EXAMINER: Seattle man perceived to be a Muslim, assaulted and called a terrorist

In the continuing string of attacks against Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim, a man was punched on the left side of the head and called a terrorist by Brock Stainbrook of Seattle.

THE WASHINGTON POST: The spiritual convergence of Rosh Hashanah, Eid al-Fitr and 9/11

As American Muslims observe the last days of Ramadan and American Jews prepare to begin their observance of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, members of both faiths--and all Americans-- are being confronted with a responsibility to speak out in defense of the values of religious liberty and mutual understanding upon which this country was founded. 

CNN: Ramadan road trip: Moving melting pot finds peace, love and animosity

(CNN) -- As the blue Chevy Cobalt crept toward the edge of the property in Chula, Georgia, a palpable nervousness wafted through the cramped car.

Three men, straight out of central casting from "Deliverance," craned their necks toward our vehicle. A 30-by-50-foot Confederate flag waved 120 feet in the air. Nothing says "Welcome to the South" quite like the old battle flag.

MSNBC: NYC mosque debate will shape American Islam

NEW YORK — Adnan Zulfiqar, a graduate student, former U.S. Senate aide and American-born son of Pakistani immigrants, will soon give the first khutbah, or sermon, of the fall semester at the University of Pennsylvania. His topic has presented itself in the daily headlines and blog posts over the disputed mosque near ground zero.

CNN: U.S. Muslims launch ad to fight 'fear-mongering'

Washington (CNN) -- A doctor. A cop. A little girl. A Phillies fan.

They're all Muslims. And, they emphasize in a new online commercial that begins appearing this week, they're all Americans.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Fire and Gunshots at Tennessee Mosque Site Called ‘Terrorism’

Updated | 11:19 a.m. On Sunday, one day after a fire at the site of a planned Islamic center and mosque in the Nashville suburb of Murfreesboro, Muslim community members reported hearing gunshots as they inspected the damage.

ARAB NEWS: Islamic college opens in California

Zaytuna College held its inaugural classes Aug. 24 and aims to become America's first four-year, accredited, Islamic institution of higher learning.

MLIVE: Physical fast, spiritual gains: Ramadan reconnects soul to God and inspires compassion, Muslims say

KALAMAZOO — A month is a long time to fast every day from dawn to sunset. And when the fasting begins in August, daylight stretches for more than 16 hours.

THE WASHINGTON POST: Why don't women have more rights in Muslim countries?

No one should be complacent about the condition of women in many Muslim (or many Western) societies. Americans certainly are not. When asked the open-ended question ''What do you admire least about the Muslim or Islamic world?'' among the top responses is ''gender inequality,'' associated with veiling, female segregation, illiteracy, and powerlessness. Patriarchy and its legacy, legitimated in the name of religion, remains alive in various Muslim countries although it is also being progressively challenged on many levels.

ABC: Understanding Islam during the observance of Ramadan

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) – The confrontations in New York over the proposed building of a Muslim prayer room near ground zero has many local Muslims worrying about their religion being misunderstood during a very holy time of year for them known as Ramadan.

NY DAILY NEWS: Mayor Bloomberg Defends Mosque at Gracie Mansion Ramadan Dinner

Mayor Bloomberg hosted his annual Ramadan Iftar dinner at Gracie Mansion last night, during which he touched on many themes in discussing the proposed Park51 mosque and cultural center near Ground Zero -- America's obligation to serve as an example of tolerance to the rest of the world, the bravery of U.S. troops fighting overseas and his view that a compromise on the mosque's location would not end the debate.

SALON: The "mosque" debate is not a "distraction"

Opponents of the Park51 Islamic community center held a rally yesterday in Lower Manhattan, and a 4-minute video, posted below, reveals the true sentiments behind this campaign.  It has little to do with The Hallowed Ground of the World Trade Center -- that's just the pretext -- and everything to do with animosity toward Muslims.  I dislike the tactic of singling out one or two objectionable people or signs at a march or rally in order to disparage the event itself.  That's not what this video is.  Rather, it shows the collective sentiment of those gathered, as well as what's driving the broader national backlash against mosques and Muslims far beyond Ground Zero.

CNN: Muslim prayers welcome at Pentagon chapel

Washington (CNN) -- Less than 100 feet from where a hijacked airplane slammed into the Pentagon, Muslim military personnel bring prayer rugs on weekday afternoons for group worship.

On Fridays, a local imam conducts a service in the Pentagon Memorial Chapel built after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks by al Qaeda that killed 184 people at the U.S. military headquarters.

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Islam Already Lives Near Ground Zero: AP FACT CHECK

WASHINGTON — A New York imam and his proposed mosque near ground zero are being demonized by political candidates – mostly Republicans – despite the fact that Islam is already very much a part of the World Trade Center neighborhood. And that Muslims pray inside the Pentagon, too, less than 80 feet from where terrorists attacked.

