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Executive Editor: Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Chronology of Islam in America (2015)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
September 2015
82 Groups Ask DOJ to Address Illegality of 'Muslim-Free Zone' Businesses
Sept 1: TheCouncil on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, announced today that a coalition of 82 civil liberties, human rights, immigrant rights, faith, and cultural organizations (see list of signatories below) sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch asking her to investigate the growing phenomena of so-called "Muslim-free zone" businesses nationwide. The coalition, which includes prominent national organizations such as the ACLU, NAACP and the YWCA USA, requested that the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division's Housing and Civil Enforcement Section conduct a full federal investigation into all businesses that have declared themselves as "Muslim-Free Zones" and "bring civil enforcement proceedings against business owners who have violated the law." "The broad range of groups calling for government action on the 'Muslim-free zone' issue clearly indicates that the U.S. Department of Justice should speak out and take concrete action to protect the constitutional rights of American Muslims," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. Businesses in Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, New York, Oklahoma, and New Hampshire have publicly declared themselves "Muslim-Free." Despite these reports, the DOJ has remained silent, with the exception of a pledge to "monitor" the Arkansas "Muslim-free zone" business.The coalition requested a meeting with the DOJ to further discuss "the civil rights impact of these bans and how we can best engage with the DOJ to address current and future discriminatory exclusions by public accommodations."CAIR recently questioned why, despite repeated requests for action, the 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. [CAIR]
Anti-Islamic slogans painted on walls of Mosque in Kentucky
Sept 17 - A Muslim civil rights group today called for a federal and state investigation into vandalism at a Louisville, Kentucky, mosque as a possible hate crime. Members of the Louisville Islamic Center found spray-painted messages on Wednesday night when they were gathered for a prayer session, including "Moslems - Leave the Jews Alone," "This is for France" and "Nazis Speak Arabic." "This incident fits a disturbing pattern of recent hate incidents targeting American Muslims and their institutions," Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said the attack was an affront to everyone in the community and asked people to go to the center on Friday and help erase the spray-paint. "An act like this will not be tolerated in this community," Fischer told a news conference outside the center. Matt Goldberg, director of community relations for the Jewish Community of Louisville, told the news conference that his organization stands in solidarity with the Islamic members in "wholeheartedly condemning this horrible act." Dr. Muhammad Babar, a spokesman for the Louisville center, said members of the Muslim Community Center of Louisville last week found a copy of the Koran torn up in front of the entrance. [Grandfolks Herald]
Discovery of 9th century Quranic manuscripts predate Columbus travels by five centuries
Sept 20: For centuries it was believed that Christopher Columbus was the first man from the Old continent to cross the Atlantic to the New World, but new evidence from a research team from the University of Rhode Island suggests Muslim seafarers might just be the first people to have settled on the shores of America, a possibility that could rewrite history as we know it. The discovery completely took the researchers by surprise admits professor Evan Yuriesco, in charge of the research team. “We were expecting to find traces of prehistoric Native American settlements, as we have in the area for the past decades. We were not prepared to find 9th century clay pots containing ancient manuscripts written in the Arabic language” he explains. The team of researchers fell upon what could be the mass tomb of 9th century seafarers. The four skeletons that have been found on the site are in a state of advanced decomposition which could make DNA testing impossible, warns the expert, although the teeth showed premature decay which could explain the cause of death by a poor diet or an unknown illness. Islamic medieval scholar Karim Ibn Fallah from the University of Massachussets has determined that the age of the manuscripts is from the 9th century based on the Kufic script of the manuscripts. “Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script” he explains. “Kufic developed around the end of the 7th century in Kufa, Iraq, from which it takes its name. The discovery of Kufic scripts in pre-Columbus America is extremely fascinating” he adds, visibly excited. [This article was first published by World News Daily Report.com on November 25, 2014 and republished by the New Trends magazine today]
Irving, Kentucky, Trump, Carson: A terrible week for American Muslims
Sept 20: The week following the 14th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks was indeed a tough one for Muslims across the United States.In commemoration of the 14th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, a bigoted Florida gun shop owner Andy Hallinan offered a free car wash, beer, and $25 off any gun purchased online if customers used the coupon code "Muslim." The “offer” was, of course, xenophobic to the core, however, it was just the beginning of a rather difficult week for Muslims across the United States.On September 14, Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old student from Irving, Texas, was handcuffed, interrogated and suspended for making a homemade clock and bringing it to school to impress his teacher. And while the kid received overwhelming support from across the country, including Mark Zuckerberg and even President Barack Obama, the principal and many teachers still side with the school’s decision to handcuff the boy over a clock. Predictably, the days following Ahmed’s arrest gave a chance to television bigots like Bill Maher and Sarah Palin to spew vitriol against Muslims. The HBO host assured his panel that he would not be jumping on the #IStandWithAhmed bandwagon anytime soon because, while he believed Ahmed deserved an apology from school officials, he could not blame them for arresting him. Then came the third biggest – and the second-most documented – Islamophobic event of the week on Sept 17: Donald Trump’s campaign speech at a town hall in Rochester, New Hampshire. While responding to an audience member’s disturbingly anti-Muslim question, Trump promised to “look into” getting rid of all Muslims in the country. To cap it all, another Republican presidential hopeful, Ben Carson offered his two cents on Islam and Muslims on Sunday. Answering a question on Meet the Press, the retired neurosurgeon said he doesn’t think a Muslim is fit to run as president in the U.S. because Islamic teachings are inconsistent with the Constitution. In order to prevent this week of hate turning into a year – or years – of hate, it’s crucial that these causes are addressed – without further ado. [Carbonated TV]
