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Chronology of Islam in America (2010)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
May 2010
Religious right leaders ask God to forgive Minnesota for electing a Muslim
May 1: At the Religious right leaders gathering here today for “May Day 2010: A Cry To God For A Nation In Distress,” an unidentified woman made the following prayer at the "May Day 2010: A Cry To God For A Nation In Distress": a private event hosted by an array of religious groups from the right in Washington, DC: “And father, we repent that we have not used godly wisdom when we have elected officials into elected positions in our state and nation, father, and that it has opened the door, that Minnesota holds the responsibility for placing the first Muslim in Congress, and, for that God, we repent.” The Muslim Public Affairs Council, a leading American Muslim group, called the controversial prayer appalling. MPAC called upon the National Day of Prayer Task Force to repudiate the statement, and urged elected officials and religious leaders to reject such bigotry by calling for mutual understanding and mutual respect. The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance designated by the United States Congress to highlight the diversity of faiths that makes up our country. (AMP Report)
Alarming rise in hate crimes against American Muslims
May 1-15: The first two weeks of May witnessed a dramatic increase in violent acts against Arab and Muslim Americans. These incidents involve acts of domestic terrorism, vandalism, intimidation, and discriminatory campaign tactics.
1. A pipe bomb explodes outside the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, during the Isha/evening prayers. On the night of May 10, someone discreetly walked around the grounds of the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida, in Jacksonville, carrying a gas can which he quickly lit and ran away. Minutes later, as more than 60 people prayed inside, the pipe bomb exploded in a ball of flames and set part of the building on fire. Thankfully, nobody was injured and the fire was put out by frightened worshippers using a fire extinguisher. Currently, the FBI is investigating the incident as a possible act of domestic terrorism.
2. The Islamic Association of Michigan (Masjid Umar-bin-Khattab) in Brownstown, Michigan, is vandalized twice this month. The Islamic Association of Michigan (Masjid Umar-bin-Khattab) in Brownstown, Mich., has reported two incidents of vandalism. The first occurred on May 9 and the second on May 15 when vandals broke windows and the glass in an entryway door
3. An art exhibit by a Muslim graduate student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is defaced and vandalized. On May 11, vandals defaced an exhibit by Muslim graduate student Anida Yoeu Ali at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). The exhibit, which addressed racial profiling and the rise of violence and hate directed at Muslims in the post-9/11 era, was vandalized with large caricatures and a word bubble highlighting the text “Kill all Arabs.” Ali's exhibit is part of a larger ongoing series of work, the "1700% Project," which is a collaborative project that uses art as a form of response to hate crimes.
4. An 18 year-old male was brutally beaten by officers from an Illinois Police Station in retaliation for his mother's attempt to file a complaint against the way her son had been treated. The mother is a Muslim-American woman and wears the Hijab, the traditional Muslim headwear. During the beating, one of the officers yelled at the young man that this was all because of his “Muslim bitch” mother.
5. In San Diego, a white man in his 50’s shouted, “You idiot, you mother f**ker, go back to where you came from,” as the victim was concluding his sunset prayer in a park near Mission Bay on May 12th night. The assailant then followed the victim as he returned to his taxi. When the victim attempted to enter his taxi and put on his seatbelt, the assailant repeated his slurs, grabbed the victim’s shirt and punched him repeatedly in the right eye and left shoulder. As a result of his injuries, the victim underwent a CAT scan as a precautionary measure. The alleged assailant was taken into custody by police. (AMP Report)
Mosque-Synagogue dialogues in Seattle
May 2: The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA), Congregation Kol Ami and the Islamic Center of Eastside (ICOE) organized interfaith dialogues at a mosque and a synagogue. The three groups organized the mosque-synagogue visits and dialogues April 30 at a Woodinville synagogue and May 2 at a Bellevue mosque. The synagogue event included a regular Shabbat service, a presentation by Imam Humza Chaudhry on Islam and a social hour. The mosque event included a reception, a presentation by mosque board members and the imam on the history of the mosque, followed by a question and answer period and a tour of the facility. "This was a wonderful weekend for Jews and Muslims alike," said Rabbi Mark Glickman of Congregation Kol Ami. "Joining together as friends and learning about our religious traditions is the best way to bridge the wide gap that so often separates our communities." Imam Humza Chaudhry, who spoke at the synagogue, commented on the event: "I was humbled by the Rabbi's offer to deliver a speech in place of his regular Shabbat sermon. It was also a pleasure to get to know congregants during the social hour that followed." (CAIR)
Christian ‘Doctrine’ Fueled Dehumanization: UN Report
May 4: A groundbreaking report examining the roots of Christian domination over indigenous peoples and their lands was released this week at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. North American Representative to the Permanent Forum, Tonya Gonnella Frichner, an attorney and founder of the American Indian Law Alliance, presented a preliminary study on the "Doctrine of Discovery" and its historical impacts on indigenous peoples, with a focus on how it became part of United States laws. "The first thing indigenous peoples share is the experience of having been invaded by those who treated us without compassion because they considered us to be less than human," said Frichner, a citizen of the Onondaga Nation serving her first term on the 16-member UNPFII. "Dehumanization leads to the second thing indigenous peoples share in common: Being treated on the basis of the belief that those who invaded our territories have a right of lordship or dominance over our existence and, therefore, have the right to take, grant, and dispose of our lands, territories, and resources without our permission or consent." Frichner said human rights violations faced by indigenous peoples can all be traced to the Doctrine of Discovery and its interpretive framework which has been used for five centuries to take Native lands.
