DAYTON — Baboucarr Njie was preparing for his prayer session Friday night, Sept. 26, when he heard children in the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton coughing. Soon, Njie himself was overcome with fits of coughing and, like the rest of those in the building, headed for the doors.

“I would stay outside for a minute, then go back in, there were a lot of kids,” Njie said. “My throat is still itchy, I need to get some milk.”

Continue reading ‘Chemical irritant empties Islamic Society of Greater Dayton’s mosque’

By Ashley Gipson, Religion News Service

Continue reading ‘Group reports less anti-Muslim violence, but more profiling’

By Ali Gharib and Eli Clifton*

WASHINGTON, Sep 24 (IPS) – A group of hard-line U.S. neo-conservatives and former Israeli diplomats, among others, are behind the mass distribution, ahead of the November U.S. presidential election, of a controversial DVD that critics have denounced as Islamophobic.

The group, the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), is working with another organisation called the Clarion Fund, which produced the 60-minute video and is itself tied closely to an Israeli organisation called Aish Hatorah.

Continue reading ‘Neo-cons, Ex-Israeli Diplomats Push Islamophobic Video’

Rebecca Wilczak

By Tim Townsend Continue reading ‘Post-Dispatch refuses to distribute DVD offensive to American Muslims’

By  Euro-Muslims Editorial Desk

Continue reading ‘Your Best European Islamic Centre (Competition)’

September 23, 2008Media Contact:  (305)375-5730
Amy Carswell – amy2@miamidade.gov
Dr. Larry Capp – lcapp@miamidade.gov

HATE MESSAGES HAVE NO PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITY
 
A STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD
SEPTEMBER 23, 2008
 
Did South Florida’s most prominent newspapers place profit over community when they distributed to thousands of their subscribers an inflammatory DVD depicting the alleged activities of religious extremists?  The non-profit Clarion Fund claims that the documentary “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West” was distributed to 28 million U.S. households in order to promote national security.  However, the Executive Committee of the Miami-Dade County Asian-American Advisory Board called the video “a hateful message that maligns Islam and paints all Muslims with a broad brush as a hateful bunch hell-bent on violence.”  
 
Subscribers to the Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald, The Sun Sentinel, and Palm Beach Post received the DVD in an advertising insert in their Sunday newspapers on September 14, 2008.   The DVD, that was originally released three years ago, was distributed last week by thirty-six major daily newspapers, most of which serve so-called “swing states” that are considered critical to the upcoming U.S. Presidential elections.  At least two newspapers, the Greensboro News & Record in North Carolina and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch declined to distribute the DVD calling its content “divisive.” 
 
The Miami-Dade County Community Relations Board (CRB) supports the freedom of all people to express their opinions without fear of censorship. However, in the United States of America, individuals and organizations also have a duty to act responsibly to protect the lives and liberties of their fellow residents, no matter their race, religion or ethnic heritage.  The CRB joins with those who support the human rights of all persons.
 
In Miami-Dade County, the presence of many individuals of varied religions, ethnicities, and national origins is a source of strength.  Our diversity also presents some challenges along with its attractions.  At this time of heightened anxiety over international conflict and terrorist threats, responsible people must demonstrate their commitment to our nation’s core values of equality and mutual respect.  No one should be singled out for hatred, prejudice, or blame based on ethnic origin, nationality, or religion.  The CRB strongly condemns speech or other expressions of opinion that are intended to incite people to acts of harassment, intimidation, or violence. 
 
Historical events have demonstrated the volatility of passions in Miami-Dade County.  Reports of extremist activity locally or in other parts of the country, have been met with a marked increase in acts of discrimination and hate crimes directed against persons suspected of being associated with the extremist group. The CRB has been warned that this latest depiction of alleged terrorists in our midst is likely to generate similar responses from people who fear the religion or ethnic heritage of their neighbors. 
 
Hate crimes, discrimination, and anti-Muslim acts must not be tolerated by our leaders, our government, or our residents.  An attack on any segment of our community is an attack on all of us.  The CRB encourages all law enforcement agencies, schools, government agencies, faith-based organizations, and community-based organizations to act swiftly and decisively to prevent acts of hatred and discrimination, and to challenge them whenever they occur.
 
