Arab-Americans Looking to Democrats / 300 Turn Out for CAIR-OH Banquet / CAIR-FL Rep Speaks at Sunday School

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful


AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 3/13/07

* Hadith: Be a Stranger or Traveler in This World
* CAIR Hosts Capitol Hill Panel on Global Opinion, U.S. Policy
- Arab-Americans, Once Pro-Bush, Now Looking to Democrats
* 300 Turn Out for CAIR-OH Banquet
* CAIR-FL: New Mosque Serves Growing Community (Sun-Sentinel)
* CAIR-CT: Student Gets Education in Islamophobia (Courant)
- NJ: Muslim Meeting Builds Bridges Despite Threat (Record)
* Video: CAIR-FL Rep Speaks at Sunday School
* CAIR-CA: Library Hosts Discussion on Women in Islam
* CAIR-MI: Rock a Reminder of Unsolved Mosque Attack (Free Press)
* Putting Faith in Islamic Mutual Funds
* US Muslim Teen Mag Melds Pop Culture, Quran (Variety)
* CA: Celebration of Abraham Fosters Trust Between Faiths
- LA: Muslim Conception of Jesus May Surprise You
* NY: Hundreds Mourn, Pray for Muslim Fire Victims (Newsday)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: A STRANGER OR TRAVELER - TOP

A companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(The Prophet) took hold of my shoulder and said, 'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler.'"

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 425

VERSE OF THE DAY: SHALL I BE RAISED TO LIFE AGAIN?

"Man says: 'What! Once I am dead, shall I be raised to life again?' But does not man call to mind that We created him before out of nothing?"

The Holy Quran, 19:66-67

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, visit: www.cair.com/Muhammad or obtain a FREE Quran at www.cair.com/explorethequran

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CAIR HOSTS CAPITOL HILL PANEL ON GLOBAL OPINION, U.S. POLICY - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/13/07) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today hosted a panel discussion, called "Global Attitudes on Islam-West Relations: U.S. Policy Implications," on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Event attendees included a number congressional staffers, academics and journalists.

Panel participants will include Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), and CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.

Kull offered an analysis of global polls on relations between Muslims and the West. Awad focused on the importance of American Muslim engagement in the U.S. political process and discussed his participation in a recent Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting on Islam-West dialogue held in Turkey.

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 National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

ARAB AMERICANS, ONCE PRO-BUSH, ARE NOW LOOKING TO THE DEMOCRATS - TOP
Ron Kampeas, JTA, 3/13/07
http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/article/ArabAmericansonce.html

The top Republican Party official got polite applause at a gathering of Arab American leaders, while his Democratic counterpart got a standing ovation.

What a difference four years - and a transforming national crisis - has made.

Bush, whose substantial Arab American support in 2000 helped him win swing states, has plummeted in Arab American polls.

"The community has changed. It was almost the other way around in 2000," said pollster John Zogby, himself an Arab American.

Democrats have taken note of the change, and eight of the nine Democratic candidates for president gave speeches last weekend at an Arab American Institute conference in Dearborn, Mich., which boasts a heavy concentration of Arab Americans.

It helped that some of the states with the heaviest Arab concentrations - including Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida and Pennsylvania - are considered up for grabs for Democrats or Republicans in 2004.

Candidates pitched their appeals to issues dear to the hearts of Arab Americans - including opposition to how Bush is conducting the post-war operation in Iraq and the perceived dangers to civil liberties of the USA Patriot Act - but artfully avoided one issue.

Most candidates tried to bypass saying anything substantive about the Israeli-Palestinian issue. But they were pressed to do so at times, and some of the most tense moments at the conference came when candidates were asked to comment on the security fence Israel is building in the West Bank.

Former Gov. Howard Dean´s appearance was most telling. He earned loud cheers for his condemnation of the war in Iraq and his endorsement of civil liberties, and got a standing ovation at the end of his speech. Dean had time for one question. It was about the barrier. (MORE)

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CAIR-OH FIFTH ANNUAL BANQUET A SUCCESS - TOP

(CINCINNATI, OH, 3/13/07) - Cincinnati office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Ohio chapter (CAIR-OH) held its fifth annual banquet Saturday with the theme "American Muslims: Connecting and Sharing."