The Doctrine of Discovery was among Vatican mandates dating back to the 15th century, called papal bulls, that declared Christian monarchs had the right to claim superior title over land and territories that they "discovered." The claimed right of "dominion" over Native peoples was based on the thinking that non-Christians were "heathens and uncivilized savages," with no, or limited rights, to land. The Vatican's Doctrine of Discovery was based on the premise that all non-Christian land belonged to no one because no Christians were living there and no Christian monarch or lord had yet claimed dominion. Once Christian monarchies like Spain or France claimed the right of dominion, that claim was transferred to political successors over centuries.
The UN study focused on the history of the United States, and points out that the Doctrine of Discovery had been officially incorporated into U.S. Indian policies in the 1823 Supreme Court ruling Johnson v. M'Intosh.Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall identified the royal charters of Great Britain pertaining to North America as the source of the argument that "discovery gave title" to the government by whose authority the "discovery" was made. The royal charter issued to John Cabot in 1496 authorized Cabot and his sons to seek out "isles, countries, and regions of the heathen and infidel, which before this time have been unknown to all Christian people." This and similar language were cited as the basis for the ruling in Johnson v. M'Intosh that the United States had the ultimate dominion over Indian peoples and lands.
Frichner said the report is a first step in investigating the global scope of the Doctrine of Discovery as a key source of violations of human rights of Native peoples. (Indian Country)
Nightmare border crossing for Muslims
May 5: Crossing the border can be a pain. But one Seattle area couple says what they faced was far worse. Getting back into the United States from Canada became a nightmare. They believe they were targeted, in part, because they are Muslim. The couple asked that their names not be used. She's Canadian and visibly Muslim, covering herself in the tradition of her faith. He's an American Muslim. His passport indicates he's traveled to Mecca. She says for months they were harassed every time they returned to the U.S. from Vancouver. On Labor Day weekend, they were waiting in line to cross. "Our car was surrounded with guns and dogs. We were pulled out, handcuffed and put into a cell," she said. She says they were immediately released and allowed to cross, never told why they were detained. The woman, who is a university professor in Canada says there's no doubt in her mind they were the victims of profiling. "I mean, one time they separated us and started asking me inappropriate questions having to do with being Muslim," she said. The couple is part of a class action lawsuit over the treatment of Muslims at the border. (CAIR)
NCIS acknowledges: Anti-Islam film not OK for training
May 11: CAIR today said the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) has acknowledged that an anti-Islam film should not have been used in training offered to security personnel by that military law enforcement agency. In March, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad contacted NCIS Director Mark D. Clookie after receiving a report that a three-day NCIS surveillance detection course at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., included the viewing of a propagandistic anti-Islam film.
In a May 7 letter to Awad, Director Clookie wrote in part: "[W]e have reviewed whether the video, "Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West" should have been shown to the class. This video is not part of the curriculum for this course and should not have been shown. Please know that NCIS has no tolerance for derogatory comments about any religious, racial, ethnic, or cultural group. . .I am very much aware that respect for religious and cultural values is critically important. NCIS prides itself on its own diversity and on its respect for the religious and cultural values of others." Those interviewed in "Obsession" constitute a veritable who’s who of Muslim-bashers. Speakers include Walid Shoebat, who once told a Missouri newspaper that he sees "many parallels between the Antichrist and Islam" and "Islam is not the religion of God -- Islam is the devil." (Springfield News-Leader, 9/24/07)
Others interviewed in the film include Nonie Darwish, a self-styled "former Moslem" who wrote that "Islam is cruel, anti-women, anti-religious freedom and anti-personal freedom in general," and Daniel Pipes, who warned a Jewish convention of the "true dangers" posed by "the presence, and increased stature, and affluence, and enfranchisement of American Muslims." (American Jewish Congress, 10/21/2001)
Another "Obsession" interviewee, Brigitte Gabriel, told the Australian Jewish News: "Every practising Muslim is a radical Muslim." She also claimed that "Islamo-fascism is a politically-correct word. . .it's the vehicle for Islam. . .Islam is the problem." When asked whether Americans should "resist Muslims who want to seek political office in this nation," Gabriel said: "Absolutely. If a Muslim who has -- who is -- a practicing Muslim who believes the word of the Koran to be the word of Allah, who abides by Islam, who goes to mosque and prays every Friday, who prays five times a day -- this practicing Muslim, who believes in the teachings of the Koran, cannot be a loyal citizen to the United States of America."
