NY Governor, NAACP Condemn Magazine Cover
New York Gov. David Paterson and the NAACP on Thursday condemned the New Yorker magazine’s satirical cover depicting Democrat Barack Obama and his wife as flag-burning radicals. Paterson, a Democrat who is New York’s first black governor, told delegates at the civil rights organization’s national convention that the cover that hit newsstands Monday is “one […]
Yusuf Islam Awarded Damages for Libel
LONDON (AFP) — Yusuf Islam, the singer-songwriter formerly known as Cat Stevens, on Friday accepted substantial libel damages and an apology for articles that claimed he was sexist and bigoted, lawyers said. London’s High Court was told the World Entertainment News Network news agency and an entertainment website contactmusic.com agreed to pay “substantial damages” for […]
CAIR-San Diego: Govt Spying on Religious Group Investigated
Click here to see the video. A civil rights groups is making a formal request for information from government agencies about files that were stolen detailing surveillance on San Diego Muslims.“If the government is spying on law-abiding Muslims merely because of their religion, without any evidence of criminal activity, any group could be next,” said […]
CAIR-Chicago: Former Jail Guard Sues Sheriff’s Office
A former Kane County Jail guard who alleges he was forced to choose between his job and his beard has filed a federal lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Department.In the federal suit filed this week in Chicago, Abal Zaidi of Streamwood said he was forced out of his job in December 2006 after Sheriff Pat Perez […]
CAIR: New Yorker Cover Tasteless… and Brilliant
Early on Monday, when colleague Joel Goldenberg brought to my attention the growing brouhaha over the cover illustration for the upcoming issue of The New Yorker magazine, I thought he was joking.What he described was something I would expect to see splashed on some right-wing publication like The National Review — but not The New […]
CA: Muslims Believe Hijab Snub Not Obama’s Fault
For nearly two years detractors have accused Barack Obama of being a Muslim. Ultra-conservative commentators have referred to him as B. Hussein Obama and deliberately likened his surname to bin Laden’s first name Osama. He has defended himself while also condemning the prejudice toward Muslims these acts reflect. As a presidential candidate he has stumped […]
Dalai Lama Defends Islam as Peaceful Religion
The Dalai Lama said Sunday that “it’s totally wrong, unfair” to call Islam a violent religion. The Tibetan spiritual leader, appearing at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, offered a defense of Islam in response to a question about the rise of violent religious fundamentalism. He added that he has made a point of reaching out to […]
Obama Says He Used ‘Poor Phrasing’ on Jerusalem
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said on Sunday he used “poor phrasing” in a speech supporting Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. “You know, the truth is that this was an example where we had some poor phrasing in the speech. And we immediately tried to correct the interpretation that was given,” he said […]
DC: Ex-Diplomat Sentenced for Anti-Arab Threats
A retired Foreign Service officer was sentenced yesterday to one year in prison for making threats against Arab American Institute President James Zogby and other employees there. W. Patrick Syring, 50, who served two tours in Beirut during his 25-year State Department career, pleaded guilty to violating civil rights laws. The charges stem from messages […]
PA Suit: Penn. McDonald’s Served Up Harassment
A Breinigsville woman who says she was denied service at a McDonald’s in Whitehall Township because she is a Muslim filed a federal lawsuit Thursday, claiming her civil rights were violated. Tanveer Walli alleges that a manager at the restaurant, which is in the Wal-Mart off MacArthur Road, behaved rudely and refused to serve her […]