Some 300 people attended the sold-out event, including public officials, members of the media, friends from other faith communities and civic organizations, and representatives from area Islamic centers.

The keynote address was given by Dr. Sulayman Nyang, an author and professor at Howard University. Other speakers included CAIR-Ohio's Cincinnati Executive Director Karen Dabdoub, CAIR-Ohio's Cincinnati Chairperson Zeinab Schwen, CAIR-Ohio's President Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin, CAIR Board Vice Chairman Dr. Ahmad Al-Akhras and CAIR Board Member Hadia Mubarak.

"This annual CAIR event is a chance for the Cincinnati community to celebrate its accomplishments in civil rights, interfaith relations and civic empowerment," said Cincinnati Chapter Executive Director Karen Dabdoub. "CAIR's successes are a direct result of the support and participation of the Muslim community."

CONTACT: Karen Dabdoub, 513-281-8200, E-mail: kdabdoub@cair.com; Zeinab Schwen, zschwen@fuse.net

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CAIR-FL: W. PALM MOSQUE LOOKS NORTH - TOP
New branch intends to serve county's growing Muslim community.
Lois K. Solomon, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 3/12/07
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pmosque12mar12,0,1637622.story

The Muslim community has opened Palm Beach County's seventh mosque, a northern branch of the bursting worship center in central West Palm Beach.

With a Muslim population in central and north county estimated at 8,000, up from about 2,500 a decade ago, Muslim leaders say the northern part of the county needed a new center to accommodate worshipers who live in Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, Wellington and other western neighborhoods.

Tariq Iqbal is one of those western residents. He lives in The Acreage and had to travel 45 minutes to the mosque at 4893 Purdy Lane in West Palm Beach. The new mosque, which opened a month ago in a storefront near Military Trail and Northlake Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens, is only 15 minutes from his home.

"It was not an easy ride," said Iqbal, 57, a systems administrator for the city of Riviera Beach. "Now I can easily go at lunchtime."

The Purdy Lane mosque, known as the Muslim Community of Palm Beach, attracts about 250 Sunni worshipers on a typical Friday, the day of congregational worship. It started in a rental home on the same property in 1988. The community expanded the property to about 11 acres and built a $600,000 mosque in 1996. Still, the property has only 60 parking spaces, creating a crunch on Fridays and during community events.

Although Palm Beach County's Muslim population is growing, it still trails Miami-Dade County, which has about 40,000 Muslims, and Broward County, with about 20,000, said Altaf Ali, Florida director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. About 10,000 Muslims live in Palm Beach County, Ali said. (MORE)

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CAIR-CT: BEHIND BURQA, STUDENT GETS AN EDUCATION IN BIGOTRY - TOP
Comments Directed At Muslims
Tracy Gordon Fox, Hartford Courant, 3/12/07
http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-burqa0312.artmar12,0,3126355.story

Caitlin Dean was raised not to discriminate against others because of their race or religion. But as a white suburban teen of Italian and Irish descent, she often wondered what it would be like to be the target of such abuse.

She found out "behind the burqa."

The 15-year-old freshman volunteered with a few other students to wear traditional Muslim clothing to school for an entire day in February after a Middle Eastern Studies teacher at Bacon Academy announced that she was looking for students to promote her class by wearing the garb. Caitlin covered her slender frame and short brown hair with a periwinkle burqa, which concealed her face.

The hateful and abusive comments she endured that day horrified teachers, the teen and many of her classmates. The remarks underscored a persistent animosity toward American Muslims that is driven largely by the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. But they also opened up an important dialogue that could help teenagers in Colchester and across the state view the Muslim culture differently.

"Hey, we rape your women!" one upperclassman said as he passed Caitlin in the hallway.

"I hope all of your people die," another sniped.

"You're probably going to kill us all" and "Why do they let people like this in the country?" were other remarks she heard on Feb. 1.

