Latest Updates: Muslims in America RSS

  • arif 2:04 pm on February 23, 2010 | 3 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Muslims in America, , ,

    Not sure if this has been posted here already or not. Note that it suggest this is a lone voice but it starts by saying it was a protest by women (plural).

    Muslim women staged a protest at a D.C. mosque Saturday to demand that mosque leaders remove a 7-foot partition behind which women pray separately from men.

    Fatima Thompson and other women staged a “stand-in” at the Islamic Center on Massachusetts Avenue in Northwest. “Every woman should be able to stand with the congregation. That’s the correct way,” said Thompson, who converted to Islam 18 years ago.

    snip–

    but Fatima Goodwin, a mosque employee who also worships there, said Thompson is acting alone. “Not a single woman that prays here has expressed disagreement with the partition,”

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/22/AR2010022204657.html

     

  • johnpi 9:53 am on January 29, 2010 | 14 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , , Muslims in America, ,

    CNN has posted this op-ed piece on ‘flying while Muslim’ by Nafees A. Syed, currently an editor at the Harvard Crimson and at the Harvard-MIT journal on Islam and society, Ascent. She is also chairwoman of the Harvard Institute of Politics Policy Group on Racial Profiling. The article is mostly addressed to a non-Muslim audience, but she does speak to Muslims at one part:

    And Muslims, here’s something to think about: If your knowledge of Islam came from common stereotypes, wouldn’t you also be misinformed about the faith and its followers? The Quran says, “[God has] made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another (49:13).” So get to know your fellow Americans.

    There are some Americans who think Muslims are terrorists and some Muslims who think that other Americans are willfully ignorant. Neither group deserves such a label. Psychologist Henri Tajfel, who was a Holocaust survivor, explained how we isolate ourselves into an “in-group” and facilitate discrimination of an “out-group.”

    It probably wouldn’t have been appropriate for a CNN article, but I would have liked to hear her reconcile this advice with the concept of al-wala’ wa al-bara’ (doctrine of loyalty and disassociation). I know we’ve discussed this before, but here’s a refresher on the concept from this source:

    Abd al Wahhab argued that it was imperative for Muslims not to befriend, ally themselves with, or imitate non-Muslims or heretical Muslims. Furthermore, this enmity and hostility of Muslims toward non-Muslims and heretical Muslims had to be visible and unequivocal. For example, it was forbidden for a Muslim to be the first to greet a non-Muslim; and even if a Muslim returned a greeting, a Muslim should never wish a non-Muslim peace. Likewise, Muslims could convey their condolences to non-Muslims, but they should never pray that God have mercy upon them or ask God to forgive their sins. Muslims were only allowed to say “May God guide you to the right path” or “May God compensate you for your loss.”

    If a Muslim violated any of these rules, he or she was to be treated as an apostate. The same dire consequences would follow if a Muslim referred to a non-Muslim as “brother” or “sister.”

     

  • johnpi 8:20 am on January 21, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , Muslims in America

    American prejudice against Muslims, Islam higher than bias against other major faiths.

    Americans are more than twice as likely to express prejudice against Muslims than they are against Christians, Jews or Buddhists, a new survey found. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they have little or no knowledge of Islam. Still, a majority dislike the faith.
    ….

    Personally knowing a Muslim is not linked to a lower level of prejudice, although not knowing a Muslim is related to the greatest level of bias. The authors of the report say this finding underscores the need for better education on what Islam teaches.

     

  • johnpi 8:15 am on January 15, 2010 | 1 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Muslims in America

    Third Muslim free clinic to serve American poor opens in Columbus, Ohio.

    The Noor Community Clinic is restricted to those without insurance or government help such as Medicaid or Medicare.

    Haque said the primary aim of the clinic is to serve those who need care, Muslim or not. But the doctors also want to give the community a positive view of Islam, to counter the reports of Muslim extremists and violence that pepper the news.

    “Right now, the image of Muslims in general is kind of on the low side,” Haque said.

    “We love our country, we love our nation and we love our community. We want to do our best in helping out, especially in these economically challenging times.”

    The clinic grew out of a meeting of Muslim physicians at Noor Islamic Cultural Center in Hilliard in 2008. The doctors decided to open free clinics for the uninsured under the name “Muslim Clinic of Ohio.”

