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Chronology of Islam in America (2007)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
December 2007
Advertiser Campaign Costs Savage $1 Million
Dec 3: In San Francisco, Radio talk show host Michael Savage sued Council on American-Islamic Relations for copyright infringement over the organization's use of a portion of his show in which he called the Quran a "book of hate." Michael Savage said the Washington, D.C.-based CAIR violated his rights by wrongfully using a 4-minute segment of his Oct. 29 "The Savage Nation" show in a letter-writing campaign directed against talk radio advertisers. In the broadcast, Savage called the Muslim holy book "a throwback document" and a "book of hate." CAIR said advertisers have stopped airing or refuse to air commercials during Savage's show. Savage said he's lost at least $1 million in revenue. (Associated Press)
Mistrial in Muslim Air Force Guard Case
Dec 3: A federal judge in Greenbelt, Md. declared a mistrial today in the case of a former Andrews Air Force Base security guard accused of failing to include his Muslim name on a background check to hide his ties to an outspoken Washington imam and mosque. U.S. District Judge Deborah Chasanow made the ruling after jurors failed to reach a verdict for Darrick Michael Jackson, who did not put on a defense, after two days of deliberations. Jurors sent a note to the judge Monday afternoon, saying they could "see no light at the end of the tunnel." Jackson, 37, of Washington, was charged with making a false statement for not listing "Abdul-Jalil Mohammed" as an alias on the federal form he was required to fill out in 2005. (Associated Press)
Burger King settles suit over worker’s beard
Dec 3: The owner of a Burger King in Brookhaven, Philadelphia, will pay $15,800 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission on behalf of a Muslim employee who was fired in November 2004 after he refused, for religious reasons, to shave his beard. In 2004, the restaurant had a policy that employees must be clean-shaven except for those required to have beards to practice their religions. The employee, Gary Majors, of Chester, brought a letter from his imam, but was still dismissed. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
‘USA vs. Al-Arian’ premiere in Washington DC
Dec 6: More than 800 people turned out tonight for the Washington D.C. premiere of the documentary film “USA vs Al-Arian,” The film follows the arrest and trial of Dr. Sami Al-Arian, an Arab-American university professor accused of supporting a terrorist organization abroad. For two and a half years Dr. Al-Arian was held in solitary confinement, denied basic privileges and given limited access to his attorneys. The screening was followed by a panel discussion featuring the film’s director, a member of the Al-Arian family and lawyers from the trial. The discussion was moderated by “Democracy Now” host Amy Goodman. (CAIR)
Death threat against Muslim leader probed
Dec 6: The FBI is investigating a death threat against Basim Elkarra, director of the Sacramento, CA chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, that he says stems from a legal spat between his organization and popular conservative radio host Michael Savage. Elkarra said he met with the FBI in the past two weeks to discuss the threat on his life. Because the investigation is ongoing, Elkarra said he was instructed by the FBI not to publicly discuss into details. FBI spokeswoman Karen Ernst confirmed the FBI received information "regarding an alleged threat" and that the Sacramento field office was investigating. On Dec 3, Savage sued the Washington, D.C.-based CAIR for copyright infringement for allegedly using a clip of his show in which he called the Quran "a book of hate" to dissuade advertisers from advertising on his show, according to the Associated Press. Elkarra said the threat was related to the conflict with Savage and that his office has received many profane calls from Savage supporters. (Sacramento Bee)
U.S. citizens question terror watch lists
Dec 8: Toledo, Ohio native Zak Reed is tired of being stopped and detained at the Canadian border every time he tries to drive home. Last month, for the ninth time in the past year, Reed was held in custody during a routine border crossing across Detroit's Ambassador Bridge, en route to Toledo, about an hour from there. The procedure has become a familiar drill for Reed. Reed may be one of the 300,000 people - or close to 800,000 names, including aliases - on the nation's consolidated Terrorism Watch List administered by the Department of Homeland Security since December 2003. The names, from 22 component agencies, have quadrupled in the past four years, and DHS won't confirm who is or isn't on the list. The irony for Reed seeming to be classified as a homeland security risk is that he is a part of his city's homeland security plan. Reed, 41, is a firefighter for more than a decade whose helmet is graced by a memorial sticker in honor of the 343 New York firefighters who perished in the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. Reed also served 20 years in the Ohio's National Guard. Typically wearing jeans and a T-shirt, Reed, who stands six-foot three with light brown hair and blue eyes, was born Edward Eugene Reed, the son of a U.S. Navy veteran, and raised a Lutheran. When he converted to Islam ten years ago, he changed his name to Zakariya Muhammad Reed. His religion, Reeds believes, could be at the root of the problem. (CBS)
Fontana City, CA approves mosque