Caitlin's observations that day did not surprise those who work for the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which arrived in the state about three years ago in response to hate crimes and prejudice against Muslims.

Caitlin wrote down 50 comments and names she was called. She did not respond because "I am a freshman. I like to avoid making waves."

But when she saw a friend and a teacher who knew that Caitlin was the person under the burqa, she broke down in a classroom.

"I started crying," Caitlin said. "There is way too much prejudice."

The lack of understanding of Islam and of the many of the cultures that contribute to a worldwide population of more than 1 billion Muslims is something Rabia Chaudry, a spokeswoman for CAIR, planned to raise with the state Department of Education when she meets with officials in a few weeks.

Now she plans to use Colchester as a positive example in terms of discussing prejudice and raising awareness of the Muslim culture.

"I think what this teacher has done is exactly what schools should be doing," Chaudry said.

None of the students were singled out for discipline because no formal complaints were made.

"It's unacceptable," Superintendent Karen Loiselle said. "It's imperative students who are victims of those comments report them immediately and it will be taken very seriously. In this case, it has opened an important conversation."

Chaudry agreed and said her group would like to send representatives to meet with students in Colchester and other communities, to hold town meetings to talk about their feelings about Muslims, the war and terrorism. (MORE)

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NJ: MUSLIM MEETING BUILDS BRIDGES DESPITE THREAT - TOP
Soni Sangha, North Jersey Record, 3/12/07

The annual brunch sponsored by the American Muslim Union was delayed by 45 minutes because of a bomb threat. Weeks earlier, a key speaker -- a Muslim-Canadian scholar -- couldn't get his visa.

Ironically, these incidents coincided with the event titled "Peace, Justice and Liberty for All," held at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe. Symbolically, they represent what the community is trying to overcome: the misperception that American Muslims are a fringe community, potentially sympathetic to terrorist factions.

So members reach out to community leaders, clergymen of many faiths and politicians on the local and state levels at gatherings such as this. The community maintains it is determined to be accepted, and members will accomplish their goal slowly but steadily, one handshake, one interfaith brunch, one political foray at a time.

"There's still a long way to go," said Waheed Khalid, the Bergen County chairman of the American Muslim Union. "Unfortunately, our community is not doing enough. How would the normal American know what we are and what we are not?"

Still, the community's progress is evident by the day's roster, which included some of New Jersey's political heavy hitters: Governor Corzine, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and Attorney General Stuart Rabner.

Local politicians included Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney, state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck, and Assembly members Valerie Huttle and Gordon Johnson, both Englewood Democrats.

Those who spoke extended a hand to the community, saying they're doing their part to protect the group's civil liberties and to help them reach the American dream. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL REP SPEAKS AT SUNDAY SCHOOL - TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmnDS5xi_lE

CAIR Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier sits down for a couple of minutes to speak to Sunday school children about discrimination during a visit to a Tampa area church. (more)

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CAIR-CA: PUBLIC LIBRARY HOSTS DISCUSSION ON WOMEN IN ISLAM - TOP

(TRACY, CA 3/13/2007) - The Sacramento Valley office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV), along with leaders from the Bay Area, recently delivered a talk on the topic of "Women in Islam" in the local public library in the City of Tracy. A lively question and answer session followed the talk.

The local library also made provided a list of resources that were available in the library, including materials that were part of CAIR's "Library Campaign" to provide a resource on Islam to fellow Americans.

"Public libraries provide a wonderful forum for the exchange of ideas and for having important discussions that are pertinent to our lives today," said the Communications Director of CAIR-SV Dina EL-Nakhal.

METHODIST CHURCH HOSTS SESSION ON CONTEMPORARY ISLAM

(DAVIS, CA 3/11/2007) - The Sacramento Valley office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV) recently delivered a talk on contemporary issues about Islam after the conclusion of a 3-week series of viewing the PBS produced film, "Islam: Empire of Faith" at the local United Methodist Church in Davis.

The discussion touched on issues ranging from the status of women in Islam to contemporary interpretations of the Qur'an and developing positive relations between the West and the Muslim world.

