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Chronology of Islam in America (2008)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
June 2008
US accused of holding terror suspects on prison ships
June 2: The United States is operating "floating prisons" to house those arrested in its war on terror, according to human rights lawyers, who claim there has been an attempt to conceal the numbers and whereabouts of detainees. Details of ships where detainees have been held and sites allegedly being used in countries across the world have been compiled as the debate over detention without trial intensifies on both sides of the Atlantic. The US government was urged to list the names and whereabouts of all those detained. Information about the operation of prison ships has emerged through a number of sources, including statements from the US military, the Council of Europe and related parliamentary bodies, and the testimonies of prisoners. The analysis, due to be published this year by the human rights organization Reprieve, also claims there have been more than 200 new cases of rendition since 2006, when President George Bush declared that the practice had stopped. It is the use of ships to detain prisoners, however, that is raising fresh concern and demands for inquiries in Britain and the US. According to research carried out by Reprieve, the US may have used as many as 17 ships as "floating prisons" since 2001. Detainees are interrogated aboard the vessels and then rendered to other, often undisclosed, locations, it is claimed. (The Guardian)
The Decline in America's Reputation: Why? “It’s the US policies, stupid”
June 11: A congressional report, titled "The Decline in America's Reputation: Why," finds that other nations hate us not because of our values but because of our policies. The report concludes that U.S. policy is what matters most of all in creating our international image. The report finds that unilateral behavior by the current administration, a lack of contact with Americans and the "perceived war on Islam" also contributed to America's unfavorable image in many nations. The Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight - part of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs - issued the report today after ten hearings on the issue. According to Subcommittee Chairman Bill Delahunt: "The data presented at these hearings make it clear that people in other nations don't "hate us because of our values" - but rather they are disappointed with us because we aren't always true to those values." The report pointed out that in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attack there was world-wide sympathy and support for the United States that was best summed up in the headline in the French newspaper Le Monde—Nous sommes tous Americains. (“We are all Americans now.”) Since then, polls conducted by the U.S. Government and respected private firms have revealed a precipitous decline in favorability toward the United States and its foreign policy. The generally positive ratings from the 1950’s to 2000 moved to generally negative after 2002. As the very first witness in a 10-hearing series with pollsters and regional analysts told the Subcommittee—“We have never seen numbers this low.” (AMP Report)
First comprehensive survey of U.S. Islamic centers
June 12: A coalition of Islamic and research groups today announced the launch of a nationwide census project, the first comprehensive survey of its kind, intended to collect accurate data about America’s mosques. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) will conduct the study over the summer and fall, publishing the findings in a report to be released in early 2009. The census is co-sponsored by a coalition of organizations including CAIR, ISNA, the Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation, the Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya (IMAM), the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), the Hartford Institute of Religion Research (Hartford Seminary), and the Religious Congregations and Membership Study 2010 (a project of the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies). The goal of the census is to contact every mosque and Islamic center in the United States to compile accurate information about the Muslim community in America, specifically relating to size, infrastructure development, the participation of women and youth, and depth of involvement in American society. (CAIR)
Court to hear challenge from Muslims held after 9/11
