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Tag: Muslims

  • Catholics Then, Muslims Now

    Catholics Then, Muslims Now

    Catholics Then, Muslims Now

    By DOUG SAUNDERS

    THE short, crude anti-Muslim video that sparked a wave of violent protests across the Middle East did not emerge from an obscure pocket of extremism; it is the latest in a string of anti-Muslim outbursts in the United States. In August, a mosque was burned down in Missouri and an acid bomb was thrown at an Islamic school in Illinois. The video’s backers are part of a movement that has used the insecurity of the post-9/11 years to sow unfounded fears of a Muslim plot to take over the West.

    Their message has spread from the obscurity of the Internet and the far right to the best seller lists, the mainstream media and Congress. For the first time in decades, it has become acceptable in some circles to declare that a specific religious minority can’t be trusted.

    During the Republican primaries, Muslims were accused of harboring plans for “stealth Shariah.” A group of five Republican House members, led by Michele Bachmann, groundlessly accused two prominent Muslim federal officials of loyalty to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. Another Republican representative, Joe Walsh of Illinois, used a campaign rally to suggest that Muslims in the Chicago suburbs were plotting to commit terrorist attacks. In New York City, the police spied on thousands of Muslims for six years without producing any evidence that could lead to an investigation.

    The view that members of a religious minority are not to be trusted — that they are predisposed to extremism, disloyalty and violence; resist assimilation; reproduce at alarming rates, and are theologically compelled to impose their backward religious laws on their adopted home — is not new. From the 19th century on, distrust, violence and, eventually, immigration restrictions were aimed at waves of Roman Catholic immigrants.

    As late as 1950, 240,000 Americans bought copies of “American Freedom and Catholic Power,” a New York Times best seller. Its author, Paul Blanshard, a former diplomat and editor at The Nation, made the case that Catholicism was an ideology of conquest, and that its traditions constituted a form of “medieval authoritarianism that has no rightful place in the democratic American environment.”

    Catholics’ high birthrates and educational self-segregation led Mr. Blanshard and others — including scholars, legislators and journalists — to warn of a “Catholic plan for America.”

    Many Americans shunned such views, but some liberals did not. Mr. Blanshard’s book was endorsed by the likes of John Dewey and Bertrand Russell, and respected scholars like Seymour Martin Lipset, Reinhold Niebuhr and Sidney Hook debated Catholics’ supposed propensity toward authoritarianism.

    Then, as now, there seemed to be evidence supporting the charge. Majority-Catholic countries like Spain, Italy, Portugal and Austria, had fallen into fascism or extremism. Crime and educational failure were rife among the children of Catholic immigrants. In the years after World War I, Catholic radicals carried out a deadly wave of terrorist attacks in the United States.

    These days, the same dark accusations are being leveled at American Muslims, many of whom are recent immigrants. And many otherwise reasonable Americans have greeted Muslims with fear and suspicion — in part because they came at a bad time. Their emigration to the United States, like that of many Catholics before them, has coincided with turmoil in their native countries and violence from a few extremists in their midst.

    In the years after 9/11, anti-Muslim rhetoric simmered on blogs, YouTube videos and a stream of inflammatory best sellers. But not until Barack Obama’s presidency was it allowed to erupt into prominent corners of mainstream politics. Mitt Romney, to his credit, has shunned notions of American Muslim disloyalty, but Republican political and media figures have tolerated or even advanced these hateful myths.

    In reality, Muslim immigrants are a success story. They have high levels of educational attainment. Their birthrate is converging quickly with that of the general population. They are likely to ultimately make up less than 2 percent of the population, around the same share as Episcopalians and Jews.

    The violent few among them are no more a product of Muslim values than 1920s anarchists were of Catholic values. Extremism is vanishingly rare among American Muslims, and loyalty to secular state institutions is high. The idea of a stealth takeover by Islamic believers is a delusion. So is the more moderate idea of a permanently alien and unassimilable “civilization” in America’s midst.

    American Muslims are falling victim to the same misunderstandings and fallacies that threatened earlier waves of non-Protestant immigrants. The last thing they need, as they work to become part of the mainstream, is a political movement devoted to portraying them as a menace. In an election year when both major parties have a Roman Catholic on the ticket, we should take care to make sure that history does not repeat itself.

    Doug Saunders, the European bureau chief for The Globe and Mail, is the author of “The Myth of the Muslim Tide: Do Immigrants Threaten the West?”

    A version of this op-ed appeared in print on September 18, 2012, on page A25 of the New York edition with the headline: Catholics Then, Muslims Now.

    via Catholics Then, Muslims Now – NYTimes.com.

