HADITH OF THE DAY: WHAT IS FAITH? WHAT IS SIN? - TOP

A person once asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "What is faith?" He replied: "When a good deed becomes a source of pleasure for you and an evil deed becomes a source of disgust for you, then you are a believer." The person then asked: "What is a sin?" The Prophet said: "When something pricks your conscience, give it up."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 8

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VIDEO: AASIF MANDVI DISCUSSES RECEIVING CAIR ANTI-BIGOTRY AWARD (CNN) -TOP

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HOW WE GOT THE STORY: REPORTING ON ISLAMOPHOBIA - TOP
Lisa Rab, Broward Palm Beach New Times, 2/6/12

Last week's New Times cover story explored the lives of Muslims living in South Florida. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how we got the story:

The hardest part was picking an outfit. Living in South Florida, I rarely have the need for a turtleneck. But as a female reporter visiting a mosque, I wanted to be respectful. So I dug out my one and only blouse with a high collar, buttoned a cardigan over that, and made sure my slacks reached my ankles.

I pulled up to the Masjid Jamaat Al-Mu'mineen mosque in Margate tugging a black scarf over my head. The silky piece of fabric was not designed for modesty, and it kept slipping off. Nervously, I walked toward the entrance. Congregants milled about, chatting and greeting one another before the Friday afternoon prayer service. No one seemed troubled by the strange Jewish woman fiddling with her scarf.

A man smiled and asked if I knew where I was going. Unfortunately, the woman who had agreed to escort me was running late. So I sat outside the women's entrance to the mosque and waited.

"As-Salaam-Alaikum," a series of older ladies greeted me, before slipping off their shoes and entering the building. Some of them were pushing walkers, or stepping carefully on aching feet. My friend later explained that this was the entrance for the elderly and infirm -- I had missed the main entrance around back. (More)

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VIDEO: ORE. MUSLIM BARRED FROM U.S., QUESTIONED ABOUT RELIGIOUS BELIEFS (CAIR) - TOP

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CAIR-NY: A PROTEST AGAINST TARGETING OF MUSLIMS - TOP
Dan Rosenblum, Capital New York, 2/4/12

About 150 demonstrators gathered in Foley Square on Friday afternoon to give voice to a growing list of complaints against the NYPD and police commissioner Ray Kelly for targeted surveillance of New York Muslims.

The Friday protest was coordinated by nonprofit Muslim advocacy organization Majilis Ash-Shura of Metropolitan New York and Desis Rising Up and Moving, a Jackson Heights-based organization which advocates for the civil rights of South Asian immigrants. Among the demonstrators were also Occupy protesters and interfaith leaders, as well as some local elected officials. Some speakers called for more accountability by the police; others called for Kelly and Browne to step down.

It was the second rally to protest the department's Muslim-specific policies in as many weeks. The day before, the Associated Press had written about an internal department document suggesting the department targeted Shi'ite mosques for surveillance. That countered Kelly's previous assertion that Muslim communities weren't targeted by religion. (More)

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CAIR: DOJ REVIEWS MICH. ISLAMIC ACADEMY'S RELIGIOUS BIAS COMPLAINT - TOP
Tom Perkins, AnnArbor.com, 2/6/12

The U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing a religious discrimination complaint against Pittsfield Township.

But leaders of a proposed Islamic academy at the center of the case have yet to decide how they will proceed regardless of the DOJ's findings.

Tarek Nahlawi, a member of the Michigan Islamic Academy board, said school leaders have multiple options to consider.

"Do we need to move forward with finding an alternative place? Do we stay at this location and see what happens with legal action against the township? This is something we're still debating internally and weighing our options," he said.

Nahlawi said the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which has an attorney representing the MIA, brought the case to the Justice Department's attention. Nahlawi said he isn't aware of the status of the review and said the school was not directly involved in alerting the DOJ of the case, but he added he felt Pittsfield Township "had violated their own laws and rules." (More)

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VA: BASKETBALL PLAYER WEARS HER FAITH WITH PRIDE ON COURT - TOP
Marty O'Brien, Daily Press, 2/4/12

There were times after Yasmeen Amer began wearing a hijab that she felt conflicted and even self-conscious. She wondered how her Tabb High classmates would react to the scarf and attire traditionally worn by practicing Muslim women as a form of modesty.

And, as a typical teenager, she was anxious for her peers to admire her hair and fashion sense. As her faith and self-assurance has grown, Yasmeen has packed those concerns away with her baby dolls.

"At first I didn't want to do it, but it grew on me," said Yasmeen, a Tabb sophomore, of wearing a hijab. "I cared about what my friends would think and whether I'd lose my friends.

"Then I came to realize, 'You know what? They're not my friends if they don't accept me as who I am.' "

Yasmeen is very much accepted by her teammates on the Tabb High junior varsity girls basketball team. For one thing, she is an excellent defender although she's playing basketball for the first time.

What they love most about her is her bubbly personality and boundless enthusiasm. The preconception some Americans have that Muslim women are shy because of their covering does not come close to fitting Yasmeen. (More)

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MICH. MOSQUE EDUCATES MUSLIMS ON BENEFITS OF 'GOING GREEN' - TOP
Amanda Emery, The Flint Journal, 2/4/12

CLAYTON TWP., Michigan -- The Flint Islamic Center hosted The Green Living Forum today. The conference focused on the importance of healthy and sustainable living within the Muslim community.

Dr. Macksood Aftab, member of the management committee at the Flint Islamic Center, said the forum was part of the month long celebration Rabi' al-awwal -- the birth of the prophet Muhammad.

The Green Living Forum related to green living and how it applies to the teachings of Muhammad, Aftab said.

"We are always looking for ways to create a better and more wholesome lifestyle," Aftab said. "And keeping with our own Islamic tradition."

Aftab said he believes people are destroying the environment and using resources that are not sustainable, and these practices were not keeping with the Muslim traditions of conserving resources and being conscious of living and non-living things. (More)

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