    Already, the group has opened clinics in Cincinnati and Dayton.

     

  • johnpi 9:01 pm on January 13, 2010 | 1 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Muslim radio, , Muslims in America

    What may be ‘the Western world’s first English-speaking online Muslim radio station’ was launched recently in Orange County, CA.

    “As a community we feel very frustrated by the misconception and misinformation portrayed by the media,” Nour Matar said. “We can understand that there are a lot of bad actions done in the name of Islam. In order for us to combat that we have to let our voice be heard as Muslims Americans living in the U.S.”

    OneLegacyradio.com can be downloaded as an application on any smart phone, providing listeners with a daily dose of Islamic teachings on everything from weight loss to relationship advice at any time of the day. It even tackles contentious topics, such as the radicalization of Muslim youth.

    “We don’t just talk about what the Koran says and that’s it,” Matar said. “We are beyond that. We talk about social issues, but from an Islamic perspective or Islamic background. We’re a place where people can come in and learn about Islam and to communicate with the Muslim community.”

    And it’s not just for Muslims:

    On a recent afternoon, Matar, a Jordan immigrant, urged the radio hosts to not use as many Arabic words in their greeting to ensure that non-Arab listeners feel welcome.

    There’s also an interesting discussion of the different character of the New York Muslim community versus the Orange County Muslim community which boils down to one thing: Physical proximity to 9/11.

     

  • johnpi 12:49 pm on January 6, 2010 | 7 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , Muslims in America, , , , ,

    A new study titled “Anti-terror lessons of Muslim-Americans” was published today by Duke University (pdf).

    Here’s the number one recommendation:

    1. Encourage political mobilization.

    Increased political mobilization is the most important trend identified by this study, as it both stunts domestic radicalization and provides an example to Muslims around the world that grievances can be resolved through peaceful democratic means. We recommend that policymakers in the major political parties embrace this mobilization by including Muslim-Americans in their outreach efforts and by organizing them to gain their support, as they do with other ethnic and religious groups. Similarly, public officials should attend events at mosques, as they do at churches and synagogues. Muslim-American groups should also be fully included in American political dialogue.

    The debate about whether or not US Muslims should engage in the American political system may be a good proxy conversation to determine who is on the side of the devils and who is on the side of the angels in the US Muslim community. And remember to take your kids with you the next time you vote so they can see your good example…

    The other six recommendations:

    2. Promote public denunciations of violence.

    3. Reinforce self-policing by improving the relationship between law enforcement and Muslim-American communities.

    4. Assist community-building efforts.

    5. Promote outreach by social service agencies.

    6. Support enhanced religious literacy.

    7. Increase civil rights enforcement.

     

  • johnpi 10:17 am on December 28, 2009 | 16 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Muslims in America,

    US Muslim response – Dearborn-area group plans protest to tell the world: Islam is peaceful.

    Majed Moughni, a Dearborn attorney, said Sunday afternoon that Muslims need to let the world know that those who would commit terrorism do not represent Islam.

    “It’s very frustrating to know that these guys are using Islam and committing terror,” he said. “Islam stands for peace.”

    His Facebook group, Dearborn Area Community Members, is calling for local Muslims to hold a protest during the scheduled Jan. 8 hearing in U.S. District Court in Detroit for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
    ….

    Information about the protest is being posted on the group’s Facebook page: “Please bring your signs, and American flags: theme: ‘NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM,’ ” according to one post.

     

  • johnpi 2:09 pm on December 25, 2009 | 5 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , Muslims in America, , , ,

    Muslim leaders look inward after arrests of N.Va. men.

    The adults thought they’d done all they could. They had condemned extremist ideology, provided ski trips and scout meetings, and encouraged young people to speak openly about how to integrate their religion, Islam, with the secular world.

    But since five college-age Virginia men were arrested in Pakistan earlier this month after allegedly being recruited over the Internet to join al-Qaeda, many Washington area Muslims are questioning whether mere condemnation is enough.
    ….

    Until now, many Muslim leaders have focused on what they saw as external threats to young people, such as Islamophobia or the temptations of modern secular life. Now they say it is time to look inward, to provide a counterweight to those who misinterpret Koranic verses to promote violence — and to learn what rhetoric and methods appeal to young people.