THE WASHINGTON POST: Mosque near Ground Zero? "It's about the community, stupid"

Despite the countless media hours dedicated to the controversy surrounding Park51, the Muslim community center to be built two blocks from Ground Zero, there has been little to no substantive discussion. Across the country and on our televisions and radios, there is far too much vitriol spewed towards Muslims for any serious conversation to be had. Though racism and anti-Semitism, among other societal ills, are widely considered unacceptable, a steady diet of Islamophobia has found an unfortunate place in the narrative of 21st century America. The coordinated attack on Islam and Muslims, even in a place as tolerant and diverse as New York City, leaves little to the imagination of just how much some Americans hate other Americans.

THE WASHINGTON POST: To N.Y. Muslims, Islamic center near Ground Zero would be more than a mosque

This is what the controversial Islamic community center and mosque being planned in Lower Manhattan means to Ehab Zahriyeh: not having to play basketball in church leagues.

CNN: Being a Muslim in the age of the iPod

London, England (CNN) -- In this high-tech age of the 24-hour news cycle, it can be hard to maintain a sense of inner peace, according to the founder of a magazine for Muslim women.

Politic: Pelosi wants 'transparency' on mosque

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Wednesday morning called for “transparency” in the funding behind a planned Islamic community center and mosque being built blocks from ground zero. But she also said there should be similar openness about the money behind conservative attacks aimed at thwarting the project.

CNN: Ramadan Inspires Charitable Gift Giving

Phil Black reports on how the holy month of Ramadan is influencing efforts to help the people of flood ravaged Pakistan.

ILLUME: Photographer Celebrates Muslim Women in iCOVER

A professional boxer, a cross-country  truck driver and mechanic, an American soldier, a surfer and tri-athlete, and a court judge were a few of the plethora of hijabie’s featured in Sadaf Syed’s photo documentary book: iCOVER: A Day in the Life of a Muslim American covered girl.

MSNBC: Olbermann: There is no ‘Ground Zero Mosque’

In A Special Comment, Countdown’s Keith Olbermann explains the misnomer and danger in calling it “The Ground Zero Mosque.” Olbermann clarifies the misconceptions around the community center.

USA TODAY: Michigan prep team moves to night practice during Ramadan

Fordson (Dearborn, Mich.) quarterback and safety Mohammad Faraj fully understands and appreciates Ramadan.

"Ramadan means we go through the struggles our prophet went through for 30 days — no drinking or no food," he said. "Unfortunately, we have to do it for several hours, but, hey, he had to do it for that long period of time."

NY DAILY NEWS: Defeat mosque demagogues: Why aren't they bothered by the nearby stripclub?

Well-meaning people like Gov. Paterson and Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, are wasting their time trying to cut a deal with the politicians and ideologues hellbent on blocking the creation of the proposed Islamic cultural center in lower Manhattan. 

CBS: Jewish Residents, Muslim Mayor

Teaneck, N.J. has a 30% Jewish population and a mayor who practices Islam. Dave Price reports that this small community could perhaps serve as an inspiration for all.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Ramadan 2010 USA: From Miami to Mecca, how 1.6 billion Muslims celebrate

Ramadan 2010, USA-style, includes streaming footage of Friday prayer sermons as Muslims seek to counter rising anti-Islamic sentiment. Saudi Arabia unveils a new clock, while Morocco makes do with makeshift tents after 1,256 mosques were closed.

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Stewart Takes On Ground Zero Mosque Critics (VIDEO)

A clean-shaven Jon Stewart returned from a long weekend last night to tackle the recent controversy over the building of a mosque at the World Trade Center site. Critics of the Islamic cultural center claim it would be built on hallowed ground, but it would actually be built several blocks away from Ground Zero on top of a former Burlington Coat Factory.

NPR: Observing Ramadan? There's An App For That

The most ancient traditions of Islam are going high-tech, with a slew of modern offerings for those observing the holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week.

NY POST: Gov offers land for mosque if it moves

ALBANY -- Gov. Paterson floated a possible state solution to the Ground Zero mosque fight yesterday -- offering public land for the proposed Islamic center farther away from the World Trade Center.

CNN: New York bus ad opposing planned ground zero mosque approved

An ad opposing a planned mosque near ground zero will soon appear on some New York City buses after getting the green light from the city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

THE SEATTLE TIMES: Fasting for Ramadan enhances spiritual growth

For the majority of Muslims worldwide, the confirmed sighting of a new crescent moon next Tuesday will usher in the holy month of Ramadan. This 1,400-year-old ritual is a reminder to practice self-restraint, increase one's spirituality and appreciate God's countless blessings.

VOA NEWS: America's First Muslim College Opens this Fall

A new college started classes this summer in Berkeley, California.

Zaytuna College's motto is, "Where Islam meets America." It's the first Muslim college in the United States.

SALON: Michael Bloomberg delivers stirring defense of mosque

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has emerged as the unlikely but passionate defender of the planned Muslim community center near ground zero, today traveled to Governors Island off the tip of Lower Manhattan to deliver a stirring plea for sanity in what he called "[as] important a test of the separation of church and state as we may see in our lifetimes."