  • Chinese Islamic cultural pageant kicks off in Turkey

    Chinese Islamic cultural pageant kicks off in Turkey

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    Chinese dancers perform a Muslim dance during the opening ceremony of “2012 China-Turkey Islamic Cultural Exhibition and Performances” in Istanbul, Turkey, on Aug. 31, 2012. (Xinhua/Ma Yan)

    ISTANBUL, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) — Over 500 Chinese and Turkish government officials and Muslim representatives on Friday attended here the opening ceremony of the Chinese Islamic cultural pageant, which will last eight days.

    The event, part of the celebrations to mark the China-Turkey Cultural Year, is held to introduce China’s Islamic history and unique Muslim culture to Turkey.

    Wang Zuoan, Director of Chinese State Administration of Religious Affairs, said at the opening ceremony that the exposition, the first of its kind between the two countries, will help deepen mutual understanding and enhance the cooperation between Chinese and Turkish Muslims.

    Nowadays, Wang said, Islam is getting more and more popular in China as Muslims’ religion belief and custom are fully respected. The Islam also plays an active role in promoting economy and culture, he said.

    For his part, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said that it is a very important opportunity for the two countries to enhance cooperation and introduce Chinese Muslims’ life, culture and belief to the Turkish people.

    “The relations between Turkey and China showed many positive developments throughout history,” he said.

    “On one hand, we wish to convey the Islamic civilization in China to our public and, on the other hand, we wish to jointly work for the religious education and religious affairs of Muslims in China. When you look at the bilateral relations from a cultural perspective, you can see that there is high hope to develop our relations,” Bozdag said, adding that Turkey will carry out a series of Islamic cultural programs in China next year to enhance its relations with China.

    During the exposition, Chinese Muslims will exhibit Chinese Islamic culture, Quran chanting, a symposium on China-Turkey Islamic exchanges, as well as Islamic singing and dancing shows.

    via Chinese Islamic cultural pageant kicks off in Turkey – People’s Daily Online.

  • Teenager will travel to Istanbul to work with young Christians and Muslims

    Teenager will travel to Istanbul to work with young Christians and Muslims

    Teenager will travel to Istanbul to work with young Christians and Muslims

    4:10pm Tuesday 31st July 2012 in News By Hayley Mortimer, Reporter

    SCH1490V12 CressidaMThomasCressida Mawdesley-Thomas, 18, who is travelling to Istanbul to work with young Christians and Muslims Cressida Mawdesley-Thomas, 18, who is travelling to Istanbul to work with young Christians and Muslims

    TEENAGER Cressida Mawdesley-Thomas is travelling to Istanbul to work with young Christians and Muslims.

    Cressida, 18, will visit Turkey for a week on a trip organised by The Feast, a Christian charity.

    She is part of a team of eight Christians and Muslims from the west Midlands, aged 17 to 21, who will travel with three leaders to Istanbul on Saturday, August 25.

    The trip, in partnership with World Vision Lebanon, aims to encourage young people to learn about different faiths and cultures.

    Cressida, who has just completed her A-levels at Pate’s Grammar School, Cheltenham, said: “A couple of months ago, the founder of the charity came and spoke at my church, St Mary’s.

    “My attention was captivated when he talked about young Christians and Muslims using their faith to come together to work for a more peaceful future.”

    While in Istanbul, Cressida will take part in workshops with young Christians and Muslims and will visit schools and youth centres.

    For more information on the work of The Feast go to www.thefeast.org.uk

    via Teenager will travel to Istanbul to work with young Christians and Muslims (From Stroud News and Journal).

  • My favorite 2011 Good News Stories About Muslims

    My favorite 2011 Good News Stories About Muslims

    by Sheila Musaji

    If you type “Muslims” or “Islam” into any google search, most of what comes up will be something negative.  If any Muslim, anywhere, does something criminal, or just stupid, that story will be written about and reposted so that hundreds of articles will come up on that negative story.

    These are a few of my favorite stories about Muslims during the past year of 2011 that did not receive nearly as much coverage, but were more important, and also more representative of the Muslim community.
    In January, Muslims in Cairo, Egypt attended Coptic Christian Mass at various churches, serving as “human shields” against any extremist attacks ***

    In January, Tariq Khanzada of Fremont, California was killed while trying to help a stranger whose car had crashed on the freeway.  He parked his car in the shoulder lane and ran across the highway towards the center divide. The driver of the car was attempting to get out of the car when he realized another car was heading straight towards them. So he did what few others would do: Instead of fleeing to safety, he stood there to instruct the injured driver to remain in his vehicle. Within fractions of a second, two cars crashed into him, violently ending his life. But his noble actions that night saved the life of a man whose name he didn’t even know.  ***