According to one NCIS trainee, the film and the course promoted the theme that "Islam is synonymous with Nazism." The briefing presenter also allegedly used the term "Hajji" as a pejorative in reference to Muslims and stated repeatedly that "Islam is not a religion of peace." (CAIR)
American Citizen Denied Re-Entry to U.S.
May 14: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to end the "forced exile" of a Muslim citizen who was recently detained by Mexican authorities and allegedly questioned about his faith, apparently at the behest of the FBI. CAIR said Raymond Earl Knaeble IV, a 29-year-old California-born convert to Islam, has been stranded in Colombia since March after being placed on a no-fly list for unknown reasons. His ordeal, and that of other American Muslims denied re-entry to the U.S., was detailed last month by the Washington Post. (Knaeble was in Colombia to visit relatives.) Earlier this week, Knaeble traveled to Mexico, hoping to cross into the United States overland through that nation. He was stopped by Mexican authorities as he got off the plane and asked, "Are you Muslim?" He was then detained for 15 hours and asked many questions relating to his faith, such as how many wives he has (one) and the differences between "Sunni" and "Shia" Muslims. Knaeble said the questions he was asked were the same as those asked during many hours of FBI interrogation in Colombia. (CAIR)
Compassion, prejudice and American Muslims
May 15: Today American Muslims feel under siege. Too many feel the American dream is not for them. For a few, radicalization is the next step. Anti-Muslim rhetoric has reached epic proportions in broader U.S. society -- largely tolerated, rarely condemned. While "terrorism experts" cite frequent travel to Muslim countries or Internet videos as primers for radicalization, the core primer, which is largely un-remarked upon, is the siege mentality surrounding American Muslims.
Many factors contribute to this mentality, including rhetoric from fringe hate groups, the demonization of Muslims by Hollywood and repeated questions of loyalty by (conservative) commentators. Nothing is more debilitating to the psyche of American Muslims than to have those in positions of authority remain silent after such comments or, worse, contribute to the hostility.
American Muslims notice when, as happened last week, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service stopped using an anti-Muslim film "Obsession: Radical Islam's Obsession with the West" to train agents. But American Muslims also notice when a Florida Republican candidate for Congress, Dan Fanelli, runs television ads in which he points to a white man and asks, "Does this look like a terrorist?" and then turns to an Arab-looking man and asks, "Or this?" Or when Congress invites the preacher Franklin Graham to speak at the National Day of Prayer event on Capitol Hill despite Graham's infamous remarks about Islam as a "very evil and wicked religion."
U.S. leaders need to do much more to help bring American Muslims into the mainstream. The president and others should follow the example set by former secretary of state Colin Powell when he endorsed then-candidate Barack Obama on "Meet the Press." Reacting to assertions that Obama was Muslim, Powell asked, "Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be president?" Not just American Muslims but all Americans need to see and hear examples of people like my former supervisor and Colin Powell. (By Walied Shater who served as a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service from 1995 to 2007 – Washington Post May 16, 2010)
Imam's invocation sparks controversy in Pompano Beach
May 16: A Muslim cleric's prayer at the start of a Pompano Beach commission meeting provoked an uproar in this city, prompting officials to consider an end to religious petitions altogether. Ever since Imam Hasan Sabri delivered an invocation at a February meeting — first in Arabic and then in English – a dozen or so speakers who are mostly from out-of-town have appeared at multiple city meetings to slam commissioners. Critics faulted the officials for allowing prayer in a foreign language by a local Muslim leader whose religion and culture differ from practices of other faiths. In April, city resident and conservative radio host Joyce Kaufman told the commission: It is the tradition of this land that people be tolerant of one another's religious beliefs. "However, once any group or religious organization evidences an ideology that conflicts with our Judeo-Christian values and our principles, it is incumbent upon you to safeguard your constituents." She alleged, without providing proof, that a majority of mosques in the U.S. "are preaching hatred of the United States of America, hatred of Jews, hatred of Christians." Sabri has recited invocations annually at city meetings since 2005, Deputy City Clerk Asceleta Hammond said. Sabri leads the Islamic Center of South Florida, which has had a peaceful, 25-year presence in the city, elected officials said. It has also served as a polling station, through the March 2008 election. (Sun Sentinel)
Muslim soldier: Army has not addressed harassment complaints
May 17: Two months after a Muslim soldier complained to the Pentagon about being harassed in the wake of the Fort Hood shootings, Spec. Zachari Klawonn said the Army has not followed through on its promises to address problems at the country's largest military base, Washington Post reported today. Commanders at Fort Hood, Tex., moved Klawonn, 20, off post for his safety in March after a threatening note with religious slurs was left at his barracks door. During his two years in the military, Klawonn said he has filed more than 20 complaints of harassment for being Muslim. Many of the instances have occurred at Fort Hood and were confirmed by fellow soldiers, including times when other soldiers jeered him and used religious slurs, when his Koran was torn up and when another threatening note was left on his truck. Klawonn said the harassment escalated after Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, a Muslim psychiatrist he'd never met, was charged with killing 13 people and injuring more than 30 during a massacre last November.
