DOJ asked to investigate possible civil rights violations by bank officials
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/2/2009) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on the U.S. Department of Justice to determine whether a California bank violated a Muslim woman’s civil rights when it denied her service because she was wearing a religiously-mandated head scarf, or hijab.
According to the woman, she was denied service Saturday at a Navy Federal Credit Union in San Diego, Calif., despite telling bank officials that she wears her head scarf for religious reasons.
In a statement, the bank said:
“'In the interest of Security and Safety for our members and employees - hats, hoods and sunglasses must be removed when entering the branch office.’ Special consideration for cultural and religious garments is under the discretion of the branch management. Navy Federal is making inquiries into the recent incident.”
“Under this bizarre and discriminatory policy, no Muslim woman wearing a head scarf, no Sikh man wearing a turban, no Jewish man wearing a yarmulke, no Catholic nun wearing a habit, no cancer survivor wearing a scarf, no Amish woman wearing a bonnet, and no blind person wearing sunglasses may enter a Navy Federal Credit Union branch nationwide,” said CAIR-San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida. “We call on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate this disturbing case and Navy Federal’s apparently unconstitutional policy and to ensure that the religious rights of all customers are maintained.”
Hopida said CAIR offers a booklet called "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices" to help corporate managers gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties and advocacy group has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. 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.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
CIVIL LIBERTIES, RELIGIOUS GROUPS SEEK TO REQUIRE WARRANTS FOR POLICE GPS SURVEILLANCE - TOP
Washington, DC (Feb. 6, 2009) -- A diverse group of civil liberties and religious organizations this week weighed in on the question of whether police need a warrant in order to conduct surveillance of personal vehicles by secretly attaching global positioning satellite (GPS) transmitters. The case, which is scheduled to be heard next month in New York’s highest court, has profound implications for the privacy rights of individuals and organizations.
Low-cost GPS transmitters can be secretly attached to a vehicle and pinpoint the vehicle’s location on public or private property, within a few feet or yards, to virtually any computer with an internet connection. The devices are useful for tracking a vehicle or person in real-time, but the data also can be permanently stored and subjected to pattern analysis, revealing not just a person’s whereabouts, but his habits, associations, who his friends are, where he shops, banks and goes to church, and a host of other information. The coalition argues that court supervision should be required to protect First and Fourth Amendment privacy rights.
In People v. Weaver, scheduled for argument in the New York Court of Appeals March 24, the court will be considering whether a police officer, in his own discretion, may undertake GPS surveillance of individuals without any judicial oversight at all. The court below held that there is no obligation to obtain a warrant prior to undertaking such monitoring. Members of the public have no way of knowing if their movements are subject to electronic surveillance from which there is no legal protection.
The civil liberties alliance filed an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” brief arguing such unfettered surveillance is unconstitutional and ill-advised as a matter of public policy. The groups include the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the New York State Defenders Association, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the Union for Reform Judaism. They urge the court to condition GPS monitoring upon judicial issuance of a warrant.
The brief was written by Susan J. Walsh, a partner at Moskowitz, Book & Walsh, LLP in New York City, NACDL Executive Director Norman L. Reimer and NACDL Assistant Director of Public Affairs & Communications Ivan J. Dominguez.
“By its nature, GPS is a valuable tool because it permits long-term, sustained surveillance. But its potential for abuse is staggering. To allow this kind of personal data collection without judicial oversight is an Orwellian nightmare. The minimal time required to obtain a warrant based on probable cause restores balance and cannot credibly be said to impede legitimate law enforcement objectives,” explains lead counsel Susan J. Walsh.
A dissenting opinion in the case below rejected the analogy that the use of GPS is the functional equivalent of being followed by the police on public roads. Relying upon the search and seizure provisions of New York State’s Constitution, the dissent concluded that “while the citizens of this state may not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in a public place at any particular moment, they do have a reasonable expectation that their every move will not be continuously and indefinitely monitored by a technical device without their knowledge, except where a warrant has been issued based on probable cause.”
According to Norman Reimer, the Executive Director of NACDL, “Permitting unlimited, around-the-clock, uninterrupted 24/7 monitoring of an individual’s whereabouts is as much a First Amendment issue as it is a Fourth Amendment issue.” He points out that “the government can learn where a person worships, what clubs they attend, what political parties they participate in, where they sleep, and other personal and private information completely irrelevant to legitimate law enforcement needs.”
The brief is available on NACDL’s Web site here.
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL’s 12,000-plus direct members in 28 countries and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling more than 40,000 attorneys include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal justice system.
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CAIR-OK: OKLA. MUSLIM DRIVER TO RE-TAKE LICENSE PHOTO WITH HIJAB - TOP(OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, 2/6/09) - The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) announced today that a Muslim driver in that state will be allowed to re-take her driver’s license photograph while wearing a religiously-mandated head scarf, or hijab.The Muslim driver was initially told she must expose her hairline and ears for the photograph. Following intervention by CAIR-OK, the director of Oklahoma’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) Driver License Examining Division offered to re-take the photograph with hijab at DPS headquarters and to institute diversity training for staff. Like many other states, Oklahoma has a policy on allowing religious exemptions in driver’s license photographs. According to a 2004 CAIR review, most states, with the exception of Georgia, Kentucky and New Hampshire, have addressed religious accommodation concerns. Five states - Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Missouri, and Maine - recognize some religious practices, while the other 42 states have adopted more inclusive approaches to religious accommodation policies.CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.CONTACT: CAIR-OK Executive Director Razi Hashmi, Tel: 405-248-5853, E-Mail: rhashmi@cair.com; CAIR-OK Chairperson Lobna Hewedi, E-Mail: lhewedi@cair.com
----- SPRUILL APOLOGIZES FOR MUSLIM REMARK - TOPTim Craig, Washington Post, 2/5/09
Del. Lionell Spruill (D-Chesapeake) apologized today for saying on the House floor yesterday that he doesn't like to hear prayers of different religions, "especially those of the Muslim faith that I don't care too much about."
Spruill, who is also a member of the Democratic National Committee, issued his apology moments after his employer, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brian Moran, urged him to do so.
Beside being a delegate and a DNC member, Spruill is a paid consultant for the Moran campaign when the General Assembly is not in session. Moran is paying Spruill $7,500 a month to do outreach in the African-American community, although his salary is suspended during the 45-day legislative session.
During a House floor debate Wednesday, Spruill spoke out against a bill that would allow state police chaplains to use "Jesus" in public prayers. After Spruill's comment about Muslims were reported on in the Virginian Pilot, some Democrats and Ben Tribbett, who runs the Not Larry Sabato blog, sought to link him to Moran. (MORE)
----- CAIR-CA: OAKLAND BANK APOLOGIZES TO MUSLIM WOMAN IT DENIED SERVICE - TOPMatt O'Brien, Contra Costa Times, 2/5/09
A bank has apologized to a Muslim woman denied service in December because she was wearing a hijab, but has also defended its decision.
When Safa Magid went to Community Bank of the Bay to make a deposit, a teller refused to serve her, explaining that the bank's policy prohibiting people from wearing hats included head scarves.
"The woman asked if I could take off my scarf," Magid said Thursday. "And I said, `No, I'm not going to take off my scarf.' Then, she said she couldn't serve me because I'm wearing a scarf."
Magid then tried to explain that she wore the scarf for religious reasons, but that a second bank employee confirmed the "no hat" ban included Magid's scarf.
Magid, who had visited the Broadway bank previously without incident, closed her account. She later sought help from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"(The bank) immediately recognized that there was an error, but I think it points to a deeper problem," said Agnes Chong, a Bay Area coordinator for the civil rights organization. The council has called attention to similar bank practices across the country.
The president of the Oakland bank blamed the incident on an "overzealous" employee who was "not exercising good judgment." . . .
Born and raised in Oakland, and having worn a hijab for many years, Magid said she has never before faced discrimination based on her attire.
A second-year resident in an internal medicine program, Magid said she was stunned by the actions of a bank she had specifically chosen for its environmentally friendly business philosophy.
