

"Mr. Boykin's intolerant views do a disservice to our nation's longstanding traditions of religious freedom and pluralism and could potentially harm our country's interests and the security of our troops overseas," CAIR said in a release. "By providing a platform associated with West Point, Mr. Boykin's hate-filled rhetoric would receive a level of credibility and legitimacy it does not deserve." (More)

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ARMY MUST REJECT ANTI-ISLAM HATE SPEAKER - TOP
Jon Soltz and Richard Allen Smith, Huffington Post, 1/30/12

Imagine that a man who said there should be no freedom of religion for Muslims, that there should be no Mosques in America, and that America is in a religious war that pits America, a "Christian Nation," against Islam was invited to address our men and women in uniform? Well, it's happening.

On Feb 8, retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin has been invited to speak at a prayer breakfast at the Military Academy at West Point. He has said everything I wrote above. Here's a small selection:

"We need to recognize that Islam itself is not just a religion -- it is a totalitarian way of life. It's a legal system, sharia law; it's a financial system; it's a moral code; it's a political system; it's a military system. It should not be protected under the First Amendment."

"No mosques in America. Islam is a totalitarian way of life; it's not just a religion."

Americans should "claim empty lots in Jesus' name," so the Muslim community cannot build Mosques there.

"There is no greater threat to America than Islam."

Why is this important, and why is VoteVets.org launching a campaign today, where you can email Army Chief of Staff, General Ray Odierno, asking him to revoke the invitation to Lt. Gen Boykin?

Two reasons: First, because Boykin's comments are inconsistent with Army values -- the very values that are stressed at West Point and other Academies, and constantly reinforced as critical to the success and protection of US Forces in harm's way; and second, because Boykin's statements disrespect the service of the thousands of Muslim-Americans who have fought in uniform for America, and often died for America. (More)

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CAIR: HINDUS, SIKHS, MUSLIMS BLAST SANTORUM ON 'EQUALITY' COMMENT - TOP
Omar Sacirbey, Washington Post, 1/27/12

Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus are accusing Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum of bigotry and ignorance after he said that "equality" is solely a Judeo-Christian concept.

"Where do you think the concept of equality comes from?" Santorum said on the campaign trail last Friday (Jan. 20). "It doesn't come from Islam. It doesn't come from the East and Eastern religions. It comes from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." ...

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said it would send Santorum a copy of the Quran, Islam's holy text.

"The Quran is the best refutation of Mr. Santorum's inaccurate and offensive remarks," said Ibrahim Hooper, a CAIR spokesman.

The group cited Quran verses and sayings of Islam's Prophet Muhammad that supported equality. For example, Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said, "All people are equal as the teeth of a comb." (More)

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VIDEO: CAIR-NY REP ON AL-JAZEERA TO DISCUSS NYPD SHOWING ANTI-ISLAM FILM - TOP

Watch the video here.

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COMMENTARY: THE NYPD NEEDS POLICING (NY TIMES) - TOP
Faiza Patel and Elizabeth Goitein, New York Times, 1/30/12

THE Police Department has the formidable responsibility of keeping New Yorkers safe from a terrorist attack. It is entrusted with significant powers and broad discretion in how to use them. It has done an admirable job in preventing violence. But last week, we were reminded that no government entity with such powers should operate free from independent oversight.

The controversy centers around the department's use of a 2008 documentary film, "The Third Jihad," in training officers. The film aims to scare Americans into thinking that the United States is under attack from a shadowy conspiracy of Muslim groups that, it claims, pretend to be part of mainstream society while plotting its downfall. The film features cameo appearances by a number of officials, including Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. Its use in training set back relations with the city's Muslim community, which is estimated at around 800,000 and whose members have been vital partners in combating terrorism. (More)

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VIDEO: CAIR-FL REP SAYS PEOPLE IN MIDEAST VALUE FREEDOM - TOP

Watch the video here.