Dec 9: The latest in a string of mosques piercing the skyline with minarets and domes along the 10 Freeway, California, has been approved. "It's an exciting time," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Greater Los Angeles Council on American-Islamic Relations. "(Fontana) is probably one of the only major cities in San Bernardino County not to have a mosque." Citing the free-clinic run by Muslim volunteers in San Bernardino, Ayloush said the presence of mosques has triggered Muslims to become more involved in their communities. The architectural details of the mosque still needs to be worked out, but the minaret will tower nearly 40 feet above ground. Just over one-third of the 7,656-square-foot building will be used as a meditation area for worship. The two-story mosque will also have a multipurpose room, lobby, kitchen and office space, according to planning documents. (The San Bernardino County Sun)
Court rejects ACLU request on wiretaps
Dec 12: The top secret US court overseeing electronic surveillance programs rejected a petition to release documents on the legal status of the government’s “war-on-terror” wiretap operations. In only the third time the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) has publicly released a ruling, it turned back a request to reveal documents that would shed light on the government’s program to spy on the communications of terror suspects without first obtaining warrants. FISC’s ruling argued that its role as a unique court dealing with national security issues necessarily meant its case documents and decisions would be classified, and that US constitutional provisions did not require it to release case materials. It also said that even first deleting sensitive material from the papers sought by the American Civil Liberties Union — secret documents related to the legality of the surveillance programs — risked accidentally damaging the country’s security. (AFP)
Sprint tells stations not to air ads on 'Savage nation'
Dec 12: The Hate Hurts America Community and Interfaith Coalition (HHA) today announced that Sprint Nextel, one of the nation's largest communications services providers, will give radio stations instructions that its ads cannot run on "The Savage Nation" or on "any other program that promotes racism or hatred." In a letter to HHA, a Sprint Nextel official said: "We would like to thank your organization for bringing this matter to our attention. We investigated whether Sprint did have spots running during 'The Savage Nation' and indeed we discovered spots did run on KERN-AM in Bakersfield, CA during the program in question, as part of a general advertising buy.Meanhile, Savage’s syndicator had to issue a statement confirming that Office Depot never purchased advertisements on Savage’s program, and that the ads heard by listeners had been placed inadvertently. (CAIR Bulletin)
Judge drops Al-Arian's contempt charge
Dec 13: Sami Al-Arian is no longer in contempt of court, a federal judge in Virginia ruled today, paving the way for the former University of South Florida professor to complete his prison sentence and depart for Egypt. In February 2003, Al-Arian was accused of acting as a fundraiser for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. In December 2005, a federal jury in Tampa acquitted him on eight charges and deadlocked on nine others. In an agreement with federal prosecutors, Al-Arian avoided a new trial by pleading guilty to a charge he conspired to aid the Islamic Jihad. Al-Arian was sentenced to nearly five years in prison, after which he was to leave the country. He was given credit for the time he served while awaiting trial and was expected to finish the sentence eight months ago. (The Tampa Tribune)
"Liberty City Seven" terrorism case ends in mistrial; One acquitted
Dec 14: A federal judge in Miami, Florida, declared a mistrial for six men from a fringe religious group here after a jury said it was deadlocked on charges that they conspired to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago and instigate a war against the United States. A seventh man, Lyglenson Lemorin, 32, was cleared of all charges. The outcome was a setback to prosecutors in a case that Justice Department officials said reflected the threat posed by "homegrown terrorists" who they said could mount attacks as deadly as those of Sept. 11, 2001. But evidence presented at the trial portrayed the "Liberty City Seven" as a group of somewhat hapless low-income laborers, and defense attorneys said the men had become ensnared in what they characterized as an overzealous FBI investigation. "It was evenly split on a lot of counts," said jury foreman Jeff Agron, 46, an educator at a local synagogue. "You wish you could reach a decision -- but it is what it is." The heart of the prosecution case consisted of FBI videotapes and audiotapes. One showed the seven men swearing allegiance to al-Qaeda. In another recorded conversation, the group's leader proposed knocking down the Sears Tower, which, as he described it, would topple and cause a disastrous wave to rise from Lake Michigan. Defense attorneys repeatedly argued that if not for the confidential informants, there would have been no conspiring or talk of destruction. No explosives, military weaponry or written attack plans were found when the FBI searched the group's headquarters here. It was one of the two informants, posing as an al-Qaeda organizer, who led the men in the al-Qaeda oath. The FBI informant also suggested a separate plan to bomb FBI offices in Miami and other cities. Taking the stand on his own behalf, Batiste testified that he had never wanted to blow up the Sears Tower and that he had described the outlandish Sears Tower plan to the undercover informant in hopes of gaining as much as $50,000 in support. (Washington Post)
Jews and Muslims set up big interfaith effort
