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Chronology of Islam in America (2014)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
October 2014 page two
The NYPD probes after teens throw pork at Staten Island home of Muslim woman
Oct 8: Three teens threw uncooked pork ribs at the Eltingville home of a Muslim woman Saturday night (Oct 4), sparking a hate crime investigation by the NYPD, the Advance has learned. The victim, a practicing Muslim got a knock on the door, and when she went outside to answer, she found raw pork on her doorstep in Staten Island. A law enforcement source provided additional details on the incident -- three white teens, ages 16 through 19, threw uncooked pork ribs at the house, then fled in a four-door sedan. Muslims are prohibited from eating pork products, and bigots often use pork as a means to taunt or offend, according to Islamic-American leaders. [Silive]
San Diego Mosque receives threatening letter
Oct 10: The law enforcement officials, including the FBI, have been notified of a threatening letter with an unknown substance inside sent to a San Diego mosque, an act one group is calling a hate crime. The Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont Mesa received a signed letter in the mail that allegedly includes a threat specific to their location and other mosques located in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Oakland. The envelope included a mysterious substance, though the FBI later confirmed it was harmless. A member of the mosque told NBC 7 the name signed to the letter was not known by the center’s leadership. Details of the letter were not revealed, though a representative from the Council for American-Islamic Relations says it contains the words "death sentence." The spokesperson called the letter a hate crime and is asking the Muslim-American community to be on the lookout, reporting any threats to local authorities. "It's a shock because this is the country where everybody has the freedom of religion, of speech, of opinion, of creed or whatever and we are no different than any other people," said Walid Bishawi. [NBC San Diego]
Richest 1% of people own nearly half of global wealth
Oct 13: The richest 1% of the world’s population are getting wealthier, owning more than 48% of global wealth, according to a report published today which warned growing inequality could be a trigger for recession. According to the Credit Suisse global wealth report , a person needs just $3,650 – including the value of equity in their home – to be among the wealthiest half of world citizens. However, more than $77,000 is required to be a member of the top 10% of global wealth holders, and $798,000 to belong to the top 1%. “Taken together, the bottom half of the global population own less than 1% of total wealth. In sharp contrast, the richest decile hold 87% of the world’s wealth, and the top percentile alone account for 48.2% of global assets,” said the annual report, now in its fifth year. The report, which calculates that total global wealth has grown to a new record – $263tn, more than twice the $117tn calculated for 2000 – found that the UK was the only country in the G7 to have recorded rising inequality in the 21st century. Its findings were seized upon by anti-poverty campaigners Oxfam which published research at the start of the year showing that the richest 85 people across the globe share a combined wealth of £1tn, as much as the poorest 3.5 billion of the world’s population. “These figures give more evidence that inequality is extreme and growing, and that economic recovery following the financial crisis has been skewed in favour of the wealthiest. In poor countries, rising inequality means the difference between children getting the chance to go to school and sick people getting life saving medicines,” said Oxfam’s head of inequality Emma Seery. [The Guardian]
Renowned scholar Prof. Ali Mazrui passes away
Oct 13: Renowned Kenyan scholar Ali Alamin Mazrui passed away this morning in Binghamton, New York. Prof Mazrui passed away at the age of 81. He is survived by a wife and six children. Prof Mazrui is a renowned scholar worldwide, having lectured in five continents and written 30 books. He once served as chancellor of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. In 1974, he joined the faculty of the University of Michigan as professor and later was appointed the Director of the Center for Afro-American and African Studies (1978-1981). In 1989, he was appointed to the faculty of Binghamton University, State University of New York as the Albert Schweitzer Professor in the Humanities and the Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies (IGCS). [AMP Report]
CAIR launches website exposing America's 'Islamophobia Network'
Oct 14: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today launched Islamophobia.org, the latest element in the Muslim civil rights organization's work to monitor and challenge the growing anti-Muslim bigotry in American society. CAIR's Islamophobia.org site presents detailed profiles of a number of individuals and institutions involved in the American Islamophobia network. "Islamophobia.org is a reflection of CAIR's philosophy of educating people and empowering them toward positive action," said CAIR Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia Director Corey Saylor. Since CAIR included the first Islamophobe profiles in its 2013 report 'Legislating Fear,' local communities have used them to begin positive conversations leading to the rejection of bigotry in all its forms," said Saylor. "We intend to continue this community partnership by further empowering local advocates with a centralized resource that provides detailed information about the haters who tour the nation spreading misinformation and religious division." The searchable collection of profiles includes well-known hate entities such as Frank Gaffney's Center for Security Policy and Robert Spencer's Jihad Watch. Additionally, the site features information on key, but less visible members of the network, such as a number of local ACT! for America leadership. [CAIR]
