www.amperspective.com Online Magazine
Executive Editor: Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Chronology of Islam in America (2016)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
January 2016 - Page Two
Teens who assaulted Muslim man chanted ‘ISIS, ISIS’ during attack
Jan 17: New York City police are investigating an assault in which a man wearing traditional Muslim clothing was beaten by teenagers, who allegedly shouted “ISIS, ISIS” during the attack. ISIS is an alternative name for the Islamic State militant group, which has taken over vast swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. Police say Mujibur Rahman, 43, was walking with his 9-year-old niece in the Bronx when he was “punched several times in the head, knocked down and kicked by two teenagers. The victim was taken to a hospital with bruises on his head and face and later released. At the time of the attack, the victim, who is of Bangledeshi heritage, was wearing a shalwar kameez, according to the Council on American Islamic Relations. The assault is being investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force, but CAIR is calling on the FBI to join the investigation, according to a statement released today. “The FBI should add its resources to the investigation of this disturbing incident in order to send a clear message to bigots that attacks on American Muslims will not be tolerated and that perpetrators of such attacks will face the full weight of the law,” said Sadyia Khalique, director of CAIR-NY. [Washington Post]
Wearing hijabs, hundreds rally to support Muslim women
Jan. 18: Hundreds of community members donning colorful hijabs stood in solidarity with Muslim women in Balboa Park today, in a demonstration supporting San Diego County Muslims. The rally began as a collaboration between the League of Women Voters of San Diego and the Islamic Center of San Diego but grew to include other organizations, according to Taha Hassane, imam and director of the Islamic Center. They included the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Interfaith Center for Worker Justice. The event, hosted on the holiday observing the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., drew about 300 people. Most of the attendees were women. “Women from all walks of life came to the event,” Hassane said. “Standing in solidarity with Muslim women at this specific time is very important in order to galvanize the voices in this community.” Muslim women, particularly those who wear hijabs — head scarves or veils that cover the head and chest, often worn as a form of modesty — have reported an increasing amount of verbal and physical assaults in public spaces. Jeanne Brown, president of the League of Women Voters of San Diego, said Muslims are commonly singled out for their religion, while people of other religions aren’t scrutinized in the same fashion. “It just breeds distrust and suspicions and fear,” she said. [San Diego Tribune]
Most shocking part of global wealth study:
It's not just that 62 people own as much as 3.6 billion poorest
Jan 19: You may have seen the headlines from Davos, Switzerland, where Oxfam’s latest global inequality report found the world’s richest 62 billionaires have as much wealth as the poorest 3.6 billion people. But what’s most shocking is not what is happening at the top of the economic ladder, but at the bottom. “The gap between rich and poor is reaching new extremes,” Oxfam said. “The richest 1 percent have now accumulated more wealth than the rest of the world put together… Meanwhile, the wealth owned by the bottom half of humanity has fallen by a trillion dollars in the past five years.” This gap “is just the latest evidence that today we live in a world with levels of inequality we may not have seen for over a century,” they said. But the fine print of Oxfam's analysis of wealth trends between 2010 and 2015 finds the poor are getting much poorer. “The wealth of the richest 62 people has risen by 44 percent in the five years since 2010—that’s an increase of more than half a trillion dollars ($542 billion), to $1.76 trillion,” Oxfam noted. “Meanwhile, the wealth of the bottom half fell by just over a trillion dollars in the same period—a drop of 41 percent. Since the turn of the century, the poorest half of the world’s population has received just 1 percent of the total increase in global wealth, while half of that increase has gone to the top 1 percent.” [Alternet]
Muslims, Sikh kicked off American Airlines flight because captain felt 'uneasy'
Jan 19: A 23-year-old New York man remembers being "dramatically" woken up by a flight attendant who "demanded" he exit the aircraft. Believing the plane was undergoing an emergency evacuation, he complied, only to realize later that he was being singled out. The man, identified only by the initials "W.H" in a lawsuit filed, along with three of his friends, Shan Anand, Faimul Alam, and another friend identified by the initials M.K., are alleging they were asked to leave an American Airlines Flight from Toronto to New York in early December because of their appearance. Three of the four men ejected from the flight are Muslim; another is Sikh. Three of the four are of South Asian descent and one is of Arab descent. All the men are U.S. citizens in their 20s and all four were sitting near the front of the plane, the lawsuit states. When they asked the flight crew why they were being removed, the flight attendant told them to exit "peacefully" and "demanded" they return to the gate and await further directions, according to the lawsuit. It was only after the plane took off that an airline agent told the men "they could not board because the crew members, and specifically the captain, felt uneasy and uncomfortable with their presence on the flight and as such, refused to fly unless they were removed from the flight." When the group asked the agent whether their appearance had contributed to their removal, "being that they are dark skinned and had beards," the agent responded that their appearance "did not help," the lawsuit said. [CNN]
Northeast Tennessee Legislative Delegation Files Bill
"To Stop Islamic Religious Indoctrination In Tennessee Schools"
Jan. 20: The Northeast Tennessee legislative delegation, including Rep. Matthew Hill (R-Jonesborough), Rep. Timothy Hill (R-Blountville) and Rep. Micah Van Huss (-Johnson City) announced they have filed legislation "to officially stop Islamic religious indoctrination in Tennessee schools." They said the decision comes "after intense public outcry from parents, students, and school administrators that current school textbooks overemphasize Islam while excluding other religions like Christianity and Judaism." They said, In 2015, middle school parents in Maury County were up in arms after learning their children were being instructed to recite and write “Allah is the only god” as part of a world history project. In another section of their work, students were assigned a Five Pillars of Islam project that included the translation of the pillar of “Shahada” as being, “There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is his prophet.” Similar situations have been reported across the state, including multiple instances in the tri-cities area, the legislators said. Under the newly filed House Bill 1905, any inclusion of religion in textbooks, instructional materials, curriculum, or academic standards can only be for educational purposes and are strictly prohibited from being used to promote or establish any religion or religious belief.
