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Chronology of Islam in America (2006)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
December 2006
Israel lobby terrorizes US congress - former senator
Dec. 4: In a letter to Jeff Blankfort, a civil rights activist, James Abourezk, former US Senator from South Dakota said: I can tell you from personal experience that, at least in the Congress, the support Israel has in that body is based completely on political fear--fear of defeat by anyone who does not do what Israel wants done. I can also tell you that very few members of Congress--at least when I served there--have any affection for Israel or for its Lobby. What they have is contempt, but it is silenced by fear of being found out exactly how they feel. I've heard too many cloakroom conversations in which members of the Senate will voice their bitter feelings about how they're pushed around by the Lobby to think otherwise. In private one hears the dislike of Israel and the tactics of the Lobby, but not one of them is willing to risk the Lobby's animosity by making their feelings public.
New chapter needs new thinking
Dec. 5: The Islamic Center of Southern California, has initiated a program which it called “jurisprudence for minorities.” According to Dr. Maher Hathout, an advisor to the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the project could contribute to the much-needed revival of Islamic scholarship for an ever-changing world. “For Muslims in adopted lands, life will be easier if they avoid imposing on themselves unneeded restrictions and hardships and instead follow Islamic teachings that discourage hardship and promote the development of a moderate and facile way of realizing the goals of sharia, which is what is good for people in this life as well as the life of eternity. By doing this, minority Muslim populations will not place themselves in either physical or virtual ghettos, but rather will be ready to cooperate in a constructive way with their fellow, non-Muslim citizens.” (Newsweek)
Police antiterrorism analyst sues NY city, citing anti-Muslim e-mail
Dec. 6: For several years, the New York Police Department has touted an elite undercover unit of mostly Middle Eastern and Asian investigators who use their foreign-language skills online to search out potential terrorist threats against the city. But now the department is under criticism from a member of the unit, an Egyptian-born analyst who filed a suit yesterday that charges he was subjected to hundreds of blistering anti-Muslim and anti-Arab e-mail messages sent out by a city contractor over the course of three years. The analyst, not named in the court papers, filed the discrimination lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan as "John Doe Anti-Terrorism Officer" because he still works undercover in the Cyber Unit. The man, described in the lawsuit as "a proud Arab-American, a practicing Muslim and a patriot," blamed the city for failing to respond to his repeated complaints about the contractor, who was alleged to have sent e-mails saying "Burning the hate-filled Koran should be viewed as a public service at the least" and "Without Islam, there wouldn't be any Islamic terror." He said the hateful rhetoric, unchecked by supervisors, infected the workplace, where other employees felt comfortable making anti-Muslim comments and jokes and where a high-ranking police official thought it was OK to say, "All Arabs are animals." (New York Times/Newsday)
Former Alabama chief justice smears Islam
Dec. 6: "A basic teaching of the Quran is that all infidels, i.e., those who do not acknowledge "Allah" as the true god, should be killed wherever they are found. Such is the nature of this new war. A great danger to our country exists when government offices and institutions are opened to Islamic influence. . ," writes Judge Roy Moore former chief Justice of Alabama. (World Net Daily)
Baker panel's mention of Palestinian "right of return" raises eyebrows
Dec. 6: A reference to Palestinians' "right of return" in the report issued by the high-level Iraq Study Group broke a diplomatic taboo which sparked immediate concern in Israel and surprise among Middle East policy experts. The reference was buried deep inside a 160-page report that urged US President George W. Bush to renew efforts to revive Israel-Palestinian peace talks as part of a region-wide bid to end the chaos in Iraq. Among his group's 79 recommendations for a policy shift on Iraq, number 17 concerned five points it said should be included in a negotiated peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The final point in the list was: "Sustainable negotiations leading to a final peace settlement along the lines of President Bush's two-state solution, which would address the key final status issues of borders, settlements, Jerusalem, the right of return and the end of conflict." "This report is worrisome for Israel particularly because, for the first time, it mentions the question of the 'right of return' for the Palestinian refugees of 1948," said a senior Israeli official, who was reacting to the US policy report on condition he not be identified. (Agence France Presse)
At swearing in, congressman wants to carry Quran, outrage ensues
Dec. 7: Keith Ellison hasn't even started his new job, and he's already under fire. When America's first Muslim congressman, a Democrat from Minnesota, let it be known he will carry a Quran to his swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 4, conservative pundit Dennis Prager called it "an act of hubris ... that undermines American civilization." In a web column, the talk-show host said, "Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress." The column has sparked a brouhaha on talk radio, in the blogosphere, and in newspapers across the country. The congressman's office has been inundated with angry e-mails. (Christian Science Monitor)
Houston suburb objects to mosque plans
Dec. 7: A plan to build a mosque in this Houston suburb (Katy) has blown up into a neighborhood dispute, with community members warning the place will become a terrorist hotbed and one man threatening to hold pig races on Fridays just to offend the Muslims. One resident has set up an anti-Islamic Web site with an odometer-like counter that keeps track of terrorist attacks since Sept. 11. A committee has formed to buy another property and offer to trade it for the Muslims' land. And a next-door neighbor has threatened to race pigs on the edge of the property on the Muslim holy day. Muslims consider pigs unclean and do not eat pork. "The neighbors have created havoc for us and we didn't expect that," said engineer Kamel Fotouh, president of the 500-member Katy Islamic Association. Fotouh vowed to press ahead with plans for a mosque on the 11-acre site, as well as a community center that would offer after-school activities, housing for senior citizens, a fitness center and an Islamic school. (Associated Press)