June 16: The Supreme Court today agreed to decide whether top government officials can be sued for damages by the Muslim men who were rounded up and imprisoned under harsh conditions in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The case is an appeal by the Bush administration on behalf of John D. Ashcroft, who at the time was attorney general, and Robert S Mueller III, then as now the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The federal appeals court in Manhattan, in a pretrial decision last June, rejected the claims of immunity raised by the two officials, as well as by other defendants, including the former head of the Bureau of Prisons and the former warden of the Metropolitan Detention Center, where many of the men were held. The lower-ranking officials also appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court, but the justices took no action on their petitions on Monday. The lawsuit was filed by two men, Javaid Iqbal, a Pakistani, and Ehad Elmaghraby, an Egyptian, both of whom were deported after months of confinement in a section of the Brooklyn prison known as Admax-Shu, which stands for administrative maximum special housing unit. Mr. Elmaghraby settled his claims for a $300,000 payment from the government and is no longer in the case. Mr. Iqbal, who has not settled, was a 33-year-old cable television installer on Long Island at the time of his arrest on Nov. 2, 2001. He lived in Hicksville with his wife, a United States citizen, and had an application pending for a green card. He was charged with document fraud for using a Social Security card that belonged to someone else. Mr. Iqbal pleaded guilty after several months of confinement in the special unit, where he was subjected to daily body-cavity searches, sometimes several times a day, as well as to beatings and to extremes of hot and cold. He was kept in solitary confinement with the lights in his cell constantly on. He lost 40 pounds during six months in the special unit, before he was placed in the general prison population. Mr. Iqbal’s lawsuit maintains that he was treated as a “high interest” prisoner solely because of his religion and national origin, under policies and procedures directed by Mr. Ashcroft and Mr. Mueller and carried out by the other defendants. The suit also maintains that the conditions of confinement in the special unit violated minimal constitutional standards, of which the defendants should have been aware. (New York Times)
Flood Damages Historic American Mosque
June 18: The Floods that caused havoc in the state of Iowa have severely damaged a historic mosque in Cedar Rapids destroying nearly a century old records, documents and artifacts. Known as the Mother Mosque of America, was one of the first mosque was built in 1934 in the United States by the Muslim immigrants from Lebanon. Documents inside the mosque, including photographs of American Muslim immigrants from the early 1900s, were destroyed by the flood waters, according to said Imam Taha Tawil, Director of the Mother Mosque of America. The Mother Mosque is listed on both the Iowa State Historical Register and the National Register of Historic Places as an "essential piece of American religious history, which symbolizes tolerance and acceptance of Islam and Muslims in the United States." In the late 1800s, Cedar Rapids had its first influx of Muslim immigrants from Lebanon. The Cedar Rapids Muslim community now boasts five generations descendant from those first settlers. In 1952 Muslims from across the land converged on Cedar Rapids for the first Muslim convention of the Western Hemisphere. From that three-day conclave, “The Federation of Islamic Associations in the United States and Canada” emerged. (AMP Report)
ACLU wants Muslim groups removed from Holy Land co-conspirators list
June 18: The American Civil Liberties Union filed a request in Dallas federal court today to have two Muslim organizations removed from a list of unindicted co-conspirators compiled by prosecutors in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case. Both the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) argue in court papers filed by ACLU lawyers with U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis that they are mainstream Muslim organizations that have been unfairly branded criminals by being included on the government's list. A similar request not made through the ACLU was filed in August by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights group, to have its name removed from the unindicted co-conspirators list. It is still pending. The unindicted co-conspirators list consists of about 300 names of individuals and entities allegedly linked in some way to the Holy Land case. Prosecutors have said they compiled the list so that statements from people in the named organizations could be used at trial without them being considered hearsay. Last year, five former organizers of the formerly Richardson-based Holy Land Foundation were tried on charges that they funneled millions of dollars to the violent Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. government for its targeting of Israelis. Holy Land was once the largest Muslim charity in the U.S. The case ended in mistrial last fall. After a series of legal twists, secret evidence and questionable witness of Israeli intelligence agents, the Holy Land Foundation and five of its former officials were convicted on November 24 on criminal charges related to humanitarian aid given to Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. The defendants said they were engaged in legitimate relief work, while the government claimed that work benefited terrorists. During the trial, defense attorneys accused the government of bending to Israeli pressure to prosecute the charity, and of relying on old evidence. But jurors agreed with the government's contention that at least $12 million raised in the U.S. had been illegally funneled to Hamas after that organization was banned as a terrorist group by the federal government in 1995. (Media Reports)
Barak Obama apologizes to two Muslim women