    In January, in an interview with Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., television personality and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University Dr. Mehmet Oz spoke about his Islamic heritage, the varied religious practices of his Turkish parents, and how Sufi Islam informs his life. ***

    In February, Military Veterans and Muslim students at a California college joined together to organize a blood drive ***

    In February, a group of American Muslim Imams and community leaders issued a strong statement condemning anti-Semitism and holocaust denial ***

    In February, Bilal Mallick, a Muslim teen from Chicago who was diagnosed with leukemia ***  died because a bone marrow donor could not be found. His congregation at the Islamic Foundation of Villa Park began a project that has spawned a movement in mosques across suburban Chicago and the nation.  Hundreds of Chicago area Muslims who came to participate in weekly congregational prayers also had the opportunity to swab their cheeks and add their names to the roster of bone marrow donors ready to step up if their DNA is a match.  Organizers hope for at least 20,000 participants to register nationwide.  A group of students from the MSA organized a bone-marrow registry drive at the ISNA convention ***

    In February, Zubiru Jalloh, a Muslim cab driver in New York returned $100,000 worth of cash and jewelry that a passenger had forgotten in his cab ***

    In March, a group of Muslim students at Cornell University won the 17th annual James A. Perkins Prize for Interracial Harmony and Understanding.  The award was presented March 8 to the Committee for the Advancement of Muslim Culture ***

    In March, the Al Salam Mosque in Tulsa, Oklahoma held a Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and invited local officers for lunch at the mosque ***

    In March, many Muslim organizations worked to provide relief for victims of the Japanese earthquake.  ***

    In April, a Saudi scholar, Sheikh Salman Al-Oadah, issued a fatwa saying that Muslims living in non-Muslim countries are obligated to obey the law in the country in which they live.  fatwa

    In April, the most recent Muslim community supported Free Clinic, the Mercy Care Center opened in Cincinnati, Ohio joining the numerous other such clinics in cities across America. ***

    In May, Muslim boxer Bernard Hopkins became the oldest boxing titlist in any division in any era with a unanimous decision over Jean Pascal in Montreal, Canada. Hopkins won the World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight belt by winning all three cards after 12 rounds, by the scores of 116-112, 115-114, and 115-113. At the ripe old age of 46, no one had won a boxing title at such an advanced age since then 45 year old George Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer in 1994. ***

    In June, American Muslims from St. Louis and other cities went to Joplin, Missouri to take needed supplies and help the survivors of a tornado ***

    In June, Chicago Muslims donated $26,000 to the Greater Chicago Food Depository ***

    In June, Unity Productions Foundation UPF launched the “My Fellow American” program, collecting short films by and about American Muslims ***

    In July, Rais Bhuyan, a Muslim who was shot and blinded by a white supremacist days after the 9/11 attacks sued Governor Rick Perry of Texas to attempt to prevent his assailant from being executed.  He was not successful, but kept trying right up to the execution.  In one interview Bhuyan said “This country has suffered a lot,” Bhuiyan said. “We are living in fear, but if we work together we can break the cycle of hate. It’s not only Islam, but all religions that teach peace and to show mercy.”  While fighting to save Stroman he founded World Without Hate, an organization that raises awareness of hate crimes in an effort to prevent them. “I feel more love and compassion for human beings than I ever did before this accident. Sight is gone from one eye, but my vision has never been clearer.” ***

    In July ISNA expanded the ongoing mosque/synagogue twinning project to Latin America.  ***

    In July – MPAC released Building Bridges to Strengthen America: Forging an Effective Counterterrorism Enterprise between Muslim Americans and Law Enforcement. A number of important studies, reports, and polls were released this year.  ***

    In August, there were riots in Birmingham, England.  Three Muslim men were killed trying to protect their business from looters.  Tariq Jahan, the father of one of those killed is credited with stopping the rioting when he came forward and pleaded for calm I lost my son. Blacks, Asians, whites: We all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another? Why are we doing this? Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home, please.  ***

    In August, the United Arab Emirates gave $500,000 so that students in the Joplin, Missouri public schools destroyed by the terrible tornado could purchase computers for every student.  They pledged to match any other donations to the schools up to an additional $500,000.  ***

    In August, Bassam Tariq and Aman Ali continued their “30 mosques in 30 days” project visiting American mosques across the country during Ramadan photo blog 2010 *** and 2011 ***