In the coming weeks, the Miami-Dade CRB will be asking our elected officials to join with our board members, with religious leaders of all faiths and with citizens of good will to reject this latest threat to our common values of fairness, equality, and justice for all.  Everyone in our community will be asked to join with the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners and our Mayor in a Resolution calling for peace, tolerance, and mutual respect in response to messages of hatred and division.  Everyone will be asked to support one another and to take personal responsibility for protecting the safety and security of all of members of our community.  No one should be silent in the face of discrimination or injustice.
 
Rev. Dr. Harold A. Vieux, Chairman

Continue reading ‘HATE MESSAGES HAVE NO PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITY’

By  Hany Salah, IOL Correspondent

Despite a growing interest in the Muslim faith, many mosques across the central European country of Bulgaria remain closed during the holy fasting month of Ramadan over the lack of imams to lead the worshippers.

Continue reading ‘Imams Scarcity Closes Bulgaria Mosques’

 German police have clashed with counter-demonstrators in Cologne while authorities have banned a nationalist group from staging a rally against plans to build a big mosque in the city.The rally’s organisers, Pro-Koeln (For Cologne), a nationalist group, had hoped to criticise plans to build a domed mosque – complete with two 177ft tall minarets – in Cologne’s Ehrenfeld district.

Continue reading ‘Row over German mosque plan’

Washington – Ramadan 18, 1429/ September 18, 2008 – U.S. President George Bush hosted a dinner breaking the fast of the holy month of Ramadan. This was the president’s eighth Iftar dinner in eight years at the White House. Bush gave thanks for the many ways that Muslim Americans enrich the lives of all Americans. “One of the great strengths of our nation is its religious diversity. Americans practice many different faiths. We all share a belief in the right to worship freely. We reject bigotry in all its forms. And over the past eight years, my administration has been proud to work closely with Muslim Americans to promote justice and tolerance of all faiths,” he said before sitting down for dinner yesterday with about 110 guests in the White House State Dining Room. The president singled out some of those attending the Iftar dinner, including those who have worked on America’s space program as well as those who have made advances in health care and technology.
This year’s event highlighted American Muslims who have made technological, artistic or innovative contributions to society. Bush singled out Maysam Ghovanloo, an immigrant from Iran who is a biomedical engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is working on an invention to help people with disabilities operate a wheelchair or surf the Internet by moving their tongues. “Stories like the professor’s remind us that one of the great strengths of our nation is its religious diversity,” Bush said. “Americans practice many different faiths. But we all share a belief in the right to worship freely.”
“Muslim thinkers and scientists have advanced the frontiers of human knowledge. People of all faiths have benefited from the achievements of Muslims in fields from philosophy and poetry to mathematics and medicine. At the beginning of a new century, Muslims in the United States are continuing this proud tradition of innovation and invention,” Voice of America quoted him as saying. Bush said the United States has partnered with Muslims around the world to spread freedom. “We are helping the people of Iraq and Afghanistan build free societies after decades of tyranny. And during the month of reflection, we will remember all the brave Muslim Americans who wear the uniform of the United States armed forces. They represent the best of our nation. I am honored to be their Commander-in-Chief,” he said.
The president was joined in the State Dining Room by guests who included Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nassar Muhammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah. U.S. Army Military Chaplin Abdullah Hulwe offered the evening’s prayer, asking God to grant those present the strength to meet all dangers with courage and wisdom and all occasions with discipline and loyalty. “Help us to use our fasting as an instrument for the betterment of all humanity and peace throughout the world. We thank you for the strength of character that Ramadan gives us. Help us to use it to defend and preserve liberty with all righteousness with peace as the supreme desire of our hearts,” he said. The guests, including members of Congress, military personnel and members of the U.S. diplomatic corps, sat at nearly a dozen tables, each adorned with four burning tapers and a bowl of flowers. The guests dined on eggplant soup and halibut with a pistachio crust.
HA/IINA

Continue reading ‘Bush hosts Iftar dinner, praising Muslim Americans’