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Executive Editor: Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Chronology of Islam in America (2015)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
August 2015
North Carolina county commission chairman walks out after Muslim invocation
August 3: In Lincoln County, North Carolina, Lincoln County Commission Chairman Carrol Mitchem, walked out tonight of the commission’s meeting when the invocation started with a Muslim prayer. Mitchem, a Christian, had told WSOC-TV that if a meeting commenced with a Muslim prayer he would leave, and he kept his word tonight when a leader of an interfaith group did just that. He had said, “I ain’t gonna have no new religion or pray to Allah or nothing like that,” adding that those against Christian prayer could “Wait until we’re done praying.” Within the last week, nearby Rowan County filed an appeal of U.S. District Judge James Beaty’s May ruling that the county’s practice of starting meetings with Christian prayers violated the First Amendment. The judge’s decision was prompted by a lawsuit from the ACLU in 2013. The commission had previously decided to allow all faiths access to the invocation in order to avoid lawsuits. In May, Mitchem told WBTV, “Other religions, or whatever, are in the minority. The U.S. was founded on Christianity. I don’t believe we need to be bowing to the minorities. The U.S. and the Constitution were founded on Christianity. This is what the majority of people believe in, and it’s what I’m standing up for.” Asked about Judge Beaty’s ruling, he replied, “Changing rules on the way the United States was founded, Constitution was founded (I don’t like). I don’t need no Arab or Muslim or whoever telling me what to do or us here in the county what to do about praying. If they don’t like it, stay the hell away.” [Breitbart]
Not Muslim, Not News: Men arrested for making explosives to resist govt
August 3: In North Carolina, the FBI has reportedly arrested three men on violations of federal weapons laws Saturday (Aug 1). Reports say that law enforcement received tips that Walter Litteral, 50, Christopher Barker, 41 and Christopher Campbell, 30, were attempting to manufacture explosive or destructive devices. Law enforcement were reportedly told the men were reconstructing live grenades from "dummy grenades" sold as military artifacts at stores. Authorities believe the men were preparing for the possibility that the government intended to use armed forces to impose martial law, which they planned to resist. The FBI also reportedly became aware that the men wanted to manufacture pipe bombs. Other defensive items were said to be purchased from stores, including a .338 caliber rifle, hand-held radios with throat microphones for communication, military issue Kevlar helmets, body armor vests and balaclavas (a form of cloth headgear designed to expose only parts of the face). The three men are facing charges of conspiracy to violate laws governing firearms and explosives. Campbell was also charged with receiving, possessing and making firearms. [WCCB Charlotte]
Attorneys: FBI paid $41K to ISIS terror case informant 'Rover'
August 6: Attorneys for the six men accused of trying to flee the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and San Diego) to join the terrorist group ISIS are demanding federal prosecutors identify an informant who played a key role in cracking the case. The FBI paid an informant who went by the name "Rover" and was identified in court documents as CHS. CHS was paid more than $41,000 from January 2014 to May 2015, according to documents filed Thursday in U.S. District Court by Minneapolis-based attorney Andrew Birrell. Attorneys for Hamza Ahmed, Adnan Farah, Abdurahman Daud, Zacharia Abdurahman, Hanad Musse and Guled Omar, question the informant's credibility. They say investigators knew CHS lied about his criminal history and recently admitted to the FBI that before becoming an informant, CHS was part of a conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Documents also say that one of the six, Musse, told CHS he would no longer travel to join ISIS and that FBI agents confirmed that fact in preliminary and detention hearings. "Despite lying under oath multiple times and having participated in the same conduct charged in the indictment, the informant remains free," Musse's attorney Andrew Birrell wrote. "The informant's credibility and motivation will be central to the defense." The informant's role in the counterterrorism sweep has caused an uproar in the Somali and Muslim community in Minnesota. Family members of the accused six have expressed anger against the informant, someone they considered a close friend who shared their dinner table. Executive Director for the Minnesota Council on American-Islamic Relations Jaylani Hussein said the use of informants has created "a great deal of distrust between law enforcement and the community." CAIR often receives calls seeking advice on how to respond to FBI agents digging for information about friends and family. Hussein said there has been an increase in those calls over the past few months. It's important to cooperate with law enforcement, he added, but in a way that protects individuals' rights. Court documents filed today also request access to the informant for interviews and say CHS' testimony is critical to the defense. Withholding the informant's identity would violate fundamental principles of fairness. [NPR News]