Magid said she appreciated the bank's apology but was not entirely satisfied. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CA: OAKLAND BANK ALLEGEDLY DENIED MUSLIM WOMAN SERVICE - TOPCBS5, 2/5/09
An Oakland bank is facing criticism from a national Islamic civil rights group that says the bank denied service to a Muslim woman who was wearing a religious headscarf.
The Community Bank of the Bay, located at 1750 Broadway, allegedly denied service to Safa Magid because of the bank's "no hats" policy, according to a coordinator with the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Magid was wearing a hijab, a type of headscarf, when she entered the bank on Dec. 18 and was told by a bank employee about the policy, which is designed to try to prevent bank robberies, according to Agnes Chong, Civil Rights and Outreach Coordinator with CAIR-SFBA.
Chong said Thursday "it's unfortunate that someone that's merely exercising her rights in the constitution is subject to a policy to prevent bank robberies." (MORE)
----- CATHOLICS, MUSLIMS BEGIN TO VALUE HOW MUCH THEY SHARE ACROSS FAITHS - TOPDennis Sadowski, Catholic News Service, 2/5/09
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In the days following the Sept. 11 attacks, Dalila Benameur and her Muslim friends in Bridgeview, Ill., were afraid to leave their homes even when their pantries ran low and their refrigerators emptied. The women felt threatened by the handful of intimidating drivers who would cruise past the town's mosque waving Confederate flags and shouting anti-Muslim epithets.
That's when Andreatte Brachman and her friends from St. Fabian Catholic Church stepped in.
Brachman and company offered to accompany the women on errands as a sign of solidarity to alleviate growing concerns that Muslims hated America.
"It served almost as a bond," Brachman said of the outreach to the Muslim women.
Of course, it helped that the St. Fabian women had gotten to know their Muslim neighbors before the attacks as part of the Muslim-Catholic Women's Group that had evolved from the two faith communities several years earlier. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
IL: MUSLIM STUDENTS INCREASINGLY FIND CONTENTMENT AT A CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY - TOPMichelle J. Nealy, Diverse Education, 2/4/09
When Zeina Abusoud began as director of residence life at Benedictine University a decade ago, the number of Muslim students attending the Catholic institution in Illinois was scant.
But accommodations in academic policy and an inclusive religious environment have helped transform the university into a popular hub for Muslim college students.
"Benedictine is guided by the Roman Catholic tradition and also Benedictine values," says Abusoud. "St. Benedict's rules emphasize the tradition of respect and hospitality and appreciation for living and working together in a community. These values are universal and make it very comfortable for the Muslim students to be part of the Benedictine community."
Since providing information on religious affiliation is optional for students, there are no official statistics on the exact number of Muslim students attending the university. But based on the number of students who responded to a survey conducted by the university last year, an estimated 13 percent of Benedictine's 3,200 undergraduate students are Muslim. (MORE)
Washington, DC (Feb. 6, 2009) -- A diverse group of civil liberties and religious organizations this week weighed in on the question of whether police need a warrant in order to conduct surveillance of personal vehicles by secretly attaching global positioning satellite (GPS) transmitters. The case, which is scheduled to be heard next month in New York’s highest court, has profound implications for the privacy rights of individuals and organizations.
Low-cost GPS transmitters can be secretly attached to a vehicle and pinpoint the vehicle’s location on public or private property, within a few feet or yards, to virtually any computer with an internet connection. The devices are useful for tracking a vehicle or person in real-time, but the data also can be permanently stored and subjected to pattern analysis, revealing not just a person’s whereabouts, but his habits, associations, who his friends are, where he shops, banks and goes to church, and a host of other information. The coalition argues that court supervision should be required to protect First and Fourth Amendment privacy rights.
In People v. Weaver, scheduled for argument in the New York Court of Appeals March 24, the court will be considering whether a police officer, in his own discretion, may undertake GPS surveillance of individuals without any judicial oversight at all. The court below held that there is no obligation to obtain a warrant prior to undertaking such monitoring. Members of the public have no way of knowing if their movements are subject to electronic surveillance from which there is no legal protection.
The civil liberties alliance filed an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” brief arguing such unfettered surveillance is unconstitutional and ill-advised as a matter of public policy. The groups include the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the New York State Defenders Association, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the Union for Reform Judaism. They urge the court to condition GPS monitoring upon judicial issuance of a warrant.
The brief was written by Susan J. Walsh, a partner at Moskowitz, Book & Walsh, LLP in New York City, NACDL Executive Director Norman L. Reimer and NACDL Assistant Director of Public Affairs & Communications Ivan J. Dominguez.
“By its nature, GPS is a valuable tool because it permits long-term, sustained surveillance. But its potential for abuse is staggering. To allow this kind of personal data collection without judicial oversight is an Orwellian nightmare. The minimal time required to obtain a warrant based on probable cause restores balance and cannot credibly be said to impede legitimate law enforcement objectives,” explains lead counsel Susan J. Walsh.
A dissenting opinion in the case below rejected the analogy that the use of GPS is the functional equivalent of being followed by the police on public roads. Relying upon the search and seizure provisions of New York State’s Constitution, the dissent concluded that “while the citizens of this state may not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in a public place at any particular moment, they do have a reasonable expectation that their every move will not be continuously and indefinitely monitored by a technical device without their knowledge, except where a warrant has been issued based on probable cause.”
According to Norman Reimer, the Executive Director of NACDL, “Permitting unlimited, around-the-clock, uninterrupted 24/7 monitoring of an individual’s whereabouts is as much a First Amendment issue as it is a Fourth Amendment issue.” He points out that “the government can learn where a person worships, what clubs they attend, what political parties they participate in, where they sleep, and other personal and private information completely irrelevant to legitimate law enforcement needs.”
The brief is available on NACDL’s Web site here.
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL’s 12,000-plus direct members in 28 countries and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling more than 40,000 attorneys include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal justice system.
-----
CAIR-OK: OKLA. MUSLIM DRIVER TO RE-TAKE LICENSE PHOTO WITH HIJAB - TOP(OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, 2/6/09) - The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) announced today that a Muslim driver in that state will be allowed to re-take her driver’s license photograph while wearing a religiously-mandated head scarf, or hijab.The Muslim driver was initially told she must expose her hairline and ears for the photograph. Following intervention by CAIR-OK, the director of Oklahoma’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) Driver License Examining Division offered to re-take the photograph with hijab at DPS headquarters and to institute diversity training for staff. Like many other states, Oklahoma has a policy on allowing religious exemptions in driver’s license photographs. According to a 2004 CAIR review, most states, with the exception of Georgia, Kentucky and New Hampshire, have addressed religious accommodation concerns. Five states - Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Missouri, and Maine - recognize some religious practices, while the other 42 states have adopted more inclusive approaches to religious accommodation policies.CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.CONTACT: CAIR-OK Executive Director Razi Hashmi, Tel: 405-248-5853, E-Mail: rhashmi@cair.com; CAIR-OK Chairperson Lobna Hewedi, E-Mail: lhewedi@cair.com
----- SPRUILL APOLOGIZES FOR MUSLIM REMARK - TOPTim Craig, Washington Post, 2/5/09
Del. Lionell Spruill (D-Chesapeake) apologized today for saying on the House floor yesterday that he doesn't like to hear prayers of different religions, "especially those of the Muslim faith that I don't care too much about."
Spruill, who is also a member of the Democratic National Committee, issued his apology moments after his employer, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brian Moran, urged him to do so.
Beside being a delegate and a DNC member, Spruill is a paid consultant for the Moran campaign when the General Assembly is not in session. Moran is paying Spruill $7,500 a month to do outreach in the African-American community, although his salary is suspended during the 45-day legislative session.
During a House floor debate Wednesday, Spruill spoke out against a bill that would allow state police chaplains to use "Jesus" in public prayers. After Spruill's comment about Muslims were reported on in the Virginian Pilot, some Democrats and Ben Tribbett, who runs the Not Larry Sabato blog, sought to link him to Moran. (MORE)
----- CAIR-CA: OAKLAND BANK APOLOGIZES TO MUSLIM WOMAN IT DENIED SERVICE - TOPMatt O'Brien, Contra Costa Times, 2/5/09
A bank has apologized to a Muslim woman denied service in December because she was wearing a hijab, but has also defended its decision.
