www.amperspective.com Online Magazine
Executive Editor: Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Chronology of Islam in America (2016)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
May 2016 page three
Dozens turn out to support Houston Muslims: Only 10 show up to demonstrate against Islamic center in library
May 21: A rally outside the downtown Houston Islamic Da'wah Center today attracted about a dozen protesters, more than 50 counter protesters and a local resident armed with a fully charged bubble machine. A group calling themselves Heart of Texas called for the rally to protest what they consider "Islamization" of Texas - sparked in part by the recent opening of a privately funded library inside the downtown center. The group had also encouraged followers to bring legal firearms. Although the Heart of Texas group never showed, about 10 people bearing flags of the United States, Texas and the Confederacy were there. "This is America. We have the right to speak out and protest," said Ken Reed, who wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase "White Lives Matter." "We feel Texas, our great state and the United States is being threatened by the influx of Islam." [Houston Chronicle]
Rhode Island Imam show solidarity after synagogue is defaced
May 23: Imam Farid Ansari, president of the Muslim America Dawah Center in Providence and president of the Rhode Island Council for Muslim Advancement, attended today press conference to show his support for the Jewish community after Orthodox Jewish synagogue Ohawe Sholam was sprayed with swastika. The Imam noted that any attack on another’s faith is like on attack on their own. “There’s a verse in the Koran that talks about whenever houses of worship are attacked we should be supportive of one another,” Imam Ansari said. “This is an instance in which we obviously need to support the Jewish community.” About 15 months ago, the situation was reversed, and the Muslim community was struggling to understand why someone would deface — with spray painted epithets — a building housing the Islamic School of Rhode Island in West Warwick. A number of faith leaders from across the state, including several leaders from the Jewish community attended a similar press conference then to show their solidarity with the Muslim community. “They’ve always been first and foremost in assisting the Muslin community when similar things such as this have occurred. Also in attendance at the press conference to show his support for the Jewish community was Dr. Umer Akbar, a member of the congregation at the Islamic Center of Rhode Island and a parent of a student enrolled at the Islamic School of Rhode Island. “My first reaction was ‘not again?’” said Dr. Akbar, a neurologist. “If it happens at one place it affects all of us. It’s no different than it happening at the Islamic School, or happening at a Jewish place of worship. To us, it’s all the same.” [The Rhode Island Catholic]
Bronx Cab driver says he was attacked for being Muslim
May 23: A cab driver working in the Bronx says he was attacked Saturday (May 21) by someone who screamed death threats and derided his Muslim faith, and a group of activists and local leaders rallied outside his house Monday in a show of support. Sirajul Islam Khan, who still had visible bruises on his face Monday, says he picked up a customer at Bedford Park and Webster Avenue around 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Kahn, a Muslim man from Bangladesh who has lived in the Bronx for 20 years, says he dropped the passenger off at 187th Street. The fare came to $9. Khan says he took out a wad of cash to make change, and the passenger attacked him and stole around $200. Khan says he got out of the car to escape the attack, but his attacker also got out and threw him to the ground and continued beating him while shouting that he would kill him for being Muslim. [The Bronx News12]
Former SeaTac city manager wanted ‘tactical map’ of Muslims
May 23: A few weeks after his hiring in January, SeaTac’s new interim City Manager James “Donny” Payne asked the staff geographic-information systems coordinator to undertake an unusual project. “Mr. Payne stated an interest in knowing with a great deal of specificity (to the neighborhood, house, and even person) where Sunni and Shiite Muslim residents lived,” an investigator later wrote in a report issued to the city. Payne explained creating such a “tactical map” of Muslim residents from census data would be useful “in case he needed to go into the neighborhoods to ‘make the peace,’ ” the report said. His idea for mapping the city’s Muslim residents never materialized, partly because the census doesn’t collect religious information, the investigator found. But the proposal — viewed by some as an attempt at ethnic profiling — offers a stark example on a list of questionable actions that marked Payne’s brief tenure as SeaTac’s chief executive, according to interviews and records. The city’s investigation, led by Michael Griffin, an attorney for a national employment law firm, said “Mr. Payne’s concerns about Muslims committing acts of terrorism seem to be the main motivation for his GIS mapping request.” [Seattle Times]
Muslim employees file religious discrimination complaint against Wisconsin firm over prayer dispute
May 25: An Islamic advocacy group representing former Muslim employees at a Wisconsin equipment company filed a discrimination complaint against the firm yesterday because employees can no longer take prayer breaks at times that are in accordance with their religion. A letter accompanying the complaint claims employees were discriminated and retaliated against on the basis of their religion, national origin and race. According to the letter, Ariens Co., which manufactures snow blowers and lawn tractors in Brillion, Wisconsin, used to allow Muslim employees to take prayer breaks one at a time after notifying and receiving permission from a supervisor. Employees say they had been able to take those breaks at the traditional times for Muslims. However, the employees claim the company began enforcing a new policy beginning on Jan. 25 that permitted only two pre-determined 10-minute breaks per work shift with no additional accommodations for prayer outside of those break times. Dozens of Somali Muslim employees at the company have protested the new break policy, and 15 of them are now represented by attorneys at the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR, which submitted the charges of discrimination with the Milwaukee office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “These individuals had direct and personal conversations with management in which they stated that they wanted to continue their employment with Ariens, but felt that they were no longer welcome and being forced out because of the company’s new policy,” CAIR wrote in a letter that accompanied its religious discrimination complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC. [ABC News]