    Radicals “seem to understand our youth better than we do,” said Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation.

     

  • johnpi 9:04 am on December 24, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Brigham Young University, BYU, , Muslims in America

    Muslim students find similarities with Mormoms at Brigham Young University.

    Both Siddiqui and Sameer Ahmad, 20, who is originally from Lahore, Pakistan, came to BYU on the advice of friends and family members who had attended or visited.

    They were impressed with the Marriott School of Management, the low tuition and the high moral standards.

    But the unique Provo/Mormon culture has been a bit of an adjustment, even though Ahmad grew up in New York City.

    “Back in New York City if you say ‘hi’ to someone, they assume you’re selling them drugs,” Ahmad said. “Over here, every other person (says hi). You have to get used to that. It’s unusual in a nice way.”

     

  • johnpi 10:25 am on December 23, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Muslims in America

    Profile in Al Jazeera of US Muslims.

    Similarly, a 2009 Gallup report found that 70 per cent of American Muslims have a job compared with a national average of 64 per cent. Muslim men have one of the highest employment rates of religious groups; Muslim women are as likely as Catholic women to say that they work.

    After Jews, Muslims are the most educated religious community in the US. Muslim women (unlike their Jewish counterparts) are as likely as their male counterparts to have a college degree or higher. Forty per cent of American Muslim women have a college degree as compared to 29 per cent of Americans overall.

    American Muslims are as concerned about extremism and terrorism as other citizens. Their families and friends in “the old country” have been the primary victims of terrorist attacks. Like other Americans, Muslims were also victims; they too lost loved ones and friends in the 9/11 attacks.

    Moreover, they have seen their religion, not just the terrorists, vilified and as a result those in the mainstream majority have been victims of profiling, discrimination and hate crimes.

     

  • johnpi 8:56 pm on December 21, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Imam, , Muslims in America

    Chicago-area Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid first Muslim to head global interfaith group.

    He’s about to take on a global role as chairman of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, an international interfaith group based in Chicago.
    ….

    Mujahid was picked in part for his history of community organizing. The imam’s the president of Sound Vision Foundation, which produces Radio Islam. He’s the former chair of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.

    I’ve linked and excerpted Imam Mujahid’s writing here at TI, and once excerpted something he wrote and then cited two imams for authority – not knowing that Mujahid was an imam himself. It’s an unusual characteristic of the Internet that you get introduced to someone through the good qualities of their writing or insights, and only later discover their titles and accomplishments.

     

  • johnpi 7:40 am on December 13, 2009 | 6 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Houston, Muslims in America,

    Houston, the city with the largest Muslim population in Texas, has elected its first openly gay mayor.

    “Houston is a multiracial, multicultural, international city. And I think my election will send a message to the world that Houston is a city that might surprise a lot of folks,” Parker said before the runoff.

    Parker, 53, has never shied away from, nor made an issue of, her sexual orientation. She has been with her partner for 19 years and they have two adopted children.

    Houston, is the fourth largest city in the country, and is the first among that group to elect an openly gay mayor.

     

  • johnpi 12:02 pm on November 20, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , Muslims in America,

    The people power is with Zeba.

    Zeba Khan has blown the competition out of the water in the latest round of the Washington Post’s ‘America’s Next Great Pundit Contest’ beating the nearest competitor by over a thousand votes. See Zeba’s powerhouse performance here in the video competition.

    The competition now comes down to Zeba and one other contestant, who have been tasked to write one final column for the contest that will be published on Monday, which will be your opportunity to participate in the FINAL VOTE in the contest.

    Watch here on Monday for your opportunity to vote for Zeba and give her a platform to launch her pundit career at the Washington Post.

     

  • johnpi 8:14 am on November 18, 2009 | 3 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Muslims in America,

    A new report is out that ranks the healthiest and unhealthiest states in the US. The top, most healthiest states in the country were dominated by New England. In order, they were: Vermont, Utah, Massachusetts, Hawaii and New Hampshire.

    The least healthiest states in the US were all in the South. They were, in order from 45th to 50th, South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma and Mississippi.

