Islamophobia in the US: Mosque Vandalism, Anti-Islam Books, August 12, 2011

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told his followers: "God said: 'Every action of the son of Adam is for him except fasting, for that is solely for Me. I give the reward for it.' The fast is a shield. If one is fasting, he should not use foul language, raise his voice (in anger), or behave foolishly. If someone reviles him or fights with him he should say, 'I am fasting' (instead of responding in kind).

Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 107A

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MUSLIMS SAY THEY'RE LOYAL AMERICANS, POLL FINDS - TOP Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times, 8/2/2011

A decade after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a Gallup poll released on Tuesday found that the vast majority of Muslim Americans say they are loyal to the United States and optimistic about the future, even though they are more likely than other religious groups to say they recently experienced discrimination.

Nine out of 10 Muslim Americans said that their co-religionists in the United States were not sympathetic to Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization held responsible for the attacks 10 years ago. Majorities in other religious groups agreed that Muslim Americans did not sympathize with Al Qaeda, although the percentages were much lower.

The poll in many ways contradicts the stereotype of Muslim Americans as an alienated and discontented religious minority. It was conducted by telephone from Feb. 10 to March 11, 2010, and Oct. 1 to 21, 2010, by the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center, a Gallup-affiliated research group based in the United Arab Emirates. The poll, which included interviews with 2,482 adults of whom 475 said they were Muslim, has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus seven percentage points for Muslims.

"It's not a completely rosy picture," said Mohamed Younis, senior analyst with the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies in Washington and a main author of the study.

"The prejudice and discrimination are definitely there, and that's something we have consistently seen in the data," Mr. Younis said. "But at the same time many of the people in the Muslim-American community seem to be doing relatively well, and part of their doing well is being able to be full-fledged Americans, to participate in the American experience." (More)

SEE ALSO:

MUSLIM TAKES HEART IN THE COMMONALITIES AMONG FAITHS - TOP Gary Soulsman, Delaware Online, 7/31/2011

Not many Muslims get invited to be fill-in preachers at Christian congregations, but that's what happened to Semab Chaudhry at Silverside Church.

Last month the pharmaceutical audit manager stepped into the pulpit for a Sunday talk explaining the reverence that Islam gives to figures such as Mary, Jesus, Abraham and Moses.

"It's remarkable how much commonality there is among our faiths," says June Eisley, a member of the Brandywine Hundred congregation. "I wish all Christians could learn this." (More)

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NATIONAL MUSLIM COALITION REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO KASHMIRI SELF-DETERMINATION - TOP

WASHINGTON, D. C., 8/2/2011: The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT*), a national coalition of major Muslim organizations, today issued a statement to express its commitment to the people of Kashmir and their peaceful struggle for self-determination and to reaffirm Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai's constitutional rights and the presumption of innocence afforded to every person in the United States.

Having carried out a heroic struggle under most difficult circumstances, Dr. Fai has become the globally-recognized face of Kashmiri public diplomacy.

AMT said in a statement:

"Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, a respected community activist and leader, has a right to the presumption of innocence and the right to a competent legal defense, the cost of which will require community support.

"Equally important for us is to ensure that the cause of Kashmir finds a peaceful expression in the United States. All the constitutional protections afforded any American citizen must remain available to Kashmiri-Americans and to all those who support the Kashmiri right to self-determination."

"Let no one be deluded into thinking that the present restrictions on the Kashmiri American Council (KAC) will mean banning of advocacy on behalf of the long-suffering people of Kashmir.

"We urge President Obama to ensure that the recent pro-India shift in US policy, clearly manifested in Sec of State Clinton's speech in India, will not be used by law enforcement agencies to stifle national debate about the future of Kashmir."

*AMT is an umbrella organization that includes American Muslim Alliance (AMA), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), Muslim American Society-Freedom (MAS-F), Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA), National Association of Imams (NAIF) and United Muslims of America (UMA).

In addition, this statement has been signed by the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County and Islamic Shura Council of Southern California.

CONTACT: AMT Chair Dr. Agha Saeed: aghaksaeed@yahoo.com

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CAIR: SENSITIVITY TO DIVERSITY KEY IN THE WORKPLACE - TOP Sarah Aslam, Orlando Business Journal, 8/1/2011

Workplaces in Central Florida are a melting pot of diversity when it comes to ethnicity, religion, gender orientation, age, etc. So it's important for companies to know how to face those differences with sensitivity.

For example, if you have Muslim workers, you should be aware that this year, Aug. 1 marks the beginning of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims worldwide in which the observing refrain from eating or drinking during daylight hours.

Here are some tips for businesses during Ramadan. (More)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-TAMPA: RAMADAN BRINGS BELIEVERS CLOSER TO GOD - TOP Elizabeth A. Leib, Temple Terrace Patch, 8/1/2011

Just about every religion practices some form of fasting as a way to strengthen a person's relationship with God. And research on the health benefits of fasting shows that people who practice it enjoy better quality sleep, greater energy, improved mental abilities, and elimination of toxins, to name just a few.