"Interfaith dialogues are an important remedy to misunderstanding and bigotry, which seem to plague our world today," said CAIR-SV President Dr. Hamza EL-Nakhal

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CAIR-MI: ROCK IS A REMINDER OF UNSOLVED ATTACKS - TOP
Muslim leaders dismayed no one has been arrested in a months-old string of vandalism
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 3/13/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070313/NEWS05/703130405

Inside his office, Imam Husham Al-Husainy still has the rock that was hurled through the front window of his Dearborn mosque two months ago. It's there to remind him.

"I hope whoever did this gets caught," Al-Husainy, head of the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center, said Monday. "Who would do this?"

That question has hovered over metro Detroit's Muslim communities in recent weeks. But police and FBI agents don't know who was behind a string of attacks against mosques and Muslim-owned businesses in Dearborn and Detroit.

Police said they have probed a variety of possible motives -- from sectarian tensions to hatred of Muslims. But the attacks also "could have been just a random act of violence," Dearborn Police Sgt. David Robinson said Monday.

Detroit FBI Special Agent Dawn Clenney said the agency is still investigating.

Some Muslims said they worry about what might happen if the vandals are not brought to justice.

"If nothing happens, we're afraid something might happen again," said Saadie Obaidi, 57, of West Bloomfield.

Obaidi often attends the Imam Ali Islamic Center in Detroit, a mosque whose windows also were shattered by vandals.

"Those people should face the law, should face some punishment," he said.

The vandalism started in November, when Karbalaa center windows were broken after mosque members celebrated the death sentence of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Then in January, after a public celebration following the hanging of Hussein on Dec. 30, two Islamic centers and several businesses along Warren Avenue in Detroit, near Dearborn, were vandalized. Their windows and doors were shattered.

A couple of weeks later, the front window of the Karbalaa center was shattered with a rock. . .

One bright spot is that no vandalism has been directed at Muslim institutions in metro Detroit since January.

"We're grateful that no other incidents have happened since," said Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "We're still hopeful that law enforcement will continue to investigate this case and hopefully catch someone." (MORE)

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PUTTING FAITH IN RELIGIOUS MUTUAL FUNDS - TOP
David Kathman, Yahoo.com, 3/13/07
http://biz.yahoo.com/ms/070313/188559.html?.v=1

Socially responsible investing has become increasingly popular in recent years, with lots of mutual funds available for investors who want to keep their portfolios in line with their ethical beliefs. Most such funds avoid alcohol and tobacco stocks, but what they do beyond that varies quite a bit from fund to fund. Probably the fastest-growing subset of SRI funds is religious mutual funds, most of which are tailored to members of a specific denomination or religion, and some of which are associated with organized churches. Such funds have grown from less than $500 million in total assets 10 years ago to more than $17 billion today.

Like the broader category of SRI mutual funds, religious funds vary quite a bit in the screening criteria they use, though there are some broad similarities. They can be divided into three main categories: Catholic funds, Protestant funds, and Islamic funds. These funds won't necessarily perform better than their mainstream peers, and they can be pricier to boot. But they can give peace of mind to those who prefer not to own investments that conflict with their religious beliefs. . .

Islamic Funds

Our final group of religiously oriented funds are those that invest according to Islamic principles. Some of these funds' screening criteria are similar to those used by many of the Christian funds we saw above, including prohibitions on alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and pornography. However, they also feature some restrictions based on Islamic law and not found in most Christian denominations, notably prohibitions against pork and paying or receiving interest. Avoiding companies involved in pork production is not too hard, but avoiding interest is harder, given its ubiquity in the world financial system. These funds generally avoid financial companies, where interest is central to the business, and try to minimize the importance of interest in the rest of their portfolios.

