www.amperspective.com Online Magazine
Executive Editor: Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Chronology of Islam in America (2016)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
August 2016 - Page Three
Erratic Trump again claims Obama founded Islamic State group
August 14: U.S. Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump once again claimed that President Barack Obama that he helped "found" Islamic State group, days after saying he was being sarcastic when he first leveled the charge. "It's the opinion of myself and a lot of people that he was the founder," Trump told a rally yesterday. Democrats and Republicans alike have criticized Trump's assertion as patently false. Trump first made the accusation at a campaign event on Wednesday and then repeated the charge during a radio interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday. Hewitt even tried to give Trump a lifeline, asking if he meant Obama created the conditions for the Islamic State group to arise. “No, I meant he’s the founder of ISIS. I do,” Trump told Hewitt, suggesting he sincerely believed Obama started the militant group. Facing bipartisan backlash, Trump backed away from those comments on Friday, only to return to them on Saturday. The erratic campaign by the Republican nominee seems to hurting his effort to reach the White House. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll released on Friday suggested support for Trump is eroding among voters in three battleground states. Trump's troubles is opening ground for his Democratic rival to win over disaffected Republicans. Earlier this week the Hillary Clinton campaign formally launched an effort to woo Republicans and independents known as Together for America. [Telesur TV]
Arab American man murdered by racist neighbor, police still won't call it a hate crime
Aug 16: An Arab American man was fatally shot on his porch by his racially charged neighbor in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Friday night (August 12). Khalid Jabara, 37, was a Lebanese Christian who had a history of unpleasant exchanges with his neighbor. Reports after the shooting indicate that Jabara’s neighbor, Stanley Vernon Majors, 61, had called the victim a “dirty Arab” before pointing an illegally obtained gun at him. After the murder, Majors fled the scene, but was quickly found hiding behind a tree at a nearby school and was arrested. Majors was restricted from owning a gun, so he is being charged with first-degree murder and firearm possession. His bond is set at $300,000. A neighbor who witnessed the murder ran outside and saw Khalid get shot again. Majors then pointed the gun to the witness, who screamed at Majors to leave. Police found beer by the scene, indicating that Majors was “somewhat” intoxicated when he pulled the trigger. On Monday, Assistant District Attorney John David Luton said it was too early to charge Majors with a hate crime, but statements by Jabara’s family indicate that the suspect has been harassing their family for years. Eight minutes before Majors shot Jabara, the victim called the police to say he felt threatened by his neighbor. In a statement released on Monday by Jabara’s sister Victoria, she said Majors often referred to her family as “Dirty Arabs,” “filthy Lebanese,” “Aye-rabs,” and “Mooslems”. Victoria Jabara also said in a separate statement that Majors harassed other neighbors, as well, calling them “filthy Mexican” and “the ‘n’ word”. It’s not surprise that Majors has a long criminal record. In 2009, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison for threatening to “terrorize” Los Angeles. Shortly after he was released, he moved to Oklahoma. In 2013, Haifa Jabara, Khalid’s mother, issued a protective order against Majors because he had been sexually and racially harassing her. Majors allegedly stalked Haifa, knocked on her windows late at night, taking pictures of her, and harassing her over the phone. Majors responded to Haifa’s protective order by filing his own against her son, accusing Khalid of harassment, vandalism, trespassing, and blackmail. Nine months later in September 2015, Majors ran over Haifa Jabara with his car while she was out jogging, breaking her shoulder, nose, and ankle, as well as causing her lung to collapse. At the time of this incident, Majors had called Haifa a “filthy Lebanese”. He claimed he hit her because he was avoiding a rabbit, but was extremely drunk at the time and even chugged a beer while police tried to arrest him. Majors sat in jail for eight months for this charge until he paid his $60,000 bond and returned to his home. He is set to stand trial for hitting Haifa with his car in March 2017. [Arab America]
NY senator nominee called out for linking mosque to ‘crime, prostitution and money laundering’
August 17: A Republican nominee for the New York senate has been criticized for linking a new mosque to “crime, prostitution and money laundering”. Wendy Long posted a series of tweets about the Syracuse mosque, which was converted from a Catholic church last year, and suggesting that the mosque was related to a rise in crime. Ms Long posted a picture of a boarded up house near the Masjid Isa Ibn Maryam mosque, and wrote: “Neighbourhood where the mosque displaced the church. Crime, prostitution, money laundering.” She also tweeted a photo of two Muslim women walking down the street and wrote: “Catholic Charities takes federal tax dollars to resettle the refugees we can’t screen. Leaves the Catholics to Isis.” Ms Long told the Syracuse Post-Standard that she had no independent proof that crime in the area had risen since the mosque opened. She was also asked if she believed there was a direct link between an increase in the number of Muslim refugees living in the area and a rise in crime. "Probably not," she replied. [Independent]