Dec 15: Two major Jewish and Muslim organizations unveiled an interfaith dialogue curriculum today and are urging their hundreds of thousands of members to use it. Both sides say it is the broadest Jewish-Muslim interfaith effort in the continent's history. Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, North America's largest Jewish movement, announced the partnership with the Islamic Society of North America at his group's biennial convention in San Diego. "As a once-persecuted minority in countries where anti-Semitism is still a force, we understand the plight of Muslims in North America today," Yoffie said. "We live in a world in which religion is manipulated to justify the most horrific acts, a world in which -- make no mistake -- Islamic extremists constitute a profound threat. For some, this is a reason to flee from dialogue, but in fact the opposite is true. When we are killing each other in the name of God, sensible religious people have an obligation to do something about it." This summer Yoffie became the first major Jewish leader to address ISNA, the continent's largest Muslim organization with 30,000 attendants coming to its annual convention. ISNA President Ingrid Mattson addressed the 980-congregation Jewish group, the first leader of a major Muslim group to do so. (Washington Post)
Zogby supports Barack Obama
Dec 18: In an open letter, titled My candidate for 2008, Dr. James Zogby, founder president of the Arab American Institute, today expressed his support to Democratic presidential hopeful Barak Obama and urged Arab Americans to back him. Barak Obama delivered a video message to the Arab American Institute National Leadership Conference in October last. In his letter Zogby said: “Barack Obama understands and respects our community and our concerns. Remember how you felt in 2004 when he electrified the nation with his speech at the Democratic National Convention? I know that many of you felt as elated as I did when he spoke so powerfully, and so sensitively, in support of the rights of Arab Americans.” Obama campaign has asked Zogby to serve on their National Advisory Outreach Team, organizing an Arab American effort. (AAI)
CAIR-NY ‘disappointed' by DA's handling of bias attack
Dec 20: The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today expressed deep disappointment at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s (DA) office for its failure to secure a hate crimes plea and jail time in a bias motivated gang assault perpetrated against a Muslim man in Brooklyn last October. Four of the five assailants, one of whom used brass knuckles to beat 24-year-old Shahid Amber, pled guilty to either first degree assault or second degree assault charges with probation and no jail time. In a letter to Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes, CAIR-NY Civil Rights Director Aliya Latif requested a meeting with the DA office “to further detail CAIR’s concerns, specifically the alarming number of bias incidents that are not appropriately treated or prosecuted as hate crimes, and to assure proper resolution in future bias motivated cases.” (CAIR Bulletin) In an editorial on the case, New York Post said that Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes thinks a conviction for first- degree assault should carry no jail time - if the victim's OK with that. That's just weird.
Lawsuits End Citizenship Delays
Dec 24: Newly minted U.S. citizen Issameldin Mohamed, a native of Egypt, wasn't entirely sure that suing the U.S. government was a good idea. But Mohamed, 45, of Owings Mills, Md., was out of patience, having waited the better part of 10 years to obtain citizenship. Since 2005, he had passed his citizenship test, and waited only for his name to be cleared in a government background check. Finally, after filing a lawsuit in October at U.S. District Court in Baltimore that named Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, FBI Director Robert Mueller and other top government officials as defendants, his naturalization application was approved. On Dec. 14, he became a citizen. Mohamed and an increasing number of immigrants have decided to sue in federal court to force the government to take action on their citizenship applications. At the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, roughly 100 lawsuits have been filed in 2007 demanding action on stalled citizenship applications. That represents roughly 8 percent of the entire civil docket at the courthouse, which is among the busiest in the nation. Morris Days, an attorney with the Maryland-Virginia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, has helped Mohamed and 15 others file similar petitions at federal courthouses in the region in recent months.Days said six already have received citizenship papers or are about to, and he's optimistic that all the applications will be approved. The holdup invariably is the name check, Days said. Muslims are particularly vulnerable to delays, he said, because names of innocent immigrants get confused with those on terror watch lists. (Washington Post)
$156M terrorism damage award thrown out
Dec 28: A federal appeals court in Singfield, Illinois, overturned a $156 million award today against U.S.-based Muslim activists for their involvement in the terrorist death of an American teenager in the West Bank more than a decade ago. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the judge in the case had failed to require the parents of 17-year-old David Boim to properly show a link between the boy's death and the fundraising activities of the charities. The Boims had sued the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development; the American Muslim Society, also known as the Islamic Association for Palestine; the Quranic Literacy Institute of suburban Oak Lawn; and an alleged Hamas fundraiser. Their son, a yeshiva student, was gunned down in 1996 while waiting with other students at a bus stop in Beit El, on the West Bank. In the 2004 trial, a federal court jury had set damages at $52 million. A U.S. magistrate tripled the amount in accord with U.S. anti-terrorism law. (Associated Press)
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