When Safa Magid went to Community Bank of the Bay to make a deposit, a teller refused to serve her, explaining that the bank's policy prohibiting people from wearing hats included head scarves.
"The woman asked if I could take off my scarf," Magid said Thursday. "And I said, `No, I'm not going to take off my scarf.' Then, she said she couldn't serve me because I'm wearing a scarf."
Magid then tried to explain that she wore the scarf for religious reasons, but that a second bank employee confirmed the "no hat" ban included Magid's scarf.
Magid, who had visited the Broadway bank previously without incident, closed her account. She later sought help from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"(The bank) immediately recognized that there was an error, but I think it points to a deeper problem," said Agnes Chong, a Bay Area coordinator for the civil rights organization. The council has called attention to similar bank practices across the country.
The president of the Oakland bank blamed the incident on an "overzealous" employee who was "not exercising good judgment." . . .
Born and raised in Oakland, and having worn a hijab for many years, Magid said she has never before faced discrimination based on her attire.
A second-year resident in an internal medicine program, Magid said she was stunned by the actions of a bank she had specifically chosen for its environmentally friendly business philosophy.
Magid said she appreciated the bank's apology but was not entirely satisfied. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-CA: OAKLAND BANK ALLEGEDLY DENIED MUSLIM WOMAN SERVICE - TOPCBS5, 2/5/09
An Oakland bank is facing criticism from a national Islamic civil rights group that says the bank denied service to a Muslim woman who was wearing a religious headscarf.
The Community Bank of the Bay, located at 1750 Broadway, allegedly denied service to Safa Magid because of the bank's "no hats" policy, according to a coordinator with the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Magid was wearing a hijab, a type of headscarf, when she entered the bank on Dec. 18 and was told by a bank employee about the policy, which is designed to try to prevent bank robberies, according to Agnes Chong, Civil Rights and Outreach Coordinator with CAIR-SFBA.
Chong said Thursday "it's unfortunate that someone that's merely exercising her rights in the constitution is subject to a policy to prevent bank robberies." (MORE)
----- CATHOLICS, MUSLIMS BEGIN TO VALUE HOW MUCH THEY SHARE ACROSS FAITHS - TOPDennis Sadowski, Catholic News Service, 2/5/09
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In the days following the Sept. 11 attacks, Dalila Benameur and her Muslim friends in Bridgeview, Ill., were afraid to leave their homes even when their pantries ran low and their refrigerators emptied. The women felt threatened by the handful of intimidating drivers who would cruise past the town's mosque waving Confederate flags and shouting anti-Muslim epithets.
That's when Andreatte Brachman and her friends from St. Fabian Catholic Church stepped in.
Brachman and company offered to accompany the women on errands as a sign of solidarity to alleviate growing concerns that Muslims hated America.
"It served almost as a bond," Brachman said of the outreach to the Muslim women.
Of course, it helped that the St. Fabian women had gotten to know their Muslim neighbors before the attacks as part of the Muslim-Catholic Women's Group that had evolved from the two faith communities several years earlier. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
IL: MUSLIM STUDENTS INCREASINGLY FIND CONTENTMENT AT A CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY - TOPMichelle J. Nealy, Diverse Education, 2/4/09
When Zeina Abusoud began as director of residence life at Benedictine University a decade ago, the number of Muslim students attending the Catholic institution in Illinois was scant.
But accommodations in academic policy and an inclusive religious environment have helped transform the university into a popular hub for Muslim college students.
"Benedictine is guided by the Roman Catholic tradition and also Benedictine values," says Abusoud. "St. Benedict's rules emphasize the tradition of respect and hospitality and appreciation for living and working together in a community. These values are universal and make it very comfortable for the Muslim students to be part of the Benedictine community."
Since providing information on religious affiliation is optional for students, there are no official statistics on the exact number of Muslim students attending the university. But based on the number of students who responded to a survey conducted by the university last year, an estimated 13 percent of Benedictine's 3,200 undergraduate students are Muslim. (MORE)
Friday, February 6, 2009
42 Palestinians held without trial for over two yearsB'Tselem's annual report, published today (5 Feb.), surveys a wide range of Israeli human rights violations in the OPT in 2008, until Operation "Cast Lead". As house demolition and lack of law enforcement on violent settlers continued, Israel largely refrained from holding members of the security forces accountable for their actions.
Prisoners from Gaza were held in appalling conditionsSeven Israeli Human Rights organizations appealed to the Military Judge Advocate General and to the Attorney General concerning the appalling conditions in which Palestinians arrested during the fighting in Gaza were held, and the humiliating and inhuman treatment to which they were subjected.
Extra-judicial execution of alleged collaborators by HamasAccording to several media reports, since the start of the Israeli attack in Gaza, Hamas has executed an unknown number of residents of Gaza that it considered to be collaborators with Israel. These acts are grave breaches of international law.
Testimony: Soldier beats young man and fractures his skullOn 20 Jan., Mahmoud 'Awwad reached Huwara checkpoint on his way to work and saw soldiers beating his brother. Testimonies indicate that when he addressed the soldiers, a soldier hit him on the head with a rifle butt. 'Awwad collapsed, his head bleeding. He has undergone surgery for his fractured skull and according to doctors, may have suffered brain damage.
Sealing of East JM home - collective punishmentYesterday, 19 Jan. '09, the Israeli army sealed the family home of the perpetrator of the Merkaz HaRav yeshiva terror attack, after the High Court rejected the famil's petition. Sealing homes is forbidden collective punishment of innocents who have not been charged with any offense.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
DEARBORN MAN SUES WAL-MART, ALLEGING DISCRIMINATION - TOPDoug Guthrie, Detroit News, 12/18/08
A Dearborn man has sued Wal-Mart for $12 million, claiming the merchandising giant fired him because he complained about discriminatory harassment he suffered on the job at the hands of fellow employees and supervisors.
The lawsuit filed today in Wayne County Circuit Court by Louay N. Kezy, 42, alleges the company allowed anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias and taunting at the Dearborn Wal-Mart. Kezy worked in the stock department from the time the store opened last March until Aug. 14, when he was fired after filing a written complaint with managers. . .
Kezy was born in Iraq but is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He immigrated 28 years ago and speaks fluent English, said his lawyer. He doesn't wear traditional Arab clothing or headwear, but his physical appearance clearly identifies his ethnicity, said Ayad.
"They demeaned him, harassed him, called him names. They accused him of being a terrorist," Ayad said. "Supervisors ordered him to do jobs that were unrelated to his duties. They allowed a joke, a game to continue where co-workers would toss a ball near him and pretend it was a grenade, a bomb.
"Wal-Mart allowed this hostile environment to continue and they fired him when he complained," Ayad said.
Kezy's income from the Wal-Mart job supported his wife and children. He has been unemployed since his firing, his lawyer said.
Dawud Walid, executive director of The Council on American-Islamic Relations, said: "Unfortunately, this kind of thing is not as rare as the general public might think. There is quite a bit of discrimination against Arabs and Muslims in Dearborn, even though there is a large population there." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS PRACTICES - TOP
Click here to view the guide.
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CAIR: INSTANT EDITORIAL: ANTI-MUSLIM JUDGE SHOULD BE SANCTIONED - TOPDeron Snyder, News-Press, 12/17/08
Georgia law doesn’t permit or prohibit head scarves in courts, leaving the matter to the discretion of the judge.
I can understand someone being asked to take off their baseball cap.
But arresting a Muslim woman for refusing to take off her head scarf — which would violate her religion — is indefensible.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations has urged federal authorities to investigate the arrest of Lisa Valentine in Douglasville, as well as similar incidents elsewhere in Georgia.
The same judge in Valentine’s case removed a woman and her 14-year-old daughter from the courtroom because they were wearing Muslim head scarves.
His religious intolerance shouldn’t be tolerated.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: GEORGIA JUDGE JAILS MUSLIM WOMAN FOR WEARING HEADSCARF TO COURT - TOPDaniel Nasaw, Guardian, 12/18/08
A city judge in Georgia has in the past eight days barred two Muslim women wearing Islamic headscarves from entering his courtroom, jailing one, and prompting an inquiry from the civil rights office at the US department of justice.