In addition, the legislation places into law several key measures that they said constituents have requested, including: (1) Requiring local school boards to adopt a policy regarding the appropriate inclusion of religion in local curriculum and instructional materials, with the opportunity for public comment before adoption; (2) Requiring local education agencies to make publicly available a syllabus for all grade 6-12 social studies, science, math, and English courses. The syllabus must include a course calendar detailing standards, objectives, and topics covered, major assignments required, and procedures for parents to have access to all instructional materials to be used; (3) Requiring the state board of education to initiate a revision process for the Tennessee social studies standards adopted in 2013 to ensure new standards do not promote religion and do not amount to indoctrination or proselytism in any way. [Chattanoogan]
Sacramento State officials investigate hate speech directed at Muslims on campus
Jan. 27: Officials at California State University, Sacramento, are investigating an incident involving written hate speech directed at the Muslim community on campus. In a written message to students, faculty and staff members Wednesday, CSUS President Robert S. Nelsen said, “I was heartbroken and angered to learn that this happened on our campus …We are investigating and reviewing video footage of the area. We will not tolerate hateful and racist behavior on this campus, and we will pursue sanctions against those who are identified.” Craig Koscho, a university spokesman, said the message was found near the University Union, but he said he could not discuss the form or content of the message. Koscho said campus police are investigating the incident. Basim Elkarra, director of the Council on American Islamic Relations in Sacramento, said the incident occurred today. This is the first week of the spring semester at Sac State and a number student groups had information tables with sign-up sheets in the quad near the University Union. He said members of the Muslim Student Association had left a sign-up sheet on their table while they were in class and when they returned, they found someone had left the written message. The Muslim Student Association issued a statement saying, “We appreciate the response by President Nelson and school faculty. We don’t believe this incident reflects our student body. We are a campus that celebrates our diversity. The Muslim community is facing challenges during this election season and we plan to hold educational programs to clarify misconceptions and have frank conversations.” [Sacramento Bee]
Minnesota legislator rebuked for speaking at anti-Muslim event
Jan. 28: A state legislator is taking heat for attending a private Shariah law event in St. Cloud that critics are calling anti-Islam. Sen. David Brown, R-Becker, said the backlash he's getting for speaking at the event, billed as "Shariah 101," is unfounded. The controversy surrounds the event's main presenter, Jeffrey Baumann. The Coon Rapids man talked for an hour about growing up in Saudi Arabia and the practices of Islam. Critics say that doesn't give him the right to speak as an expert, especially because he's made anti-Islam comments in the past. Baumann has spoken publicly against building mosques in Minnesota, calling it "treason" and "aiding the enemy." Having someone with such views talk about Islam, said Dr. Muhamad Elrashidi, a physician from Rochester, "would be the same as bringing up someone who might be a Klansman to talk about African-American culture, or an anti-Semite to talk about Judaism." Elrashidi, a Muslim, had reached out to Brown to say it's unacceptable for an elected official to endorse an anti-Islam speaker like Baumann. Lori Saroya, a Minnesotan who sits on the national board of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), has seen Baumann speak at public meetings. She said some of the things he says are ignorant and ill-informed. If a state legislator like Brown really wants to learn about Shariah law, Saroya said, he should consult members of the Muslim community. [MPR NEWS]
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