New Jersey State Troopers Schooled in Muslim Culture
By Hannan Adely, Bergen Record If a police officer pulls over a female driver wearing a veil covering all but her eyes, can he demand that she lift the veil so he can identify her? Before a classroom of state police recruits, Mohammad Ali Chaudry, a Muslim scholar, explained that there’s no religious reason for […]
CAIR-CA Welcomes Gov. Brown Signing TRUST Act into Law
(Anaheim, Calif., 10/7/13) – The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) today applauded Governor Jerry Brown's efforts to support immigrant rights by signing the TRUST Act (AB 4) into law this past Saturday. The law, sponsored by Assembly Member Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), limits the state's compliance with Secure Communities, an embattled […]
CAIR-MN Receives American Bar Association Award for Pro Bono Work
(MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 10/7/13) — On Friday, October 4, the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) received the 2013 Difference Makers Award from the American Bar Association’s Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division for “making a difference through pro bono work.†The awards ceremony took place in Lexington, Kentucky. SEE: CAIR-MN to […]
Fox Falls For Fake Story About Obama Funding Muslim Museum During Shutdown
By Mike Burns, Media Matters Fox & Friends Saturday criticized President Obama for offering to personally pay for a “museum of Muslim culture” during the government shutdown, a claim that originated from a satire website. On October 5, the co-hosts of Fox & Friends Saturday discussed the closure of the World War II Memorial, which […]
Using Islamophobia to discredit Obama is shameful
By Dawud Walid, Sun and News (Hastings, Michigan), 10/5/13 To the editor: A letter printed in the September 28 edition of the Sun & News titled “Who is running America?” which was critical of President Obama is riddled with numerous fallacies about Islam. The Qur’an encourages freedom of thought and good relations with people of […]
Civil liberties groups decry Guantanamo stall
By Josh Gerstein, Politico A coalition of civil liberties, human rights and religious groups is pressing President Barack Obama to follow through on his commitments to kick start the largely stagnant process of closing down the Guantanamo Bay prison for terror suspects. The groups note that it’s been more than four months since Obama promised […]
Thomas Jefferson fought to ensure the rights of Muslims
By Denise Spellberg, Salon.com Excerpted from Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an [He] sais “neither Pagan nor Mahamedan [Muslim] nor Jew ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the Commonwealth because of his religion.” — Thomas Jefferson, quoting John Locke, 1776 At a time when most Americans were uninformed, misinformed, or simply afraid of Islam, Thomas […]
Good News: NJ Banks Remove Posters Banning Hijab
CAIR-NJ will work with bank officials on a policy that ensures security and religious freedom (SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ, 10/4/2013) — Following intervention by the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), Century Savings Bank officials say they have removed posters announcing a policy banning “hats, hoods, headgear, and sunglasses” for security purposes. […]
Ohio school district pulls video on Islam after conservative group raises legal challenge
By Bruce Geiselman, Northeast Ohio Media Group OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio — Faced with the threat of a federal lawsuit, the Olmsted Falls schools have pulled a video about Muslims in America from its seventh-grade social studies curriculum. School Superintendent Jim Lloyd said the district agreed to remove the 2005 documentary TV show, “30 Days: Muslims […]
CAIR-NJ Asks Century Savings Bank to Review Hijab Ban
(SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ, 10/3/2013) — The New Jersey chapter for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) today called on Century Savings Bank to review its “inappropriate and discriminatory” policy that would treat customers wearing religious head coverings differently than other patrons. Century Savings Bank has implemented a policy that requires all customers to remove “hats, […]