Judge Keith Rollins of Douglasville, Georgia, yesterday ordered Lisa Valentine, 41, to jail after she refused to remove her scarf before entering the courtroom, citing rules governing appropriate dress. Last week, Sabreen Abdulrahmaan was forced to leave Rollins's court before her son's probation hearing because she would not remove her scarf.
"It's a religious right," Valentine said. "It's our constitutional right that we can have our religious practices, no matter if it's a courtroom or not. He's supposed to be handing out justice, not taking away civil rights."
Valentine said she sought to accompany her nephew to a traffic hearing yesterday but was told by a court security officer that she could not enter the courtroom with her headscarf on. She said she refused to remove it and turned to leave, saying, "This is bullshit".
Security officers handcuffed her and brought her before Rollins, who sentenced her to 10 days in jail when she declined to defend her actions at the security checkpoint, her husband Omar Hall said. Valentine, an insurance underwriter, was forced to take off the scarf and don an orange jumpsuit, chained and put aboard a jail bus with men and women.
"It felt like I was naked, because that's how I feel without my hijab," Valentine said. "You could have taken off my clothes and it would have felt the same way."
Her husband phoned an Islamic civil rights organisation and sought an attorney, and she was released without explanation after about seven hours.
"Judge Keith Rollins has inexplicably, blatantly usurped our innate human rights as American citizens," Hall said.
Douglasville police told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that Valentine was jailed for violating a policy barring headgear in the court. Neither court officials nor the police department returned calls seeking comment. Reached by the Associated Press, Rollins declined to comment on Valentine's case.
"It's an issue of religious freedom, it's an issue of access to the American legal system," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Islamic civil rights advocacy group, which advised Valentine and Hall on the case. "There are all kinds of implications that you can take form this troubling incident." . . .
"What if you're a Jewish man wearing a skull cap? What if you're a Catholic nun wearing a habit?" Hooper asked. "All would be denied access to this judge's courtroom. We need to know what's going here and why this has apparently been going on for so long." (MORE)
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VIDEO: GEORGIA MUSLIM ARRESTED OVER SCARF - TOP
A head scarf lands a Muslim woman in jail after she refuses to remove it during a hearing.
Click here to watch the video.
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VIDEO - CAIR: MUSLIM WOMAN JAILED FOR NOT REMOVING HEAD SCARF - TOP
Click here to watch the video.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations urged federal authorities to investigate the incident as well as others in Georgia.
"I just felt stripped of my civil, my human rights," Valentine told The Associated Press on Wednesday from her home, after she said she was unexpectedly released once CAIR got involved.
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GA. WOMAN JAILED OVER HEAD SCARF - TOPJudge jails Muslim woman for refusing to remove her headscarf in courtDionne Walker, Associated Press, 12/17/08
A Muslim woman arrested for refusing to take off her head scarf at a courthouse security checkpoint said Wednesday that she felt her human and civil rights were violated. A judge ordered Lisa Valentine, 40, to serve 10 days in jail for contempt of court, said police in Douglasville, a city of about 20,000 people on Atlanta's west suburban outskirts.
Valentine violated a court policy that prohibits people from wearing any headgear in court, police said after they arrested her Tuesday.
Kelley Jackson, a spokeswoman for Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, said state law doesn't permit or prohibit head scarfs. (MORE)
-----ADL RESPONDS TO CAIR’S CALL TO REPUDIATE ANTI-MUSLIM COLUMNIST - TOPADL, 12/17/08
Letters to the EditorFive Towns Jewish Times
To the Editor:
We were shocked by Lawrence Kulak's suggestion that Jews should kill innocent Muslim civilians to counter Islamic terrorism ("The Appropriate Response to Islamic Terror," Dec. 12).
Regardless of one's views on terrorism, to even entertain the notion of responding in kind is morally reprehensible and appalling. It is unfair to hold innocent Muslims responsible for the radical views of an extreme minority.
In the Jewish tradition, words have consequences. In this case, Kulak's words crossed the line.
Sincerely,Anti-Defamation League
-----GOODE RIDDANCE? ELLISON’S QURAN CHALLENGER FINALLY CONCEDES IN VIRGINIA - TOPAndy Birkey, Minnesota Independent, 12/17/08
Rep. Virgil Goode, best known for his anti-Muslim statements made after Rep. Keith Ellison was elected the first Muslim to Congress, officially conceded on Wednesday in the very close race in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.
After a recount, Democrat Tom Perriello defeated the Republican by 727 votes in a district that was overwhelmingly Republican. It was the last undecided House race of the 2008 election, and Perriello’s win puts the Democrats’ gains in the House at 21 seats.
In December 2006, Goode wrote a letter to constituents referencing Ellison’s decision to take his oath of office on the Quran and then wrote, “[T]here will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran. We need to stop illegal immigration totally and reduce legal immigration and end the diversity visas policy pushed hard by President Clinton and allowing many persons from the Middle East to come to this country.”
-----MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE - TOPMunira Syeda, Jewish Journal, 12/17/08I find it appalling that the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which previously said that it would not build on a site were it known that it was a cemetery, continues to build a Center for Human Dignity, despite more than 150 skeletons being dug up at the cemetery under the center's supervision ("Protests Over Jerusalem Museum of Tolerance Spread," Dec. 12). And the claim about Muslims being silent for the past 50 years is just plain wrong. Israel imposed martial law from 1949 to 1966. During that time, any signs of nationalism among Palestinians were crushed. But Muslims in Israel did legally oppose the designation of waqf land as absentee property in the 1960s, lobbied to rebuild and maintain the Ma'manullah graves after the 1967 War, protested the desecration of the graves in the '70s and '80s, and have been opposing the building of the Center for Human Dignity on the cemetery land.This issue is not about politics or victory. It is about respect and fair treatment of the living and dead -- something taught in both Judaism and Islam. Munira SyedaCommunications CoordinatorCAIR-Greater Los Angeles Area
-----CAIR-CHICAGO: IMMIGRATION RAIDS INHUMANE - TOPNicholas Short, Chicago Sun Times, 12/17/08
Thank you for allowing Interfaith Worker Justice to speak out against immigration raids. The December 13 editorial, "U.S. must stop workplace raids, enact immigration reform," was right to point out how inhumane, unnecessary, and potentially dangerous it is for the government to initiate these raids. It is understandable that the U.S. government wants to ensure that its country is secure, but that is not an excuse to strip the dignity and civil rights of those who just want to find better opportunities for themselves and their families. I look forward to reading more editorials that tackle this issue.
Nicholas Short, CAIR-Chicago Intern
A Dearborn man has sued Wal-Mart for $12 million, claiming the merchandising giant fired him because he complained about discriminatory harassment he suffered on the job at the hands of fellow employees and supervisors.
The lawsuit filed today in Wayne County Circuit Court by Louay N. Kezy, 42, alleges the company allowed anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias and taunting at the Dearborn Wal-Mart. Kezy worked in the stock department from the time the store opened last March until Aug. 14, when he was fired after filing a written complaint with managers. . .
Kezy was born in Iraq but is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He immigrated 28 years ago and speaks fluent English, said his lawyer. He doesn't wear traditional Arab clothing or headwear, but his physical appearance clearly identifies his ethnicity, said Ayad.
"They demeaned him, harassed him, called him names. They accused him of being a terrorist," Ayad said. "Supervisors ordered him to do jobs that were unrelated to his duties. They allowed a joke, a game to continue where co-workers would toss a ball near him and pretend it was a grenade, a bomb.
"Wal-Mart allowed this hostile environment to continue and they fired him when he complained," Ayad said.
Kezy's income from the Wal-Mart job supported his wife and children. He has been unemployed since his firing, his lawyer said.
Dawud Walid, executive director of The Council on American-Islamic Relations, said: "Unfortunately, this kind of thing is not as rare as the general public might think. There is quite a bit of discrimination against Arabs and Muslims in Dearborn, even though there is a large population there." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS PRACTICES - TOP
Click here to view the guide.
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CAIR: INSTANT EDITORIAL: ANTI-MUSLIM JUDGE SHOULD BE SANCTIONED - TOPDeron Snyder, News-Press, 12/17/08
Georgia law doesn’t permit or prohibit head scarves in courts, leaving the matter to the discretion of the judge.