The Citadel rejected her hijab, but another military school embraces Muslim student’s request
May 26: Norwich University, a nearly 200-year-old private military college in Vermont, has granted an accepted student’s request to wear hijab in keeping with her Muslim faith, a decision that was welcomed by some but also provoked outrage for some alumni and cadets. The same student requested a similar exception to the required uniform from The Citadel, touching off a highly charged debate at the public military college in South Carolina where loyalty to the corps is a fundamental value and individual preferences are set aside to encourage unity. The idea that the first exception might be for a Muslim student was particularly polarizing, given the national discussion and starkly divergent views about the role of Islam in U.S. culture. The Citadel denied her request. It was the first formal request for a religious accommodation to the uniform at Norwich, spokeswoman Daphne Larkin said, so they reached out to peer institutions “and came to the conclusion that it makes sense for Norwich to continue to be dynamic in how we serve our students.” “Regardless of their spiritual or religious affiliation, all students and employees should feel welcome and comfortable at Norwich University,” Norwich President Richard Schneider wrote in announcing the exception to the required Corps of Cadets uniform. “Norwich University is a learning community that is American in character yet global in perspective.” Jewish cadets will also now be allowed to wear a yarmulke. [Washington Post]
Anti-Islam Speaker Sparks Protest at St. Cloud Church
May 27: Nearly 100 people gathered in the rain along side County Road 134, St. Cloud-Minnesota, just outside of the Granite City Baptist Church, to stand up against an anti-Islam speaker, Usama Dakdok. Dakdok is the founder of the Florida-based Straight Way of Grace Ministry and travels the country giving speeches about his fears that Islam is a dangerous cult. He says that the Quran does not teach love or peace and Islam teaches followers to kill non-believers. During Dakdok speeches he points out specific Quran verses that he believes teaches violence and proves the religion does not teach peace. Dakdok’s appearance at the Granite City Baptist Church sparked controversy within the community and vandalism was discovered on the church earlier today. Pastor Dennis Campbell says his goal and the churches goal is to spread the word of Jesus Christ with anyone. Protesters however believe Dakdok’s speeches provide an inaccurate portrayal of Islam and are hateful. Thersea Skorseth of Little Falls says she attended Dakdo’s speech in Little Falls earlier this week but couldn’t sit through the entire discussion. “I could only stay for 15 to 20 minutes before I got so sick I had to leave, it was just sickening his rhetoric, so we protested there (Little Falls) and here (St. Cloud) just to be a presence and speak against that level of hatred,” says Skorseth. #UniteCloud follower Thomas Skahen of St. Joseph says he doesn’t agree with Dakdok’s opinions and is focusing on making his community welcoming to everyone. #UniteCloud co-founder Haji Yussuf says the goal of the protest was to bring together people of different faiths in the community so they can learn from each other and contribute to a peaceful community. “We are here to peacefully be active in our conversations and try to have a conversation about different neighbors that live in St. Cloud — neighbors that know each other of different faiths,” says Yussuf. [awjon]
North Carolina community takes on anti-Muslim activist
May 27: When anti-Muslim activist, Bill Warner, was invited to speak in Pinehurst, North Carolina, several residents decided to take action.M ost people familiar with Warner, who also goes by Bill French, are alarmed by his diatribe against Islam and Muslims. Warner is notorious for his work with his organization the Center for the Study of Political Islam and his book Shariah Law for Non-Muslims. Though the former university professor has no credentials in Islamic studies or related issues, he presents anti-Muslim lectures as scholarly conversations and not what they are: bigotry. Warner gained notoriety in his opposition to the construction of the Murfreesboro mosque in Tennessee. Since then, he has likened Muslim women who wear headscarves to Ku Klux Klan members donning white hoods. He has criticized Muslim refugees’ resettlement in the United States and argued that only Christian refugees should be provided sanctuary. Warner has warned that Muslims can be “friendly” but cannot be a “friend” and has emphasized a “war on Islam” as a solution to the “problem of Islam.” In response to his visit, Moore County residents Paula Irene DeCarlo and Yasemin Kan, organized a grassroots protest against Warner’s speech on May 15. A resident of Southern Pines and raised as a Catholic, Paula said she believes that youth can teach adults about diversity and peaceful co-existence. Paula and Yasemin were joined by residents from other cities in their protest of Warner’s speech on May 15th. Protesters held signs that depicted slogans, “No to Racism, No to Islamophobia” or “To Learn the Truth About Islam, Ask a Muslim.” [Huffington Post]
Muslims are now an organized political force in Irving, TX