ABC NEWS: Controversial 'Ground Zero Mosque' Gets Green Light From NYC Landmarks Commission

The controversial Islamic center proposed to be built near the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks won a major victory today when a New York City board voted unanimously to allow the demolition of a building to make way for construction.

CHICAGO SUN -TIMES: Racists live in a world of interchangeable people

Today's word is "fungible." A legal term that means, according to my Oxford dictionary, "mutually interchangeable." The standard example used to illustrate fungibility is money. If I owe you $20, and give you a $20 bill, my debt is paid. You can't argue that you don't want this particular $20 bill. Money is money.

DAILY NEWS: Landmark Preservation Committee expected to OK mosque construction near Ground Zero

The Mosque planned for Ground Zero is expected to pass a major hurdle Tuesday.

THE ATLANTIC WIRE: Tea Parties, Glenn Beck Protest Six Flags' Muslim Day

Since 2000, the theme-park chain Six Flags has held an annual "Muslim Family Day" at its Chicago park. The event, co-sponsored with the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), includes halal food and modestly dressed entertainment for local Islamic families. This year, it falls on September 12. The timing, along with the ongoing controversy over the proposed Islamic cultural center planned for lower Manhattan, has made this year's Muslim Family Day a cause célèbre for a handful of Tea Party members and certain Fox News pundits. Here's what they have to say and how observers are reacting.

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Plans for a Koran-Burning Show a Gainesville Church's Bigotry

Bigotry is always ugly, and Islamophobia is no exception. The paranoid notion that all Muslims are terrorists reached a new high (or low) with the news that a church in Gainesville, Florida plans to burn a stack of Korans on the anniversary of 9-11. According to the Religion News Service:

THE HUFFINGTON POST: The ADL Defames its Jewish Heritage

People often ask me what it is like being one of the first Muslims to succeed in Hollywood. There is always a hint of surprise in their tone, as if they never expected to meet a Muslim who has made strides in the entertainment industry. Because the real question they are asking is a more uncomfortable one: "How have you managed to succeed in a town filled with Jews?"

TPM: Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Mosque? TPM Rounds Up The Latest In Right-Wing Fear-Mongering

The right-wing controversy du jour? Construction of several mosques throughout the U.S. -- perhaps most notably, a Muslim community center near Ground Zero in New York City. In many cases, the right-wing fear-mongering has fed a shrill campaign warning against Muslims inevitably using their places of worship to conspire to implant sharia law in the lives of unsuspecting Americans.

PR Web: Children’s Book Offers Peaceful Message for Ramadan

During most of the year, American children hear about Islam primarily as the religion of terrorists and extremists. The holy month of Ramadan—lasting from August 10 through September 8 in 2010—is a time of prayer, fasting, and purity for Muslims around the world. It can also be a time for non-Muslims to learn about Islam in peaceful contexts and come to understand Muslims as people who are like them.

CNN: U.S. Army veteran in Colombia feels like he's caught in a no-fly trap

(CNN) -- A 29-year-old U.S. citizen and Army veteran sits in a bare apartment in a poor part of the Colombian capital, Bogota. He wants to come home, but he can't. He thinks it's because he's on the federal government's "no-fly list."

NBC: Vote Paves Way for Ground Zero Mosque

A community board nixed a landmark designation for a building that would be used for a mosque near the former World Trade Center site.

In a heating meeting, Community Board 1 voted 24-11 Tuesday to recommend that the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission deny historic designation to the building. The designation would complicate the mosque's construction.

LA TIMES: Islamic group denounces planned Temecula mosque protest

A loosely organized protest planned this week over a proposed new mosque in Temecula whose organizers urged demonstrators to bring their dogs was sharply denounced by a Southern California Islamic organization Tuesday.

KANSAS CITY: American and Egyptian scholars strive to bridge religion gap

Fifteen young American religious scholars and 14 teaching assistants from Al Azhar University - one of the oldest and most influential Islamic institutions in the world - spent two weeks together this month at Georgetown University in an attempt to bridge the divide between the Muslim world and the United States. 

RT: Islamophobia growing in America

Even as plans to build a mosque and Ground Zero in New York City move forward, fear of Islam and misunderstand of its major tenets is growing in America.

THE WASHINGTON POST: What would George Washington say about Islam in USA?

With all the loud clamoring about the proposed Islamic Center to be built near Ground Zero, reasonable voices are hard to discern. One thing is clear: this is not a debate about religious freedom. A mosque by peaceful Muslims of good will, unrelated to perpetrating the 9/11 attacks has every right to exist anywhere on these shores. It is the worst form of religious intolerance--and very un-American--to think that one form of religion has limits on where and when it may be practiced.

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Anti-Muslim is Anti-American

From New York to Tennessee to California, mosques and Muslim community centers are meeting a small but fierce swelling resistance from an increasingly vocal minority of local citizens' groups who charge that mosques represent a major threat to America's way of life and central values. Such baseless and hateful attacks are at the heart of a dangerous miscalculation, particularly since many mosque founders and leaders today share a common commitment to promoting an authentic and mainstream vision of Islam that coexists with other faiths in America. In a mid-term election year, and as presidential candidates get ready for 2012, anti-Muslim prejudice is ripe for political pickings.