I can understand someone being asked to take off their baseball cap.
But arresting a Muslim woman for refusing to take off her head scarf — which would violate her religion — is indefensible.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations has urged federal authorities to investigate the arrest of Lisa Valentine in Douglasville, as well as similar incidents elsewhere in Georgia.
The same judge in Valentine’s case removed a woman and her 14-year-old daughter from the courtroom because they were wearing Muslim head scarves.
His religious intolerance shouldn’t be tolerated.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR: GEORGIA JUDGE JAILS MUSLIM WOMAN FOR WEARING HEADSCARF TO COURT - TOPDaniel Nasaw, Guardian, 12/18/08
A city judge in Georgia has in the past eight days barred two Muslim women wearing Islamic headscarves from entering his courtroom, jailing one, and prompting an inquiry from the civil rights office at the US department of justice.
Judge Keith Rollins of Douglasville, Georgia, yesterday ordered Lisa Valentine, 41, to jail after she refused to remove her scarf before entering the courtroom, citing rules governing appropriate dress. Last week, Sabreen Abdulrahmaan was forced to leave Rollins's court before her son's probation hearing because she would not remove her scarf.
"It's a religious right," Valentine said. "It's our constitutional right that we can have our religious practices, no matter if it's a courtroom or not. He's supposed to be handing out justice, not taking away civil rights."
Valentine said she sought to accompany her nephew to a traffic hearing yesterday but was told by a court security officer that she could not enter the courtroom with her headscarf on. She said she refused to remove it and turned to leave, saying, "This is bullshit".
Security officers handcuffed her and brought her before Rollins, who sentenced her to 10 days in jail when she declined to defend her actions at the security checkpoint, her husband Omar Hall said. Valentine, an insurance underwriter, was forced to take off the scarf and don an orange jumpsuit, chained and put aboard a jail bus with men and women.
"It felt like I was naked, because that's how I feel without my hijab," Valentine said. "You could have taken off my clothes and it would have felt the same way."
Her husband phoned an Islamic civil rights organisation and sought an attorney, and she was released without explanation after about seven hours.
"Judge Keith Rollins has inexplicably, blatantly usurped our innate human rights as American citizens," Hall said.
Douglasville police told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that Valentine was jailed for violating a policy barring headgear in the court. Neither court officials nor the police department returned calls seeking comment. Reached by the Associated Press, Rollins declined to comment on Valentine's case.
"It's an issue of religious freedom, it's an issue of access to the American legal system," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Islamic civil rights advocacy group, which advised Valentine and Hall on the case. "There are all kinds of implications that you can take form this troubling incident." . . .
"What if you're a Jewish man wearing a skull cap? What if you're a Catholic nun wearing a habit?" Hooper asked. "All would be denied access to this judge's courtroom. We need to know what's going here and why this has apparently been going on for so long." (MORE)
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VIDEO: GEORGIA MUSLIM ARRESTED OVER SCARF - TOP
A head scarf lands a Muslim woman in jail after she refuses to remove it during a hearing.
Click here to watch the video.
---
VIDEO - CAIR: MUSLIM WOMAN JAILED FOR NOT REMOVING HEAD SCARF - TOP
Click here to watch the video.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations urged federal authorities to investigate the incident as well as others in Georgia.
"I just felt stripped of my civil, my human rights," Valentine told The Associated Press on Wednesday from her home, after she said she was unexpectedly released once CAIR got involved.
---
GA. WOMAN JAILED OVER HEAD SCARF - TOPJudge jails Muslim woman for refusing to remove her headscarf in courtDionne Walker, Associated Press, 12/17/08
A Muslim woman arrested for refusing to take off her head scarf at a courthouse security checkpoint said Wednesday that she felt her human and civil rights were violated. A judge ordered Lisa Valentine, 40, to serve 10 days in jail for contempt of court, said police in Douglasville, a city of about 20,000 people on Atlanta's west suburban outskirts.
Valentine violated a court policy that prohibits people from wearing any headgear in court, police said after they arrested her Tuesday.
Kelley Jackson, a spokeswoman for Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, said state law doesn't permit or prohibit head scarfs. (MORE)
-----ADL RESPONDS TO CAIR’S CALL TO REPUDIATE ANTI-MUSLIM COLUMNIST - TOPADL, 12/17/08
Letters to the EditorFive Towns Jewish Times
To the Editor:
We were shocked by Lawrence Kulak's suggestion that Jews should kill innocent Muslim civilians to counter Islamic terrorism ("The Appropriate Response to Islamic Terror," Dec. 12).
Regardless of one's views on terrorism, to even entertain the notion of responding in kind is morally reprehensible and appalling. It is unfair to hold innocent Muslims responsible for the radical views of an extreme minority.
In the Jewish tradition, words have consequences. In this case, Kulak's words crossed the line.
Sincerely,Anti-Defamation League
-----GOODE RIDDANCE? ELLISON’S QURAN CHALLENGER FINALLY CONCEDES IN VIRGINIA - TOPAndy Birkey, Minnesota Independent, 12/17/08
Rep. Virgil Goode, best known for his anti-Muslim statements made after Rep. Keith Ellison was elected the first Muslim to Congress, officially conceded on Wednesday in the very close race in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.
After a recount, Democrat Tom Perriello defeated the Republican by 727 votes in a district that was overwhelmingly Republican. It was the last undecided House race of the 2008 election, and Perriello’s win puts the Democrats’ gains in the House at 21 seats.
In December 2006, Goode wrote a letter to constituents referencing Ellison’s decision to take his oath of office on the Quran and then wrote, “[T]here will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran. We need to stop illegal immigration totally and reduce legal immigration and end the diversity visas policy pushed hard by President Clinton and allowing many persons from the Middle East to come to this country.”
-----MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE - TOPMunira Syeda, Jewish Journal, 12/17/08I find it appalling that the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which previously said that it would not build on a site were it known that it was a cemetery, continues to build a Center for Human Dignity, despite more than 150 skeletons being dug up at the cemetery under the center's supervision ("Protests Over Jerusalem Museum of Tolerance Spread," Dec. 12). And the claim about Muslims being silent for the past 50 years is just plain wrong. Israel imposed martial law from 1949 to 1966. During that time, any signs of nationalism among Palestinians were crushed. But Muslims in Israel did legally oppose the designation of waqf land as absentee property in the 1960s, lobbied to rebuild and maintain the Ma'manullah graves after the 1967 War, protested the desecration of the graves in the '70s and '80s, and have been opposing the building of the Center for Human Dignity on the cemetery land.This issue is not about politics or victory. It is about respect and fair treatment of the living and dead -- something taught in both Judaism and Islam. Munira SyedaCommunications CoordinatorCAIR-Greater Los Angeles Area
-----CAIR-CHICAGO: IMMIGRATION RAIDS INHUMANE - TOPNicholas Short, Chicago Sun Times, 12/17/08
Thank you for allowing Interfaith Worker Justice to speak out against immigration raids. The December 13 editorial, "U.S. must stop workplace raids, enact immigration reform," was right to point out how inhumane, unnecessary, and potentially dangerous it is for the government to initiate these raids. It is understandable that the U.S. government wants to ensure that its country is secure, but that is not an excuse to strip the dignity and civil rights of those who just want to find better opportunities for themselves and their families. I look forward to reading more editorials that tackle this issue.
Nicholas Short, CAIR-Chicago Intern
CAIR-MN: Minn. Islamic Group Wants Investigation Into Fast-Food Toys Video: MN Family Upset Son Received Religious Toy (WCCO-TV)CAIR-CA: Sustain the Drive for Change in 2009
CAIR ACTION ALERT #555:
Support Georgia Muslims Barred from Court Over Hijab
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/19/08) CAIR is calling on American Muslims and others who value civil and religious rights to send postcards and letters of support to the Muslim women in Georgia who were either jailed or barred from a courtroom in that state because they wished to wear hijab in court.
