Action: Thank Rep. Pascrell for His Principled Stand

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 3/16/07

* Verse: The Nature of God
* CAIR's Open Letter to Congress
- Action: Thank Rep. Pascrell for His Principled Stand
- CAIR: Editorial Decries 'Cheap Shot at Pascrell'
* CAIR-MI Rep Speaks About History of Islam in America
* CAIR-LA: Muslims to Visit Japanese-American Internment Camp
- CAIR-LA: Muslim Tenants Win Discrimination Lawsuit (AP)
* CAIR-MD/VA: Free Legal System Seminar - Part 2
- CAIR-CA: Community Empowerment Workshop
* VA: Donate to Sharifa Alkhateeb Memorial Scholarship Fund
* U.S. Officials Want More Outreach to Muslims (LA Times)
- OK: Meeting with Law Enforcement Officers, Muslims (AP)
* AR: Muslim Girl Wins State Spelling Bee (AP)
- GA: Muslim Palates Boost Demand for Goat Meat (AJC)
- CA: Muslim TV Station to Launch (Inside Bay Area)
* Islam an Unknown Factor in Obama Bid (Orlando Sentinel)
* Soros: On Israel, America & AIPAC (NY Review of Books)
- CA: Peace Starts with Understanding Palestinians
* Learn Arabic and Study Quran at Al-Azhar University

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VERSE OF THE DAY: THE NATURE OF GOD - TOP

"God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as if there were a niche and within it a lamp, the lamp enclosed in glass, the glass shining like a radiant star: lit from a blessed tree - an olive tree neither of the East nor of the West - whose oil would almost give light (of itself) even though it had not been touched by fire. Light upon Light! God guides whom He will to His Light."

The Holy Quran, 24:35

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CAIR'S OPEN LETTER TO CONGRESS - TOP

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has a long history of positive social and political activism.

As a result, 32 CAIR chapters in 20 states have developed strong grass-roots relations with people of all faiths in the communities in which they work to promote social justice and interfaith tolerance.

Our recent event on Capitol Hill, a panel discussion titled "Global Attitudes on Islam-West Relations: US Policy Implications," was our fifth Hill event in the last two years. It was selected as a target of opportunity by some who seek to block participation in the political process of American citizens of the Islamic faith by defaming their representative institutions and organizations.

For the record, CAIR unequivocally condemns terror attacks targeting people of all faiths and in all areas of the world.

CAIR operates under the strict guidelines of its core values. These values include: support for freedom of religion and freedom of expression, and a commitment to supporting policies that promote dialogue, civil rights and diversity in America and worldwide.

In an effort designed to demonstrate the American Muslim community's repudiation of terrorism and religious extremism, CAIR launched an online petition drive called "Not in the Name of Islam." We also launched a nationwide television public service announcement campaign of the same name and coordinated a ground-breaking fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, against terrorism.

CAIR offered pro-active and positive responses to the controversies over allegations of Quran desecration at Guantanamo Bay and the publication of cartoons in Denmark defaming Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

Our educational initiatives opened doors to dialogue and mutual understanding with Americans of all faiths.

It is our hope that fair-minded Americans will not be swayed by the extreme rhetoric of those opposed to allowing American Muslims to exercise their full rights as citizens. We were heartened to see confirmation of this hope in the support we received for our right to discuss global opinion polls and the impact they may have on U.S. policy.

We welcome this support in the spirit of a united America, with a vigorous debate about our nation's foreign policies.

This unfortunate episode was triggered by an article in the Washington Times in which the writer falsely claimed, "CAIR officials did not return a call seeking comment." The article's author had spoken to CAIR's Communications Director.

The rest of the article followed this trend.

The episode was exacerbated when the Republican Conference chose to issue statements that were reflective of "Google" searches of anti-Muslim Internet hate sites.

In fact, our detractors' allegations do not stand up to objective scrutiny.

As reported in the New York Times on page A1 on Wednesday, March 14, 2007:

"Government officials in Washington said they were not aware of any criminal investigation of the group. More than one described the standards used by critics to link CAIR to terrorism as akin to McCarthyism, essentially guilt by association.