    Most of the top five states for Muslims in the US (California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey and Indiana) scored in the 20s – except for Illinois, which weighed in at 35 down in the lower half of the list.

    This means that statistically speaking, Illinois Muslims are more likely than other US Muslims to be adversely affected by at least one of 22 measures of public health, including binge drinking, drug abuse, smoking, poor diet, preventable heart disease, violent crime, a high prevalence of obesity, higher infant mortality, teen pregnancy, a low high school graduation rate, a higher percent of children in poverty, limited availability of primary care physicians and preventable hospitalizations.

     

  • johnpi 9:57 pm on November 17, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , Muslims in America

    Zeba Khan advances to the next round in the Washington Post’s ‘America’s next great pundit’ contest.

    Zeba and the other two remaining contestants are being brought to Washington DC where they will meet face-to-face for a roundtable debate. She came in third for votes among the three participants who are advancing, so you’ll really need to show up for the next vote on Thursday, when you will be able to see video of the debate and vote for the best pundit – which will be Zeba of course.

    The winner of this contest will write a weekly column for 13 weeks and paid $200 for each, which then may be published in the print or online edition of the Washington Post.

    In the meantime, here is an excerpt of a blog post Zeba wrote for the round two competition in which she proposed making Detroit, Michigan, into a center of Islamic finance.

    Much has been said about the economic devastation in the Motor City, and weekly stories abound, letting the rest of us in on just how grim the situation is. But in the midst of economic ruin, there are flickers of hope, with occasional stories of small business owners entering the city and setting up shop. Yesterday, a very big flicker of hope was announced in the form of online mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert, the CEO of Quicken Loans, who wants to help spark a revival by relocating his company’s headquarters and its 1,700 employees into the heart of the city. If Gilbert moves his company, it will surely be a step in the right direction. But as Gilbert admits himself, if Detroit is going to become a success story, more people are going to have to follow him in, and it’s going to need to make good business sense to do so.

    Gilbert intends to recruit innovative companies into the downtown area, envisioning an entrepreneurial center that would be critical for a true transformation. In light of his plans, I want to relay an idea that came up over dinner last week with my friends: Let’s turn Detroit into a hub for Islamic finance.

    I know it might seem like I’m throwing a curve ball, but hear me out.

    Follow this link to read more about Zeba’s idea to turn the ‘Motor City’ into a showcase city for the Islamic finance sector.

     

  • buzz 1:22 pm on November 17, 2009 | 24 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: America Still Great, , , , , Muslims in America,

    Take heed Islamophobes, the American Caliphate is coming, one-small-backwater-town-at-a-time…. 

    haroonIn WA, old mining town elects a Muslim mayor
    By MANUEL VALDES (AP) – 1 hour ago

    GRANITE FALLS, Wash. — Granite Falls residents are suspicious of any newcomers, let alone a Muslim native of Pakistan who moved to this rugged, blue-collar mining town to open his own bar.

    But 54-year-old Haroon Saleem has thrived, winning over the town with hard work and an easy smile. He has become so popular that, on Nov. 3, he won the mayor’s job in a landslide, getting 61 percent of the more than 800 votes cast — a result that residents say would have been inconceivable not long ago.

    “In the old Granite Falls, there were no minorities. It was a rough, rough, logging town. Any outsider, whether a minority or somebody from Everett, was the same. It was very difficult to be accepted in this town,” said Sharon Ashton, a close confidant of Saleem.

    Saleem said he was nervous about being accepted, and hired a white assistant manager to ease local concerns when he opened his bar in 2000.

    “I was kind of scared, you know,” he says.

    But he was embraced virtually from the start.

    “That tells you how good and great of a community Granite Falls is,” he says with a slight accent. “They didn’t care … I am who I am, and people love me for that, and I just love people. People know that I am smart, I am a businessman. In the big scheme of things, all these qualities have made me, got me to where I am today.” 

    Full Story

     

  • johnpi 6:25 pm on November 16, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , Muslims in America

    Vote for Zeba (again).

    Zeba Khan who founded Muslim Americans for Obama, has made it into the group of final four contestants being considered in the Washington Post’s “America’s Next Great Pundit” competition.

    Earlier, she requested help from friends and supporters to vote for her in the competition, and she needs our help again.