DNA INFO: Police Will Patrol Site of Ground Zero Mosque During Ramadan

ONE POLICE PLAZA — Police are gearing up for the month-long Muslim high-holiday of Ramadan by adding patrols around mosques and other potentially sensitive locations, including the site of a proposed Muslim cultural center and mosque near Ground Zero, officials said Tuesday.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Tennessee Official Says Islam May Be a ‘Cult’

Updated | 11:51 a.m. Tennessee’s lieutenant governor, Ron Ramsey, has been asked to explain recent comments captured on video in which he suggested that Muslim Americans might not have a constitutionally protected right to worship in the United States.

KANSAS CITY: Build the mosque near ground zero; it's the American way

They want to build a mosque two blocks from ground zero.

And the outrage burns like jet fuel, the argument billows like choking dust, the questions lacerate like flying glass: Is it right, is it decent, is it morally defensible, for developer Sharif el-Gamal of SoHo Properties to build a Muslim worship center called Cordoba House within walking distance of the place where Muslim men, acting from a perverse distortion of their religion, disintegrated thousands of lives — Muslim, Christian, Jewish, atheist and, we may presume, others.

TWIN CITIES: Electrolux aims to accommodate fasting Muslims

A St. Cloud household appliance factory is adjusting its night-shift meal schedule to accommodate Muslim employees who want to break their fasts at or shortly after sunset during the month of Ramadan.

THE WASHINGTON POST: Neither mosque nor at Ground Zero

Let's get this straight.The "mosque at Ground Zero" is neither a mosque nor is it at ground zero. It is a 13-story Islamic cultural center modeled along the lines of the Jewish Cultural Centers that dot the American landscape (the JCC is assisting in the early stages of the project) that is about three blocks from Ground Zero.

ABC: Bloomberg fires back at Palin over WTC mosque

NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg had some strong words for Sarah Palin after the former VP candidate sounded off on the proposed mosque at ground zero.

She is pushing New Yorkers to reject the plans for the mosque and Muslim community center.

"Sarah Palin has a right to her opinions, but I could not disagree more," Bloomberg said. "Everything the United States stands for and New York stands for is tolerance and openness."

CNN: Islamophobia and the Muslim center at Ground Zero

(CNN) -- The proposal by the Cordoba Initiative to build an Islamic center near Ground Zero has drawn major media attention and engendered fierce debate. Right-wing political commentators, politicians, hard-line Christian ministers, bloggers and some families of 9/11 victims have charged that it is insensitive to 9/11 families, dishonors memories of the victims and will be a "monument to terrorism."

But here are the facts:The center is not at Ground Zero but two blocks away, and the Cordoba Initiative seeks to build a center, not a mosque. The center is not designed as a local mosque for a Muslim community but rather to serve the wider community.

PRI'S THE WORLD: Muslim holidays at American schools

In U.S. cities where Muslim populations are growing fast, Muslim families are pushing to make their holidays part the calendar in schools. Some cities have adopted the idea – but in the nation's largest school system – New York City – the debate continues. Lily Jamali reports from New York. (Photo: Dan Dickinson)

THE HUFFINGTON POST: A Mosque Near Ground Zero

A proposed mosque, two blocks from where the World Trade Center twin-towers stood, have unleashed emotions, which the New York Times described as, "vitriolic commentary, pitting Muslims against Christians, Tea Partiers against staunch liberals, and Sept. 11 families against one another." What began as a well intentioned project to promote interfaith understanding and to help American Muslims preserve their moderate Islamic identity has devolved into name-calling, mud-slinging and political grandstanding.

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Ground Zero Mosque: A Muslim's Perspective

Should a Muslim group be allowed to build an Islamic prayer center two blocks away from Ground Zero? This simple question has evolved into a passionate debate, as zealous support and opposition is seen almost daily in the news. Organizers of the Muslim mosque near Ground Zero are pushing the project forward despite a growing number of vocal opponents wishing to halt this project in its tracks.

NY TIMES: Virginia Man Flies Home on Waiver

WASHINGTON — A Muslim man from Virginia who was prevented for weeks from returning to the United States after studying in Yemen is home again. But his lawyer said the man, Yahya Wehelie, 26, remained on the no-fly list and was permitted to fly to New York on Saturday only under a waiver granted by federal authorities.

Mr. Wehelie, an American citizen of Somali descent, had been stranded for nearly two months in Cairo, where he was questioned by F.B.I. agents. He insists he holds no militant views, and his lawyer, Thomas G. Echikson, said that Mr. Wehelie would continue to cooperate with law enforcement.

CBS: US Man Stuck in Egypt Because of No-Fly List Doesn't Hold Grudge

McLEAN, Va. (CBS/AP) Following a thorough FBI investigation, Yahya Wehelie, the Virginia man who was stranded in the Middle East for months after being placed on the no-fly list, will be allowed to return to the United States.

