Opinion Editorials, April 2014

Al-Jazeerah, CCUN, April 21, 2014

CAIR-NJ to Co-Sponsor 12th Congressional District Debate

Video: Prof. John Esposito at CAIR-Oklahoma 8th Annual Awards Banquet

CAIR: Indiana Resident's Passport Returned After Delay Dajani said in an email that he believes the Mother Jones story and efforts on his behalf by the Council on American-Islamic Relations were responsible for the return of his passport.

CAIR-Cleveland: Oberlin College Prof Files Defamation Suit Against Anti-Muslim Colleague

CAIR-Cleveland wrote a letter to the college last month, accusing Abdellatif of writing an anti-Islamic tract. CAIR-Cleveland said Abdellatif cannot be trusted as a result of his alleged hatred toward Muslims

Background: CAIR-Ohio Urges Oberlin College to Investigate Anti-Muslim Arabic Lecturer

NY: Police Nab Man Who Allegedly Threatened to Kill Muslim Teen

IL: Man Who Shot at Mosque Sentenced to Probation (Sun-Times)

CAIR-FL: Exposing ACT's Anti-Muslim Campaign to Censor Textbooks (Video)

CAIR-FL Action Alert: Tell Tallahassee to Stop Its Anti-Muslim Campaign Florida State Senator Alan Hays' anti-Muslim sentiment has driven him to push for two bills that are bad for all Floridians, but hurt religious minorities like Jews and Muslims, in particular.

Islamophobia Watch:

Franklin Graham Says Muslims Should 'Go Back to Where You Came From'

CAIR: "Miss Information" Spreads Misinformation About Islam in OKC

CAIR-OK has experienced several harried visits by the same "Miss Information" who dropped off similar, poorly-written, anti-Muslim hate flyers. Conference Illuminates Problem of Islamophobia in Today's Society At the Fifth Annual International Conference on Islamophobia Studies, founded and directed by UC Berkeley lecturer Hatem Bazian, attendees listened to panelists describe issues ranging from the discrimination against Muslims to the representation of Muslim women in the media

This Is What the NYPD's Failed Muslim Surveillance Program Actually Looked Like

Photo: CAIR Representatives at Interfaith Service for Kansas Shooting Victims

Muslims Determined to Run in Monday's Boston Marathon

CA: Gifts at Easter are Latest Bridge Between Sacramento-Area Muslims and Christians

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CAIR Reps Attend Interfaith Service for Kansas Shooting Victims

Two representatives of CAIR today attended an interfaith service for the three people killed on Sunday at Jewish community sites in Kansas. Muslim in America, in the Shadow of the Marathon Bombings (Boston Globe)

CAIR-NJ: Relieved That Police Spying Has Ended, Muslim Groups Say Law Enforcement Must Do More "It shows there is a concern about civil rights and the civil liberties of minorities, and that's good news towards rebuilding the relationship," said Mohamed El Filali, executive director of the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "It's not just disbanding this unit that will resolve the problem."

CAIR-LA: NYPD Shuts Down Controversial Muslim Spying Unit For more on this decision and what it could mean for Muslims here in southern California we turn to Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for the Greater Los Angeles area. Muslims in NYC Unite to Add Holidays to School Calendar (NY Times)

Live Stream - Islamophobia Conference - April 19, 2013 to April 20,2013

U.S. Mosques Urged to Apply for DHS Security Grants

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/17/14) --

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is urging mosques and Islamic institutions nationwide to consider applying for funds available through the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).

The program is designed to assist nonprofit organizations that are vulnerable to terrorist attacks with procuring and installing security equipment to enhance safety.

The NSGP application process opened March 18, 2014, and may be found on the FEMA website. The deadline for submitting the application is May 23, 2014 11:59 p.m. EDT.

SEE: Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Nonprofit Security Grant Program

(NSGP) Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Just this week, CAIR is working with a Maryland mosque that has been targeted by a series of incidents in which offensive items were left in the facility's mailbox.

In response to previous attacks on American mosques, CAIR published a booklet called "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety" designed to be used by mosque officials, Muslim school administrators and other community leaders and activists who seek to identify and eliminate vulnerabilities to bias-motivated attacks. The recommendations contained in the booklet could be used when filing the NSGP grant application.

Request a free e-copy of CAIR's "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety."

ACTION REQUESTED: If you represent a Muslim non-profit organization, consider applying for a grant through the NSGP by May 23, 2014.

Background on mosque safety issues:

In March, CAIR-Chicago called for an FBI hate crime investigation after a bullet was reportedly fired at the dome of the Prayer Center of Orland Park (OPPC) in Orland Park, Ill. CAIR recently called for a similar FBI probe into a shooting targeting a Mississippi mosque.