Senate judiciary leaders introduce bill to restore habeas rights for detainees
Dec. 7: US Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), outgoing chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and current ranking member of the committee Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) have introduced a bill which would restore habeas corpus rights to military detainees and amend the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA). This bill would restore the great writ of habeas corpus, a cornerstone of American liberty for hundreds of years that Congress and the President rolled back in an unprecedented and unnecessary way with September's Military Commissions Act. Introducing the bill Senator Leahy said: This bill would restore the great writ of habeas corpus, a cornerstone of American liberty for hundreds of years that Congress and the President rolled back in an unprecedented and unnecessary way with September's Military Commissions Act. Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who helped craft the detainee legislation, said he would oppose the move. (Source media reports)
Hate crimes reported in Florida, Ohio
Dec. 8: Muslims in Florida and Ohio have been victims of alleged racially-motivated attacks, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said. The group urged the Federal Bureau of Investigation to launch investigations into the attacks. "In Melbourne, Fla., a Muslim of North African heritage was badly beaten during a robbery Nov. 14 in which a witness told police that one of the assailants shouted "you stupid Arab ..." and used other abusive terms, CAIR said. "A mosque in that same city was struck by gunfire in September as worshipers prayed inside," the organization said. "In Ohio, a Muslim woman wearing an Islamic head scarf said she was verbally assaulted on Tuesday by another customer at a Lakewood Walgreens when she used a passport as identification to cash a check. She told CAIR that the cashier and other customers looked on as the man shouted obscenities, made obscene gestures and shouted 'go back home' and 'who needs to use a passport for ID in America.' (United Press International)
Dennis Prager supporters spew anti-Muslim hate
Dec. 8: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said today that it has received hundreds of hate-filled e-mails from supporters of radio talk show host Dennis Prager who says the first Muslim elected to Congress should be prevented from taking his oath of office using the Quran. This week, CAIR called on President Bush to rescind Prager's appointment to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council because of his intolerant views toward Islam in American society. CAIR had earlier called on the head of the museum council to remove Prager from his post because his views are incompatible with the mission of that taxpayer-funded institution. A number of other commentators and groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the American Jewish Committee, have rejected Prager's views. (CAIR Bulletin)
Proposed New Jersey Mosque stirs heated debate
Dec. 10: The Albanian Associated Fund, which represents nearly 200 families, has outgrown its Paterson mosque and is seeking permission to build a combination mosque, recreation and school building in Wayne, where a number of members already live. About five years ago, the group bought 11 acres in the township for about $350,000 in an attempt to expand its facilities in safer surroundings. The complex would sit atop a hill where Colfax Road and Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike meet. Neighbors have opposed the project, saying it will bring heavy traffic and contribute to existing flooding problems in the area. In a July discrimination lawsuit filed at the federal level, Albanian group members claimed that township officials stalled approving the 4,715-square-foot mosque and 7,957-square-foot school for nearly four years at the planning board level, imposing unusually stringent requirements and several delays. (Herald News)
Fliers at Pennsylvania church take aim at Islam
Dec. 11: Islam is a "clear and present danger," according to the pamphlet in the foyer of the Milford Bible Church. "Christians are in danger from the spread of the doctrines of Islam," reads the first sentence of the flier. The pamphlet is published by the Personal Freedom Outreach, a nonprofit group with offices in Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. (Times Herald-Record)
Furor grows over bank closure of charity account
Dec. 12: The U.S. Department of Justice may defend the Patriot Act in a case involving Comerica Bank and a Muslim charity based in Southfield, according to court documents the department filed in Detroit. Comerica officials have told Life for Relief and Development that it intends to close its accounts. The bank's move came after the charity was raided by federal agents in September. The government has not said what the raid was about, but charity officials say it may be related to work the charity did in Iraq. In response, the charity sued Comerica, saying the bank violated its civil rights. The suit, filed last month, challenges the constitutionality of a section of the Patriot Act that allows financial institutions to share information about suspected money laundering or terrorist activity. On Dec. 1, Justice Department attorneys filed a notice in U.S. District Court in Detroit that said it may "intervene in this action to defend the constitutionality" of the section under question. Some Arab Americans and Muslims charge the bank is discriminating against the charity because it is operated by Arab-American Muslims. (Detroit Free Press)
Muslim charity seeks dismissal of charges of terrorism