    In September, an estimated twelve thousand Muslims and interfaith leaders gathered in London for an event called “Peace for Humanity” sponsored by Minhaj-ul-Quran International (MQI). The event was broadcast live to dozens of countries, and was a rally against extremism and to promote a moderate, inclusive version of Islam. The event in Wembley Arena was led by Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, a respected Pakistan-born Islamic scholar. Dr. Qadri told the crowd “I want to address those who are lost, who have a total misconception of jihad I want to send them a message come back to normal life. Whatever you’re doing is totally against Islam.  In spite of statements and memorandum and condemnation of the terror, the voices of the 99% true, peace-loving Muslims have not been heard, they have been drowned out by the clamour and the noise of extremists. “Islam has nothing to do with any act of terrorism. We reject every act of extremism and terrorism unconditionally.”  The scholars in attendance issued a Declaration of Global Peace.  ***

    In September, Tariq Ramadan re-issued his call for a stand against capital punishment.  He said In the United Stated, in Saudi Arabia, in Iran or anywhere else, capital punishment should be abandoned. Our judicial systems are too imperfect, too influenced by politics and money, and far too exposed to procedural mistakes. The accused should enjoy the benefit of the doubt ; our societies should remain dignified. In 2005, I launched a call for a moratorium on the death penalty, corporal punishments and stoning. I emphasized that in the very name of Islam, Muslim majority societies should stop treating people in such a way, that so often targets women and the poor. It is in the very name of our common values that we need to take a stand today against capital punishment. Troy Davis is dead ; so is Mark Stroman : the former was surely innocent and was hoping for us to be forgiven, the latter was guilty, and begged for our forgiveness. As we look at ourselves in a mirror let us hope that, with or without compassion, we may at least show some dignity. If we remain silent, the shame is ours.  ***

    In September, Muslims for Life organized a 9/11 anniversary blood drive nationally.  This first year they collected a total of 11,803 pints of blood for the Red Cross ***  Islamic Relief USA held a National Day of Service to honor the memory of the victims of 9/11 ***

    In September, four Muslim comedians (Negin Farsad, Dean Obeidallah, Maysoon Zayid, Omar Elba) performed in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. Billed as ‘The Muslims are Coming!’ comedy tour, they also set up a “Name that Religion” game in Birmingham, Ala. and an “Ask a Muslim” booth in Lawrenceville, Ga. as a counter to Islamophobia.  They are also working on a documentary feature of this routine.

    In October, Muslim Student Associations MSA’s at universities across the country held their 10th annual Fast-A-Thon during Ramadan, to raise money for local charities and food banks. The University of Texas is only one example *** among hundreds.

    In October, the WISE Muslim Women’s Conference was held in Istanbul attended by 180 Muslim women from 45 countries.  One of the outcomes of this conference was that one participant, Jamila Afghani, from Afghanistan who heard about a program on the success of training gender-sensitive imams and religious leaders, thought that this was what Afghanistan needed.  And so she went back to her country, contacted WISE (a program of the American Society for Muslim Advancement), and asked for help to start an imam gender-sensitive training program at the Noor Educational Center (NEC) in Kabul, where she had dedicated her life to empowering women in Afghanistan. She helped set a program to educate imams on women’s rights through Friday khutbahs and media appearances. The program has been in effect for a few years, with appointed monitors who sit in and listen to the sermons to make sure the training has been effective. According to Afghani, the program has reached 9.5 million people in Afghanistan. Although this story wasn’t exclusive to 2011 nor widely covered by the world media, the presentation of this program at the 2011 WISE conference in Istanbul was a turning point for the women leaders, activists, humanitarians, and journalists who had gathered to learn from each other’s work. Imam Mawlana Ehsan Saiqal, who had traveled with Afghani to the conference to talk about the program, told a story of one of his congregants who came to him after a Friday khutbah in tears, saying that he never knew Islam actually advocated for women’s inheritance, marital and property rights, adding that he regretted the decisions he had made for his daughters. ***

    In November, the Fiqh Council of North America issued a Resolution: On Being Faithful Muslims and Loyal Americans …  ***

    In November, a N.J. Muslim food bank prepared a Thanksgiving feast for the needy ***.  Jewish and Muslim students at Rutgers joined to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the needy ***

    In December, the Nobel Peace Prize was won jointly by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the president of Liberia, Leymah Gbowee, the Liberian peace activist, and Yemeni pro-democracy campaigner Tawakkol Karman (a Muslim from Yemen). They won the Nobel Peace Prize “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work”

    In December, on a flight from Atlanta to Kansas City, a man foaming at the mouth lunged for the airliner’s cabin door, attempting to open it as flight attendants struggled to hold him at bay.  Jabir Hazziez Jr. a Muslim passenger who is also a Kansas City firefighter, reserve Jackson County deputy and member of the U.S. Naval Reserve came forward, restrained the man who had become more violent and held him until the plane could be diverted.  It turned out the man had had an adverse reaction to a vaccine.  ***