The largest and most successful Islamic mutual funds are Amana Trust Growth (NASDAQ:AMAGX - News) and Amana Income (NASDAQ:AMANX - News), whose combined asset base has risen from $37 million in 2002 to around $450 million today. Both funds are managed by Nick Kaiser of Saturna Capital, who is aided by assistant manager Monem Salam and a panel of Islamic scholars. Not only does Kaiser avoid financials, he also avoids companies that have too much debt on their balance sheet or that get more than 5% of their revenue from any of the forbidden activities noted above. He also doesn't trade much, partly because of his long-term investment perspective but also because excessive stock trading would be considered a form of gambling, which is forbidden by the Koran. None of this has hurt the funds' results; in fact, they have put up great numbers, with Amana Growth sporting one of the best records in the large-growth category over the trailing three-, five-, and 10-year periods. Kaiser was one of the finalists for Morningstar's Domestic-Stock Manager of the Year in 2006.

The Azzad funds--Azzad Ethical Mid Cap (NASDAQ:ADJEX - News) and the large-growth Azzad Ethical Income (NASDAQ:AEIFX - News)--are much smaller than the Amana funds, with only $4 million apiece in assets, but they are based on similar principles. Manager Omar Bassal uses proprietary software to screen out companies that get significant revenue from alcohol, tobacco, any meat products, gambling, pornography, interest, "unethical forms of entertainment," and weapons of mass destruction. The screens also explicitly eliminate all banks, financial services, and insurance, but the Ethical Income fund has a significant stake in real estate investment trusts, which Morningstar classifies as financials. Azzad also uses shareholder advocacy to advance its views and contributes to charities such as the Arab Orphan Committee and the Boston Police Relief Association.

Finally, the Dow Jones Islamic Fund (NASDAQ:IMANX - News) is advised by Allied Asset Advisors, a subsidiary of the North American Islamic Trust. At least 80% of the fund's assets are invested in stocks from the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index and the Dow Jones Islamic Market U.S. Index, with the rest chosen by manager Bassam Ossman from companies that are also compliant with Islamic principles. These indexes are determined by a Shariah Advisory Board using principles similar to what we have just seen: They eliminate companies whose primary business involves alcohol, tobacco, pork, interest, weapons, and all entertainment, including gambling, movies, hotels, and pornography.

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TEEN MAG MELDS POP CULTURE, QURAN - TOP
Steven Zeitchik, Variety, 3/12/07
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117960832.html

Teenage girls are preoccupied with a lot of things: "The Gilmore Girls." Makeup tips. Burqas.

At least that's the teenager Muslim Girl magazine, a bimonthly aimed at 12- to 19-year-old Muslim females, is targeting.

The glossy, published by Toronto-based Execugo, is the ultimate hybrid: a mag for and about both regular teenagers and one of the country's least covered minorities.

It's not every mag that offers a "Relationship Reality Check" alongside "Qur'an Notes" ("Girls talk about the small kindnesses in their lives"); a Web feature called "Girl Space" that asks readers to "write in and tell us how girl-friendly your mosque is," or a "hot list" of pop-cultural trends ("Smallville," "Veronica Mars," and, of course, those "Gilmore" ladies).

The mag, which has already pubbed two issues and is aiming for a circulation of 50,000, does contain more straightforward features, like one about a Muslim girls basketball team.

It's not that the mag's readers don't read Seventeen, says editor-in-chief Ausma Khan; they're just deprived of mags with Muslim content.

But is there a conflict between trying to blend, say, gushings about Justin Timberlake and the teachings of Mohammed?

"It's a challenge because we're conscious of a deeper mission," says Khan. "But we also want girls to be attracted to the magazine."

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CA: CELEBRATION FOSTERS TRUST BETWEEN FAITHS - TOP
Sarah Kingsbury, Chico Enterprise Record, 3/12/07
http://www.chicoer.com/newshome/ci_5415675

To an outsider, the chorus of about 200 voices at Faith Lutheran Church Sunday night would have seemed like an ordinary community worship service.

"This is our cry/this is our prayer/peace in the world/peace in the world." As the voices swelled inside the auditorium, it was impossible to discern between Jewish, Muslim and Christian tones.

And that didn't bother the Rev. Reg Schultz-Akerson a bit.