Dec. 12: In a new challenge to Washington over its closing several American Muslim charities that it has accused of aiding terrorism, the largest such group filed a motion seeking dismissal of many of the charges. Lawyers for the group, the Holy Land Foundation of Richardson, Tex., filed the motion in Federal District Court in Dallas two weeks after a federal judge in California called into question a crucial provision in designating terrorist supporters. Since December 2001, the Treasury Department has designated Holy Land and five other Muslim charities in the United States as terrorist supporters, seizing millions of dollars in assets and halting their activities. No accused charity or any senior officer have been convicted on a charge of terrorism. Some charities have faced no criminal charges. (New York Times)
Effigy of 'Arab' stirs uneasiness in Aan Anselmo, CA
Dec. 13: An effigy of a man in Arab headdress hanging from a gallows in a San Anselmo (CA) yard has become the latest public display of politics to raise eyebrows in a town becoming known for that type of thing. Pat La Tray, 57, built the gallows for the straw effigy - which has an American flag piercing its heart - after police asked him to take it out of a tree on town property in front of his house at 330 Greenfield Ave. He built the effigy for Halloween, but said he has decided to leave it up as a symbol of his support for troops fighting in the Iraq war and his stance against terrorism. (Marin Independent Journal)
CAIR condemns Iranian holocaust denial conference
Dec. 13: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today condemned a conference in Iran that seeks to deny the Holocaust, the systematic destruction of the Jewish community in Europe by the Nazis during World War II. In a statement, CAIR said: "No legitimate cause or agenda can ever be advanced by denying or belittling the immense human suffering caused by the murder of millions of Jews and other minority groups by the Nazi regime and its allies during World War II. Cynical attempts to use Holocaust denial as a political tool in the Middle East conflict will only serve to deepen the level of mistrust and hostility already present in that troubled region." (CAIR bulletin)
Hamas-case prosecution concludes
Dec. 13: After presenting evidence for the better part of two months, federal prosecutors rested their case against two men accused of activities supporting the militant Islamic Palestinian group Hamas. The prosecutors ended the first phase of the case with more testimony from FBI agents who walked jurors through phone and bank records allegedly linking defendants Muhammad Salah and Abdelhaleem Ashqar to Hamas leadership and to each other. Salah is a Bridgeview businessman accused of funding terrorism through the group, and Ashqar, a former university professor from Virginia, is accused as an organizer. The documents allegedly show money moving between top Hamas leaders and Salah, including more than $1 million in deposits in the early 1990s. Defense lawyers have countered with the argument that all of the alleged activities in the case occurred before the U.S. officially designated Hamas a terrorist organization in 1995, and that money was used for education and charitable work. (Chicago Tribune)
Losing Arab allies' hearts and minds
Dec 14: Attitudes towards the United States reached new lows through most of the Arab world over the past year, according to the findings of a major new survey of five Arab countries released by Zogby International and the Arab American Institute (AAI). Based on 3,500 face-to-face interviews of randomly selected adult respondents in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, the survey found that the continuing deterioration in Washington's image was due primarily to U.S. policies in the region, particularly with respect to Iraq, Palestine, and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Lebanon. But it also found that attitudes towards U.S. cultural and political values have also become increasingly negative, compared to previous years' surveys, although not nearly as negative as Arab views of specific policies. (Inter Press Service)
Muslim asked to remove hijab on British Airways flight
Dec. 14: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on British Airways to clarify its policy on passengers wearing religiously-mandated attire after a Muslim woman traveling to the United States reported that she was asked to remove her Islamic headscarf, or hijab, during the flight. CAIR said the Muslim passenger, who lives in the United Kingdom, reported that a British Airways employee asked her to remove her scarf before boarding a flight from Heathrow to Philadelphia on November 24. According to the passenger, the British Airways employee said that permission to wear an Islamic headscarf on the plane was "at the discretion of the pilot." (CAIR Bulletin)
Harassment of returning American Hajjis feared
Dec. 14: Fearing harassment of American Muslims returning after performing Hajj, the Council on American Islamic Relations, met with the officials of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to discuss hassle-free travel for the Hajj pilgrims. The CAIR has also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to ensure safe traveling for the Hajj pilgrims. Following recent reports of "flying while Muslim" airport profiling incidents, the CAIR is offering a toll-free hotline for the returning Hajjis who may experience any difficulty and extra probe by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. It may be recalled that six Imams were removed from a domestic flight and detained for several hours because they offered prayers at the airport. The CAIR has also advised the Hajj pilgrims to review their rights and responsibilities as airlines passengers, in order to facilitate efficient traveling and to avoid unnecessary delays. (AMP Report)
'Kill all Muslim kids' hate site shut down
Dec. 15: The Tampa, Fla., office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Tampa) announced today that an Internet web hosting company in that state has shut down a hate site that supported killing "all Muslim kids." Hostgator.com removed the site in response to a request by CAIR-Tampa. The Boca Raton-based company also informed the Islamic civil rights and advocacy group that the website has been suspended permanently. Other entries on the site contained obscene and hate-filled attacks on Islam and Muslims, as well as support for other violent actions. One entry stated: "It's bad enough some [expletive deleted] in Minnesota elect a Muslim to Congress but the people in Michigan might have done them one better. . .Start sticking [sic] up on guns and ammo. The war will start soon." (CAIR Bulletin)
Continued on page II
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