On Wednesday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported: “Lisa Valentine, also known by her Islamic name, Miedah, 40, was arrested at the Douglasville Municipal Court for violating a court policy of no headgear, said Chris Womack, deputy chief of operations for the Douglasville police…Sabreen Abdul Rahman, 55, said she was asked to take off her scarf when she went to the municipal court last week with her son…Halimah Abdullah, 43, said she spent 24 hours in jail in November 2007 after Rollins held her in contempt of court for refusing to remove her head covering.”
SEE: Muslim’s Scarf Leads to Arrest at Courthouse (Atlanta Journal)
Associated Press reported: “She said she was unexpectedly released after the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations urged federal authorities to investigate the incident as well as others in Georgia.”
SEE: Ga. Judge Jails Muslim Woman Over Head Scarf
“CAIR took up this case to ensure that the constitutional right to freedom of religion is protected for Americans of all faiths,” said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. “It is important to show support for and solidarity with these women.”
Awad said a CAIR representative spoke today at a rally outside the courthouse in Douglasville, Ga., to protest the judge’s actions.
SEE: Woman Jailed for Wearing Head Scarf Gains Support (Atlanta Journal)
In a letter sent Thursday to Georgia Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker, CAIR National Legal Counsel Nadhira F. Al-Khalili called for legal sanctions against the judge.
SEE: CAIR Seeks Sanctions Against Anti-Hijab Judge in Georgia
A copy of the letter was sent to the Judicial District Professionalism Program of the State Bar of Georgia. CAIR also contacted the U.S. Department of Justice, which now says it is looking into the case.
ACTION REQUESTED:
Send postcards and letters of support for the Muslim women to:
Lisa “Miedah” Valentine, Sabreen Abdul Rahman, Halimah Abdullah C/O Council on American-Islamic Relations453 New Jersey Avenue S.E.Washington, D.C. 20003
The letters will be collected and forwarded to the women at their home addresses.
CAIR ACTION ALERT #555:
Support Georgia Muslims Barred from Court Over Hijab
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/19/08) CAIR is calling on American Muslims and others who value civil and religious rights to send postcards and letters of support to the Muslim women in Georgia who were either jailed or barred from a courtroom in that state because they wished to wear hijab in court.
On Wednesday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported: “Lisa Valentine, also known by her Islamic name, Miedah, 40, was arrested at the Douglasville Municipal Court for violating a court policy of no headgear, said Chris Womack, deputy chief of operations for the Douglasville police…Sabreen Abdul Rahman, 55, said she was asked to take off her scarf when she went to the municipal court last week with her son…Halimah Abdullah, 43, said she spent 24 hours in jail in November 2007 after Rollins held her in contempt of court for refusing to remove her head covering.”
SEE: Muslim’s Scarf Leads to Arrest at Courthouse (Atlanta Journal)
Associated Press reported: “She said she was unexpectedly released after the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations urged federal authorities to investigate the incident as well as others in Georgia.”
SEE: Ga. Judge Jails Muslim Woman Over Head Scarf
“CAIR took up this case to ensure that the constitutional right to freedom of religion is protected for Americans of all faiths,” said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. “It is important to show support for and solidarity with these women.”
Awad said a CAIR representative spoke today at a rally outside the courthouse in Douglasville, Ga., to protest the judge’s actions.
SEE: Woman Jailed for Wearing Head Scarf Gains Support (Atlanta Journal)
In a letter sent Thursday to Georgia Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker, CAIR National Legal Counsel Nadhira F. Al-Khalili called for legal sanctions against the judge.
SEE: CAIR Seeks Sanctions Against Anti-Hijab Judge in Georgia
A copy of the letter was sent to the Judicial District Professionalism Program of the State Bar of Georgia. CAIR also contacted the U.S. Department of Justice, which now says it is looking into the case.
ACTION REQUESTED:
Send postcards and letters of support for the Muslim women to:
Lisa “Miedah” Valentine, Sabreen Abdul Rahman, Halimah Abdullah C/O Council on American-Islamic Relations453 New Jersey Avenue S.E.Washington, D.C. 20003
The letters will be collected and forwarded to the women at their home addresses.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
SIKH COALITION GATHER INFO ON BIAS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS - TOP(NEW YORK, N.Y., 12/15/2008) The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), in conjunction with the Sikh Coalition, is urging New York City (NYC) public school students and their parents to fill out an online survey regarding bias-based bullying and harassment.The purpose of the survey is to assess the Department of Education’s handling of bias-motivated harassment in the face of Chancellor’s Regulation A-832, which established a procedure for addressing student-to-student bias-based harassment, intimidation and bullying.All surveys will remain confidential. Immediate Action Requested:NYC public students (KG-12th grade), educators and parents of students (KG-12th grade) who experience, know of or witness bias-based bullying or harassment are asked to fill out a survey here.For more information about students’ rights concerning harassment in public schools, click here.CAIR, America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. 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.- END -CONTACT: CAIR-NY Civil Rights Director Aliya Latif, 212.870.2002, 732.429.4268, E-Mail: alatif@cair.com; CAIR-NY Community Affairs Director Faiza N. Ali, 212.870.2002, 718.724.3041, E-Mail: fali@cair.com
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CAIR: AREA MUSLIMS HOST LUNCH FOR THE NEEDY - TOPSacramento Bee, 12/13/08
The Sacramento Valley Muslim community will sponsor a meal downtown on Sunday for an expected 500 needy people.
The lunch is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. at The Grand, 1215 J St. The lunch for the homeless is being held on Eid Al-Adha.
Eid Al-Adha or "Festival of Sacrifice" is celebrated by Muslims commemorating the willingness of prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God. However, God provided a ram in place once Ibrahim demonstrated his willingness to follow God's commands, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Sacramento Valley. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
N.J. MUSLIMS IMPROVISE NETWORKS TO DISTRIBUTE THEIR HOLIDAY MEAT - TOPNyier Abdou, Star-Ledger, 12/15/08
On a chilly evening splashed with rain last week, Atif Nazir left his office at the Department of Health in Newark and drove to Oak Tree Road, in Woodbridge, where a strip of South Asian and Middle Eastern shops sell everything from jewelry and curry to saris and sweets. Nazir, who lives in Piscataway and volunteers with the Islamic Circle of North America in New Jersey, headed for the area's cluster of halal butchers, where he was eagerly expected.
For the last week, Nazir and some 80 ICNA volunteers around the state have been spending their evenings this way, collecting thousands of pounds of meat slaughtered during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha to distribute in underprivileged areas. (MORE)
---
OH: MUSLIMS CELEBRATE EID, DONATE MEAT TO NEEDY - TOPDavid Yonke, Toledo Blade, 12/15/08
Toledo Muslims are donating more than 1,500 pounds of meat slaughtered for an Islamic holiday to the area's poor and needy.
"Fresh meat is something that is really missing in most food banks and shelter homes," Dr. M. Razi Rafeeq said.
The goats, sheep, lambs, and cows were slaughtered by butchers paid by Muslims in accordance with a ritual observance of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice. The holiday commemorates God's sparing of the Prophet Abraham from having to sacrifice his son, Ismail.
The holiday was celebrated on Monday at the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in which more than 2 million Muslims participate.
More than 700 Muslims celebrated the Eid with prayers followed by a community meal at the Masjid Saad in Sylvania, while 500 observed the holiday at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo in Perrysburg Township.
Representatives of those two mosques joined with the Toledo Masjid of Al-Islam in the central city to found the Islamic Food Bank of Toledo. The food is given to anyone in need, not just Muslims, according to Yehia "John" Shousher, one of the food bank's founders.
"Donating meat to the poor and needy has been done before on the local level but only by individuals," Mr. Shousher said.
Dr. Rafeeq, president of the food bank, said donating the meat to the needy follows the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, founder of Islam, and the Islamic holy book.
"The Qur'an repeatedly reminds Muslims of helping the poor, the hungry, the needy, and the orphans," he said.
"The Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, has said that a person is not a true Muslim if he goes to bed with a full stomach while his neighbor is hungry. So this is something we are obligated to do." (MORE)
-----CAIR: TWIN CITIES CONGRESSMAN MAKES PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA - TOPRep. Keith Ellison had planned the trip long before the lame-duck session was called to consider a bailout for U.S. automakers.Mitch Anderson, Star Tribune, 12/15/08
Back home he's one of the 535 most powerful lawmakers in America, but last week, on the holiest week in Islam's holiest city, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison was just one among the estimated 3 million travelers making the pilgrimage to Mecca.
