CAIR Rep to Appear on CNN's 'Glenn Beck' / MD Bill to Provide Muslims Funeral Alternatives

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful


AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 3/5/07

* Verse: The Righteous Will Inherit the Earth
* CAIR Rep to Appear on CNN's 'Glenn Beck'
* 750 Turn Out for CAIR-South Florida Dinner
* MI: Islamophobia is a Threat to Liberty (Daily Telegram)
- CA: A Moderate Muslim Speaks Out
- Hirsi Ali is Not a Muslim Role Model (Wash Post)
* MD Bill to Provide Muslims Funeral Alternatives (Wash Post)
* MA: Arab-Americans Charge Harassment by FedEx (Reuters)
- SC: 'Kill the Muslims' Auditor Kicked Off Campaign
* VA: Politicians Take Part in Mosque Open House (Wash Post)
- Education, Economic Empowerment Key for Muslim Women (VOA)
* Former Gitmo Inmate Describes Interrogations (ABC News)
* 16 Civilians Die as U.S. Troops Fire on Afghan Road (NY Times)
- Afghan Media: U.S. Troops Deleted Images (AP)
- NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan Kills 9 (AP)

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VERSE OF THE DAY: THE RIGHTEOUS WILL INHERIT THE EARTH - TOP

"We wrote in the Psalms after the message (given to Moses): 'My righteous servants shall inherit the earth.' Verily in the (Quran) is a message for people who would (truly) worship God. (O Muhammad,) We sent you as a mercy for all the worlds."

The Holy Quran, 21:105-107

To obtain or sponsor a FREE Quran, go to: www.cair.com/explorethequran/

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CAIR-FL REP ON CNN'S 'GLENN BECK SHOW' TONIGHT - TOP
The program airs at 7 and 9 p.m. on CNN Headline News
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/glenn.beck/

CAIR-FL representative Ahmed Bedier will question the credibility and agendas of those taking part in the so-called "Secular Islam Summit."

SEE: http://www.intelligencesummit.org/2007schedule.php

SEE ALSO: Wafa Sultan: Reformist or Opportunist?

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CAIR-SOUTH FLORIDA'S 7TH ANNUAL BANQUET A SUCCESS - TOP

(MIAMI, FL, 3/5/07) - On March 3, the South Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Florida chapter (CAIR-FL) held its seventh annual banquet with the theme "Connecting and Sharing."

Some 750 people attended the sold-out event, including public officials, law enforcement personnel, members of the media, friends from other faith communities, and representatives from more than a dozen Islamic centers.

Speakers included CAIR-Florida Executive Director Altaf Ali, CAIR-Florida Chairman Atif Fareed and CAIR Board Chairman Dr. Parvez Ahmed. The keynote address was delivered by "Mecca and Main Street" author Geneive Abdo. Also speaking at the event was Justin Rockefeller, co-founder and National Program Director of Generation Engage a national youth-civic-engagement group. The event concluded with a comedy act by Mohammed Amer of the "Allah Made Me Funny" tour.

CONTACT: CAIR-FL Executive Director Altaf Ali, Tel: 954-298-8214, Email: aali@cair.com; CAIR-FL Communications Director Nabeeha Khan, Tel: 954-272-0490, Email: nkhan@cair.com

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MI: A BIGGER THREAT TO LIBERTY - TOP
Daily Telegram, 3/3/07
http://www.lenconnect.com/articles/2007/03/04/news/news08.txt

To the editor,

As a fellow freedom-loving American, I feel the need to respond to Mr. Alar's letter and other letters over the past few weeks regarding those who are Muslim.

May I remind you, Mr. Alar, that with the freedom of speech that you say "certain" Muslim leaders have used to voice anti-American propaganda, we are also granted the freedom to follow whatever religious or spiritual path we wish without persecution, including the faith of Islam.

Perhaps a closer study of Islam would do everyone some good, and we would see that the true faith of Islam is a loving and accepting religion. It is very true that some countries and leaders have taken the teachings of the Qu'ran out of context when applying them to Islamic Law and have taken away many basic human rights from their citizens.

However, some practices that may seem like a denial of human rights to us is not always seen that way by others. For example, Islamic women willingly wear a covering, or hijab, as a sign of their submission to God. A quick check of 1 Corinthians 11:5-6, and you would see that Christian women are commanded to cover their heads as well, or be shorn.

