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Chronology of Islam in America (2014)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
January 2014 - Page Two
Civil rights groups, politicians condemn anti-Muslim Republican official
Jan 17: Three civil rights groups and five politicians have condemned anti-Muslim comments made by Dave Agema, a former state representative from Grandville and a member of the Republican National Committee. The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Michigan Muslim Community Council, the National Network for Arab American Communities, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and four state representatives blasted Agema, who posted the following statement on his Facebook account: “Have you ever been to a Muslim hospital? Have you heard a Muslim orchestra? Have you seen a Muslim band march in a parade? Have you witnessed a Muslim charity? Have you seen Muslims shaking hands with a Muslim Girl Scouts (sic)? Have you seen a Muslim Candy striper? Have you ever seen a Muslim do anything that contributes positively to the American way of life?” The three civil rights groups issued a joint statement: “Muslims positively contribute to American society as all other religious groups, including serving in the military and law enforcement to operating free health clinics, soup kitchens and social service centers. Agema’s attempt to marginalize American Muslims is deplorable and should be denounced by the leadership of the party of Abraham Lincoln. We call on the Michigan GOP to condemn recent anti-Muslim comments of Agema, which are inaccurate, divisive and unrepresentative of the official values articulated by the Republican Party.” [Press & Guide Newspapers]
MLK: Also a victim of NSA surveillance
Jan 20: Martin Luther King Jr. day is being celebrated today amid heated debate on massive dragnet surveillance by the National Security Agency (NSA). Ironically, he was himself a victim of NSA surveillance as unveiled by the declassified documents in September last year. Dr. King's status as an NSA target has been known since the 1970s; nevertheless, this was probably the first time that the U.S. government had declassified it. Dr. King, an outspoken opponent of the US war in Vietnam, was apparently monitored up until his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. He may have been targeted for his opposition to Vietnam but also for his civil rights activism and because one of his chief advisers was a former Communist Party member. [AMP Report]
More Than 500 Participated Monday in the 2014 Muslim Lobby Day in Olympia
Jan 21: More than 500 people participated today in the 2014 Muslim Lobby Day in Olympia, which was organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) of Washington. The group spoke with Gov. Jay Inslee, met with lawmakers and held an 11 a.m. rally at the Legislative Building to support extending state financial aid to immigrant students and regulating drone use. Muslims from Seattle, Mountlake Terrace, Tukwila, Kent, Tacoma, Redmond, Richland, Yakima, Pullman, Vancouver, Bellingham and other towns participated in the rally. [CAIR]
Lawsuit against Muslim-American group tossed out by federal judge in Michigan
Jan 22: A federal judge in Michigan dismissed today a lawsuit filed on behalf of Republican leader Dave Agema and others against a Muslim-American group over the cancellation of 2012 event in western Michigan that was planned to highlight the perceived dangers of Islamic law. U.S. District Judge Janet Neff of western Michigan threw out the 2012 lawsuit, which was filed by the Thomas More Law Center in Ann Arbor on behalf of Agema, at the time a state representative and currently the Republican National Committeeman in Michigan.The lawsuit was filed after police and officials shut down a 2012 event at Allegan High School that was planned to highlight what organizers said is the threat of radical Islamism. The lawsuit maintained that Agema and others’ free speech rights guaranteed by the Constitution were violated when the event was shut down. In her decision, Neff said she agreed with the defendants that the high school was not a public forum and so the event could be legally restricted for safety reasons. Before the event, the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) had sent a letter in January 2012 to Allegan Public Schools, asking officials to cancel the event, which they said would promoted hatred and intolerance. The letter was signed by Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan branch of the Muslim group, and also by a leader with the liberal group People for the American Way. [Free Press]
Federal Judge allows no-fly list challenge to proceed
Jan 22: Judge Anthony J. Trenga of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria, today rejected another government motion to dismiss a complaint challenging the US “no-fly” list. The Judge allowed the lawsuit by a young Somali American, Gulet Mohamed, to proceed to trial for a determination of how best to balance the government’s substantial interest in preventing terrorism with a citizen’s constitutional right to travel. Inclusion on the no-fly list maintained by the Transportation Security Administration “labels an American citizen a disloyal American,” Trenga said adding: "Placement on the no-fly list is life-defining and life-restricting across a broad range of constitutionally protected activities and aspirations and ... transforms a person into a second-class citizen, or worse.” The Identity Project (IDP) has described Gulet Mohamed as a poster-child for everything that’s wrong with the system of “no-fly” orders, and one of dozens of victims of similar mistreatment and extrajudicial exile from the US. According to Los Angeles Times, Kuwaiti authorities detained Mohamed, then 19, at the request of U.S. officials. He allegedly was beaten by the Kuwaitis, then questioned by FBI agents before the Kuwaiti government attempted to put him on a plane to Washington. He was prevented from flying for four days, until his family filed a lawsuit on his behalf. Mohamed was allowed to come home only after his lawyer in the US, Gadeir Abbas of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), filed a federal lawsuit on his behalf. [AMP Report]
'Religious Freedom' rep says no to Muslims' rights in military