"You forget who you are - black or white and American or African - and where you come from when you are before God circling the Kabba [the large masonry cubic structure near Mecca] in a two-piece unstitched garment," Ellison said in a CNN interview last week.
Continuing in his unofficial role as America's goodwill ambassador to the Middle East, Ellison, the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress also became the first sitting member to make the religious journey that all able-bodied Muslims are obligated to make once in their lifetime, otherwise known as Hajj. . .
Though he didn't embark to much fanfare, Ellison's travels didn't escape the attention of those back in the states.
"For our relations with the Muslim world, it can only help to see an American congressman going on Hajj and mingling with the millions of Muslims from all parts of the world in Mecca," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "And from a domestic perspective, it sends a really positive message of religious diversity and inclusion in our society." (MORE)
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MUSLIMS TAKE MESSAGE ON THE ROAD - TOPSherri Day, St. Petersburg Times, 12/14/08
The billboard sits along the eastbound side of Interstate 4, just west of McIntosh Road. But unlike other signs hawking fast food joints, gas stations or amusement parks, this one poses a spiritual query:
"Purpose of Life? 877-WHY-ISLAM?..."
If you call the number you'll reach an office in Somerset, N.J. run by the Islamic Circle of North America, a Muslim advocacy group based in Jamaica, N.Y. Once on the line, callers can ask just about anything.
The signs with catchy phrases and images is part of a national campaign by the nonprofit group to promote discussion about Islam and debunk stereotypes about Muslims. For Ramadan, they wrapped Chicago city buses with WhyIslam signs and put up ads on New York City subway cars, which sparked some controversy.
Last week, 24 billboards went up in 18 cities, including Orlando, Portland, Ore., and San Antonio, Texas. Many of them were in cities that do not have large Muslim populations.
"We felt, as American Muslims, our voice was not being heard," said Naeem Baig, the group's secretary general. "We have very limited access to the media, being a nonprofit without big pockets. We felt this was the best way to reach out to the general public." (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
NY: STAR AND CRESCENT JOINS CHRISTMAS TREE, MENORAH - TOPJim Fitzgerald, Associated Press, 12/13/08
When they light the town Christmas tree in Armonk on Sunday, there will be a Jewish menorah right alongside, as usual. There will also be something new this year — an Islamic crescent and star.
And if there are any Buddhists or Hindus in town who want to see their symbols, the town is welcoming applications.
The holiday display, sponsored by the town of North Castle, which includes the village of Armonk, is among a growing number around the country that include the symbol for Islam. (MORE)
---TX: RABBI AT TEMPLE SHALOM IN DALLAS EMERGES AS LEADER IN MUSLIM-JEWISH DIALOGUE - TOPSam Hodges, Dallas Morning News, 12/13/08
Rabbi Jeremy Schneider spends a lot of time talking to Muslims, and wants other Jews to do the same.
At age 32, the assistant rabbi at Dallas' Temple Shalom has emerged as a national leader in Jewish-Muslim dialogue.
"He has been in the forefront of strengthening relations between our two communities," said Rabbi Marc Schneider, president of the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
Rabbi Schneider whose office boasts not only diplomas but a neon University of Texas longhorn was one of 20 clergy who participated in last year's groundbreaking National Summit of Imams and Rabbis.
He was the only rabbi in a National Peace Foundation-sponsored delegation visiting the Muslim Middle East specifically Egypt and Syria last June.
At Temple Shalom, he preached against "Islamophobia" on Rosh Hashana, pointedly telling his congregation, "We must learn what Islam truly stands for, not from politicians, not from e-mail forwards, and not from the media, but from Muslims themselves by engaging in dialogue." (MORE)
-----MI: UNLIKELY UNION BUILDS POLITICAL WIN FOR RASHIDA TLAIB - TOPArab American to lead 12th DistrictNiraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 12/14/08
When Rashida Tlaib declared her candidacy in May for state representative, she heard grumblings from opponents who said the heavily Latino and black district in southwest Detroit wouldn't vote for an Arab American with a name they couldn't pronounce.
But Tlaib, a Palestinian American, won the seat with the strong backing of the district's term-limited incumbent, who happens to be Jewish. And on Jan. 1, she will become the first Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan Legislature.
It's a story of ethnic cooperation that reveals the complexities of racial and religious relationships in one of the most diverse districts in the region.
"They saw my work ethic, how I reached out" said the 32-year-old Tlaib (pronounced "ta-LEEB"). "I'm a product of southwest Detroit. ... I grew up in the community."
Her election also offers a glimpse into how politics may play out in an increasingly diverse metro Detroit and nation, where minority and immigrant groups typically have pushed for political power by demanding candidates of their particular ethnicity or race. The victories of Tlaib and President-elect Barack Obama show that model may be outdated as people increasingly mix and cross ethnic boundaries. (MORE)
-----NC: DUKE'S MUSLIM CHAPLAIN FACES CHALLENGES - TOPUniversity with Protestant roots now has a place for Islamic students to gatherYonat Shimron, News & Observer, 12/14/08
In September, during the month-long fast of Ramadan, Muslim chaplain Abdullah Antepli arranged nightly meals to break the daily fast for Duke University's estimated 500 Muslim students, faculty members and workers -- a feat never before tried at this Gothic-looking university founded by Methodists.
In December, on the last day of classes, he led Muslim students into a home of their own, a 1,400-square-foot bungalow on the central campus that will serve as the Center for Muslim Life, a place where students can pray, study and eat pizza late into the night.
The twin accomplishments, at the beginning and end of the semester, form an impressive arc for Duke's first full-time Muslim chaplain. But the Turkish-born imam who formerly served as associate director of Hartford Seminary's Islamic Chaplaincy Program, faces a host of challenges. (MORE)
-----
CAIR: AREA MUSLIMS HOST LUNCH FOR THE NEEDY - TOPSacramento Bee, 12/13/08
The Sacramento Valley Muslim community will sponsor a meal downtown on Sunday for an expected 500 needy people.
The lunch is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. at The Grand, 1215 J St. The lunch for the homeless is being held on Eid Al-Adha.
Eid Al-Adha or "Festival of Sacrifice" is celebrated by Muslims commemorating the willingness of prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God. However, God provided a ram in place once Ibrahim demonstrated his willingness to follow God's commands, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Sacramento Valley. (MORE)
SEE ALSO:
N.J. MUSLIMS IMPROVISE NETWORKS TO DISTRIBUTE THEIR HOLIDAY MEAT - TOPNyier Abdou, Star-Ledger, 12/15/08
On a chilly evening splashed with rain last week, Atif Nazir left his office at the Department of Health in Newark and drove to Oak Tree Road, in Woodbridge, where a strip of South Asian and Middle Eastern shops sell everything from jewelry and curry to saris and sweets. Nazir, who lives in Piscataway and volunteers with the Islamic Circle of North America in New Jersey, headed for the area's cluster of halal butchers, where he was eagerly expected.
For the last week, Nazir and some 80 ICNA volunteers around the state have been spending their evenings this way, collecting thousands of pounds of meat slaughtered during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha to distribute in underprivileged areas. (MORE)
---
OH: MUSLIMS CELEBRATE EID, DONATE MEAT TO NEEDY - TOPDavid Yonke, Toledo Blade, 12/15/08
Toledo Muslims are donating more than 1,500 pounds of meat slaughtered for an Islamic holiday to the area's poor and needy.
"Fresh meat is something that is really missing in most food banks and shelter homes," Dr. M. Razi Rafeeq said.
The goats, sheep, lambs, and cows were slaughtered by butchers paid by Muslims in accordance with a ritual observance of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice. The holiday commemorates God's sparing of the Prophet Abraham from having to sacrifice his son, Ismail.
The holiday was celebrated on Monday at the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in which more than 2 million Muslims participate.
More than 700 Muslims celebrated the Eid with prayers followed by a community meal at the Masjid Saad in Sylvania, while 500 observed the holiday at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo in Perrysburg Township.