Today is the first day of Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month of the Muslim calendar. The start of the month--and the holiday--is determined through the naked eye by clerics' observation of the moon. For the next 29 or 30 days, Muslims will practice abstaining from food, drink and sex during daylight hours as a spiritual exercise designed to strengthen their relationship with God.

"Each night families will break the fast with a meal at home or one prepared for them at their mosque," said Hassan Shibly, the new executive director for the Tampa Chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). "After the meal, they will listen to a talk or lecture. At 10 p.m., they will begin "Taraweeh" prayers that continue until 11 p.m." (More)

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CAIR-LA: MUSLIMS WELCOME RAMADAN IN YEAR OF UPRISINGS - TOP Mona Shadia, Daily Pilot, 8/2/2011

Ramadan began Monday with special significance for Orange County Muslims, who celebrated the democratic tide washing over Egypt and Tunisia but also expressed concern for those who remain in peril in Syria, Libya and other Middle Eastern dictatorships.

"It's definitely a Ramadan with a different taste," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Greater Los Angeles Area, in Anaheim. "It comes as the first Ramadan under freedom to tens of millions of Muslims around the world, but who are still dealing with the challenges of instability and the unknown.

"But for others, it comes to them under dictators' brutality, such as in Syria and Libya, and other places, and it's not an easy to observe the month of Ramadan." (More)

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CAIR-CAN: SPECTRE OF NORWAY ATTACK HANGS OVER RAMADAN - TOP Renata D'Aliesio, The Globe and Mail, 8/1/2011

Mass killer Anders Breivik is behind bars in Norway. The anti-Muslim extremist has conceded to slaughtering 77 people and to bombing government headquarters in Oslo, but it is his warnings that others are prepared to unleash further brutality that are reverberating to mosques in Canada.

A national Muslim civil rights organization has advised mosques to review their security measures in light of Mr. Breivik's attacks, his confessions to police, and his 1,500-page hate-filled manifesto.

With the Islamic holy month of Ramadan beginning, attendance for prayers is expected to increase significantly. Mosque administrators should take precautions, examine their security, and report suspicious activity to police, Ihsaan Gardee said, executive director of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Mr. Gardee said the organization doesn't expect a widespread backlash against the Islamic community, but past occurrences have taught Muslims to be cautious.

"Our experience with other high-profile events whether national or international ... is that there is subsequently an up-tick in reports of anti-Muslim and Islamophobic rhetoric as well as incidents of harassment, hate crimes and discrimination." (More)

SEE ALSO:

ANTI-ISLAM BLOGGER: DEAD NORWAY KIDS NOT SO INNOCENT - TOP John Del Signore, Gothamist.com, 8/1/2011

Islamaphobic blogger Pamela Geller has been one of the most strident voices against the so-called "Ground Zero mosque," and even organized an anti-Islamic bus ad purchased with donations from readers of her blog, Atlas Shrugs.

Given her prominence in the bigoted 'Muslim Go Home!' movement, it's no surprise that mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik cited her in his sick manifesto. And over the weekend, it emerged that in 2007, Geller also published an anonymous email from a Norwegian praising her work. The email is chilling in its similarity to Breivik's stated mission (More)

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GELLER, SPENCER USING LINKS TO NORWAY TERROR FOR FUNDRAISING - TOP Ali Gharib, Think Progress, 8/1/2011

When the accused Norwegian right-wing terrorist Anders Breivik‘s so-called manifesto surfaced on the internet in the aftermath of the attacks, many commentators quickly took note of the citations to -- and wholesale reproduction of pieces by -- a group of American bloggers who fancy themselves "counter-Jihadists." Though no mainstream media outlets alleged that any responsibility for the attack rested with Islamophobic bloggers like Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, the clear influence they had on Breivik's anti-Muslim ideology garnered coverage in outlets like the New York Times.

Now Geller and Spencer are leveraging all the attention to raise funds from their supporters. In the past week, both Geller and the David Horowitz Freedom Center -- the group that houses Spencer's Jihad Watch blog -- sent out e-mail portraying themselves of victims of what Horowitz, in his letter, called attacks from the "international left."

In his July 26 email, Horowitz wrote that Spencer was under scrutiny "[b]ecause some of Robert's ideas happen to have been cited by the lunatic responsible for the carnage." According to a ThinkProgress analysis of Breivik's so-called manifesto, Spencer and his Jihad Watch blog were cited a combined 162 times in the 1,500-page document. (Horowitz was cited once.)

Horowitz goes on to offer up a pamphlet he and Spencer are writing -- titled: "Islamophobia: Thought Crime of the Totalitarian Future" -- and asks for donations, linking to a page to donate online. (More)

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VIDEO: DEBUNKING THE MISINTERPRETATIONS OF SHARIA LAW - TOP Center for American Progress, 8/2/2011

Watch the discussion here.

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VIDEO: FBI ASKED AGENTS TO READ ANTI-ISLAM BOOKS (CAIR) - TOP Rhonda Pence, Press TV, 8/2/2011

The FBI says Robert Spencer's book is no longer being recommended to new recruits. But CAIR wonders what impact that will really have, considering the group says, Robert Spencer is still a trainer at the FBI.

