Saturday, May 12, 2012


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HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD'S REWARD - TOP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever seeks the protection of God, give him protection. Whoever asks in the name of God, grant him refuge. Whoever does a good deed to you, reward him. And if you do not have anything (to give in reward), invoke God's blessings on his behalf until you know that he has been rewarded."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 104B
The Prophet also said: "Whoever does not thank people, does not thank God."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 897
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CAIR: CHARGES FILED AGAINST U.S. MUSLIM WHO ALLEGED TORTURE (MSNBC) -TOP
Kari Huus, msnbc.com, 5/7/12
The U.S. government has issued an arrest warrant for an American citizen who is seeking asylum in Sweden after he went public with allegations of illegal detention and torture while in the United Arab Emirates – which he believes was carried out at the behest of the FBI.
In newly filed documents, the U.S. government charges that Yonas Fikre, 33, an Ethiopia-born resident of Portland, Ore., was involved in money transfers set up to avoid U.S. reporting requirements. He is accused of conspiring with two other defendants -- his brother Dawit Woldehawariat of San Diego and Abrehaile Haile of Seattle.
"Defendants Fikre and Woldehawariat wanted to conceal from the United States their connection to the money transfers" of about $75,000, the grand jury indictment states.
The accusation against the three is "structuring" -- or using a series of bank transactions instead of conducting a larger transaction in an effort to avoid reporting the money movements to the federal government. Transactions over $10,000 require reporting. ...
Gadeir Abbas, a staff attorney for the Council on American Islamic Relations, a nonprofit that represents Muslims in civil rights cases and advocates for American Muslim rights more broadly, said he thinks the indictment signals a warning to the population.
"It sends the message to the community and people on the no-fly list that there will be retaliation," he said. (More)
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CAIR: CALIF. MUSLIMS LOOK TO HAVE VOICES HEARD IN CAPITOL (VIDEO) - TOP
Yesterday, more than 70 members of the California Muslim community participated in the first annual "Muslim Day at the Capitol," which was organized by CAIR-California.
Watch KTVU's report here
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CA: MUSLIM DAY AT THE CAPITOL (AUDIO) - TOP
(5/7/12) -- California Muslims are traveling to Sacramento today for what they are calling the first-ever "Muslim Day at the Capitol."
Listen here.
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VIDEO: CAIR 'MUSLIM DAY' AT CALIF. CAPITOL PROMOTES CIVIC ENGAGEMENT -TOP
Members of the California Muslim community are taking part in the 1st annual "Muslim Day at the Capitol" in Sacramento. This first-of-its-kind event seeks to promote community engagement in local politics and to discuss issues of interest to the Muslim community with legislators.
Watch the video.
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CAIR-OH TO DISCUSS SURVEILLANCE, CIVIL LIBERTIES AND PRIVACY RIGHTS - TOP
CHICAGO -- To highlight the 2012 observance of "Choose Privacy Week," the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) is debuting a new short documentary, "Vanishing Liberties: The Rise of State Surveillance in the Digital Age," on the Choose Privacy Week website.
The film explores the government's growing use of surveillance tools to watch and monitor immigrant communities, and the proposals to adopt these tools to track the activities of all Americans. It also features commentary from experts and everyday citizens who ask important questions about the impact of the growing surveillance state on national security, civil liberties and privacy rights.
Featured speakers include:
  • Michael German, ACLU senior policy counsel for national security and privacy;
  • Margaret Huang, executive director of the Rights Working Group;
  • Paromita Shah, associate director of the National Immigration Project;
  • Julia Shearson, Executive Director at Council on American Islamic Relations – Cleveland; and
  • Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights.
The documentary is available for viewing as a streaming download at the Choose Privacy Week website, www.privacyrevolution.org. (More)
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ISLAMOPHOBIA WATCH: KANSAS ANTI-SHARIA BILL PASSES 120-0 - TOP
Andy Marso, The Capital-Journal, 5/7/12
The House passed a wide-ranging anti-abortion bill Monday, along with another bill meant to keep Kansas courts from making rulings based on foreign laws -- which some supporters have said is necessary to protect the state from Muslims who would impose their legal code, also known as sharia. ...
The other bill passed by the House, dubbed the "Kansas Laws for Kansas Courts Act," prohibits judges from making any ruling based on a foreign or religious law that is contrary to the state or federal Constitution.
It doesn't specifically mention sharia in order to distinguish itself from an Oklahoma law already declared unconstitutional.
But supporters, including Rep. Peggy Mast, R-Emporia, and Rep. Jan Pauls, D-Hutchinson, have called it a pre-emptive measure to prevent the spread of Islamic law.
Several lawyers outside the Statehouse warned that the bill could sour international trade for Kansas companies, but Rep. Lance Kinzer, R-Olathe, told the House that a conference committee amended it to exempt business-to-business transactions in which foreign laws are taken into account.
"We wanted to make sure nothing in this bill would prohibit that relatively common proceeding," Kinzer said.
The bill passed 120-0. (More)
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U.S. MUSLIM TEENS FACING IDENTITY QUESTIONS - TOP
Britain Eakin, Reporter Intern, Arizona Public Media, 5/7/12
Some young Muslims in the U.S. feel afraid to be identified with their religion, says a psychologist who works with Muslim youth.
Omar Mahmood, a clinical psychologist and adviser for the Muslim Youth of North America, works with young Muslims to help them become comfortable and confident with their Islamic identities. It can be difficult for some young Muslims to reconcile their religious identities with being American, he says.
"Stuff they see in the media kind of tells them maybe that something is wrong with them, or that because they're Muslim they're somehow singled out," Mahmood says. "Many might feel that being a good Muslim or being a spiritual, religious Muslim is somehow contradictory to being a productive and contributing member of American society."
Read more or listen to the radio report here.


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