CAIR's new 'Toxic Hate' brief outlines violent tone in recent U.S. Islamophobia
August 7: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today released a new brief, called "Toxic Hate," indicating that the backlash against this nation's Muslim community since Daesh (also known as ISIS) murdered two Americans in Syria last August has a "more violent tone" than past spikes in Islamophobic sentiment. The CAIR brief outlines incidents of violence and threats targeting individual Muslims, threats against groups of Muslims and threats and violence targeting Islamic houses of worship and institutions. It also includes a section on the recent phenomenon of armed anti-Islam demonstrations. The brief reports in part:
"After Daesh murdered two Americans in late August 2014, Americans of all backgrounds, Muslims included, responded with rejection and revulsion. Despite abundant evidence that Daesh was slaughtering Muslims who disagree with them in great numbers, some in our country blamed all followers of Islam for the group's actions. When the Kouachi brothers attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris on January 7, 2015, this effect was magnified. CAIR has in the past observed that Islamophobia in America goes through cycles of intensity. The 2010 controversy over a planned Islamic cultural center in lower Manhattan was the last observed peak in anti-Islam activity. It was characterized by efforts to oppose the construction or expansion of Islamic places of worship across the nation. This latest cycle has had a more violent tone. "Violent incidents outlined in CAIR's brief include the case of Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, who were murdered in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Feb. 10, 2015 and the murder of 15-year-old Abdisamad "Adam" Sheikh-Hussein outside a Kansas City mosque. The teenager's legs were severed when he was intentionally hit by an SUV which once had writing on the back window that read: "Quran is a virus disease woreste [sic] than Ebola." Another case outlined in the brief was that of Robert Doggart, a former candidate for congressional office in Tennessee, who signed a plea agreement admitting his plot to assault the Muslim community of Islamberg in New York. Doggart said, "we're gonna be carrying an M4 with 500 rounds of ammunition, light armor piercing. A pistol with 3 extra magazines and a machete. And if it gets down to the machete, we will cut them to shreds." While Doggart's preparation for the attack fits the definition for a terrorist act, he was released to home detention on a $30,000 bond. [CAIR]
Monitoring mosques on the pretext of keeping America safe
August 8: The seven-million strong American Muslim community was alarmed at the suggestion of Republican presidential candidates to putting mosques under surveillance on the pretext of keeping American safe. This came during the first debate of the eight Republican hopefuls in Detroit last Thursday (August 6) when Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said: "If I have to monitor a mosque I'll monitor a mosque. If I have to take down a cyber wall I'll take it. If I have to send more American troops to protect us here I will do it." The subject was first raised with former New York Gov. George Pataki, who was asked whether he would potentially put mosques under surveillance to root out "Islamic" extremists — keeping in mind that “conservatives in this country are particularly concerned with religious liberty. ...“Religious liberty doesn’t include encouraging a fellow American to engage in jihad and killing Americans here. That is not protected free speech. That is like shouting fire in a crowded theater, and that is illegal,” Pataki said adding: “I would do everything in our power to just go after those who are here before they can radicalize other Americans to carry out attacks.” Interestingly, in May last Sen. Graham said at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee New England Leadership Dinner that "Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula... Everything that starts with 'Al' in the Middle East is bad news." In Arabic, the word Al means the word "the." [AMP Report]
Mosque construction OK’d by Monroeville, PA, Council
August 12: The Monroeville Council’s approval last night of a Shiite Muslim group’s request to build a worship center on Old Haymaker Road was quick, quiet and unanimous. And that was exactly what resident Saad Ali expected. “I’m more than happy. I knew it was going to be approved,” said Mr. Ali, 58, who came from Iraq and has lived in Monroeville for almost 20 years. He said: “Last week there was one lady opposed to this … because there are a lot of the misconceptions about Muslims. I don’t blame non-Muslims. Muslims are the problem, not non-Muslims. I wanted to show her that even we must deal with this problem.” The council approval clears the way for an 8,419-square-foot center at 351 Old Haymaker Road, on property adjoining a funeral home parking lot, within blocks of a Lutheran, a Presbyterian and a Catholic church. Although at least one resident had spoken out against the Muslim center at a previous