CAIR-MI: ‘Muslim Bashers’ Hit for Resignation
America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group on Wednesday defended Sen. Barack Obama after the Democratic presidential candidate’s Muslim-outreach coordinator resigned because of a brief association with a suspected Muslim extremist. “Muslim bashers play a ‘six degrees of separation’ game of guilt by association with any Muslim who dares to engage in positive social or political […]
CAIR-IL Op-Ed: One key Muslim Voice – Lost
There are many words I can use to describe Mazen Asbahi’s fresh resignation from his position as the Obama campaign’s national liaison for Muslim American affairs, and the circumstances behind that decision. But I will suffice with one that I think says it best: “sad.”I have known Mazen for many years now. He is exactly […]
CAIR-IL: Obama’s Muslim Coordinator Out
The Obama campaign finally tapped an Arab-American and Muslim-American coordinator July 26 — Chicago lawyer Mazen Asbahi. Monday, he stepped down after questions were raised by the Wall Street Journal about his brief tenure on the board of an Islamic investment fund. The episode exposes the Obama team’s struggle to woo Muslim voters while denying […]
CA: Rep. Royce Urged to Drop Language Linking Islam to Terror
(LOS ANGELES, 8/7/08) – A group of Southern California interfaith leaders and community activists today sent a joint letter to the office of Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) urging him to stop using language that links the faith of Islam to terrorism. In recent newsletters and speeches, Rep. Royce has repeatedly used phrases such as “Islamist […]
CA: Antioch Mosque Remembers Arson Attack
(ANTIOCH, CA, 8/6/2008) – The Islamic Center of the East Bay (ICEB) will hold a candlelight vigil to commemorate the first anniversary of the devastating arson attack on their mosque in Antioch on August 12, 2008. Even after 12 months, the culprits have not been caught and remain at large in the community. The fire […]
CAIR-SFBA Registers 200 Muslim Voters, and Counting
(SANTA CLARA, AUGUST 7, 2008) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) congratulates its government sub-committee for registering over 200 Bay Area Muslim voters since April through its efforts to empower American Muslims and to encourage them to vote in the upcoming November elections.The Committee coordinates voter registration drives at various […]
NV: Judge Says Detective’s Beard OK
The First Amendment gives a Las Vegas police detective the right to wear a beard for religious reasons, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, but a jury must decide whether he has the right to wear a yarmulke on the job. Detective Steve Riback, an observant Orthodox Jew whose position in the office of quality assurance […]
Finding Common Ground by Dispelling Stereotypes
THE CROWDS were gathered outside waiting to be allowed in, and the press had arrived early to conduct interviews. On the other side of the world, the United States was beginning its “shock and awe” military campaign in Iraq that same weekend of March 2003. But at the sold-out Regal Cinemas in North Brunswick, the […]
Allah Made Me Funny Premieres October 3
(Washington, D.C., 8/3/2008) – Constructed around the standup routines of three of the nation’s most celebrated Muslim comedians, Allah Made Me Funny spearheads the newest generation of comedy that is quintessentially American. Whether it’s inviting the audience to write the joke on airport security themselves, or sheepishly admitting that four wives would be three too […]
Muslim Female Joins IOC Board
BEIJING (AP) — Former hurdles champion Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco was elected to the IOC executive board Thursday, becoming the highest-ranking woman in the Olympic movement and first female from a Muslim nation on the rule-making body. The 46-year-old El Moutawakel was unopposed for a seat on the powerful 15-member International Olympic Committee board. […]