    I’m writing to inform you that thanks to your votes, I made it past Round 2 in the Washington Post’s “America’s Next Great Pundit” Competition! But there was little time to celebrate as Round Three was a live Q&A session this morning. Online voting has already begun and will go until tomorrow, Tuesday Nov. 17 at 3 pm EST.

    You can read the Q&A transcript here.

    And hopefully, you’ll find reason to vote for Zeba again here.

    What next if she wins this round?

    Should I garner enough votes to proceed, there are two more rounds before the Post determines the overall winner of the competition. So worst and best case scenario, you’ll be finding my name in your inbox two more times this week.

     

  • aziz 4:27 pm on November 10, 2009 | 47 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Muslims in America,

    Should muslim Americans serve in the armed forces of the United States?

    What are the doctrinal and textual rationales and arguments for and against such service? (Qur’an, hadith, rulings, etc.).

    Let’s talk about it in detail. Most of you are more knowledgeable than I so I want to tap the Talk Islam braintrust here and have a rigorous debate. We need to listen to what the Deenport/Umar Lee types have to say as well.

     

  • johnpi 1:06 pm on November 10, 2009 | 3 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , , , , , Muslims in America,

    Pew research: 63 percent of US Muslims see no conflict in being devout and living in Modern society. Pew estimates the actual population of Muslims living in the United States at 2.35 million.

    The first-ever, nationwide, random sample survey of Muslim Americans finds them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world.

    Research findings:

    • Overall, Muslim Americans have a generally positive view of the larger society. Most say their communities are excellent or good places to live.

    • A large majority of Muslim Americans believe that hard work pays off in this society. Fully 71% agree that most people who want to get ahead in the United States can make it if they are willing to work hard.

    • The survey shows that although many Muslims are relative newcomers to the U.S., they are highly assimilated into American society. On balance, they believe that Muslims coming to the U.S. should try and adopt American customs, rather than trying to remain distinct from the larger society. And by nearly two-to-one (63%-32%) Muslim Americans do not see a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society.

    • Muslim Americans reject Islamic extremism by larger margins than do Muslim minorities in Western European countries. However, there is somewhat more acceptance of Islamic extremism in some segments of the U.S. Muslim public than others. Fewer native-born African American Muslims than others completely condemn al Qaeda. In addition, younger Muslims in the U.S. are much more likely than older Muslim Americans to say that suicide bombing in the defense of Islam can be at least sometimes justified. Nonetheless, absolute levels of support for Islamic extremism among Muslim Americans are quite low, especially when compared with Muslims around the world.

     

  • johnpi 8:47 pm on November 7, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , Muslims in America

    Vote for Zeba.

    Last week, I was selected as one of ten contestants in the Washington Post’s “America’s Next Great Pundit” competition. Nearly 5,000 entries were submitted. The Post is holding an online voting weekend starting today and ending Monday, Nov 9th at 3pm EST for readers to choose the top 4 (plus 1 Judges’ pick) to move on to the next round.

    I am shamelessly asking for your vote.

    You got it!

    Zeba Khan created the Muslim Americans for Obama website and blog – http://www.mafo2008.com.

    Here’s something she wrote back in September for The Huffington Post: Muslim Americans missing from the political fray.

    Last week’s “Tea Party” demonstration in D.C. illustrates that using the term “Muslim” as a slur is still acceptable in many parts of the country as protesters exclaimed they were afraid “Muslims are moving in and taking over” – an echo of their leader Mark Williams’ comments about candidate Obama being an “Indonesian Muslim” during the presidential campaign.

    That Muslims aren’t well liked hasn’t been lost on Muslim Americans themselves. But rather than confront the stereotypes and misunderstandings that led to the negative views, most Muslim Americans seem to have gone into hiding and decided not to participate in American political life.

     

  • johnpi 4:18 pm on November 6, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Muslims in America

    Muslim image campaigns suffer after Fort Hood shootings.

    The tragic shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, allegedly by an Arab-American Army psychiatrist, may deal a severe blow to image campaigns launched by Arab and Muslim groups after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

    “One incident like this can just completely erase five years of building up confidence in the mainstream American community that we’re no different,” says Ray Hanania, one of the founders of the Association of Patriotic Arab Americans in Military. “It’s always a setback when there is an act of violence.”