meeting, no one did last night, and the council approved it without comment. “This is a really nice moment,” Mr. Ali, 58, said of the council vote. “They don’t have anything against us. I’ve been here since 1996 and we’ve never had any problems. We contribute to the Monroeville community and we have been happy.” The group seeking to build the mosque — Imamia — had been meeting for prayers in a Plum building since 2005 but had to leave it a few years ago because a sprinkler system burst. Since then, Mr. Ali said, the members have been gathering in a community center in Murrysville. Monroeville already has a diverse array of houses of worship that rivals any Pittsburgh suburb. They include two Hindu temples, a Sikh temple and another mosque, all of which draw worshipers from throughout the region. Safdar Khwaja, president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who attended the meeting, estimated there are 1,000 to 2,000 Muslims in the Monroeville area and many have been there for years. Also, there is the Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, a Sunni mosque and community center, which has operated for years in Monroeville and has had good relations with the neighbors. “There are people expressing fears or concerns who probably have no exposure to people who live here,” Mr. Khwaja said. “The Muslims who live here of all denominations are law-abiding people. They believe in the Constitution of the United States and abide by the laws. They are in general highly skilled people who come here to contribute to society.” Witold Walczak, legal director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, likewise was not surprised by the council members’ vote. “If they allow any kind of uses that correspond to a house of worship, they can’t say no to a mosque proposal,” he said. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Oklahoma Business Joins 'Muslim-Free' Movement
August 13: An Oklahoma survival equipment store has joined the growing number of businesses nationwide that have declared themselves "Muslim-free." Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has questioned why, despite repeated requests for action, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has remained silent on the "clearly illegal" religious ban, which the Washington-based group compared to "whites only" businesses excluding African-Americans prior to the Civil Rights Movement. The Save Yourself Survival and Tactical Gear store in Oktaha, Okla., has a sign in its window stating it is a "Muslim free establishment." The sign also states, "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone," which is the same language used by businesses that refused to serve African-American customers in the 1950s. Brady Henderson, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma (ACLUOK), said: "If the ideas of public segregation and second-class citizenship belong anywhere, they belong in the past. Whether a business's policy is 'no coloreds' or 'no Muslims,' it is making the same choice to put hate and ignorance ahead of traditional American values like freedom and equality. It is important that we as citizens speak out against the growing movement to resurrect Jim Crow." Businesses in New York, Kentucky, Florida, Arkansas and New Hampshire have already been declared "Muslim-free zones." [CAIR]
Plan to create Muslim cemetery sparks uproar in Texas city
August 13: Residents of Farmersville, Texas, have protested the proposed cemetery since it was approved by the city on May 28 as a concept plan, prompting city officials and the IACC to host a City Council meeting to address locals’ concerns. On Aug. 4 a mostly white, older audience packed into the school auditorium, where a man led a Christian prayer before the meeting started. Farmersville is home to about 3,300 people, more than 80 percent white and nearly entirely Christian, according to city officials. Abdur-Rashid, a resident scholar at the IACC, said, “Some folks have unfortunately been party to [groups] spreading hate towards Islam and Muslims. It’s based upon ignorance.” Although the Islamic Association of Collin County (IACC) said it doesn’t know of any Muslims living in Farmersville, the group purchased the land because of its scenic location on the shores of Lake Lavon and its affordability compared with real estate in the more densely populated parts of Collin County closer to Dallas. The families who will bury their loved ones there are part of the estimated 22,000-person Muslim community l iving mostly in the nearby cities of Plano, Richardson and Garland. At the public meeting, some angry attendees screamed and interrupted Abdur-Rashid of IACC as he tried to speak. Near the end, the one who shouted, “You’re not welcome here!” continued. “Every place y’all have been, you’ve caused some kind of controversy in the schools, and the government lets y’all have y’all’s way. Well, it’s not going to happen in Farmersville.” Much of the opposition is based on incorrect information and rumors. At the meeting and in national media, some residents argued that Islamic burial practices contaminate groundwater because Muslims do not put the dead in coffins — a claim that Abdur-Rashid dismissed as inaccurate, saying that bodies would be buried in caskets or coffins. [Al Jazeerah]