Wehelie traveled to Yemen nearly two years ago in order to learn Arabic and seek direction in his life, but because Yemen has become a hot spot in the war on terror the FBI began to wonder why the U.S. citizen chose that country to study in.

NPR: Muslims In U.S. Face Challenges Erecting Mosques

Muslims all across the country have run into local opposition when they've tried to build new houses of worship. Robert Siegel speaks with Akbar Ahmed, a professor of Islamic studies at American University and author of Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam, about the experiences of Muslims in the U.S.

DAILY NEWS: NBC, CBS decline to run mosque-bashing ad from conservative group

A conservative political action committee blasted the CBS and NBC networks Wednesday for rejecting its ad imploring Americans to fight the mosque proposed for Ground Zero.

BELIEFNET: Ground Zero Islamophobia

Outright expressions of religious bigotry are pretty rare in American politics. Even the most religiously bigoted political party in American history, the antebellum American Party, was known as the Know-Nothing Party because its members were ashamed to own up publicly to their anti-Catholicism. Not so the National Republican Trust PAC.

Right up on its website NRTPAC has placed what will earn it a place in American political infamy. A former student of mine who works in the Republican trenches and has seen a good deal of hardball for all his tender years, was appalled. "This is probably the worst, most offensive political ad I've ever seen," he wrote in an email. "It really embarrasses me.

THE WASHINGTON POST: Violent 'Muslims' distort the tradition

What should we call terrorists, some of whom claim to be motivated by their religion? Can one be an Islamic terrorist? What about a Christian terrorist? Does what we call terrorists matter?

The position of WINEP reflects its own long standing interests interests as that of the Israeli government to obscure the primary drivers in the Israel-Palestine conflict which are political, the seizure and occupation of Palestinian territories which have been condemned by UN resolutions and major human rights organizations internationally and in Israel itself.

MIAMI STUDENT: Miami brings Middle East to Midwest

Hoping to connect Cincinnati to Israel and Detroit to Saudi Arabia, the "Middle East in the Midwest" forum Thursday brought race, religion and politics together in one room.

A crowd of about 25 people attended the forum throughout the day, listening to speakers both from across the country and within the university to educate students about relations between the Middle East and America.

TIMES UNION: Howling at the mosque

Is Rick Lazio a werewolf? A lycanthrope? A man transformed by the milky light of a full moon into a red-eyed beast that stalks the coastal suburbs of Suffolk County, devouring luckless pets and frightening couples necking in Gardiners County Park?

I don't know. I have no proof about Lazio's whereabouts during recent full moons, or if his Brightwaters neighbors have taken to double-locking their doors and stocking up on silver bullets.

I merely pose the question -- a question that, since Lazio is running for the state's highest office, New Yorkers deserve to have answered to a certainty.

DNJ: Group plans to counter protest in support of 'religious freedom'

A group formed in support of the rights of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro will rally on the Public Square as a way to counter a protest march against the center on Wednesday.

WSBTV: Official: Mosque Fire Deliberately Set

MARIETTA, Ga. -- A fire at a Marietta mosque is believed to be arson, fire officials said. They said the incident is also being investigated as a possible hate crime.Assistant Chief Scott Tucker said authorities found vandalism inside the mosque where a fire erupted just after midnight Tuesday. He would not specify what type of vandalism it was.

GAWKER.TV: Jon Stewart Blasts Fox News for Anti-Muslim Rhetoric

Tonight, Jon Stewart put America's favorite insanity-ridden network in its place when he decried Fox News' anti-Muslim biases regarding NASA's recent foray into diplomacy, as well as the controversy over the construction of new mosques across the country. Video inside.

WABC: N.J. Town Picks Muslim for Mayor, Orthodox Jew as Deputy

More than half a century ago, Teaneck, N.J., which sits in the shadow of New York City just across the Hudson River, became one of the first American communities to voluntarily integrate its public schools.

Now, the town that residents describe as a "progressive and multicultural" suburb once again has forged a new path, selecting a practicing Muslim as mayor -- and a devout Orthodox Jew to be his deputy.

CNN: Should New York schools close for Muslim holidays?

After Imam Khalid Latif, a chaplain for New York University and the New York Police Department, wrote a Belief Blog piece arguing that New York schools should close for important Muslim holidays, CNN invited him on air.

Latif makes an interesting case in the interview: that American Muslims are trying to develop their own contemporary identity and that steps like closing schools for major Muslim holidays would help that process. The implication is that an Americanized Islam–modern and moderate–would benefit all Americans.

CNN: Female leaders speak at largest Muslim convention in U.S.

Four prominent female American Muslims were among the many speakers Saturday at the 47th annual Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention, thought to be the largest event for Muslims in the United States.

THE WASHINGTON POST: The emerging American Muslim civic identity

The recent spate of high-profile news on Muslim-Americans can be summed up easily: horror and terror.