"'Of all the groups, there is probably more suspicion about CAIR, but when you ask people for cold hard facts, you get blank stares,' said Michael Rolince, a retired F.B.I. official who directed counterterrorism in the Washington field office from 2002 to 2005."

"A small band of critics have made a determined but unsuccessful effort to link [CAIR] to Hamas and Hezbollah. . ."

We recognize that many of our positions on issues such as Iraq, last year's conflict in Lebanon, Iran-US relations and overzealous government intrusion into private life make us unpopular with some people.

However, to question the legality of our organization and our loyalty to the United States is simply unacceptable.

Attacks on our positions are the price of taking principled stands on the issues. But personal attacks are unfair and not representative of basic American decency.

The fact that we come under attack by anti-Muslim extremists is no surprise to anyone who works for positive social change. All proponents of social justice have faced similar attacks designed to silence their voices.

It is our view that the attacks against us are an indicator of the effectiveness of our advocacy.

CAIR is supported by many mainstream political, social and religious groups. We have active alliances with members of the Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Hispanic, African-American, and Asian communities. We attend each others events and we share the aspiration to make America's future brighter than its past.

In the end, we place our trust in God and pray that He guides us and gives us the strength to endure attempts to marginalize and silence the voice of a growing and contributing religious minority in America.

We invite you to visit our website at www.cair.com to familiarize yourself with the work we do.

Also visit www.cair.com/factsaboutcair.asp to find out more about our recent accomplishments.

We remain an open and transparent organization. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by calling (202) 488-8787 or e-mailing csaylor@cair.com. We will be glad to answer your questions and address your concerns.

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ACTION: THANK PASCRELL FOR HIS PRINCIPLED STAND - TOP

(TOTOWA, NJ, 3/16/07) - The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) today urged American Muslims and other people of conscience to voice appreciation to Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) for standing up to those who seek to exclude American Muslims from the political process.

Congressman Pascrell recently reserved a room on Capitol Hill for a CAIR-sponsored panel discussion on "Global Attitudes on Islam-West Relations: US Policy Implications." He came under attack from groups that want to stifle America Muslim political participation.

While some sought to use smears and Islamophobia to silence the American Muslim perspective, an aide to Representative Pascrell stated the following: "It is important that Muslim-Americans feel they are part of our country."

"Religious and ethnic minorities have a friend in Congressman Pascrell, and it is important that we show him we appreciate that fact," said CAIR-NJ Communications Director Afsheen Shamsi.

ACTION REQUESTED

1) Send a fax, letter or e-mail to Rep. Pascrell thanking him for supporting the right of American Muslims to participate in the political process. (In this case personalized, written responses are best, followed by phone calls.)

The Honorable Bill Pascrell
200 Federal Plaza, #500
Paterson, NJ 07505
Phone: (973) 523-5152
Fax: (973) 523-0637

E-mails should be sent via the Congressman's web form: http://pascrell.house.gov/feedback.cfm?campaign=pascrell&type=Contact%20Bill

TALKING POINTS

(Be sure to provide your name and address, the office uses this to identify you and for no other purposes. If you are a constituent, mention it.)

1) Please thank Congressman Pascrell for standing on principle and resisting those who wish to exclude minorities, such as American Muslims, from the political process.

2) Thank him for his willingness to support religious and ethnic minorities.

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CAIR: CHEAP SHOT AT PASCRELL - TOP
New Jersey Star-Ledger, 3/16/07
http://www.nj.com/opinion/ledger/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1174024348241770.xml&coll=1

Rep. Bill Pascrell is a New Jersey Democrat whose 8th District includes Passaic and Paterson, cities with significant Islamic communities. The other day, Pascrell arranged for a national Islamic civil liberties group to use a room in the Capitol basement for a panel discussion on relations between Muslims and the West. The House Republican Conference went ballistic.

The conference provides policy research and other support services to GOP House members, and it said no way the new Democratic majority should be hosting meetings of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a group it called "apologists for suicide bombers."

Those are tough words, and they did fit a few individuals who have been associated with CAIR over the years, one of whom was convicted of conspiring to train terrorists in Virginia. But the federal government doesn't think that troubling description of a few bad apples accurately portrays the group in general.