The FBI believes militia extremists are beginning to target Muslim institutions
August 18: An intelligence bulletin issued by the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division in late May warns that so-called “militia extremists” are likely to begin targeting Muslim institutions, including mosques and other religious facilities. The bulletin titled “Militia Extremists Expand Target Sets To Include Muslims” was obtained by Public Intelligence after being released to law enforcement in late May, just days before a planned “freedom of speech” rally outside a Phoenix mosque which attracted numerous individuals dressed in camouflage, tactical gear and carrying loaded assault weapons. Based primarily on a “large body of source reporting generated mainly since 2013,” the bulletin states that militia extremists are “expanding their target sets to include Muslims and Islamic religious institutions in the United States.” Multiple FBI “sources with varying levels of access” report that militia extremists have been conducting surveillance of “diverse locations including Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, Montana, New York, North and South Carolina, Utah, and Texas.” This reporting indicates that extremists have often focused on targeting Islamic facilities, such as mosques or community centers, though some have discussed targeting individual Muslims within their community. In September 2014, a source with “good access” reported to the FBI that “militia extremists in Mississippi discussed kidnapping and beheading a Muslim and posting video of the attack to the Internet.” The FBI concludes that increased targeting of Muslims is being fueled by two fundamental misconceptions that are described as “salient perceptions within militia extremism that contribute toward an anti-Muslim bias”: i. Islam represents a foreign threat, equivalent to those which emanate from illegal immigration or international terrorism. ii. The President of the United States not only sympathizes with Islamic extremists but directs US Government policy to align with their goals. These misconceptions are often held by “adherents of a militia ideology who seek validation of anti-government conspiracy theories” including that the U.S. government allows “allows the group Muslims of the Americas (aka Jamaat ul Fuqra, hereinafter referred to as MOA) to operate terrorist training camps at dozens of locations across the United States.” Citing videos and articles from the Christian Action Network, Pamela Geller and World Net Daily, the bulletin says that similar claims “periodically surge” following acts of Islamic-inspired terrorism. The bulletin also cites a restricted 2006 report published by Public Intelligence from the Regional Organized Crime Information Center that “identified the location of seven MOA ‘training compounds'” within the U.S. [Public Intelligence]
CAIR-Ohio files complaint with Civil Rights Commission over Columbus police hijab ban
August 20: The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) today filed an employment discrimination complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission over the Columbus police department's refusal to hire Muslim women officers who wear religious head scarves, or hijab.CAIR-Ohio filed the complaint after Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman recently told the Columbus Dispatch that he supports the hijab ban. Police Chief Kim Jacobs was quoted warning against hijab-wearing officers "turning anyone off" and stating, "If it's a head scarf next week, it might be a burqa the next week." In his complaint filed with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, CAIR-Ohio Staff Attorney Romin Iqbal wrote in part: "CAIR-Ohio brings this complaint to end the discriminatory ban on the hiring of Muslim women who wear a religious headscarf by Columbus Division of Police. . .The ban by Columbus Division of Police on hiring Muslim women who wear their religiously mandated headscarf discriminates against religious Muslim women who want to join the Columbus police force, and is a violation of Chapter 4112 of the Ohio Revised Code under which employers are required to provide reasonable accommodation for sincerely held religious belief of employees and prospective employees." [CAIR]
Dearborn community leaders furious over Photoshopped sign with a message of hate
August 21: Community leaders in Dearborn are outraged and speaking out. They’re furious over a Photoshopped image of a sign spreading quickly on social media. It’s a heinous hoax popping up online and being shared through social media sites like Facebook. A Photoshopped fake sign that includes the message "America we will kill you and nothing you can do to stop it."Osama Siblani calls it nothing short of spreading hate. The head of the Arab American News telling us someone too cowardly to identify themselves has tried to pass this off as a real sign in Dearborn. Civil rights attorney and chairman of the Arab American Civil Rights League Nabih Ayad is also sickened by this. He believes whoever started circulating the bogus billboard could also be hoping it leads someone to violence. Siblani says this image actually surfaced originally about a year ago. This time, he felt he had to speak out against it. [WZYZ.COM]
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