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Executive Editor: Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Chronology of Islam in America (2016)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
May 2016
Trump hate speech encourages 'almost daily' attacks on Muslims
May 3: Islamophobic attacks in the United States have risen since the launch of the U.S. presidential campaign, a new study from Georgetown University reveals. The report, released Monday, notes that Islamophobia in the U.S. was already steadily rising in recent years, but the presidential election campaign seems to have prompted a significant spike in aggression towards Muslims across the country. From March 2015, when Texas Senator Ted Cruz announced he would for the Republican Party nomination, to March 2016, the report says authorities registered 180 incidences of violence towards Muslims, including “12 murders; 34 physical assaults; 49 verbal assaults or threats against persons and institutions.” Muslims have also been the victims of “56 acts of vandalism or destruction of property; 9 arson attacks; and 8 shootings or bombings, among other incidents.” Disturbingly, the reports says “children and youth—as young as 12 years old—were among those responsible for acts and threats of anti-Muslim violence” and that U.S. Muslim men were twice as likely to be victims of physical of assaults compared to Muslim women. Islamophobia has been a common theme on the Republican side. After the Paris and the San Bernardino terror attacks, front-runner Donald Trump called for a “total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” and for the closing of mosques across the country. That appears to have spurred acts of violence. Some 53 attacks on Muslims were recorded in December 2015 alone, "17 of which targeted mosques and Islamic schools and five of which targeted Muslim homes,” the report said. “By comparison, when the presidential election season began just nine months earlier (in March 2015), there were only two anti-Muslim attacks." By December, "anti-Muslim attacks occurred almost daily and often multiple times a day.” [telesurtv]
Notorious anti-Muslim lawyer hired to fight cafe's bias charge
May 5: The notorious anti-Muslim activist lawyer David Yerushalmi, whose baseless conspiracy theories about a Shariah law takeover of the United States have fueled Islamophobic legislative campaigns across the country, is now defending a business accused of violating the civil rights of its Muslim customers. The company is the southern California-based chain Urth Caffé, which markets itself as a natural and health conscious establishment but now has a discrimination lawsuit on its hands after management at its Laguna Beach location evicted seven Muslim women, six of whom were wearing hijabs, in late April. While the business cited company policies limiting seating to 45 minutes, video footage shows that the restaurant had numerous empty seats at the time of the ouster. When the women objected to their removal, management called local police to force them from the premises.“David Yerushalmi is behind many of the anti-Shariah laws proposed across the country in recent years,” Heather Weaver, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), told AlterNet. “He is fairly well-known for promoting discrimination against Muslims. Everything Yerushalmi does should be interpreted against the backdrop of his long-term efforts to stoke discrimination against Muslims in this country.” Weaver is not alone in holding this position. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which monitors hate groups, describes Yerushalmi as an “anti-Muslim activist who is a leading proponent of the idea that the United States is threatened by the imposition of Muslim religious law, known as Shariah. His anti-Shariah model legislation has been adopted by several state legislatures, despite the lack of evidence of any threat to U.S. jurisprudence.” Also in 2006, Yerushalmi co-founded the Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE) which, before its website closed to the public, openly called for the sweeping criminalization of Muslims, including the “immediate deportation” of all Muslims who are not U.S. citizens. (The sole objective of the group is banishing Islam from the US by making "adherence to Islam" punishable by 20 years in prison.) [AlterNet News]
Seven Muslims Kicked out of Laguna Beach Cafe #HummusHaters
May 6: Laguna Beach, California is a city most known for the over-the-top high school drama “reality” show that aired on MTV years ago. The city has since moved on from the tales of Laguna Beach, but the drama has definitely stayed. In this unfolding edition of #HummusHaters, there are a few plot twists, with more expected in the coming weeks. On April 22, seven Arab American Muslim women, six of whom wear hijabs, were enjoying pizza, pie, and coffee at the Urth Caffe in Orange County when they were escorted out of the restaurant by police officers. According to Urth Caffe, the women had violated the 45-minute stay policy during what the eatery deems “peak times.” This week, the women decided to sue Urth Caffe for kicking them out of the restaurant for being Muslim. What’s suspicious about this story is that there were plenty of empty tables available, according to one plaintiff, Sara Farsakh, as well as one of the police officer’s escorting them out. Additionally, no other people were asked to leave during these “peak times” when the