I want to be clear that in no way do I support or sympathize with Islamic radicals, or any other religious extremist groups. The problem is, since Sept. 11, too many people have accepted the idea that EVERY Muslim is an extremist, plotting the downfall of America. In another letter to the editor, it was asserted that there were no moderate Muslims and that no Muslim leaders had spoken out to condemn terrorism. A "good Muslim" was called the same thing as a "good Nazi." What a horribly ignorant thing to say. The following list is a few of the Muslim organizations (abbreviated) that have publicly condemned terrorism and radicalism: AMPCC, AMA, AMC, AMJ, CAIR, ISNA, ICNA, ISCSC, SSANA.

At the age of 17, I am alarmed at how many people openly express their hatred towards followers of the Islamic faith, and other faiths that differ from their own. The problem with our world today goes beyond Islamic extremism. We all need to learn love, respect and tolerance for one another, no matter what our differences are. The greatest threat to the liberty of our nation is not the Muslim, Mr. Alar; it is misguided opinions like yours. I hope that this letter helps you, and others, to overcome their prejudices.

Donnie Alverson, Adrian

SEE ALSO:

CA: VIEWPOINT; A MODERATE MUSLIM SPEAKS OUT - TOP
Nisreen Hasib, San Luis Obispo Tribune, 3/5/07
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispotribune/news/editorial/letters/16835854.htm

I am writing in response to the Feb. 15 letter to the editor entitled "Muslim Groups Quiet" by Joe Fagundes. I was the co-founder and president of the Islamic Student Association at Paso Robles High School during my senior year. A fellow student and I established it with the primary intent of creating an outlet that would bridge the gap between the Muslim and San Luis Obispo County communities. Some of the events we hosted included a Ramadan dinner as well as an interfaith profile that addressed issues concerning interfaith dialogue.

As a student at Yale University majoring in political science and Arabic and Islamic studies, I have often been faced with the question Joe Fagundes is asking. Why indeed are moderate Muslims staying quiet on the issue of terrorism? We aren't. We simply aren't given the spotlight.

Here and now I do not hesitate to state that the actions taken by "mujahideen" and other "freedom fighters" are not supported by the Qur'an, Hadith (saying), or Sunnah (example) of the Prophet Muhammad. But it would appear to the average person that such actions are. As Mr. Fagundes implied, the only things we hear coming out of Muslim mouths today is a condemnation of the Western world or a harried defense of Islam.

I will agree with Mr. Fagundes on that point. That is all that is heard about. However, that is not all that is said. In Islam, there is no overarching hierarchy similar to that that exists in Catholicism with the Pope and the Vatican. We believe that each individual is accountable for his or her own actions, and only God can either forgive or not forgive that individual. While this idea of individual accountability is appealing on a religious standpoint, when it is time for the Muslim community to respond as a whole, it is difficult to give a united opinion, because the religion does not operate under a centralized authority.

But though we do not appear to have a collection of leaders condemning these acts of terrorism, moderate Muslims are the largest group of people in America condemning these acts.

It is perhaps bold of me to make this statement, but as a moderate Muslim I will not only state this once, but repeatedly. The average Muslim has the most to lose while his or her religion is repeatedly being profiled in a negative way by those surrounding him/her. It will lead to misunderstandings and an eventual fallout on both sides.

By not actively condemning acts of terrorism, the average Muslim condemns him/herself to self-segregation because of difficulty when interacting with other Americans, religious and ethnic profiling and other issues. We cannot, and do not allow this issue to slide under the table.

As a member of my university's Multifaith Council, and a writer for the Yale Daily News, it is necessary that I, whenever possible, dispel this myth of the "quiet" moderate Muslim.

Mr. Fagundes, I can assure you that we are not quiet on this point. I will not condone these acts of terrorism. They are not in line with Islamic belief or practice. The ones who believe that they are carrying out the will of God are accurately portrayed as the fanatics, but they are in a very small minority. Like you, I am disappointed and disgusted by these acts, and like you, I feel that it is necessary to speak out.

Former Paso Robles resident Nisreen Hasib is now a student at Yale University.

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BETTER MUSLIM ROLE MODELS - TOP
Washington Post, 3/5/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/04/AR2007030400966.html

If Anne Applebaum ["The Gall to Speak Her Mind," op-ed, Feb. 27] believes that Muslim teenagers will follow in Ayaan Hirsi Ali's footsteps, Ms. Applebaum is delusional. Ms. Hirsi Ali has nothing positive to offer.