    NOt as bad for those who aren’t ‘visibly’ Muslim or Arab:

    He says he has not personally encountered harassment in the military but admits that some people may not know he is Arab.

    “I don’t have a discernible accent. I don’t have facial hair. I look just like an Italian or Greek or anyone else with dark eyes,” says Rahman, who splits his time between Louisville and Tampa, where he is stationed. “Sometimes, if someone uses a derogatory term, I’ll take them aside and let them know it’s inappropriate. … If the subject comes out, I’m happy and proud to tell them both of my parents were born in Iraq.”

     

  • johnpi 11:58 am on November 6, 2009 | 39 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Muslim Leaders, , , , , , , , Muslims in America, , , ,

    Interesting conversation I was having with another moderate Muslim.

    Her point: Mainstream/moderate American Muslims deserve the suspicion of our fellow Americans for having allowed this thing to grow among us that resulted in the violence at Fort Hood and other recent expressions of extremism, for shrinking back from mosque boards and private school committees when those of the puritanical strain among us take them over, for allowing ourselves to be put on the spot at mosque functions and social events instead of turning it around and not putting them on the spot.

    Agree or disagree?

     

  • johnpi 5:54 am on October 23, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Muslims in America

    Rutgers conference to focus on American Muslim consumers.

    The first-ever American Muslim Consumer Conference will be held Oct. 31 at Rutgers University. The goal of the event is to dispel negative stereotypes of Muslims by highlighting their contributions to America’s society and economy.

    Faisal Masood, of North Brunswick, is the founder of MuslimLink.org, a social media platform that connects Muslim professionals, businesses and organizations. He decided to hold a conference after reading a 2007 New York Times article which mentioned that Muslims spend $170 billion in America, showing that the American Muslim market is highly educated and fast growing.

    He was also inspired by President Barack Obama’s recent address in Cairo, Egypt, and the need to prove wrong the stereotypes that developed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

    “We thought this is a good time to change the subject and talk about positive things,” Masood said.

     

  • buzz 5:38 pm on October 15, 2009 | 8 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Muslims in America, ,

    I have followed Ali Eteraz’s writing for a few years now. I enjoyed his blog, the diverse crowd of commentors it attracted and I have read quite a number of his articles in various publications. Muslim blogs during the Bush years were comfort through hard times.

    I was wondering whether he would be able to pull-off a novel. In retrospect, there were hints of this novel, Children of Dust, for a couple of years. Some of his previous posts seem to align with this book.

    50 pages in and I have to say, I think it is a really good. People like me who do not come from Muslim cultures will enjoy the vivid depiction of growing up Muslim with all the rich Islamic references: some a reflection of deep religious belief, others being sort of the Muslim equivalent of Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. There are also lots of familiar Pakistani cultural references which I have wondered about. In a sense, you are immersed in a foreign culture, something I like. Those who grew up in Pakistan or other Muslim countries will probably feel like they are revisiting parts of their childhood. 

    It is still in hard back but you can get a deal on Amazon. I bought it from a local bookstore because I like to support the local businesses, but bought another, to pass onto a friend, on Amazon for about 1/2 price.

    The book moves along quickly with short focused chapters. I am definitely enjoying it.

     

  • johnpi 7:10 pm on September 28, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Muslims in America

    US Muslims denounce terrorism in peace march.

    A group of American Muslims gathered outside the United States Capitol to denounce terrorism and promote the “true Islam” of peace during the third annual Muslim Peace March, press reports said on Monday.

    Imam Islam Mossaad, leader of the North Austin Muslim Community Center, spoke Sunday morning on the steps of the state Capitol about “Islam’s true goal: world peace,” as both Muslims and non-Muslims carried signs that read “Muslims Reject Terror” and “Peace Be Upon You.”

     

  • johnpi 5:08 pm on September 28, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Muslims in America

    Best place for Muslims to live? America.

    This summer Muslims were murdered in Holland, Germany, and Belgium – four victims of hate crimes.

    These murders are just the latest examples of Islamaphobia coming out of Europe. But Europe is not the only place intolerant of its Muslim citizens. Even in some Muslim countries, expression of religion is often perceived as a threat to the secular state.