The FBI and other agencies have repeatedly used CAIR to build bridges with the Muslim community, and the "apologist" tag certainly wasn't shared by the high-ranking Republican who met with the group at an Islamic center after 9/11: President Bush.

Members of Congress routinely give groups access to Capitol rooms, from environmental coalitions to organizations fighting drunken driving. Pascrell noted the building is "open to all Americans and should be available to encourage dialogue on the most relevant domestic and international issues of the day."

Exactly the proper attitude. The House Republican Conference could easily do its part to encourage a dialogue. The conference and members of Congress who feel strongly that CAIR is indeed an apologist for evil should reserve a room, invite CAIR and hold a debate. That would be much more productive than trying to score cheap political points.

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CAIR-MI REP SPEAKS ABOUT HISTORY OF ISLAM IN AMERICA - TOP

(FLINT, MI, 3/15/07) - CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid recently spoke at the University of Michigan-Flint, presenting an account of the history of Islam in America. The educational event was attended by faculty and students.

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 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.

CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid at dwalid@cair.com or 248-842-1418.

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CAIR-LA INVITES MUSLIMS TO JOIN ANNUAL MANZANAR PILGRIMAGE - TOP

38th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage: A Visit to the largest Japanese American Internment Camp

WHAT: 38th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage
WHEN: Saturday, April 28, 2007

The Manzanar Committee is dedicated to educating the public about the Japanese American internment camp experience by organizing the annual Manzanar Pilgrimage. This year, the Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) is working with the L.A. Manzanar Committee and the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) to bring members of the California Muslim community to join for a one-day visit of Manzanar. (See History of Manzanar below)

This is a great opportunity for community leaders as well as college students to participate and share their experience with their respective communities.

Citing the significance of the trip, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said: "With the growing anti-Muslim sentiments and incidents across the country, it is important to relearn and remember part of our nation's history when we as a country committed great injustices against innocent Americans solely based on their heritage and background."

If you are interested or for more information, contact: Alia Aboul-Nasr, Programs and Development Manager, 714-776-1847, socal@cair.com

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CAIR-LA: MUSLIM TENANTS WIN DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT IN ARBITRATION - TOP
Judge rules Anaheim housing complex denied repairs and units based on religion.
ERIK ORTIZ, Orange County Register, 3/16/07
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/anaheim/article_1621741.php

An arbiter has decided that the Chaumont Villas apartment complex wrongly discriminated against six Muslim tenants based on their religion.

The parties in the lawsuit, filed in September 2005, agreed to binding arbitration.

In his decision on March 9, Orange County Arbiter Jay Cordell Horton said the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Fair Employment and Housing Act were violated.

Horton has ordered the owner of the West Broadway apartment complex to pay monetary damages to the tenants.

The initial lawsuit said that the apartment complex's manager, Bridgett Phillips, showed a pattern of discrimination, including refusing to make repairs, chasing away Muslim children from playing in common areas and forbidding a tenant from switching apartments claiming there were no vacancies.

"As Americans, all we want is respect and fair treatment," plaintiff Tawfieq Mousa said in a statement last week.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations lauded the arbiter's decision. (MORE)

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CAIR-MD/VA TO OFFER PART 2 OF INTRODUCTION TO U.S. LEGAL SYSTEM - TOP

HERNDON, VIRGINIA - On March 17, the Maryland and Virginia chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD/VA) is conducting the second part of its free Introduction to the American Legal System seminar.

This overview of American Law is designed to provide the Muslim community with a basic understanding of the U.S. legal processes and institutions in order to empower our community to enact the legal protections afforded to us as American Muslims. It is known that any individual or community that utilizes the American legal system for this purpose makes a substantial investment in their future.

Attorney Morris Days, Civil Rights Manager of CAIR-MD/VA's Northern Virginia office, will be conducting the class. Using real case examples that are relevant to American Muslims and the immigrant community, Days will be discussing the basic structure and function of law making (local, state, and federal assemblies), governance (presidency), regulation (government agencies) and administration (the courts). If you were unable to attend the first session, you are still welcome to join us for Part II!

Topics include:
* The Stages of a Case before Trial
* The Trial
* The Role of Attorneys
* Changing the system
* Legal Terminology

Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, and Spanish interpreters will be available to assist the community. Please specify in your response if a language interpreter is required.