The Republican Attack on Muslims
Sept 22: The Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is drawing criticism over the bigoted comments he has been making recently about Muslims. It is well deserved, and is not a matter of “P.C. culture,” as Mr. Carson has claimed. Nor does Mr. Carson represent some minor fringe element in the Republican Party. This latest sordid mess to arise from the G.O.P. nomination contest touches on bedrock American values, constitutional principles and American history. It reflects a pernicious habit among the leaders of the Republican Party to play with fire by pandering to an angry, disaffected and heavily white base by demonizing selected minorities. Muslims are just the current target. Mr. Carson declared on Sept 22 on ”Meet the Press” that Muslims are unfit to run for president because a president’s faith should be “consistent with the Constitution.” Later, he told the newspaper The Hill that Islamic Shariah law isn’t consistent with the Constitution because “Muslims feel that their religion is very much a part of your public life and what you do as a public official, and that’s inconsistent with our principles and our Constitution.” [The Editorial Board New York Times]
Worshipers celebrating Eid at Ohio mosque threatened by man with ax
Sept 25: Between prayers on the morning of Eid-al-Adha yesterday, worshipers at the Islamic Center of Cleveland welcomed a stranger into their mosque. A middle-aged white man clad in a T-shirt and jeans had approached the congregation gathered outside their stately place of worship in Parma, Ohio and asked about registration. He was told, “There’s no need for registration — you’re more than welcome to come in.” But the man soon started calling the mosque members “pedophiles” and “terrorists.” After he was asked to leave, he ran to his car and started rummaging under his seat. Recounting the scene to Fox 8 Cleveland, Hasan Saleh said they chased the man’s vehicle a short distance before he drove straight into police officers directing traffic on a nearby block. While the man was being arrested, he continued to shout obscenities and pointed a middle finger at the congregants. Police later discovered a hatchet under his passenger seat. [Washington Post]
Dr. Jamal al-Barzinji, founder of IIIT, passed away
Sept 26: Dr. Jamal al-Barzinji, 76, a founding member, a Trustee and Vice President for Research & Publications of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), died in Virginia today. He had over forty years of progressive experience in development and leadership of diverse organizations (business, educational, think-tanks, political and charitable), such as Mar-Jac Poultry, Safa Trust, Amana Mutual Funds, SAAR Foundation, Bank Islam Malaysia, Dean of School of Islamic Revealed Knowledge & Social Sciences of International Islamic University Malaysia and North American Islamic Trust (NAIT). He was a founding member of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS), and the Association of Muslim Scientists & Engineers (AMSE). Dr. Barzinji served as advisor and consultant to various educational, charitable and professional organizations. He delivered numerous lectures and wrote articles on various topics on Islamic Thought, Banking, Islamic Movements, Current Affairs, Education and Islamic Presence in the U.S. and Europe. He delivered numerous lectures and wrote articles on various topics on Islamic Thought, Banking, Islamic Movements, Current Affairs, Education and Islamic Presence in the U.S. and Europe. Dr. Barzinji held a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, with a minor in Management from Louisiana State University, U.S.A. (1974), and a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering & Fuel Technology from the University of Sheffield, England (1962). [AMP Report]
Pope in America: Can he save Christianity from Total Collapse?
Sept 27: No one has received so much media coverage as Pope Francis. Also, the state power led by President Obama gave him total support. Thirdly, the entire hierarchy of the Catholic church came out in full force to organize and mobilize for the Pope's visit. Huge crowds came out, treating the Pope like a rock star. He didn't have much to say: just the generalities of a reasonably good church. He is certainly not a great speaker. In fact he read from the script in all presentations except two. His English is poor, so he usually required a translator. The church speakers related to his visits were also poor speakers and inadequate in their ability to use English. At least he should have been able to say his prayers without reading. It's quite a surprise that the vast Catholic church machine lacks good English speakers.
America is in turmoil and a Pope who does not stand up to state power can do nothing to change the situation. Look at the Obama crusade in support of homosexuality. Everyone knows the Pope can't accept that but did not dare come out openly against the crusader. What about random sex and abortion? The Pope can't do anything there and didn't even try. As for banal statements about family, compassion and caring, who can't say that? It's like Nancy Reagan's solution for easy sex: Just say NO! We know the results. Is there a political agenda behind the Pope's visit? Of course, he is rallying the Hispanic vote. His visit could bring Trump down.
There is little the Pope can do in religion. Christianity has neither Sunnah nor Sharia'. What can he teach? The Pope had little to say about the tragedy in Makka. Just two very brief sentences. The Pope was in fact hostile to Muslims. He kept referring to the suffering of Christians in the Middle East. It would seem that the Pope does not know that Christians in the Middle East have been allied to brutal dictators for decades. They are as much responsible for atrocities against Muslim majorities as the dictators and other minority allies. For instance, look at the 30-year alliance between Christian and the Hosni Mubarak tyranny for 30 years. Now they are allied, very closely, to the tyrant General al-Sissi. In Syria, the Christians are best friends of the mass murderer Bashar Assad, second only to the Alawites themselves. In Iraq, the Christians, along with the Yazeedis, have been staunch supporters of the invading American armies and the regime installed in Baghdad by the US. In Jordan, the Christians are part of the power base of the playboy King Abdullah. All these Christians never thought of standing up for the rights of the Muslim masses groaning under the boots of the tyrants. [New Trend Media watch]
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