This column and the media in general give extensive coverage to those who are on the fringes of Muslim society. They ignore or give very little coverage to mainstream Muslims.

To Ms. Applebaum and the rest of the media, I say: Do not choose role models for us. We are capable of choosing our own role models. They are Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, Mary, Khadija, Fatima and Rabia. Their teachings are our teenagers' foundation.

TAHIR A. QURESHI
Silver Spring

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MD. BILL TO PROVIDE MUSLIMS END-OF-LIFE ALTERNATIVES - TOP
Training Requirements Go Against Custom
Lisa Rein, Washington Post, 3/5/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/04/AR2007030401376.html

Muslims bury their dead with neither flourish nor casket, but a ritual cleansing before the body is quickly returned to the earth, cocooned in a white shroud. But this tradition handed down over centuries has eluded Muslims around Washington, who, like Jews, do not practice embalming -- and are served by just one licensed mortician.

That's changing, though. Virginia licensed its first Muslim-owned funeral home last month, in Woodbridge. And Friday, a committee of Maryland lawmakers approved a bill that would open the industry to Muslims by exempting them from embalmings as they learn the trade.

If the General Assembly approves the bill, Muslims say they would be spared long trips to find mortuaries that will perform a last ablution.

The Maryland legislation is the work of two state delegates, Saqib Ali (D-Montgomery) and Samuel I. Rosenberg (D-Baltimore), who have formed a politically deft partnership: a freshman and the legislature's first Muslim, and a Jew who says he is drawn to issues of religious freedom.

"These are two religions that grew out of the same desert," said Rosenberg, a lawyer in his sixth term. "When people feel their religious rights have been violated, they should stand up and say, 'Give me redress.' " . . .

In Virginia, Muslim leaders are anxiously awaiting the opening of Aden Muslim Funeral Services in Woodbridge.

Rizwan Jaka, director of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center, a mosque and community center in Northern Virginia, said funeral homes of other faiths "have been very accommodating" to the region's large number of Muslims. "But a home run by Muslims will be welcome." (MORE)

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MA: FOUR ARAB-AMERICANS CHARGE HARASSMENT BY FEDEX - TOP
Scott Malone, Reuters, 3/5/07
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2007-03-05T185530Z_01_N05295236_RTRUKOC_0_US-FEDEX-DISCRIMINATION.xml

A Massachusetts state agency has ruled that a complaint by four Arab-American men that they were harassed by managers at FedEx Corp. -- who called at least two of them "terrorists" -- may proceed.

The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination became the latest U.S. government entity to rule that drivers at the package-delivery company are employees and not independent contractors.

That is a question at the heart of campaigns to unionize FedEx truckers, since the company has said that as independent contractors, its workers are not eligible for union representation.
Reuters Pictures

Kuwait-born Loay El-Dagany, 31, said on Monday he was subjected to abusive treatment by his manager from the time he started working as a FedEx trucker in Massachusetts in 2003.

"When I started working with FedEx, this guy, he tried to push me hard and called me names, using words like 'terrorist,'" El-Dagany told Reuters. "He mentioned (Al Qaeda leader Osama) bin Laden, that we may be cousins ... Sometimes, when he doesn't like something, he'd take one of the packages and throw it in my face and go and scream."

In addition to verbal abuse, the men charged in filings with the Massachusetts agency that they were treated unfairly in their work assignments.

"These drivers were assigned and reassigned with worse routes and were intentionally given too many stops to handle," the complaint said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

SC: AUDITOR KICKED OFF CAMPAIGN - TOP
Duncan Hunter's team drops Horry County official after her remarks
Myrtle Beach Sun News, 3/5/07
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/16828813.htm

MYRTLE BEACH - Lois Eargle felt the sting of the political whip this week when she was one of two people cut from a presidential campaign for making unpopular remarks.

Eargle, the Horry County auditor, knows she'll be taking the lashes for a long time just by looking at the fate of the other person dropped by the Duncan Hunter campaign - Henry Jordan, whose words have stuck with him for a decade.

"I guess, darling, just to put it in a nutshell, that's politics," she said.