Czech PM says no to 'large Muslim community'
August 23: Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said today he does not want a "large Muslim community" and that each EU member should be able to choose how many migrants to accept. "We don't have a large Muslim community here," Sobotka said of the estimated 10,000 to 20,000 Muslims who live in the Central European country of 10.5 million people. "And to be honest, we don't want a large Muslim community to form here, given the problems we're seeing," Sobotka told the Pravo daily. Sobotka spoke ahead of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Prague on Thursday, saying their "views diverge" on how to solve Europe's migrant crisis. Merkel has urged countries to take in a greater share of refugees, while the Czech Republic staunchly opposes the contested EU quota system devised to distribute refugees across the bloc. [AFP]
French police make woman remove clothing on Nice beach following burkini ban
August 23: Authorities in 15 towns have banned burkinis, citing public concern following recent terrorist attacks in the country French agency AFP saw a ticket given to the woman by police, which said she was not ‘wearing an outfit respecting good morals and secularism’. Photographs have emerged of armed French police confronting a woman on a beach and making her remove some of her clothing as part of a controversial ban on the burkini. Authorities in several French towns have implemented bans on the burkini, which covers the body and head, citing concerns about religious clothing in the wake of recent terrorist killings in the country. The images of police confronting the woman in Nice on Tuesday show at least four police officers standing over a woman who was resting on the shore at the town’s Promenade des Anglais, the scene of last month’s Bastille Day lorry attack. A Corsican mayor has also banned burkinis, amid tensions on the island and violent clashes between villagers and three Muslim families. Skirmishes at a beach in the commune of Sisco earlier this month left four people injured and resulted in riot police being brought in to stop a crowd of 200 Corsicans marching into a housing estate with a high population of people of North African origin, shouting “this is our home”. [The Guardian]
Anti-Muslim fury greets proposals for U.S. mosques
August 24: Noise, traffic, parking, the usual. When residents of Atlanta-area Newton County found out that imam Mohammad Islam was planning to build a mosque and cemetery on vacant land near a rural highway, they cited the standard list of benign objections. Then Monday’s public meeting began, and the hundreds of people jammed into the old brick courthouse confirmed what the Muslims of Georgia already knew. The real issue was their religion. “I don’t want these people and these teachings in our community. Were we not watching our TV on Sept. 11, 2001? Have we lost our mind?” a man said. “Could be an ISIS (Daesh) training camp,” a woman said. “We have the right to protect ourselves and our country,” said a second woman. “Eight years ago,” said a third woman, “our U.S. government got a Muslim president who has put Muslims in power.” Mosques have been built in the U.S. since at least 1929. Most of them have gone up with little fuss. But, for the last six years, since the time of the outcry over a planned Islamic centre, two blocks from Manhattan’s Ground Zero, mosque proposals around the country have regularly been greeted with fear and fury. The intensity of the most recent uproars is the product of a perfect demographic and political storm. The rapid growth of America’s Islamic community of three million [read seven million] is driving demand for mosques in suburbs and exurbs where residents lack personal experience with Muslims. At the same time, attacks, inspired by Daesh, also known as ISIS and ISIL, have stoked suspicion of average believers. And Republican politicians, most notably Donald Trump, have whipped up Islamophobia by suggesting that mosques are dens of nefarious activity. A Facebook group for Newton County mosque opponents is filled with virulent anti-Muslim sentiment. In a message to the Star, though, the person behind the group, who did not give their name, insisted their main concerns are transparency, fairness, and the proposed facility’s “massive” impact on local infrastructure. “It’s not about their religion or how they pray,” they said. And then, immediately, the person added: “We don’t know these people. Maybe they ARE peaceful. But maybe not.”Although Newton zoning allows for a mosque and a cemetery on the site, and although federal law prohibits local governments from using land rules to infringe on religious freedom, county officials have imposed a five-week moratorium on permits for all places of worship — after concern was expressed that a mosque would make Newton a “prime area” for Arab refugees. [The Star]
Muslim Vendors in D.C. egged and robbed in possible hate crime