WHERE: CAIR-MD/VA Office, 585 N. Grove Street, Herndon, VA
WHEN: Saturday, March 17, 2007, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

(Arrive early for refreshments and networking opportunity; a free lunch is provided after the seminar)

RSVP Required (please remember to specify if a language interpreter is required): Email: jamil_2good@yahoo.com or morrisdays@abanet.org, Tel: phone: 703.689.3100

CONTACT: Morris Days, Civil Rights Manager, CAIR MD/VA, 703.689.3100

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CAIR-CA: COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT WORKSHOP - TOP

On Tuesday, March 20, CAIR-SFBA will kick off the Community Empowerment Workshop Series of 2007 with the first workshop in San Jose.

WHAT: An interfaith educational effort, composed of a 2 hour interactive program that includes expert speakers covering Islam, Muslims, post 9/11 legislations, and their effect on immigrant communities, followed by a panel discussion.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 20, 2007, 7 - 9 p.m.
WHERE: St. Martin of Tours Parish, 200 O'Conner Drive, San Jose, CA

CONTACT: Robert Yabes, 408-325-5279, Email: robert@ccsj.org or Shazia Jafri, 408-986-9874, Email: sjafri@cair.com

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S.I.S.T.E.R.S. & SAF RAISING $75,000 TO ENDOW THE SHARIFA ALKHATEEB MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND TO SUPPORT 3 ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FCPS STUDENTS - TOP

(Falls Church, VA, March 7, 2007) - In recognition of Sharifa Alkhateeb's service to Fairfax County, Virginia, S.I.S.T.E.R.S and the Sharifa Alkhateeb Foundation collaborated with College Access Fairfax to establish a memorial scholarship in January of 2007.

We are seeking to raise a total of $75,000 to perpetually endow three annual scholarships of $1000 each for Fairfax County Public Schools graduating seniors. The management of the endowment and the administration of the scholarship will be conducted by College Access Fairfax.

The Sharifa Alkhateeb Memorial Fund Scholarship will be divided into three annual scholarships which will recognize Sharifa's work in establishing the Arabic Program in Fairfax County Public Schools, implementing diversity education within the public school system, and demonstrating an ongoing commitment to social service.

Sharifa Alkhateeb was an integral part of Fairfax County, and advised schools, police departments, corporate directors, government agencies, and publishers of school textbooks on Islam and Muslims.

Mrs. Alkhateeb served Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) as a diversity trainer, produced a television show from 1993 to 1997 entitled "Middle Eastern Parenting" and played a pivotal role in the establishment of Arabic as one of FCPS's foreign language programs. The creation of this memorial scholarship will encourage students in their pursuit of higher education, and at the same time recognize the contributions Sharifa Alkhateeb made to Fairfax County.

Contributions are being accepted by College Access Fairfax. Please write "Sharifa Alkhateeb" in the memo line of your check. For additional information on the Sharifa Alkhateeb Memorial Scholarship Fund contact SAMSFund@gmail.com.

CONTACT: College Access Fairfax, 8115 Gatehouse Road, Suite 1512, Falls Church, VA 22042; Email: SAMSFund@gmail.com

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U.S. OFFICIALS WANT MORE OUTREACH TO AMERICAN ARABS, MUSLIMS - TOP
Homeland Security aides note difficulty in recruiting interpreters and analysts
Adam Schreck, Los Angeles Times, 3/15/07
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-terror15mar15,1,4192362.story

Senior Homeland Security officials told a Senate panel Wednesday that they were having a hard time employing enough interpreters and analysts to counter domestic terrorist threats and that they needed to do more to reach out to American Arabs and Muslims.

They also warned that some American Muslims were at risk of becoming radicalized and might try to execute homegrown terrorist attacks of the sort carried out on London subways and buses in 2005.

And even though they said they were aware of the sensitivity of the situation, Secretary Michael Chertoff and other officials acknowledged that they did not fully understand the radicalization process or know the size of the problem.

In testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, they said the department had taken steps to better communicate with Arab, Muslim and South Asian Americans but said more needed to be done to build trust and encourage them to enter public service.