Ten years ago during a school board meeting, former board member Jordan said, "Screw the Buddhists and kill the Muslims," adding, "And put that in the minutes." He said it was a joke. (MORE)

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VA: PRAYER & A PARADE OF POLITICIANS - TOP
Tammi Marcoullier, Washington Post, 3/5/07
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/livinginloco/2007/03/prayer_a_parade_of_politicians.html

Indeed, more than two hundred people did show up for Sunday's ADAMS Center open house. Including some very familar faces -- a half a dozen or so elected or want-to-be elected Loudoun and state officials. Among the politicos: Senator Mark Herring, Delegate David Poisson, state senate candidate (and former Loudoun school board member) John A. Andrews II, and Sterling District Supervisor Eugene Delaudio.

After the opening Quran readings and songs, each "guest speaker" had a minute or so to say a few words, including many thanks for previous support. But it seemed a little disjointed from the purposeful presentations of culture and education that surrounded the large community room. Especially when the first Q&A question from the audience, courtesy of Supervisor Delgaudio, was about whether or not the Girl Scouts were selling cookies and what did the Boy Scouts do for fundraising.

We can probably expect to see more of these community appearances as the region gears up for the next election. Almost all of them hung around to chat, so this would have been a perfect time to have a one-on-one conversation to get your most burning questions answered. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

FOR MUSLIM WOMEN, EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT ARE KEYS TO A BETTER LIFE - TOP
Margaret Besheer, Voice of America, 3/5/07
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-03-05-voa20.cfm

International Women's Day Thursday highlights women's struggle for equality, justice, peace and development. For many it is a day to celebrate progress. For others, it is a reminder of just how far they still must travel. VOA's Margaret Besheer reports that, positive changes affecting women in the Islamic world are coming slowly, but steadily.

The principle of equality between men and women is deeply rooted in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad was known for his equal treatment of the sexes. All his children were female, and he advocated women's rights. He required that a dowry be paid directly to a bride, rather than to her father or guardian, and he offered special protection to widows and orphans.

Mishkat al-Moumin, a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, says that has interpretation has changed.

"Later on, when Prophet Muhammad died, and so many other interpretations came to exist, again, it goes back to controlling society," said Al-Moumin. "If you want to control society, if you want to control families, then you control women."

Today, Muslim women are working to break free of restrictions. Al-Moumin says economic and social empowerment are the keys to women's advancement in the Islamic world.

"You cannot expect a woman to stand up for herself, if she has no income, or if she cannot afford to put food on the table for her children. There are so many widows and divorced women," said Al-Moumin. "They are responsible for a whole family -- sometimes three or four kids. If there is no social or economic program to support them, it will be so difficult for them to survive." (MORE)

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FORMER GUANTANAMO INMATE DESCRIBES INTERROGATIONS - TOP
Peter Lloyd, ABC News, 3/5/07
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200703/s1863712.htm

A Bangladeshi man held for five years at Guantanamo Bay says guards desecrated the Koran during interrogations, claims that echo allegations made by other former detainees.

Mubarak Hussan bin Abul Hasin was arrested in Pakistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US and then flown by the US military to Guantanamo Bay.

The son of a Muslim cleric, Mr Mubarak said he had gone to the city of Peshawar to study at a Madrassa.

During his confinement, he claimed guards kicked the Koran and threw it in the toilet.

Mr Mubarak also said he received electric shocks, was deprived of food and subjected to cold temperatures.

US authorities set him free after finding no evidence he had links to Islamic militants.

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16 CIVILIANS DIE AS U.S. TROOPS FIRE ON AFGHAN ROAD - TOP
Carlotta Gall, New York Times, 3/4/07
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/05/world/asia/05afghan.htm?_r=1&oref=slogin

American troops opened fire on a highway filled with civilian cars and bystanders on Sunday, American and Afghan officials said, in an incident that the Americans said left 16 civilians dead and 24 wounded after a suicide car bombing in eastern Afghanistan. One American was also wounded.

After the shooting, hundreds of protesters blocked the main road from Jalalabad to the Pakistani border and threw rocks at police officers.

The shooting sparked demonstrations, with local people blocking the highway, the main road east from the town of Jalalabad to the border with Pakistan. And there were differences in some of the accounts of the incident, with the Americans saying that the civilians were caught in cross-fire between the troops and militants, and Afghan witnesses and some authorities blaming the Americans for indiscriminately shooting at civilian vehicles in anger after the explosion.