August 26: The Metropolitan Police Department is now investigating after a Muslim couple, that immigrated from West Africa, say they were victims of a possible hate crime. Souleymane Dembele moved to D.C. with his wife from South Africa 25 years ago. They sell merchandise on Georgia Avenue Northwest to support their 7 kids. They say today, about a dozen kids ran up to their stand, stole several shirts, and then threw eggs at them before running away. Dembele says he doesn't know if this was a hate crime. No matter the motives, Dembele says he can't believe he was targeted in his own neighborhood. "This is a safe neighborhood. I haven't had these problems before. So this shocked me," said Dembele. Neighbors are rallying behind the Dembeles and are outraged this happened to them. Police do not have any suspects in this case. [WUSA]
Queens Muslim woman stabbed to death less than two blocks from her home
August 28: A 60-year-old Queens woman whose nephew is a cop was fatally stabbed about a block and a half away from her home tonight, police said. Cops responding to an assault outside a house in Jamaica at about 9:15 p.m. arrived to find Nazma Khanam, stabbed in her chest and unconscious. Khanam lived less than two blocks away. Emergency personnel rushed her to Jamaica Hospital, but she could not be saved. Early Thursday morning, the NYPD Muslim Officers Society posted a message on its Twitter and Facebook pages stating the victim was the aunt of one of its members. Sources say it is unknown at this time if the attacker made off with any of Khanam's property. Her nephew said police told him they did not. WPIX-TV reported that Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce, who arrived at the scene about 7 a.m. Thursday, said there's nothing to indicate this incident was a hate crime. Still, the Muslim community in Queens has been on edge since the execution-style deaths of an imam and his associate as they left services at an Ozone Park mosque in early August. In that case, the victims were wearing religious attire but police have not commented on whether the shootings were a hate crime. The slayings happened about 5 miles from where Khanam was killed tonight. The victim is survived by three children. Two of them live in Bangladesh; the other lives in New York. She was a retired teacher from Bangladesh who taught at the Shariatpur Government Girls High School, her family said. Khanam's husband is also a retired educator. The NYPD Muslim Officers Society tweeted about the incident, saying Khanam was the aunt of a city transit officer. [New York Daily News/ WPIX-TV]
67 civil right groups urge to improve data collection mandate on deaths in police custody
August 29: 67 national and local criminal justice, civil rights, human rights, faith-based, immigrants’ rights, LGBTQ, and open government organizations urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to strengthen its proposed rule outlining the process for police departments to collect and report data about people who die while in police custody. In a letter sent today, the organizations responded to DOJ’s proposal for implementing the Deaths in Custody Reporting Act (DICRA), which requires police departments across the country to disclose details to the federal government about custodial deaths. DICRA was signed into law in 2014 in response to a troubling lack of reliable data on these deaths and DOJ is currently collecting comments on its implementation proposal that was published August 4, 2016. The comment period will close on October 3, 2016. Signers include The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the ACLU, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the United Methodist Church, the National Immigration Law Center, the National LGBTQ Task Force, the Southern Poverty Law Center, among many others. In their letter, the organizations list a number of deficiencies in the proposal that are a “departure” from DICRA, including a lack of accountability to ensure state and local police are actually reporting the data; a failure to condition federal funding on adequate reporting; a disturbing reliance on media reports instead of police departments for data; a lack of clarity on how DICRA applies to federal agencies; and the absence of a clear definition of the word “custody.” The groups are especially concerned about the lack of consequences for not reporting accurate data because “voluntary reporting programs on police-community encounters have failed. Only 224 of the more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies reported about 444 fatal police shootings to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2014, though we have reason to believe that annual numbers of people killed by police exceeds 1,000.” “The loopholes in these regulations are cavernous,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “You can’t fix what you can’t measure. Police departments should report deaths in custody when they happen; it should be that simple. But these regulations make it clear that DOJ would rather bend over backwards to accommodate police departments’ dysfunction or reluctance. There should be simple procedures so that police can provide complete and accurate data or face clear consequences for non-compliance.” “Relying on news coverage for the data reporting work of departments is especially problematic,” Henderson continued. “Newsrooms are shrinking across the country and – now more than ever— it’s the government that should be providing journalists with transparent data, not the other way around.” The groups also want the regulations to include a broader range of potential areas of police misconduct. “To achieve complete and uniform data collection and reporting, the federal government must solicit disaggregated data that is reflective of all police-civilian encounters, including those encounters with people of color, women, and people with disabilities. Data concerning sexual assault and misconduct by law enforcement agents should also be collected and reported,” they said. [Common Dreams]