Jan 24: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has called on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to investigate one of its own members for seeking to deny religious rights to Muslim military personnel. USCIRF Vice Chair Zuhdi Jasser appeared on Fox News to speak out against the Pentagon's recent broadening of religious rights for minority faiths. While supporting those broadened rights for Sikhs and Jews, Jasser decried the expanded rights as they applied to American Muslims. He claimed the Obama administration is "bending over backwards for political correctness," which will lead to what he called "litigation jihad." In a letter to USCIRF Chairman Dr. Robert P. George, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad wrote in part: "We are writing today to request that you initiate an investigation of USCIRF Vice Chair Dr. Zuhdi Jasser for seeking to deny religious rights to Muslim military personnel. Given his position on this and other issues regarding restricting Muslims' rights domestically, we find it difficult to imagine he can represent our nation's interest in protecting minority religions internationally with any integrity. . .Dr. Jasser's biased and agenda-driven views on religious accommodation are contemptuous of the First Amendment freedoms we all hold dear." [CAIR]
Congressman complains that religious freedom law allowed mosque to build a cemetery
Jan 30: A Tennessee congressman recently called it “unfortunate” that state laws allowed a local mosque — a victim of arson that gained national attention several years ago — to build a new cemetery on its grounds. Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN) took to Facebook to inform his constituents that he had heard their concerns about the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro being permitted to construct a cemetery on its grounds loud and clear and shared their worries. “Friends, I have received numerous calls over the last couple of weeks regarding the Murfreesboro mosque cemetery,” DesJarlais wrote. “Although this is a state issue, I am deeply concerned over the impact it might have on our community.” The issue DesJarlais was referring to was the decision from the Rutherford County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) at the beginning of the month to approve the Islamic Center’s request to construct a cemetery on its grounds. The decision had been deferred from December while the mosque was required to provide outside analysis on what impact the new burial site — which would follow Muslim customs — would have on the community. In the end, the approval was granted by a vote of 3-2, along with stipulations that the Center keep records of the burial locations and that the permit shall expire in the event the property is sold for a non-religious use.
According to the BZA chairman Zane Cantrell, the decision from DesJarlais to strike out against the mosque on Facebook is a purely political move. “Obviously DesJarlais is desperate to get votes, especially in Rutherford County,” Cantrell, who supports a state senator running for DesJarlais’ seat, told The Daily News Journal. “I can’t imagine who would vote for DesJarlais over Jim Tracy. DesJarlais is desperate. He sees he’s losing the battle to Jim Tracy, and he’s doing something to call attention to himself.” The mosque at the center of the controversy first gained widespread attention when residents attempted to block its construction, going so far as to set the site on fire. The mosque only managed to complete construction and open after a federal judge ordered residents to stand aside. The Murfreesburo site was just one of several Islamic centers in Tennessee subjected to arson and vandalism over the past five years. [Think Progress]
Judge Orders NYPD To Begin Turning Over Muslim Spying Documents
Jan 30: A federal judge has ordered New York City to begin a process to hand over investigative documents from the New York Police Department's surveillance of Muslims as part of a long-running lawsuit. In an order issued today, U.S. District Judge Charles Haight, Jr. said there was a "manifest" need for further legal discovery, which could bolster the plaintiffs' claim that the NYPD has engaged in discriminatory surveillance of Muslims. "The Muslim community is concerned about the attentions being paid to it by the NYPD. That concern is natural and reasonable," Haight found. Haight's order comes as part of a still-open lawsuit launched in 1971 against the NYPD's investigation of anti-Vietnam War activists and Black Panthers. Eventually the police department agreed to abide by guidelines prohibiting it from investigating people's political activities without suspicion of a crime. The original lawyers involved in those place now say those guidelines are being violated against Muslims, and they want Haight to order an end to religiously motivated surveillance altogether. [Huffingtonpost]
Christian University drops 'Crusaders' nickname from its sports teams
Jan 31: A Wisconsin Christian university is dropping the word 'Crusaders' from its sports teams, saying the word doesn't fit with a 'more global society.' The Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown and its sports teams have used the name since the college's founding in 1968.The decision coincides with a recent name change, from Maranatha Baptist Bible College to Maranatha Baptist University. The university's executive vice president stresses that the school has received no complaints about the name Crusaders.'The heartbeat behind this was not political correctness, but expanded opportunities for our students,' Matt Davis told Fox News. Davis says the change had long been in discussion among the university's Board of Trustees, who decided that 2014 was the appropriate time. The word Crusades - defined by Merriam-Webster as 'any of the military expeditions undertaken by Christian powers in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries to win the Holy Land from the Muslims' - to some speaks of heroics, but for others - namely Muslims - it speaks of bloody murder. 'Times change and we understand that context changes,' Davis told Fox News. 'Our world has changed since 9/11 and we’ve become a more global society with the Internet.' [The Daily Mail]
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