"We believe that a critical element of our strategy for securing this country is to build a level of communication, trust and confidence that is unprecedented in our nation's history," said Daniel W. Sutherland, the department's officer for civil rights and civil liberties.

Chertoff said recruiting interpreters and analysts was "always a challenge" in part because of competition from the private sector and other government agencies.

"I want to make sure we continue to have a pool of recruits that is sufficient to let us satisfy our needs, and I think we're in a very competitive environment," he said.

Sutherland said department officials had developed relationships with members of the American Arab, Muslim, Sikh and South Asian communities in cities nationwide, including Los Angeles. But he emphasized that all levels of government "have to work hard to deepen the engagement" with American Muslims, noting that the majority of that group wants nothing to do with extremism.

Several senators agreed. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said American Muslims were "deeply offended" by efforts to radicalize their faith.

"The signals that the top levels of our government send around the world about the way we view the Muslim faith may be the most powerful weapon we have against terrorism," she said.

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OK: MEETING HELD BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND MUSLIMS - TOP
Associated Press, 3/16/07
http://www.fox23.com/news/state/story.aspx?content_id=1a5bba14-9c02-4462-b912-f50eb119a816

(OKLAHOMA CITY) March 16 - Law officers have met with Muslim leaders in Oklahoma in an effort to improve understanding and limit problems in what both sides say can be a tense relationship.

FBI agents, police chiefs and officers, mosque leaders and members of the Governor's Ethnic American Advisory Council met privately at the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Ward says counterterrorism investigations routinely produce leads involving the Muslim community. He says those leads must be worked aggressively but there also must be a balance to ensure Muslims are treated fairly. (MORE)

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AR: WE HAVE A WINNER - TOP
Associated Press, 3/14/07
http://www.malvern-online.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7186

When seventh-grader Samia Nawaz was given the word "plantain," she knew she had the Arkansas State Spelling Bee in the bag. "As soon as she heard that word, she smirked at me," said her mother, Fahmida Nawaz. That's because Samia's mother grew up eating plantains - a tropical, banana-like plant. Samia of Little Rock beat out 62 other spellers in the bee, held Saturday at the University of Arkansas.

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GA: GLOBAL PALATES BOOST DEMAND FOR GOAT MEAT - TOP
REBECCA Mccarthy, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 3/16/07
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2007/03/15/0316metgoats.html

Angie Peevy has become accustomed to the cars that pass her family's Gwinnett farm, circle back and head to her house. The drivers all ask the same thing: Can they buy one of her pets - to eat?

"There's been a tremendous increase over the past five years in people wanting goat meat," said Peevy, who keeps a herd of dairy goats.

A large billy goat may sell for as much as $200 on the meat market, while kids may fetch $30.

"The number of Islamic people wanting goats, the halal market, is amazing. ... Sometimes I'll sell them a young buck or a male kid." (MORE)

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CA: MUSLIM TV STATION TO LAUNCH IN NEWARK - TOP
Angela Woodall, Inside Bay Area (California), 3/16/07
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_5450344

NEWARK -- Speakers from Al-Jazeera and other Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian news outlets will be in Newark on Saturday for the launch of Global Forum TV, a network created by a Newark-based Muslim group.

The American Muslim Alliance launched the network to give Muslims a voice in the public debate about civil liberties, war, human rights and other issues, said the forum's host, Agha Saeed.

"This is a time when people need to hear all the sides of the story, such as the situation of U.S. Muslims," said Saeed, national chairman of the organization and a communications instructor at California State University, East Bay.

The forum will begin at 5 p.m. at Mehran Restaurant, 5774 Mowry School Road. A $20 fee includes dinner. The event was organized as a response to the explosion of TV channels in heavily Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Saeed said. (MORE)

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ISLAM AN UNKNOWN FACTOR IN OBAMA BID - TOP
Campaign downplays his connection during boyhood in Indonesia
Paul Watson, Los Angeles Times, 3/16/07
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.obama16mar16,0,3991023.story

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- As a boy in Indonesia, Barack Obama crisscrossed the religious divide. At the local primary school, he prayed in thanks to a Catholic saint. In the neighborhood mosque, he bowed to Allah.