The United States military said the unit came under fire after a suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden car near their convoy "as part of a complex ambush involving enemy small-arms fire from several directions."

Members of the unit, on patrol near Jalalabad airfield, returned fire, and the civilians were killed and wounded in the cross-fire during the battle, according to a statement from the military press office at Bagram Air Base, 40 miles north of Kabul.

"We regret the death of innocent Afghan citizens as a result of the Taliban extremists' cowardly act," Lt. Col. David Accetta, a military spokesman, said in the statement. "Once again the terrorists demonstrated their blatant disregard for human life by attacking coalition forces in a populated area, knowing full well that innocent Afghans would be killed and wounded in the attack."

Yet some of the wounded interviewed in the hospital by news agencies said the only shooting came from the American troops. A hospital official, who asked not to be identified, said all the wounded were suffering from bullet wounds and not shrapnel from the bomb explosion. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

AFGHAN MEDIA: U.S. TROOPS DELETED IMAGES - TOP
Amir Shah, Associated Press, 3/5/07
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104AP_Afghan_US_Censorship.html

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan journalists covering the aftermath of a suicide bomb attack and shooting in eastern Afghanistan Sunday said U.S. troops deleted their photos and video and warned them not to publish or air any images of U.S. troops or a car where three Afghans were shot to death.

Afghan witnesses and gunshot victims said U.S. forces fired on civilians in cars and on foot along at least a six-mile stretch of road in Nangarhar province following a suicide attack against the Marine convoy. The U.S. military said militants also fired on American forces during the attack.

The U.S. military and Afghan officials said eight Afghans died and 34 were wounded in the violence. One Marine was also injured.

A freelance photographer working for The Associated Press and a cameraman working for AP Television News said a U.S. soldier deleted their photos and video showing a four-wheel drive vehicle in which three people were shot to death about 100 yards from the suicide bombing. The AP plans to lodge a protest with the American military.

The photographer, Rahmat Gul, said witnesses at the scene told him the three had been shot to death by U.S. forces fleeing the attack. The two AP freelancers arrived at the site about a half hour after the suicide bombing, Gul said.

"When I went near the four-wheel drive, I saw the Americans taking pictures of the same car, so I started taking pictures," Gul said. "Two soldiers with a translator came and said, 'Why are you taking pictures? You don't have permission.'"

It wasn't clear why the accredited journalists would need permission to take photos of a civilian car on a public highway.

Gul said the U.S. troops took his camera, deleted his photos and returned it to him. The journalists came across another American, showed their identification cards, and he agreed that they could take pictures. (MORE)

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NATO AIRSTRIKE IN AFGHANISTAN KILLS 9 - TOP
NATO airstrike hits house in Afghanistan during firefight, killing 9 civilians, official says
Amir Shah, Associated Press, 3/5/07
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/05/ap/world/mainD8NLVBK01.shtml

A NATO airstrike hit a house during a firefight between Western troops and militants, killing nine Afghans who lived there, Afghan officials said Monday.

Militants overnight fired on a NATO base in Kapisa province, just north of Kabul, said Deputy Governor Sayad Mohammad Dawood Hashimmi. When soldiers returned fire, they hit a home, killing five women, three boys and a man, he said.

A deputy Interior Ministry spokesman also said nine civilians had been killed. He asked not to be identified because the ministry hadn't yet prepared a statement.

Maj. William Mitchell, a U.S. military spokesman, said officials were looking into the incident. The NATO base in Kapisa is staffed by U.S. forces.

The news of the airstrike came one day after wounded Afghans and witnesses said U.S. Marines fired on civilian cars and pedestrians after a frenzied escape from a suicide bomb and gunfire attack in eastern Afghanistan. The violence sparked angry anti-U.S. demonstrations by hundreds of Afghan men.

Up to 10 Afghans were killed and 34 were injured during Sunday's violence in Nangarhar province. A delegation of Afghan officials on Monday visited the site of the suicide bombing as part of investigation into the attack and its aftermath.

The back-to-back incidents of NATO or U.S. forces killing or wounding so many Afghans was likely to cause further grief in a country that has seen scores of civilians killed by international forces since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has pleaded repeatedly for Western troops to take care not to harm civilians, and in December wept during a speech lamenting civilian deaths at the hands of foreign forces. (MORE)

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