    One of the best places for a Muslim to live is the United States. In a lot of ways, conditions are better here than almost anywhere. As a Muslim not permitted to wear my head covering as a politician in my home country, Turkey, I know.

    Think about it: In Turkey, where the vast majority of the population is Muslim, you will not find a lawyer with a beard or a student at a university wearing a head scarf, but you can find plenty in New York City. In Tunisia, you won’t see a religiously dressed physician at university hospitals – but you can in Alabama.

     

  • johnpi 5:06 pm on September 28, 2009 | 2 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Muslims in America,

    Muslims in Queens respond to terrorism arrests in their community.

    “If they are doing things wrong, they should get caught and should get punished,” said Ali Naderi, building manager for the Islamic Institute of New York in Elmhurst.

    Naderi also said he does not worry about the investigation having a negative effect on the Muslim community.

    “Why should we? Because if these people are coming and doing the wrong thing, they should be punished. [Muslim immigrants] come in here, they do work or whatever they have to do, but not the wrong thing. No one cares about those people. They should be punished severely.”

    Morshed Alam, president of the New Americans Democratic Organization of New York, echoed Naderi’s sentiments. He said though he has occasionally heard that people are worried they could be unfairly targeted because of their religion, it is not a frequently voiced concern.

    “I know 99.9 percent [of Muslims] oppose this activity and think they should be punished,” Alam said.

    Several other members of the Muslim community in Queens contacted by TimesLedger Newspapers, however, were more hesitant or refused to comment.

    “Listen, if you want to come down here and talk about Islam and that’s it, no problem. But if you want to talk about terrorism and all of that, that’s an entirely different thing, brother,” said one person who answered the phone at a Muslim house of worship in Flushing before hanging up.

     

  • johnpi 11:57 pm on September 25, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Muslims in America, , , ,

    Spate of terrorism arrests not connected, analysts say.

    In the past week, U.S. officials have announced charges in five terrorism probes in five states. It is a confluence of cases unlike anything the country has seen since the September 11, 2001, attacks.

    But CNN’s national security analyst Peter Bergen and law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks say not to read too much into it — the rush of arrests is a coincidence.

    “These are things that are happening completely independently,” Bergen said.

    Brooks agreed, calling it a “happenstance.”

    Most everything else in the story has already been bloged/linked here at TI, with the possible exception of an indictment against a Brooklyn man for conspiracy to commit murder abroad and for support of foreign terrorists. The man wanted to join al Shabaab in Somalia and “take up arms against perceived enemies of Islam.”

    There’s also this observation about the men arrested:

    While the five probes do not appear linked, they do involve suspects of a similar “socio-economic profile,” said Bergen.

    “The profiles of the people… generally speaking is much closer to what we see among European Muslims,” he said. “They tend to be less well integrated” into mainstream society, and in many cases have faced economic difficulties and unemployment, Bergen said.

    If there is a link among the suspects, Bergen said, “it’s a feeling of exclusion from the American dream.”

     

  • aziz 10:04 am on September 18, 2009 | 12 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Muslims in America

    Count me as extremely skeptical of the “Islam on the Hill” mass jumah prayer. It sends all the wrong messages at the wrong time.

     

  • johnpi 3:20 pm on September 9, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , Muslims in America

    Poll: Muslim Americans still struggling for acceptance.

    Eight years after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Muslim Americans – particularly Muslim-American women – continue to face battles in their struggle for acceptance and the right to wear religious garb in public settings. A new poll from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life finds that Americans see Muslims as encountering more discrimination than any other religious group. But while Americans are more likely to be familiar with Islam or personally know a Muslim than they were at the time of the attacks, levels of tolerance are lower today than they were in the months immediately following Sept. 11.

    Reason not to withdraw and isolate yourself from the non-Muslim larger community.

    A majority of Americans under age 30 (52%) know a Muslim, but less than one-third (30%) of those over age 65 do. That’s significant because researchers have found that knowledge of Islam and Muslims tends to make an individual more inclined to express favorable views of the two. “People who know a Muslim tend to be less likely than others to see a connection between Islam and violence,” says Gregory Smith, a senior researcher at the Pew Forum.

     

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