    In December, Jewish and Muslim volunteers in Detroit, St. Louis, and other cities across the country joined together to take the place of Christians at food pantries and other social service and charitable institutions so that Christian volunteers could be home with their families for Christmas ***

    In December, Muslim New Yorkers donated 1,000 pounds of meat to local food pantries.  ***

    In December, MPAC the Muslim Public Affairs Council today expresses its support for the passage of a historic UN resolution to combat ideologies of religious hatred through free expression instead of silencing expression through a global blasphemy law.  They also released a position paper “No Compulsion in Religion: A Faith-Based Critique of the ‘Defamation of Religions’ Concept.” opposing the misguided Defamation of Religions concept ***  continuing the strong stand American Muslims have taken in favor of freedom of speech ***

    In December, the Florida Family Association’s anti-Muslim campaign against the TLC reality series “All-American Muslim” resulted in many positive outcomes for the American Muslim community including strengthening interfaith relations, mobilizing the American Muslim and Arab communities across ethnic and sectarian lines, focusing awareness on Islamophobia and bigotry, and initiating the formation of a strong grassroots coalition of Muslims against bigotry.  ***

    In December, a group of Imams and Islamic organizations in Canada issued a “Call to action to end domestic violence”  ***

    In December, Time magazine named Ameena Matthews as #5 in the top 10 movie performances of the year for the documentary The Interrupters *** which is about her work with the anti-gang group Ceasefire in Chicago.  Ameena Matthews is a reformed woman from a checkered past; her father is Jeff Fort, a notorious Chicago gang leader and she herself was involved with a drug ring. After finding love, children, and faith in her Muslim family, Ameena joined the Chicago group of gang violence “interrupters,” CeaseFire, in taking violence protection to the streets—literally.  ***

    In December, Linda Sarsour was honored by the White House as one of 10 American “Champions of Change” ***

    http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/new-years/0018946

  • UK Prime Minister’s Message for Ramadan

    UK Prime Minister’s Message for Ramadan

    Number 101Prime Minister David Cameron has sent his best wishes to all Muslim communities in Britain and around the world at the start of the month of Ramadan.

    Mr Cameron said Ramadan was a time to remind us of our duties and responsibilities and the importance of charity.

    The PM said:

    “To all Muslim communities in the United Kingdom and around the world, I send you my warmest wishes at this time of Ramadan.

    “This is a time for Muslims all over the world to put aside thoughts of themselves, and think of others. The terrible scenes of famine and suffering in the Horn of Africa cry out to all of us. They remind us of our duties and responsibilities to those beyond our shores.

     

    “The importance of charity at this time is clear and I am proud that many different communities in the United Kingdom continue to come together to support many thousands – indeed millions – in desperate need.

    The Prime Minister’s Office

    “As the holy month of Ramadan begins I wish you all peace and happiness.”


  • Prisons Warned Over Treatment Of Muslims

    Prisons Warned Over Treatment Of Muslims

    Rob Cole, Sky News Online

    The Prison Service risks turning Muslim prisoners into extremists unless it adopts a more integrated regime, a report has warned.

    Treating all Muslims are as potential terrorists risks being a “self-fulfilling prophecy”, the Chief Inspector of Prisons said.

    Dame Anne Owers warned that young Muslims were more likely to “embrace extremism” if a blanket security-led approach was taken to their care in prison.

    The report, titled Muslim Prisoners’ Experiences, found there are around 10,300 Muslims in prisons around England and Wales.

    “It would be naive to deny that there are, within the prison population, Muslims who hold radical extremist views, or who may be attracted to them for a variety of reasons,” Dame Owers said.

    “But that does not argue for a blanket security-led approach to Muslim prisoners in general.

    “It is essential that the National Offender Management Service (Noms) develops a strategy… for effective staff engagement with Muslims as individual prisoners with specific risks and needs, rather than as part of a separate and troubling group.

    “Without that, there is a real risk of a self-fulfilling prophecy: that the prison experience will create or entrench alienation and disaffection, so that prisons release into the community young men who are more likely to offend, or even embrace extremism.”

    It said that despite the jailing of several high profile terrorist suspects, fewer than one in a hundred Muslim inmates have been convicted of terrorism.

    Officials found Muslim prisoners have a more negative experience of prison than others, often because of fears for their safety.

    They also reported Islam played a positive and rehabilitative role in the lives of many prisoners despite staff being suspicious of religious acts.

    The Sky