After Klawonn's experiences were documented in The Washington Post, Fort Hood commanders said they were working on several initiatives. They promised to improve cultural training for soldiers, organize a meeting for Fort Hood's 180 Muslim soldiers and restart Islamic prayers on Friday so Muslims would have somewhere on the post to worship. But nothing has changed, Klawonn said. Klawonn has also filed complaints about presentations that equate Muslims with terrorists. In one anti-terrorism presentation Jan. 13, he said, one of the slides explained Islam's beliefs this way: "It is the duty of all Muslims to kill all Americans and Westerners." Klawonn later found out that the unattributed quote came from Osama bin Laden. Fort Hood officials said they are reviewing the slides. (Washington Post)
Tennessee mosque plan withdrawn amid opposition from anti-Islam activists
May 19: The Brentwood, Tennessee, mosque's organizers today admitted defeat and withdrew their application to rezone 14 acres on Wilson Pike for a house of worship. Community opposition and the $450,000 cost of building a turn lane made the project untenable. "There comes a time when you have to say, 'We can't do this anymore,' " said Jaweed Ansari, a Brentwood physician and spokesman for the Islamic Center of Williamson County. Matt Bonner, who lives in Nashville but is a member of Brentwood United Methodist Church, helped organize resistance to the mosque. "Not enough people understand the political doctrine of Islam," he said in an interview before the mosque project was withdrawn. "The fact is that the mosques are more than just a church. No one can predict what this one will be used for." Some of the proposed mosque's neighbors were saddened to hear the project was canceled. "We're very disappointed," said the Rev. Randall Dunnavant, rector at Church of the Good Shepherd, whose property is across the street from the proposed mosque site. The Episcopal priest believes the zoning issues at the mosque site could have been resolved. The hostility of some mosque opponents is another matter. Rabbi Laurie Rice at Congregation Micah said the failure of the mosque project showed that Brentwood still has a long way to go when it comes to interfaith relations. (The Tennessean)
Tea Party leader Mark Williams says Muslims worship a 'monkey god', blasts Ground Zero mosque
May 19: A National Tea Party leader protesting a proposed mosque near Ground Zero set off a firestorm of anger today by saying that Muslims worship "the terrorists' monkey god." Mark Williams, chairman of the Tea Party Express, blogged about the 13-story mosque and Islamic cultural center planned at Park Place and Broadway, calling it a monument to the 9/11 terrorists. "The monument would consist of a Mosque for the worship of the terrorists' monkey-god," Williams, a frequent guest on CNN, wrote on his Web site. His statements drew a sharp rebuke from City Hall and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. "It's appalling," a spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg said of Williams' comments, adding that the land is private and is zoned for a number of uses including a religious facility. "It would be shocking if such ignorant comments failed to elicit a strong response not only from Tea Party leaders, but from other parties throughout the political spectrum," said Corey Saylor, the Muslim rights group's national legislative director. The downtown project is being spearheaded by the Cordoba Initiative and the American Society for Muslim Advancement. Neither group had any immediate response to Williams' comments. (New York Daily News)
NYC woman’s ad crusade against Islam
May 27: Pamela Geller, an extremist Muslim-basher who claims that "Hitler and the Nazis were inspired by Islam" is heading the anti-Islam New York bus ad campaign and the campaign to block construction of a mosque and Islamic community center in New York. The questions on the ads are: Leaving Islam? Fatwa on your head? Is your family threatening you? Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA), the anti-Islam hate group is behind the both campaign. It may be pointed out the United States Patent and Trademark Office recently refused to grant SOIA a trademark because: "The applied-for mark refers to Muslims in a disparaging manner because by definition it implies that conversion or conformity to Islam is something that needs to be stopped or caused to cease." Geller recently posted images on her blog purporting to depict Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Several of those images show the prophet as a pig. Another image, headlined "Piss Be Upon Him," shows one of the controversial Danish cartoons of the prophet covered in urine. ("Piss Be Upon Him" is designed to mock the traditional phrase "Peace Be Upon Him" that Muslims use when mentioning any prophet of God.) (AMP Report)
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