In February, CAIR-WA held a news conference to ask the FBI to investigate apparently bias-motivated incidents targeting a mosque in Bothell, Wash.

CAIR's Sacramento Valley chapter recently called on state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate vandalism of a California mosque as a possible hate crime.

In December, CAIR urged a hate crime probe of graffiti sprayed on the Islamic Society of Appalachian Region near Princeton, W.Va. The graffiti spray-painted on the mosque and its sign made obscene references to "Allah," the Arabic word for God.

Last year, CAIR welcomed an arrest in the case of a Joplin, Mo., mosque targeted by arson in 2012.

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CAIR: Muslims in Boston Say Year After Marathon Has Been Better Than First Feared (NEPR)

The Council on American-Islamic Relations monitors hate crimes against Muslims. The group's Ibrahim Hooper says there's been no significant increase in reports of harassment, assaults or damage to mosques since the marathon bombings. "Right after it occurred, we had two or three scattered reports of people being accosted in the streets, harassed, that kind of thing," Hooper says. "But I wouldn't say it was by any means a widespread phenomenon."

CAIR-OK: Never Let Us Forget (Gazette)

One thing that we have failed to realize as a state and nation is that violence, terrorism and extremism can originate from any background, regardless of race, religion or ethnic origin.

 Video: CAIR Rep Discusses Boston Bombing, Islamophobia on CCTV's 'The Heat'

Police Release Photo of Man Who Made Anti-Muslim Remarks, Spat on NY Muslim Teen

CAIR-MI: A Ways Yet to Go Since the Signing of the Civil Rights Act (Detroit News)

CAIR-NY: NYPD Stops Muslim Surveillance Program (Newsday)

The breakup of the unit came about a week after Bratton met with Muslim leaders who were critical of NYPD activities. At that time, Bratton said the unit was being disbanded and remarked that the old policies had not been the best practices, said Zead Ramadan, a board member of CAIR-NY, who was at the meeting.

Video: CAIR-NY Rep Says Disbanding NYPD Muslim Spy Unit an Important First Step

Video: CAIR-NY Rep Says NYPD Profiling of Muslims Was Not Productive

CAIR-NY: New York Police Department Disbands Unit that Spied on Muslims (CNN)

CAIR-NY: NY Police Disband Unit that Spied on Muslims (AFP)

CAIR-NY: NYPD Decision to Drop Spy Unit Lauded by Staten Island Muslims

While pleased with the change, CAIR-NY Board President Ryan Mahoney said, "the damage of unconstitutional mass spying on people solely on the basis of their religion has already been carried out and must be addressed.

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CAIR-NY Welcomes NYPD Decision to Disband Muslim Spying Unit

(NEW YORK, N.Y., 4/15/14) -

The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today welcomed a decision by the New York Police Department (NYPD) to disband a special unit that conducted widespread warrantless surveillance of law-abiding Muslims.

That surveillance was part of a comprehensive human mapping program that described and monitored Islamic institutions, including houses of worship, student groups and businesses that cater to the Muslim community. The NYPD also recruited informants it referred to as "mosque crawlers" to monitor religious sermons without any suspicion of wrongdoing. Police officials acknowledge that the program never generated a criminal lead.

SEE: New York Police Ends Muslim Surveillance Program that Sparked Outrage

Video: CAIR-NY, Other Rights Groups Decry NYPD 'Terror' Designation for Mosques

In a statement, said CAIR-NY Board President Ryan Mahoney said:

"CAIR-NY welcomes the closing of the NYPD Zone Assessment Unit. This is an important first step. However, the damage of unconstitutional mass spying on people solely on the basis of their religion has already been carried out and must be addressed. We need to hear from the mayor and NYPD officials that the policy itself has been ended and that the department will no longer apply mass surveillance or other forms of biased and predatory policing to any faith-based community."

Mahoney added that it is important to recognize the efforts of the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition (MACLC), of which CAIR-NY is a member, in bringing about this change in NYPD policy.

In 2013, CAIR-NY, along with a number of other civil rights organizations, urged the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate violations of the constitutional rights of Muslims by the NYPD.

SEE: CAIR-NY, Rights Groups to Seek DOJ Probe of NYPD 'Terror' Designation for Mosques

Video: CAIR Rep Backs Call for DOJ Probe of NYPD Spying on Muslims (Al Jazeera English)

CAIR-NY is a chapter of 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-NY Director of Operations Sadyia Khalique,

212-870-2202, E-Mail: skhalique@cair.com;

CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,

202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah & ccun.org.

editor@aljazeerah.info & editor@ccun.org