May 27: Something remarkable is happening in Irving, a city that, for the better part of a year, clumsily became a tinderbox for anti-Muslim madness. This is the town where Ahmed Mohamed, the “clock boy,” gained notoriety last fall for bringing a homemade project to school. Time flies when you’re facing cultural bias and religious persecution. Over the past 15 months, since Mayor Beth Van Duyne began stoking fears that Muslims were setting up a Shariah law court at an Irving mosque, the Muslim community hasn’t just turned the other cheek — it has rolled up its sleeves and gone to work. We noted last year that Muslims, who have generally refrained from city politics, had begun organizing get-out-the-vote drives and showing up in record numbers at the polls. But then, in what seems like a script straight out of Hollywood, an Irving City Council race that hung in the balance this month was settled by a single vote — a provisional ballot cast by a Muslim voter. Allan Meagher, the Place 2 incumbent who has stood against the town’s foolish, anti-Muslim fervor, found himself with exactly 50 percent of the vote against two challengers. He needed only one more vote to avoid a June runoff that would have cost the city $70,000 and forced him to dig deeper into his campaign chest. One man — a disabled Muslim in his 20s who’d gotten his mother to drive him to the polls on Election Day — made the difference. When he got to the polls, he was told that his ID had expired, so he cast what’s called a provisional ballot. That means the only way he could secure his vote was by returning within days of the election with a valid ID. After hearing on the news that Meagher needed one more vote, the man’s family drove him to the courthouse to put the finishing touch on the race. “It changed the election,” said Meagher, a UPS manager. “I did hear that the provisional vote was a Muslim voter and I’d like to meet him.” [The Dallas Morning News]
Islamophobia spurring US Muslims in political process
May 31: American Muslims are involved in this year’s presidential elections in greater numbers than in years past because of heightened Islamophobic rhetoric, the head of a voter education and advocacy group told Anadolu Agency. “Definitely this year we are very, very active,” Naji Almontaser, who runs the York Muslim Voter and Information Club, said during the Convention of the Islamic Circle of North America-Muslim American Society, that was held in Baltimore, Maryland. “If you take the last 10 years, I would say this year would accumulate the other 10. Everyone is on board.” Much of the anti-Islamic language is being fueled by real estate developer Donald Trump -- the sole remaining Republican candidate in the race. He has called for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S., claimed that Islam has “tremendous hatred” for the West and accused American Muslims of celebrating the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington. “This year we are more active, because you have people like Trump who are talking negative about everybody,” Almontaser said. “At the end of the day we want people to recognize that they have the power to vote one person in or to vote one person out.” With a population of about 3.3 million Muslims [*] in the country, an umbrella group -- the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations -- has launched a One America Campaign to empower Muslims and it seeks to get 1 million Muslims to the polls. “We really want to make a change because for many years the Muslim ummah, or Muslim community, of America has been very silent about voting and not very pro-active,” Almontaser said. Muslims groups in the U.S. have launched voter registration drives in an effort to ensure Islamophobia is rejected at the polls. According to a recent survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) -- the country’s largest Islamic civil rights group -- 73 percent of registered Muslim voters in six states said they would vote in primary elections. In congressional election two years ago, 69 percent of Muslim voters in California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas and Virginia said they would vote, according to a CAIR survey. The U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations has found growing Islamophobia to be the most important issue for Muslim voters in 2016. It was listed as third in the group’s 2014 survey. [Anadolu Agency] [*] The American Muslim population is approximately seven million. The 3.3 million figure is perhaps updated quote from the PEW Institute survey of 2007 which arbitrarily estimated the American Muslim population at 2.35 million which is closer to the estimates announced by the American Jewish Committee in October 2001. Tellingly, the AJC study – titled Estimating the Muslim Population in the United States – claimed that the best estimate of Muslims in the United States is 2.8 million at most, compared to the 6 or 7 million figure used by many researchers and Muslim organizations. Read more http://www.amp-oneb.ghazali.net/html/pew_surveys.html
Philadelphia schools add two Muslim holidays
May 31: The Philadelphia School District will add two Muslim holidays to its calendar, placing it among the first in the nation to do so. In what would be an even rarer step, Mayor Kenney said today he also hopes to adopt the holidays for city workers. He has created a task force to determine how the change can be accomplished. A spokesman from the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington said his group is not aware of any cities that have included the holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, in their municipal calendars. "Philadelphia's history is based on being a place where religious freedom is part of its founding ethos," Kenney said at a news conference in City Hall, where he was joined by Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. to announce the new holidays. "Our city was built on the idea that while we may be different in nationality and ethnicity, the city welcomes all to worship and practice the faiths of our culture or our choosing." Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, called today’s announcement significant not just because so few other districts have adopted the holidays, but because of its timing. "These are like rays of light in the darkness," he said, noting a rise in anti-Muslim sentiments fueled in part by the comments of presidential candidate Donald Trump. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]
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