Man pushing for removal of 'Islamic imagery'
August 29: One Norman man is pushing to see the image of a hijab-clad woman removed from the Pioneer Library System vehicles. He said the image has no place on a government vehicle, because it promotes Islam and is therefore unconstitutional. “How can they promote Islam on the side of a public vehicle in Norman Oklahoma,” Chad Grensky said. “I don’t understand it. It makes me sick. I’m not anti-Muslim. Our tax paying dollars fund these vehicles and they feel the need to promote Islam on the side of these cars. And that’s not right.” Pioneer Library System Executive Director Ann Masters said the library chain has 11 vehicles featuring different representations of the library customer base. She said the images used reflect the diverse customer base the library serves and in no way promotes religion. Masters said Grensky has left messages with her and she is planning on getting in touch with him to discuss it. “We have 11 vehicles and they all have some kind of wrap with a different representation of a customer. Some have children. Some have senior citizens. Some have white people. Some have black people. The one [Grensky] is referring to has a Middle Eastern person who may be Muslim. Our effort was to make the images on our vehicles representative of our entire service area. This certainly isn’t pushing religion. And I don’t know that it actually even represents someone of that religion, but we were simply trying to represent all of our customers.” Oklahoma City Imam Imad Enchassi said the notion that an image of a woman in a hijab promotes Islam over other religions is ridiculous and indicative of Islamophobia’s grip on the American psyche. For starters, he said the fact that the woman is Arab and wearing a hijab doesn’t necessarily mean she is of the Muslim faith. He said she could be an orthodox Jew or an orthodox Christian and the assumptions all point back to Islamophobia in America. “It’s not a secret that Islamophobia is at an all-time high,” Enchassi said. “The political rhetoric that is coming out of the mouths of politicians has amplified it to a dangerous level. “In America, we pride ourselves on liberty and justice for all and equality and yet, when a Muslim woman wants to practice her form of expression, her form of modesty, it’s looked down upon.” Grensky said he has been contacted by the Norman Police Department and said the chief of police determined that he was not a threat. [Norman Script]
Georgia County Commissioners Commit to Lifting Moratorium on Houses of Worship
August 30: - The Newton County Board of Commissioners today announced its intention to take action regarding the County's moratorium on permits for all houses of worship at a special called meeting on September 13, 2016, when County staff expects to complete the preliminary review of proposed updates to local zoning ordinances. The Board of Commissioners voted August 16, 2016, to enact a temporary moratorium on new permitting for all places of worship to address legitimate planning and zoning concerns impacting the health, safety and welfare of the County’s citizens. "As a result of the County's quick and efficient review of our zoning ordinances, I plan to vote in favor of lifting the moratorium at the special called meeting on September 13," District 3 Commissioner Nancy Schulz said. "Newton County is rich in diversity and hospitality, and we are happy to see residents of all faiths and backgrounds live and worship together in our community." "We thank and commend the Newton County commissioners for pledging to lift the moratorium on permits for houses of worship," Edward Ahmed Mitchell, Executive Director of CAIR Georgia said. "Although Newton Muslims will once again have the right to proceed with building a cemetery and house of worship, they plan to first spend more time building bridges with their neighbors." Imam Mohammed Islam, the leader of Masjid At-Taqwa in Doraville, has accepted invitations to attend Sunday service at different churches in the area over the next four weeks. "We believe that building bridges with our neighbors is far more important than immediately building a new house of worship and cemetery." Following proper procedures and protocols, Newton County Development Services issued an Administrative Use Permit to Al Maadi al Islami, Inc. in June 2015. To date, the Applicant has not submitted plans to Newton County Development Services for review. Once an applicant submits plans, they are reviewed by various County departments and divisions including Engineering, Transportation, Planning and Zoning, Fire Services as well as applicable state agencies. Once plans are approved, the County issues permits and construction may begin. “We pledge to work collaboratively with the Applicant throughout the review process to ensure the project meets federal and state requirements and follows local ordinances and laws. Once plans are approved, the County can issue permits and construction begins,” County Manager Lloyd Kerr said. “As a County Commissioner, I encourage us to create a community where people from all walks of life and backgrounds are proud to live, work and play in Newton County. I will vote in support of removing the temporary moratorium at the September 13, 2016 special called meeting,” District 2 Commissioner Lanier Sims said. [CAIR]
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