cafe was allegedly too busy to let customers sit and eat. Fellow Orange County residents were shocked to hear about this story because so many American Muslims live there and they consider their city a welcoming place. The menu at Urth Caffe is clearly inspired by Arab and Mediterranean foods because it touts items like hummus, tabouli, olives, and even grape leaves, so it is unclear why they would have an issue with American Muslim customers. However, on May 5, Urth Caffe decided to countersue the Muslim patrons by hiring an outspoken, anti-Muslim lawyer, giving more legitimacy to the discrimination claims. The lawyer Urth Caffe hired is David Yerushalmi of the American Freedom Law Center, who has been dubbed the “father of the anti-Sharia law movement” in the U.S. for his advocacy in trying to pass laws combatting the imaginary threat of Sharia takeover in the U.S. That’s not all, though. Yerushalmi has represented the bigoted, Quran-burning Florida pastor, Terry Jones, who has made many headlines for his arrests and Islamophobia. Yerushalmi has also represented Pam Geller, co-founder of the Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) hate group that’s been staining America since 2010. If that’s not enough, Yerushalmi is also the principal of Stop the Madrassa – a coalition that was founded to stop the opening of New York’s Khalil Gibran International Academy because it teaches “Arabic history, culture and language.” For his detestable work, Yerushalmi is included in The Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Anti-Muslim Inner Circle.” [Arab America]
Anti-Islamic flyers posted at future site of new mosque in Mukilteo, Washington
May 10: A new Islamic Center planned in Mukilteo (Washington) is causing controversy and has been the target of vandalism. According to the Everett Herald, someone recently noticed flyers with the words "Ban Islam from America" posted at the site near Harbour Pointe Boulevard and Mukilteo Speedway and called police. The flyers included six paragraphs of anti-Islamic rhetoric on them and the mosque sign was damaged. The incident is not first controversy for the planned Islamic Center of Mukilteo. Last year, someone handed out notices warning people the mosque is opening that ended with an email address that included "Mukilteo stay safe." [Kiro7]
Freedom of Religion Act introduced: Legislation would prohibit blocking entry to U.S. based on religious identification
May 11: In response to political rhetoric vilifying select religious groups and increasingly hostile rhetoric toward religious freedom in the immigration system, a House delegation, including Reps. Don Beyer (VA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Keith Ellison (MN), Joe Crowley (NY), Jan Schakowsky (IL), Mike Honda (CA), Betty McCollum (MN), André Carson (ID), introduced the Freedom of Religion Act today to prohibit the use of religious litmus tests as a means to ban immigrants, refugees, and international visitors trying to enter the United States. "We thank the sponsors of this bill, as it restores balance to our national conversations about both religion and immigration," said Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). "America must uphold its ideals of religious tolerance and welcoming the stranger, or else we face a diminishing role at the table of international leadership." A religious based immigration or travel ban would hurt the United States and our relationships abroad. Such a proposal would deny entry to world leaders, tourists, relatives of Americans, and scientific, business, and political leaders attending meetings in the United States. [CAIR]
CAIR-Iowa expresses solidarity with Jewish community after synagogue vandalized
May 12: The Iowa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Iowa) today expressed solidarity with that state's Jewish community after a synagogue was targeted with apparently religiously-motivated vandalism. Members of Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Waterloo, Iowa, found Christian messages, Including crosses and "Jesus Saves," sprayed-painted on their house of worship. "We stand in solidarity with our Jewish sisters and brothers and encourage the FBI to investigate this vandalism as a hate crime," said CAIR-Iowa Executive Director Miriam Amer. "In this time of angry political rhetoric and heightened emotions, it is important to educate these vandals about the serious nature of their act." "We Americans - and all of humanity – must not allow hatred to be fomented against any person or group of people," said Amer. [CAIR]
Oklahoma: Muslim Voter Registration Drive launched at Mosques
May 13: Beginning today, and continuing for the next three Fridays, the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) will hold voter registration drives at state mosques to register Oklahoma Muslims in advance of the 2016 elections. CAIR-OK will encourage those registering to vote to use their voice at the polls to challenge Islamophobia by voting for candidates who support diversity and pluralism in our state and country. “It is vital that Oklahoma Muslims voice their concerns at the polls by voting for candidates that are representative of the diversity and pluralism that our community represents,” said CAIR-OK Executive Director Adam Soltani. “The future of our state and country will be decided later this year and we now have an opportunity to ensure it is future that will be good for individuals from all walks of life.” Efforts to register voters will concentrate on four Fridays at major mosques in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Volunteers will be posted at these locations to assist in filling out registration forms and to collect completed forms to be delivered to the appropriate County Election Board. CAIR-OK hopes the majority of the 35,000 Muslims living in Oklahoma will register to vote in the November 2016 elections. “Registering to vote is the first step in engaging in the political process,” said CAIR-OK Operations Coordinator Anna Facci. “Many feel that their government does not represent them – voting is the first step to changing this sentiment.” [CAIR]