Watch the video here.

SEE ALSO:

AUDIO: CAIR ASKS AGENCIES TO STOP USING ISLAMOPHOBIC TRAINERS - TOP Free Speech Radio News, 8/1/2011

Listen to the radio program here.

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CAIR-MI ASKS DOJ TO MONITOR ISLAMIC SCHOOL'S REZONING - TOP Tom Perkins, Ann Arbor.com, 8/2/2011

The Pittsfield Township Planning Commission has rejected a Michigan Islamic Academy request to rezone property where it wants to build a new school on property it owns at Golfside and Ellsworth roads.

Now, a Michigan Islamic civil-rights group is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to monitor the approval process because of concerns that the school's religious rights may be violated. (More)

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Video: Anti-Muslim Hate Promoted by Vocal Minority

(CAIR) CAIR-Houston: Should Be Neither Distrusted Nor Alienated

CAIR Asks FBI to Probe Iowa Mosque Vandalism

(CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA, 8/3/2011) --

The Iowa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-IA) today called on the FBI to investigate recent vandalism at a mosque in that state as a possible hate crime.

An official with the Islamic Society of Clinton County in Clinton, Iowa, told CAIR that vandals threw more than a dozen rocks at the mosque sometime prior to evening prayers on July 23. A police report indicates that the vandalism shattered glass in the facility, resulting in an estimated $350 damage. Authorities are investigating the incident as "criminal mischief." A previous incident of vandalism reportedly targeted the mosque’s sign.

"Given the number of rocks thrown at the mosque and the rising level of anti-Muslim sentiment in our society, we urge the FBI to investigate a possible bias motive for this incident," said CAIR-IA Executive Director Miriam Amer.

Last week, CAIR called on the FBI to probe a Tennessee road rage incident in which a Muslim mother and son were allegedly targeted with death threats and anti-Muslim slurs by a knife-wielding driver.

SEE: Muslim Mom: Road Rage Incident 'a Hate Crime'

Police ID Road Rage Suspect Accused of Harassing Muslim Woman

CAIR recently urged Islamic institutions and members of the Muslim community to review security procedures using advice contained in its "Muslim Community Safety Kit."

SEE: CAIR Asks U.S. Mosques to Step Up Security After Norway Attacks

CAIR Asks U.S. Mosques to Host 'Sharing Ramadan' Meals

Idaho Man Sentenced for Threatening Muslim Woman

Pamela Geller's New Book Echoes Norway Terrorist's Manifesto

Video: Gaffney Wonders if Norwegian Terror Manifesto was 'False Flag Operation'

Robertson, Spencer Agree: Media Love Islam 'Cult' Because They Hate America

Action Alert: Act Now to Help Stop the Killing in Syria

CAIR Backs President's Plan to Fight Violent Extremism

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/3/2011) --

A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today offered its support for the "objective and holistic" approach taken in the Obama administration's newly-announced national strategy to counter violent extremism.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) welcomed the fact that the strategy on "Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States" focuses on community-based solutions and addresses all sources of violent extremism.

SEE: Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism

In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:

"American Muslims support objective and holistic efforts to ensure that all of our nation's citizens are safe from violent extremists. Programs that build trust between law enforcement authorities and the communities they serve are crucial to this effort. American Muslims are natural enemies of violent extremists and have a vested interest in preventing any attempts by such predatory individuals to recruit members of our community.

"Our nation faces a number of threats. Al-Qaeda and its allies, white supremacists, violent anti-Muslim extremists, and violent anti-government activists must all be confronted. A successful counter-extremism strategy will avoid the type of collective guilt and community demonization promoted by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Peter King (R-NY) and will instead address credible threats based on objective data, not political agendas or personal vendettas.

"Any effective strategy must avoid viewing the relationship between the American Muslim community and government agencies solely through the prism of national security and should recognize Muslims as partners in projecting the best of American principles and values to the world. Our government must also engage with American Muslim institutions and individuals proven to enjoy community support."

Awad added that a key concern of American Muslims is the use of taxpayer funds to hire anti-Muslim trainers such as Walid Shoebat, Robert Spencer and others. "Use of anti-Muslim trainers poisons local partnerships."

"Officials of the local, state and federal agencies that seek interaction with American Muslims should not be taught to hate Islam. The federal government must ensure that there are standards and accountability for the funds it disburses," said Awad.

He noted that CAIR has in the past called on the Obama administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and Congress to provide oversight for apparently widespread anti-Muslim bias in the training of law enforcement, security and military personnel nationwide.

Within the last month alone, CAIR has called on the CIA and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to drop Islamophobic or proselytizing trainers.

CAIR Asks ICE to Drop Trainer Who Seeks to Convert Muslims

Video: FBI Asked Agents to Read Anti-Islam Books

(CAIR) Audio: CAIR Asks Agencies to Stop Using Islamophobic Trainers

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. 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.

CONTACT:

CAIR-IA Executive Director Miriam Amer, 319-573-6617, E-Mail: mamer@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

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