From Faisal Shahzad to Jihad Jane to the five young men caught on terror charges in Pakistan, it doesn't take much for news organizations to pick up on the theme of the hour.

CNN: My Take: New York's schools should observe Muslim holidays

I was recently eating dinner at a restaurant with a friend near Times Square when it became time for me to pray. Muslims pray five times a day and this particular prayer, called Maghrib, is performed at sunset.

Having lived in New York City for decades, I've become comfortable praying pretty much anywhere. It also doesn't hurt that there are stranger things happening on the streets here than a young guy bowing and kneeling for a few minutes.

After I started to pray, a tour bus parked in front of me and a large group of people proceeded to spill out.

NORTHJERSEY.COM: Teaneck picks first Muslim mayor

Mohammed Hameeduddin became the first Muslim mayor in Bergen County history Thursday, as a divided Township Council elected him after a fierce, weeks-long debate over who should take the gavel.

Hameeduddin, who won a council seat two years ago, earned five out of seven votes at the annual reorganization of township government, which took place outside the municipal building.

Councilwoman Lizette Parker, who had served as deputy mayor since her election in 2006, fell short of votes needed to become Teaneck's first female African-American mayor.

THE NATIONAL: New Yorkers campaign for Muslim school holidays

More than 150 Muslim students, parents and supporters rallied outside New York's City Hall this week as part of their campaign to persuade the mayor to include the Eid al Adha and Eid al Fitr holidays in the public school calendar.

Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders along with city officials also attended Wednesday's rally at which children carried placards with slogans such as "Muslim school holidays – Recognition, Inclusion and Respect" and "I am not invisible". The major Christian and Jewish holidays are already recognised by the New York public school system.

NEEM MAGAZINE: 10 Questions with Dalia Mogahed

Chances are if you’re a Muslim living in the United States today, Dalia Mogahed is somewhat of a household name to you. Dalia is the Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, and has most recently been in the spotlight for her high profile role on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The co-author of the acclaimed book “Who Speaks for Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think,” Dalia is a trailblazer for Muslim women around the world. elan recently caught up with her to talk career, inspirations, and even the World Cup!

The Huffington Post: What I Learned About America from Visiting 100 Mosques

Over the last two years I have been on an extraordinary journey. As a member of a research team accompanying American University's Chair of Islamic Studies, Akbar Ahmed, I have visited over 75 US cities and 100 mosques for the book Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam, which is published this month by the Brookings Institution Press. During our fieldwork, I learned a great deal about America's Muslim community, the religion they practice, and their various cultures. But what surprised me the most was what I learned about America.

BBC News: Life in Brooklyn's 'Little Pakistan'

The alleged Times Square bomber is due to appear in a New York court, charged with a failed attempt to set off a bomb.

Faisal Shahzad was born in Pakistan, but is a naturalised US citizen and his arrest has sparked discussion in the United States about the potential threat of "home-grown terrorism."

Philippa Thomas reports from Brooklyn.

LA Times: Muslim advocacy group criticizes FBI for questioning of 5 SoCal Muslims

A national Muslim advocacy organization Monday criticized the actions of the FBI, saying agents unjustifiably questioned five Southern California Muslims last week.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the men were among a group detained last December by police in Henderson, Nev., after they stopped at a parking lot to pray during a road trip. The organization had filed a complaint with the Henderson Police Department at the time.

AOL News: Opinion: Pointless Protest Against New Mosques

(June 21) -- Recently in my hometown of New York City, two very ugly public discussions about the role of Muslims in American society emerged. Each, in its own way, suggests that dangerous misconceptions about Islam continue even nearly nine years after Sept. 11, 2001.

CNN: Amir Khan: Fighting stereotypes

(CNN) -- Amir Khan is a rare thing in sport: A world champion boxer who still lives with his parents and a prominent Muslim who is not afraid to address the image of Islam today.

Khan tasted international boxing success when he was just 17, winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. Now 23, he holds the WBA World Light Welterweight title, defended against Pauli Malignaggi in New York in May.

AP: American stranded in Egypt due to no-fly list

CAIRO — A Virginia man, stuck in Egypt for the last six weeks living in a cheap hotel and surviving on fast food, said Wednesday his name was placed on a U.S. no-fly list because of a trip to Yemen.

Yahya Wehelie, 26, who was born in Fairfax, Virginia, to Somali parents was returning with his brother Yusuf from 18 months studying in Yemen, when Egyptian authorities stopped him from boarding his flight to New York saying the FBI wanted to speak with him.

NYT: American Man in Limbo on No-Fly List

WASHINGTON — As a 26-year-old Muslim American man who spent 18 months in Yemen before heading home to Virginia in early May, Yahya Wehelie caught the attention of the F.B.I. Agents stopped him while he was changing planes in Cairo, told him he was on the no-fly list and questioned him about his contacts with another American in Yemen, one accused of joining Al Qaeda and fatally shooting a hospital guard.