"As we're increasing more as a global society, we have to understand each other across global traditions," he said.

The third annual Celebration of Abraham, sponsored by the Chico Area Interfaith Council, used the shared acceptance of Abraham to promote tolerance and understanding between different faiths.

Judaism, Christianity and Islam are sometimes referred to as the "Abrahamic religions" because of Abraham's portrayal as a spiritual patriarch in their holy books.

Since 2005, the celebration has started with a vegetarian potluck followed by a worship service intermingling songs and scriptures from each of the three faiths.

"People have been sitting down breaking bread and sharing their lives," said council chair Rabbi Julie Hilton Danan. "They're finding out that their neighbor, who might be from a different religion, really isn't that different at all."

The service is not meant to be political, and Danan said participants are asked to leave their politics at home. (MORE)

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MUSLIM CONCEPTION OF JESUS MAY SURPRISE YOU - TOP
Shirien Elmasraya, Daily Reveille, 3/13/07
http://media.www.lsureveille.com/media/storage/paper868/news/2007/03/13/Opinion/Muslim.Conception.Of.Jesus.May.Surprise.You-2773779.shtml

I want to expand a little on what Muslims believe about Jesus; it's one of the fundamental concepts in Islam. First, to Muslims, he is one of the greatest of all prophets in Islam. Had the scriptures he brought not been changed and altered, we would still follow those scriptures today. The same applies to the Torah.

"He (Jesus) said: Verily! I am a slave of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet; And He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined on me Salat (prayer), and Zakat, as long as I live. And dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblest. And Salam (peace) be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!" Qur'an (19: 30-33)

Muslims believe Jesus, the son of the Virgin Mary, is only a human being. He is a human being with a high status, but like we revere the prophet Muhammad and consider him a human being, the same applies to the other prophets. Muslims do not give people higher ranks than they deserve.

Muslims believe he came with the same message that all the other prophets came with: to worship God alone and to not prescribe anything to God in worship; i.e. a son, daughter, intermediaries, etc.

Allah tells us in the Qur'an what Jesus said to his people, which is also very similar to things found in the Old Testament.

"(Jesus said): "And verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him (Alone). That is the Straight Path." (Qur'an 19:36)

If one looks to a red lettered Bible, a Bible that highlights what are thought to be the words of Jesus, you will find a quote like, "Worship thy father alone."

We do believe Jesus had a miraculous birth. Muslims believe he was created without a father just as Adam was created without a father and mother.

But Muslims do not accept the concept of the trinity. God is far above being human or having a son. To Muslims, it is not befitting that God dies, eats, sleeps or uses the bathroom. These traits show a sense of dependency or weakness - a lack of perfection. (MORE)

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NY: HUNDREDS MOURN, PRAY FOR BRONX FIRE VICTIMS - TOP
Michael Frazier, Newsday, 3/13/07
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyfune0313,0,2684780.story

Nine simple, wooden coffins were carried inside a mosque, one by one, Monday afternoon before hundreds along 166th Street in the Highbridge section.

The sight of the coffins of the Magassa and Soumare family members -- especially the tiny ones -- as they were carried into the Islamic Cultural Center prompted many in the crowd to shake their heads in sorrow.

Twin sisters, 7 months old, shared a coffin.

The funeral was closed to the public. Even mourners who knew the family were turned away at the packed mosque because there was no room. The hundreds of mourners, some carrying prayer mats, instead sat without shoes atop blue tarps on the city street.

"Brothers, we can pray on the backs of our brother," Sheikh Moussa Drammeh of the Islamic Leadership School said over a loudspeaker for those unable to enter the mosque.

One onlooker, who only identified himself as Guye, 21, a native of Mali, said he didn't know anyone who died, but said a shared faith in Islam binds strangers even in a big city.

In Africa, "if there is a loss, the community comes out in droves," he said. "It's always been like this. If someone dies in your neighborhood, everybody is going to show up, whether you know them or not."

According to mosque security guards, mourners came from the United States, Europe and Africa. They included Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who visited with the families and spoke briefly at the service. (MORE)

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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