Politicians, community leaders denounce Rep. Peter King's use of derogatory term
May 13: Elected officials and Asian-American community leaders are denouncing a Republican congressman's use of a derogatory term to describe Japanese individuals. During a panel discussion Friday morning on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Rep. Peter King (R-NY) used the word "Japs" when discussing presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Trump's stance on national security issues. "National defense and homeland security are issues that mean the most to me and there's real issues with him, real problems with his views," King said. "I don't know if he's thought them through, or it's just like the guy at the end of the bar that says, 'Oh screw them, bomb them, kill them, pull out, bring them home. You know, why pay for the Japs, why pay for the Koreans?'" The term was most popularly used as a derogatory term during World War II to describe Japanese and Japanese Americans, and is still seen by many as disparaging. The video of King's comment was posted on YouTube, along with a statement from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) National Executive Director Nihad Awad urging King to "refrain from further use of derogatory language targeting any national, ethnic or minority group." Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, issued a statement Friday afternoon to NBC News, calling on King to apologize. "Mr. King knows his words have an impact. Using the J word is disgusting and harkens back to a shameful time in our history when violence, xenophobia, and the internment of Japanese Americans were everyday phenomena. These words are not only offensive, but they also isolate and divide us as a nation. Mr. King should leave this racist terms back in the last century and apologize to the Japanese American community for his comments," Chu said. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) called King's words unacceptable, telling NBC News, "Representative King became yet another voice adding to the hateful rhetoric used to describe Japanese Americans and other minorities. In the past few months, we have seen major national leaders propose banning Muslims, building walls, and even invoking the Japanese American internment, one of our nation's most shameful actions, as a reason to keep families fleeing war from seeking refuge in the United States. These statements betray the values our nation was built on." [NBC News]
Five anti-Muslim protesters and 400 peace supporters meet at New York rally
May 16: A motorcycle group’s plan to “raise awareness” of the threat of homegrown jihad by riding to an all-Muslim New York town backfired on Sunday, when only five motorcyclists showed up. Hundreds of people, meanwhile, flocked to the town to show their support for its residents. American Bikers United Against Jihad spent months calling for people to take part in the event, which organizers described as a “ride for national security” and promised would see “hundreds” of bikers riding past Islamberg, in upstate New York. But the five riders who showed up found themselves completely overshadowed when more than 400 people travelled to Islamberg – some driving for hours to get there – to take part in a “peace rally and community day”. As the motorcyclists rode past the town, about three hours north-west of New York City, residents and supporters stood along the street. Some waved American flags, some called out “Welcome!” Others chanted: “Freedom, justice, USA!” “I don’t know what they’re riding against,” said Islamberg mayor Rashid Clark. “My only concern is for our safety. It doesn’t provoke me.” After witnessing the ride-by, the supporters – who included people from Christian churches and other faiths – were welcomed into the town. Residents laid on food, music and speeches from community leaders. The majority of Islamberg residents are African Americans. The town was established by The Muslims of America in 1984, and is home to around 25 families. The organization has established more than a dozen towns across the US, with Islamberg serving as its headquarters. A series of online conspiracy theories have given rise to the idea that Muslims of America towns are home to jihad training camps. The notion has been repeatedly debunked by law enforcement officials, but this has not deterred extremists. In April 2015, a man named Robert Doggart pleaded guilty to planning to attack Islamberg. He faces trial this summer. In November 2015, the FBI issued a warning to New York police after Jon Ritzheimer, a man later involved in the occupation of the Malheur wildlife refuge in Oregon, posted a video online saying he planned to drive to Islamberg and confront residents. [The Guardian]
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