NYT: Newburgh Terrorism Case May Establish a Line for Entrapment

WHITE PLAINS — When four Muslim converts from Newburgh, N.Y., were charged last year with planning to bomb Bronx synagogues and shoot down military planes at Stewart International Airport, officials described the plan as a chilling effort to commit local terrorism.

Orange County Register: Muslim Student Union members shocked by suspension

IRVINE – UC Irvine's Muslim Student Union members say a year-long suspension came as a shock and that the university's action would deny Muslim students a sense of community, according to a statement released Monday afternoon.

"Suspending the MSU would undoubtedly create a chilling effect and deprive Muslim students -- both current and incoming -- of a place where they can develop a sense of community with one another and with the broader UCI campus community," said incoming MSU President Asaad Traina. "Depriving Muslim students a venue to associate jeopardizes their rights under the First Amendment and is an act of marginalization at a time when Muslim students and Muslim youth already feel besieged."

NYT: Behind the Veil

HEBAH AHMED assessed the weather before she stepped out of her minivan. "It's windy," she said with a sigh, tucking a loose bit of hair into her scarf. Her younger sister, Sarah, watched out the window as dust devils danced across the parking lot. "Oh, great," she said, "I'm going to look like the flying nun."

Hebah, who is 32, and Sarah, 28, do wear religious attire, but of the Islamic sort: a loose outer garment called a jilbab; a khimar, a head covering that drapes to the fingertips; and a niqab, a scarf that covers most of the face. Before the shopping trip, they consulted by phone to make sure they didn't wear the same color. "Otherwise, we start to look like a cult," Sarah explained.

NYT: Heated Opposition to a Proposed Mosque

A church may be a church, and a temple a temple, but through the prism of emotion that still grips many New Yorkers almost a decade after 9/11, a mosque can apparently represent a lot of things.

In the last few months, Muslim groups have encountered unexpectedly intense opposition to their plans for opening mosques in Lower Manhattan, in Brooklyn and most recently in an empty convent on Staten Island.

NY Daily News: Anti-Muslim hate rides the bus: 'Leaving Islam' ads are prejudice disguised as assistance

Is it free speech, subliminal stereotyping or hatemongering? It is all three.

Last month, about 30 buses in New York City's fleet started running ads professing to assist individuals trying to leave Islam; they'll continue to run through the middle of next week.

These are messages of hate masquerading as messages of help - and all New Yorkers who believe in peaceful coexistence should reject them.

Elan: Behind the Scenes with Fatema Sumar

Here's an understatement for you: US foreign policy is complicated. As global citizens (and voracious Daily Show consumers), we think, talk and fight about the topic all the time, yet it isn't often that we think about the men and women behind the scenes in the US government, working to ensure the best decisions are made. These are the people aside from the Obamas, Clintons and yes, Bushs', of the world.

Fatema Sumar is one of these people. As a professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sumar works directly under the committee's Chairman, Senator John Kerry. elan caught up with the New Jersey native (just like us!) to talk about her day-to-day work, the Muslim-American community, career advice and more.

LA Times: Wrapped up in style

Shopping websites, magazines and blogs are catering to Muslim American women who want to look fashionable while dressing modestly and staying true to their faith.

CNN: Holder vows to Arab Americans to prosecute hate crimes

Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday vowed to prosecute hate crimes aimed at Arabs, Muslims and Sikhs in the United States, as he marked the anniversary of President Barack Obama's speech in Egypt on American and Muslim relations in Egypt, urging peaceful and civil connections.Holder said the Justice Department has opened several investigations aimed at hate-fueled crimes. He mentioned only one -- and drew applause-- as he noted the FBI is involved in the investigation of last month's pipe bomb attack on a Jacksonville, Florida, mosque.

"This case is a top concern for the FBI," Holder said.

CNN: Ease restrictions on international charities

A year ago on June 4 in Cairo, Egypt, President Obama pledged to ease rules that impede American Muslims' ability to engage in charitable giving. His laudable commitment was in response to donors' fears of donating to humanitarian causes abroad, especially in conflict zones where aid is most needed.One year later, the draconian legal regime remains unaltered. Not only are donors still afraid to donate, but past donations collected for charitable purposes languish in frozen accounts.

The economic downturn, coupled with increasing poverty worldwide, makes charitable donations all the more urgent. The number of ailing, impoverished people in need of humanitarian aid, which could be provided by American charities, grows. Whether for building girls' schools in Afghanistan or food programs in post-earthquake Haiti, charitable donations are in high demand.

Religion Dispatches: Obama’s Muslim Strategy 2.0

One year ago in Cairo, Barack Obama promised "a new beginning" for America and Islam. Then some Republicans decided they didn't want us to have health care, birthers admitted to illiteracy, the Tea Party somehow matched nativism with unchecked capitalism, the Middle East peace process froze, and the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for turning a middle-class American into a stupid car bomber.

Had the new beginning ended before it could begin? On April 28, I attended the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy's 11th Annual Conference, "US Relations with the Muslim World: One Year After Cairo," to answer this very question. (Watch the CSID Conference here.) The next day, I attended Al-Mubadarah: The Arab Empowerment Initiative's luncheon, alongside many Arab-American and Muslim American entrepreneurs, thought leaders and dignitaries.