Representatives of those two mosques joined with the Toledo Masjid of Al-Islam in the central city to found the Islamic Food Bank of Toledo. The food is given to anyone in need, not just Muslims, according to Yehia "John" Shousher, one of the food bank's founders.
"Donating meat to the poor and needy has been done before on the local level but only by individuals," Mr. Shousher said.
Dr. Rafeeq, president of the food bank, said donating the meat to the needy follows the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, founder of Islam, and the Islamic holy book.
"The Qur'an repeatedly reminds Muslims of helping the poor, the hungry, the needy, and the orphans," he said.
"The Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, has said that a person is not a true Muslim if he goes to bed with a full stomach while his neighbor is hungry. So this is something we are obligated to do." (MORE)
-----CAIR: TWIN CITIES CONGRESSMAN MAKES PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA - TOPRep. Keith Ellison had planned the trip long before the lame-duck session was called to consider a bailout for U.S. automakers.Mitch Anderson, Star Tribune, 12/15/08
Back home he's one of the 535 most powerful lawmakers in America, but last week, on the holiest week in Islam's holiest city, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison was just one among the estimated 3 million travelers making the pilgrimage to Mecca.
"You forget who you are - black or white and American or African - and where you come from when you are before God circling the Kabba [the large masonry cubic structure near Mecca] in a two-piece unstitched garment," Ellison said in a CNN interview last week.
Continuing in his unofficial role as America's goodwill ambassador to the Middle East, Ellison, the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress also became the first sitting member to make the religious journey that all able-bodied Muslims are obligated to make once in their lifetime, otherwise known as Hajj. . .
Though he didn't embark to much fanfare, Ellison's travels didn't escape the attention of those back in the states.
"For our relations with the Muslim world, it can only help to see an American congressman going on Hajj and mingling with the millions of Muslims from all parts of the world in Mecca," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "And from a domestic perspective, it sends a really positive message of religious diversity and inclusion in our society." (MORE)
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MUSLIMS TAKE MESSAGE ON THE ROAD - TOPSherri Day, St. Petersburg Times, 12/14/08
The billboard sits along the eastbound side of Interstate 4, just west of McIntosh Road. But unlike other signs hawking fast food joints, gas stations or amusement parks, this one poses a spiritual query:
"Purpose of Life? 877-WHY-ISLAM?..."
If you call the number you'll reach an office in Somerset, N.J. run by the Islamic Circle of North America, a Muslim advocacy group based in Jamaica, N.Y. Once on the line, callers can ask just about anything.
The signs with catchy phrases and images is part of a national campaign by the nonprofit group to promote discussion about Islam and debunk stereotypes about Muslims. For Ramadan, they wrapped Chicago city buses with WhyIslam signs and put up ads on New York City subway cars, which sparked some controversy.
Last week, 24 billboards went up in 18 cities, including Orlando, Portland, Ore., and San Antonio, Texas. Many of them were in cities that do not have large Muslim populations.
"We felt, as American Muslims, our voice was not being heard," said Naeem Baig, the group's secretary general. "We have very limited access to the media, being a nonprofit without big pockets. We felt this was the best way to reach out to the general public." (MORE)
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NY: STAR AND CRESCENT JOINS CHRISTMAS TREE, MENORAH - TOPJim Fitzgerald, Associated Press, 12/13/08
When they light the town Christmas tree in Armonk on Sunday, there will be a Jewish menorah right alongside, as usual. There will also be something new this year — an Islamic crescent and star.
And if there are any Buddhists or Hindus in town who want to see their symbols, the town is welcoming applications.
The holiday display, sponsored by the town of North Castle, which includes the village of Armonk, is among a growing number around the country that include the symbol for Islam. (MORE)
---TX: RABBI AT TEMPLE SHALOM IN DALLAS EMERGES AS LEADER IN MUSLIM-JEWISH DIALOGUE - TOPSam Hodges, Dallas Morning News, 12/13/08
Rabbi Jeremy Schneider spends a lot of time talking to Muslims, and wants other Jews to do the same.
At age 32, the assistant rabbi at Dallas' Temple Shalom has emerged as a national leader in Jewish-Muslim dialogue.
"He has been in the forefront of strengthening relations between our two communities," said Rabbi Marc Schneider, president of the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
Rabbi Schneider whose office boasts not only diplomas but a neon University of Texas longhorn was one of 20 clergy who participated in last year's groundbreaking National Summit of Imams and Rabbis.
He was the only rabbi in a National Peace Foundation-sponsored delegation visiting the Muslim Middle East specifically Egypt and Syria last June.
At Temple Shalom, he preached against "Islamophobia" on Rosh Hashana, pointedly telling his congregation, "We must learn what Islam truly stands for, not from politicians, not from e-mail forwards, and not from the media, but from Muslims themselves by engaging in dialogue." (MORE)
-----MI: UNLIKELY UNION BUILDS POLITICAL WIN FOR RASHIDA TLAIB - TOPArab American to lead 12th DistrictNiraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 12/14/08
When Rashida Tlaib declared her candidacy in May for state representative, she heard grumblings from opponents who said the heavily Latino and black district in southwest Detroit wouldn't vote for an Arab American with a name they couldn't pronounce.
But Tlaib, a Palestinian American, won the seat with the strong backing of the district's term-limited incumbent, who happens to be Jewish. And on Jan. 1, she will become the first Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan Legislature.
It's a story of ethnic cooperation that reveals the complexities of racial and religious relationships in one of the most diverse districts in the region.
"They saw my work ethic, how I reached out" said the 32-year-old Tlaib (pronounced "ta-LEEB"). "I'm a product of southwest Detroit. ... I grew up in the community."
Her election also offers a glimpse into how politics may play out in an increasingly diverse metro Detroit and nation, where minority and immigrant groups typically have pushed for political power by demanding candidates of their particular ethnicity or race. The victories of Tlaib and President-elect Barack Obama show that model may be outdated as people increasingly mix and cross ethnic boundaries. (MORE)
-----NC: DUKE'S MUSLIM CHAPLAIN FACES CHALLENGES - TOPUniversity with Protestant roots now has a place for Islamic students to gatherYonat Shimron, News & Observer, 12/14/08
In September, during the month-long fast of Ramadan, Muslim chaplain Abdullah Antepli arranged nightly meals to break the daily fast for Duke University's estimated 500 Muslim students, faculty members and workers -- a feat never before tried at this Gothic-looking university founded by Methodists.
In December, on the last day of classes, he led Muslim students into a home of their own, a 1,400-square-foot bungalow on the central campus that will serve as the Center for Muslim Life, a place where students can pray, study and eat pizza late into the night.
The twin accomplishments, at the beginning and end of the semester, form an impressive arc for Duke's first full-time Muslim chaplain. But the Turkish-born imam who formerly served as associate director of Hartford Seminary's Islamic Chaplaincy Program, faces a host of challenges. (MORE)
Ga. judge jails Muslim woman over head scarf
ATLANTA – A Muslim woman arrested for refusing to take off her head scarf at a courthouse security checkpoint said Wednesday that she felt her human and civil rights were violated. A judge ordered Lisa Valentine, 40, to serve 10 days in jail for contempt of court, said police in Douglasville, a city of about 20,000 people on Atlanta's west suburban outskirts.
Valentine violated a court policy that prohibits people from wearing any headgear in court, police said after they arrested her Tuesday.
Kelley Jackson, a spokeswoman for Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, said state law doesn't permit or prohibit head scarfs.
"It's at the discretion of the judge and the sheriffs and is up to the security officers in the court house to enforce their decision," she said.
Valentine, who recently moved to Georgia from New Haven, Conn., said the incident reminded her of stories she'd heard of the civil rights-era South.
Valentine violated a court policy that prohibits people from wearing any headgear in court, police said after they arrested her Tuesday.
Kelley Jackson, a spokeswoman for Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, said state law doesn't permit or prohibit head scarfs.
"It's at the discretion of the judge and the sheriffs and is up to the security officers in the court house to enforce their decision," she said.
Valentine, who recently moved to Georgia from New Haven, Conn., said the incident reminded her of stories she'd heard of the civil rights-era South.
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