Having a personal background in Christianity and Islam might seem useful for an aspiring U.S. president in an age when Islamic nations and radical groups are key national security and foreign policy issues. But a connection with Islam is untrod territory for presidential politics.

Obama's four years as a child in Indonesia underscore how dramatically his background differs from that of past presidential hopefuls, most of whom spent little, if any, time in other countries. No one knows how voters will react to a candidate with an early exposure to Islam, a religion that remains foreign to many Americans.

Obama's campaign aides have emphasized his strong Christian beliefs and downplayed any Islamic connection. The Illinois senator was raised "in a secular household in Indonesia by his stepfather and mother," his chief spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said in a statement in January after false reports began circulating that Obama had attended a radical madrasa, or Koranic school, as a child.

"To be clear, Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian who attends the United Church of Christ in Chicago," Gibbs' Jan. 24 statement said. In a statement to The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, the campaign offered slightly different wording, saying: "Obama has never been a practicing Muslim." The statement added that as a child, Obama had spent time in the neighborhood's Islamic center.

His former Roman Catholic and Muslim teachers, along with two people who were identified by Obama's grade-school teacher as childhood friends, say Obama was registered by his family as a Muslim at both of the schools he attended.

That registration meant that during the third and fourth grades, Obama learned about Islam for two hours each week in religion class.

The childhood friends say Obama sometimes went to Friday prayers at the local mosque. "We prayed but not really seriously, just following actions done by older people in the mosque. But as kids, we loved to meet our friends and went to the mosque together and played," said Zulfin Adi, who describes himself as among Obama's closest childhood friends.

The campaign's national press secretary, Bill Burton, said Wednesday that the friends were recalling events "that are 40 years old and subject to four decades of other information." Obama's younger sister, Maya Soetoro, said in a statement released by the campaign that the family attended the mosque only "for big communal events," not every Friday.

The sensitivity of Islam as a political issue was on display earlier this year with the false report that Obama had attended a radical madrassa here. The report, which appeared initially on a conservative-oriented online magazine and then on a Fox News program, attributed the news to researchers for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Both campaigns denied the story and accused conservative media outlets of trying to use the rumor to smear two Democratic presidential hopefuls simultaneously.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Islamic-majority country, has seen an upsurge of Islamic radicalism in the last few years. But during the 1960s, when Obama lived here, the country was known for a brand of Islam more open to the non-Islamic world than the austere versions preached in much of the Middle East. Even in the Mideast, political Islam was far less influential in the 1960s than it is today.

In his autobiography, Dreams From My Father, Obama briefly mentions Koranic study and describes his public school, which accepted students of all religions, as "a Muslim school." (MORE)

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ON ISRAEL, AMERICA & AIPAC - TOP
George Soros, New York Review of Books, 3/12/07
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/20030

The Bush administration is once again in the process of committing a major policy blunder in the Middle East, one that is liable to have disastrous consequences and is not receiving the attention it should. This time it concerns the Israeli-Palestinian relationship. The Bush administration is actively supporting the Israeli government in its refusal to recognize a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas, which the US State Department considers a terrorist organization. This precludes any progress toward a peace settlement at a time when progress on the Palestinian problem could help avert a conflagration in the greater Middle East.

The United States and Israel seek to deal only with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in the hope that new elections would deny Hamas the majority it now has in the Palestinian Legislative Council. This is a hopeless strategy because Hamas has said it would boycott early elections, and even if their outcome would result in Hamas's exclusion from the government, no peace agreement would hold without Hamas's support.

In the meantime Saudi Arabia is pursuing a different path. In a February summit in Mecca between Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, the Saudi government worked out an agreement between Hamas and Fatah, which have been clashing violently, to form a national unity government. According to the Mecca accord, Hamas has agreed "to respect international resolutions and the agreements [with Israel] signed by the Palestinian Liberation Organization," including the Oslo Accords. According to press reports on March 15, the new government, like the present one, will be headed by Ismail Haniya, the Hamas prime minister, but Hamas will get nine of the government's twenty-four ministries, as well as an additional minister without portfolio; President Abbas and his Fatah party will control six ministries, and independent representatives-some said to be under the control of Hamas or Fatah-and other political factions will fill the nine remaining ministries. (MORE)

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CA: PEACE STARTS WITH UNDERSTANDING OF MUSLIM NEIGHBORS - TOP
Dr. Rushdi Abdul Cader, San Luis Obispo Tribune, 3/16/07
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispotribune/news/editorial/letters/16915456.htm

The invitation of Daniel Pipes to Cal Poly and the subsequent media response have roused many questions about Islam and Palestinian life.

