VA Muslim Presents Pope with Quran
A Virginia leader of multi-ethnic and religious dialogue was one of five people to make a presentation to Pope Benedict XVI at an interfaith meeting Thursday night – the pope’s final event in the nation’s capital. Saman Hussain, a 22-year-old Muslim woman who lives in Fairfax County, gave the pope an ornate copy of the […]
NY: Muslim-Catholic Agreement
They sat together and celebrated together. The reason? The fact that they’re working together. A party last week celebrated 5 years since the signing of a document – the agreement of understanding and cooperation. It’s signed by members of the Rochester Catholic Diocese and members of the Islamic Center of Rochester – including Father J. […]
DC: Open Mike at Interfaith Papal Forum
Followers of all religions must “stand together in defending and promoting life and religious freedom everywhere,” Pope Benedict XVI told a gathering of Jewish, Muslim and other religious leaders Thursday. Even as each faith enriches public life with its values, each also must always stand for the truth it offers the world. For Christians, he […]
DC: Muslim Leaders Urge Pope to Lead Dialogue
US Muslim leaders have said they urged Pope Benedict XVI at a meeting to help establish a permanent dialogue between the two faiths. “I told the pope: ‘I met you two yeas ago at the Vatican and asked you then to lead efforts to establish permanent dialogue with Muslims,’” Imam Hassan Al-Qzwini, the religious director […]
CAIR-FL: Pope’s Visit a Reminder of Quest for Justice, Peace
[Altaf Ali is executive director of the South Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.]In Sept. 2006, Pope Benedict XVI sparked tension between Catholics and Muslims by what appeared to be an endorsement that early Muslims spread their religion by violence. Many Muslims were offended by this and some took to the streets in […]
Al-Arian Could Face New Indictment
Sami al-Arian, a computer science professor imprisoned for more than five years after pleading guilty to a single terrorism-related charge when his trial deadlocked, is back in legal limbo this week. He faces either deportation or a new indictment that could extend his incarceration for years. The Justice Department and some independent terrorism investigators have […]
VA: Al-Arian Faces Shocking Abuse in New Facility
Yesterday morning, Dr. Sami Al-Arian was transported by immigration agents to the Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Portsmouth, Virginia. Since arriving at the facility, he has been subjected to numerous, shocking abuses, even worse than those he experienced at a detention center in Maryland. When Dr. Al-Arian arrived at Hampton Roads Jail, he was initially […]
OH Rep Recognizes CAIR in Congressional Remarks
Extensions of Remarks – In Recognition of the Council on American-Islamic RelationsCongressional Record, 4/16/08110th Congress – Second SessionHON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH of Ohio in the House of RepresentativesWednesday, April 16, 2008Mr. KUCINICH: Madam Speaker, I rise today in order to recognize the achievements of Cleveland’s Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Chapter on the occasion of […]
MN: School on Defensive after Death Threats
A charter school in Inver Grove Heights is taking extra security precautions and working with law enforcement agencies in the wake of death threats. It all began with a series of newspaper columns accusing Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy of using taxpayer money to teach Islamic religion, something the school’s director says is just plain false. […]
US Muslims Wait to See if Pope Reaches Out
When John Paul II traveled to Syria in 2000, he became the first pope ever to visit a mosque. He stood in Damascus’s Umayyad Masjid, kissed the Qur’an and stated, “For all the times that Muslims and Christians have offended one another, we need to seek forgiveness from the Almighty and to offer each other […]