June 19: Barack Obama personally called to apologize today to the two Muslim women from Michigan barred from sitting next to him during a campaign rally because they wore Islamic head scarves. One of the women, Shimaa Abdelfadeel, told the Free Press that Obama called her "to personally convey his deepest apologies and acknowledge that this was inexcusable." Obama also left a voice mail for the other woman, Hebba Aref, 25, of Bloomfield Hills, according to Abdelfadeel. Obama volunteers didn't allow the two women to sit behind Obama at a Detroit rally on Monday out of fear their Muslim headscarves, known as hijab, would create a negative impression. Abdelfadeel, a Sudanese-American, said that the “incident was unfortunate and extremely disappointing.” But she added that “we will continue to support Senator Obama in his campaign and wish him the best as the race continues.” (Detroit Free Press)
Majority of Americans open to other religious interpretations
June 23: Majority of Americans think their faith is not the only way to salvation and that there are different interpretations of their religious beliefs but they want their traditions to remain unchanged, according to the Pew Forum study of religion released today. According to U.S. Religious Landscape Survey on Religion & Public Life, 70 percent of Americans believe "many religions" can lead to eternal life. And 68 percent believe "there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of my religion…" But most Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus favor "adjusting to new circumstances or adopting modern beliefs and practices…" (Religion Link)
ADC expresses concern over the collection of alien biometric data
June 23: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) today filed a comment with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding the proposed rule of collecting alien biometric data upon exit from US air and sea ports of departure. Under DHS's current US-VISIT program, Customs and Border Protection officers or Department of State consular offices overseas collect biometrics - digital finger scans and photographs - of non-US citizens seeking to enter the United States. These biometrics are then checked against government databases "to identify suspected terrorists, known criminals or individuals who have previously violated US immigration laws." On April 22, DHS issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to establish an exit program under the current US-VISIT program. The proposed rule requires commercial airlines and vessel carriers to collect non-US citizens' biometrics before departing the US, and then submit them to DHS. (ADC Press Release)
Muslim voters detect a snub from Obama
June 24: As Senator Barack Obama courted voters in Iowa last December, Representative Keith Ellison, the country’s first Muslim congressman, stepped forward eagerly to help. Mr. Ellison believed that Mr. Obama’s message of unity resonated deeply with American Muslims. He volunteered to speak on Mr. Obama’s behalf at a mosque in Cedar Rapids, one of the nation’s oldest Muslim enclaves. But before the rally could take place, aides to Mr. Obama asked Mr. Ellison to cancel the trip because it might stir controversy. Another aide appeared at Mr. Ellison’s Washington office to explain. “I will never forget the quote,” Mr. Ellison said, leaning forward in his chair as he recalled the aide’s words. “He said, ‘We have a very tightly wrapped message.’ ” When Mr. Obama began his presidential campaign, Muslim Americans from California to Virginia responded with enthusiasm, seeing him as a long-awaited champion of civil liberties, religious tolerance and diplomacy in foreign affairs. But more than a year later, many say, he has not returned their embrace. While the senator has visited churches and synagogues, he has yet to appear at a single mosque. Muslim and Arab-American organizations have tried repeatedly to arrange meetings with Mr. Obama, but officials with those groups say their invitations — unlike those of their Jewish and Christian counterparts — have been ignored. Last week, two Muslim women wearing head scarves were barred by campaign volunteers from appearing behind Mr. Obama at a rally in Detroit. In interviews, Muslim political and civic leaders said they understood that their support for Mr. Obama could be a problem for him at a time when some Americans are deeply suspicious of Muslims. Yet those leaders nonetheless expressed disappointment and even anger at the distance that Mr. Obama has kept from them. (New York Times)
Texas sheriff apologizes to Muslims for offensive e-mail
June 30: Reacting to the latest controversy about his office in recent months, Sheriff Tommy Thomas on today apologized in person to a local Muslim group for insensitive e-mails sent by members of his staff. Today’s appearance before the Islamic Society of Greater Houston was Thomas' second apology in recent days over staff e-mails that surfaced in media reports last week, including one message from a top commander that mocks Islam's core tenets. Thomas said he would discipline his jail commander, Chief Deputy Mike Smith, who forwarded one e-mail that used the name Muhammad, the prophet and founder of Islam, to make a joke about eating pork. (Houston Chronicle)
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