I am a mainstream American Muslim, and as such, Pipes' claims stand contrary to my experience on these topics.

Pipes advocates breaking the spirit of the Palestinians by making them realize that "Palestinians can't win," that "negotiations don't work" and that "the Palestinians can have no more hope." His rationale is grounded in the notion that Palestinians will never, under any conditions, accept a state of Israel and thus the only response for Israel is to break their will.

Palestinians are a defiant people. I recall watching a procession of Orthodox Christians carrying palm leaves as they made their way along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in the heart of Jerusalem. The Palestinian Christian children bringing up the rear mocked and jeered at four Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers as they passed by. The children flicked pebbles at them, one of which struck a soldier's boot. The soldier approached the smallest child, shouldered his rifle and held it against the 4-year-old's head. His index finger eased inside the trigger guard of his M-16. The other boys scattered, leaving their friend alone, unflinching and defiant. Standing just 15 feet away from this event, I froze so as not to spook the teenage IDF soldier. Seconds passed like eternity until the soldier released his trigger finger.

The child stuck his tongue out and ran after his friends. This is the Palestinians' resistance, and they will defy Israeli occupation down to the last child.

Yet this example does not mean that the Palestinians will never accept an Israeli state, as Pipes supposes. Freedom is their birthright, yet their first goal is to secure liberty, not destroy their neighbor. A truly independent and sovereign nation is the primary desire for the vast majority of Palestinians.

I visited the West Bank myself while an emergency medical officer for the International Medical Corps. I witnessed firsthand the degrading life of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. I saw the destruction of Palestinian homes and smelled the rotting corpses of Palestinian families under the rubble of Jenin.

In Nablus, I saw the remains of a bombed-out church and picked tufts of a child's hair from the concrete debris. I visited United Nations clinics where many Palestinians died while waiting for transport to hospitals that were blocked by the IDF. I never spoke publicly of what I saw. My pictures and video were confiscated by my interrogators when I was held in an Israeli holding cell and told that I would never see my family again. I came to appreciate the level of distrust and anger that can develop.

Even with these traumatic experiences, I never generalized these circumstances to be the fault of all Israelis, let alone all Jews.

Israelis, too, have suffered.

I did not visit the hospital beds of the victims of suicide bombers, nor Israelis who had lost loved ones. They, too, are victims of violence and desire peace and safety. My time in relief work has shaped my appreciation of the Jewish community as a whole. In the course of these experiences, the greatest charity that I have ever witnessed has been from Jewish hands to underserved Muslims.

Criticism of the occupation does not come out of disdain for the people of Israel or their religion. (MORE)

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LEARN ARABIC AND STUDY QURAN AT AL AZHAR UNIVERSITY - TOP

The Cordoba University School of Professional Studies (Ashburn VA), Al Azhar University and Al-Ameen Associates once again present an Intensive Arabic Immersion Program in Cairo, Egypt.

June 28 - July 31, 2007 (Dates may vary 1-3 days based on final travel arrangements)

Seats are still available - Apply NOW! DEADLINE IS MARCH 19
Required: Minimum age-18 Must Know Arabic alphabet & vowels

DETAILS/CONTACT INFO:

* $2200 Fee Includes: Rd trip airfare from NYC, ground transport, lodging, books and tuition. (ACCEPTED Applications received after deadline will be charged $2500 IF SPACE IS AVAILABLE)
* Classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced levels�
* Classes meet 5 days a week, 6 hours per day
* CEU's and college credit available through Cordoba University

Applications and further info available at the following link at the
Cordoba University website:

http://www.cordobauniversity.org/csps/Al-Azhar.asp

Phone: 203-865-9411, email al_ameenllc@yahoo.com

(Due to the low cost of this program-no scholarships are available)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com