Duke Adds Muslim Religious Leader
In a sign of the changing makeup of its students, Duke University has hired its first imam, or Muslim religious leader, becoming one of only a handful of universities in the United States that have full-time Muslim clergy. Abdullah Antepli, a native of Turkey who is completing his doctoral work at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, […]
TX: Racist Anti-Obama Pin Sold at GOP Convention
While a number of speakers — such as Railroad Commission chairman Michael Williams and Mike Huckabee — have praised the advance of Barack Obama and what it means towards a colorblind society, at least one vendor hasn’t gotten the message. At the Republican state convention, a booth hosted by Republicanmarket was selling a pin Saturday […]
The Beauty of Islam
Several readers of last week’s column asked why I called Islam “incredibly beautiful.” Based on decades of study, world travel and long friendships with Muslims, I answer with three hints. Our indebtedness to Muslim culture is extraordinary. Try doing your finances using Roman instead of Arabic numerals, and you’ll get the idea. Have you had […]
MI: Muslims Barred from Picture at Obama Event
Two Muslim women at Barack Obama’s rally in Detroit Monday were barred from sitting behind the podium by campaign volunteers seeking to prevent the women’s headscarves from appearing in photographs or on television with the candidate. The campaign has apologized to the women, all Obama supporters who said they felt betrayed by their treatment at […]
Will Narendra Modi Get US Visa This Time?
Will Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi be second time lucky? His supporters here want the US to grant him a visa to enable his participation in a world Gujarati meet though he was denied visa three years ago thanks to the controversy over his handling of communal violence in 2002. “It is not just a […]
CAIR-MI: Campaign Apologizes for Excluding Women in Hijab
Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign apologized Wednesday for incidents in which Muslim women were asked not to stand or sit behind the candidate at a rally in Metro Detroit this week out of concerns about the appearance of traditional Muslim dress associated with the Democratic candidate in published and broadcast visuals of the events.“This is of […]
CAIR, ACLU Sponsor Premiere of ‘Bunker Hill’
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/16/08) – On Thursday, June 12, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and ACLU of the National Capital Area (ACLU-NCA) co-sponsored the world premiere of the film “Bunker Hill” at the UDC Auditorium in Washington, D.C.The film tells the story of a fictional “next” massive terrorist attack on the United States and its […]
CAIR-MI Forum Focused on Civil Rights
(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 6/16/08) – The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) recently gave a presentation to law enforcement agencies and advocacy groups about civil rights issues facing the American Muslims.Topics covered at the forum included employment discrimination, harassment at educational institutions and religious/ethnic profiling. The event was sponsored by Advocates and Leaders […]
CAIR-MN: Flood Damages Historic American Mosque
(ST. PAUL, MN, 6/16/08) – The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) today called on American Muslims to help repair damage to one of the first mosques in America caused by recent flooding in Iowa. The Mother Mosque of America in Cedar Rapids, completed in 1934, was one of the first permanent […]
CAIR: House Report Explores Causes of Declining U.S. Reputation
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/16/2008) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today welcomed a report, titled “The Decline in America’s Reputation: Why,” issued by a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee.Among the reports main findings are that opposition to specific U.S. policies has driven the decline in our nation’s reputation and that foreign audiences perceive a disconnect […]