NYT: Ex-Principal of Arabic School Won&acirc?t Sue City

The founding principal of the city's only Arabic-language public school will not sue the Department of Education, she said Tuesday, despite a ruling from a federal commission that the city discriminated against her by forcing her to resign in 2007.

The former principal, Debbie Almontaser, filed a complaint last year with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which later said that the department "succumbed to the very bias that creation of the school was intended to dispel, and a small segment of the public succeeded in imposing its prejudices on D.O.E. as an employer."

Though the findings by the commission are nonbinding, the letter was viewed as giving Ms. Almontaser backing to file a federal lawsuit, which could have resulted in a ruling for "millions of dollars," her lawyer said. But Ms. Almontaser concluded that going through a lawsuit that could take years would not be worth it.

"Although I have been greatly injured personally and professionally by the D.O.E., I have decided that it is time for me to move on with my professional and personal life," she said in a statement. "Additional litigation of the discrimination claim would mean reliving the unfortunate and painful events."

NC: Teens and the Veil (News & Observer)

RALEIGH -- In a room at the Islamic Association of Raleigh, teenage Muslim girls sitting around a table rattle off the questions they field daily about their religious head covering:

"Are you bald?"

"It's like a hundred degrees out. Aren't you hot?"

"Do you wear it when you're sleeping?"

"Do you wear it in the shower?"

"Is that a towel on your head?"

"Do you have cancer?"

Fellow teens can be insensitive, even cruel. So when two Duke University undergraduates studying Islam asked Muslim girls what they wanted to talk about, they were more than eager to clear up misconceptions about the veil. ...

The National: US sends America&acirc?s first Muslim country singer on Middle East tour

NEW YORK // Singing country music songs from beneath the brim of a cowboy hat with a full-bore Southern drawl, the up-and-coming performer Kareem Salama breaks the expectations audiences may have of an Egyptian-American Muslim.

At least that is the message the US state department hopes to make by sending “America’s first Muslim country singer” on a month-long tour from Morocco to Bahrain, designed to improve Washington’s dented reputation across the Middle East.

“I want to learn from the people we meet, share my music, share my personal experiences and break some stereotypes and preconceived ideas about being an American Muslim,” Salama said.

Guardian: Against terror, our liberty is our best defence

The arrest of Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old US citizen of Pakistani descent, as the alleged driver of the vehicle used in the failed Times Square bombing represents an opportunity to respond effectively to a potential act of terrorism – instead of reacting with fear and hysteria that will inevitably be manipulated by extremist elements.

As of Tuesday morning, details are slowly emerging regarding the potential motives of suspect Shahzad, who was arrested at JFK airport as he planned to fly to Dubai, having recently returned from a five-month trip to Pakistan. Despite initial evidence and statements from law enforcement agencies suggesting this incident lacked the sophistication and planning of an international operation, the Pakistani Taliban has nonetheless claimed responsibility for this amateurish and failed attempt.

NPR: Formerly Banned Muslim Scholar Tours U.S.

In 2004, the Department of Homeland Security banned Muslim academic Tariq Ramadan from the U.S. when the Bush administration invoked the Patriot Act. He was accused of giving money to a charity that was later classified as a terrorist organization.

Earlier this year, the State Department decided he did not represent a threat, and lifted that ban.

Ramadan, a Swiss-born Egyptian, the grandson of the founder of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, is a professor at Oxford University.

CG: The Earth is a mosque

Brooklyn, New York - Last Thursday, on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I found myself thinking back to my first hiking trip to New York’s Bear Mountain. I was six years old. Having grown up in Brooklyn, New York, I thought the entire world was a sea of concrete buildings. But that trip changed my reality. I remember moss growing on rocks, small streams of water and fresh air.

When it came time to pray, my father, a convert to Islam, shared with me a saying of the Prophet Muhammad: “The earth is a mosque.”

Ever since that hiking trip, I have contemplated the sacred nature of the earth. The entire planet is meant to be a place for worship of its Creator. Anyone can kneel down in prayer on the grass, on the sand, on a mountain or in a cornfield. Our planet, because it serves as a medium to reach God, deserves to be protected.

AP: 5 Chinese Muslims at Gitmo seek a better deal

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Thursday sought to block further court review in the case of five Chinese Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay who want to be sent to the United States or another country where they would like to live.

Before three federal appeals judges, a lawyer for the five ethnic Chinese Uighurs (pronounced WEE'-gurz) said his clients did not want to be resettled on the Pacific Ocean island of Palau and that they have a right to have their views taken into account by U.S. courts.

The government says it is trying to find a country that will accept the five, who fear their lives will be endangered if they are returned to China. The Obama administration has declared that the five pose no threat to the United States and should no longer be held as enemy combatants.

In court arguments, Judge A. Raymond Randolph seemed dismissive of the notion that the five men can use the court system in an effort to resettle in a country they find more desirable.