Paper Profiles CAIR-MI Rep
He first felt the urge to convert religions when listening to the rhetoric of hip-hop lyricists such as south Bronx native KRS-One and the fiery-tongued Chuck D of Public Enemy.The rhythmic Islamic references in those seminal raps, mostly asides, caught his attention, he says, and inspired him to dig further. And so the black kid […]
CAIR-IL Rep Responds to Offhand Slur with Lunch
Mocking Chicago’s Unity Month should not be construed as mocking unity itself, however. One glance at Iraq is enough to remind us that sectarianism is one of society’s great malign forces, and we need to do all we can to make sure that it never takes root here. To do that, we need to talk […]
CAIR: Cartoon Poked Fun at Characters, Not Islam
Readers were confused and angry that “Opus” comic strips with a Muslim theme did not appear in the Aug. 26 and Sept. 2 Sunday print editions. The strips, created by Berkeley Breathed, were distributed by the Washington Post Writers Group and published on washingtonpost.com.Most of the controversy involved the Aug. 26 strip, which showed regular […]
CAIR: Airport’s Sinks to Help Muslims Carry Out Rituals
Three times a day during their shifts at the Indianapolis International Airport, more than 100 Muslim cab drivers wash their feet.In the parking lot where they wait to be dispatched, some fill plastic bottles with water and pour it over the right foot, then the left. Others clean their feet in the restroom sink.The practice […]
CAIR-CAN: Face Veil a Rallying Point for Muslim-Bashers
[Kashif Ahmed lives in Calgary and is the national board member of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations.]“I endured them then and now I have to endure them again,” stated a Quebecer, referring to Muslims as he recently spoke before a public commission set up by Quebec to examine what constitutes unreasonable accommodation of minorities.His […]
CAIR-FL: Is It Time for ‘Happy Ramadan?’
“I would like to thank you for your insightful and accurate article on the holy month of Ramadan,” wrote Omer Subhani, community relations director for the Council on American Islamic Relations. “This is a special time for all Muslims, and it means a great deal to all of us to be acknowledged and presented in […]
IL: Convert Finds True Home in Islam
Aaron Siebert-Llera would wake up wearing the Star of David one day and a cross the next. But the religion he eventually chose was neither his father’s Jewish faith nor his Mexican-American mother’s Roman Catholicism. He chose Islam. “I felt like I finally found a house where I can place all my morals, my ideals, […]
MO: Muslim Woman Fired from Job Files Bias Suit
A Florissant woman said she was fired for the way she dressed and now a lawsuit has been filed on her behalf. The company, St. Charles-based Client Services, Inc., said it has a dress code. The woman, Mariam Soultan, said it’s a matter of religious freedom. “I felt really comfortable during the interview,” Soultan said […]
IA: Muslims Find Spiritual Home at Midwest Mosque
A modest building with a blue dome, the Darul Arqum Islamic Center nestles in a quiet neighborhood not far from the State University of Iowa in Ames. The mosque serves members of the local Muslim community, including international students. Saleem Baig, vice chairman of the mosque, said there are about 500 Muslims in Ames. The […]
CA: Islamic Center Regroups After Fire
Amid a row of women bowing in diaphanous, brightly-colored gowns, Sughran Ahmed prayed — prostrate in silence, rising with the imam’s sung, “Allah Akbar,” God is great. Suddenly, her 3-year-old son, Muhammad Ali, broke free from his caretaker, ran to his mother and threw his arms around her neck. She smiled at him tenderly. It […]