CAIR accuses U.S. State Department of delaying some passport applications
Oct 14: The CAIR-Michigan filed suit against the federal government today on behalf of a Wayne County man. Ahmed Nagi has been waiting 16 months for his passport application to be processed. He’s been a U.S. citizen since 1994. His attorney says Nagi’s name does not appear on any "no-fly" lists. No reason for the delay in processing his passport application has been given. “They’ve just been unfairly targeted across the board and this is just one example,” says CAIR attorney Lena Masri. Masri says by not processing their passports, visas, and other applications, the basic rights of Yemeni-Americans are being violated without due process. “There are not able to see their families in Yemen or travel to perform the Hajj pilgrimage,” says Masri. CAIR-MI's lawsuit states in part: "[The State Department] has systematically willfully and unlawfully withheld and/or unreasonably delayed the processing of United States passport applications filed by Muslim Americans of Yemeni origin, thereby unlawfully denying these individuals -- including Plaintiff -- their constitutionally-protected right to travel without affording them their right to due process of law under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. "The federal government has routinely delayed the processing of passport applications for Muslims of Yemeni origin for an indefinite period of time," said CAIR-MI Staff Attorney Lena Masri. "This lawsuit challenges the federal government's unchecked practice of denying these individuals their constitutionally-protected right to travel without affording them their right to due process of law." [Michigan Radio/CAIR]
Hate crime charges urged for two bias attacks on Muslims in Maine
Oct 14: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on state and federal law enforcement authorities to bring hate crime charges against the perpetrators of two alleged bias-motivated attacks on Muslims in Maine. In one incident on October 12, a customer allegedly shouted "I hate Somali people" and "I hate black people" at a Muslim taxi driver before threatening to kill him, smashing his windshield and then taking a shot at him. The alleged attacker was arrested by Westbrook, Maine, police and charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, aggravated reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and falsifying physical evidence. A second incident on October 14 involved a Muslim woman and her 12-year-old daughter being threatened at a 7-Eleven in Portland, Maine. A man allegedly threatened to cut the girl's throat "like ISIS" and mockingly shouted "Allah Akbar" ("God is great"), a common Muslim phrase. The assailant reportedly left the store and retrieved an unknown item from his car but was prevented from re-entering by another customer. [CAIR]
Rally stirs up anti-Muslim sentiments
Oct 14: Islamic faith leaders operate under the guise of peace and love, but their ultimate goal is create a caliphate that will allow them to rule the entire world, said tonight Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy and Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan. He said Imams and other faith leaders have the same goals as Osama bin Laden. “They want to destroy western civilization from within,” he said, pointing to six prominent Americans who have been appointed to key positions inside the U.S. government. Gaffney was one of three guest speakers at a rally entitled “The Tragedy in Moore: A Religion of Peace?” Gaffney, speaking with typical anti-Muslim rhetoric, said the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), is nothing but a front for Islamic extremists and their fundraising efforts. He condemned the Muslim Brotherhood, contending that the group should be placed on the U.S. government’s list of terrorist organizations. [reddirtreport]
Hate crime probe urged of threats targeting Muslim candidate for Ohio House
Oct 16: The Cincinnati chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Cincinnati) today urged state and national law enforcement authorities to investigate threats made against a Muslim candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives as a hate crime. Cathina Hourani, a candidate in the 52nd District, reportedly received threatening phone calls yesterday after a story ran in a local paper about her candidacy. The article was followed by hate-filled and threatening comments. One such comment said in part, “don’t elect a Muslim SOB, you should start shooting them!” Hourani has reported the threats to the proper law enforcement agencies. She is the first Muslim woman to run for public office at the state level in Ohio. “Threats targeting a candidate for public office based on her faith are very disturbing and should be of concern to all Americans,” said CAI-Cincinnati Executive Director Karen Dabdoub. “We believe the rising level of bigotry targeting Muslims in our nation is a direct result of the Islamophobia industry pumping out this type of hatred on a daily basis.” [CAIR]
Hate crime probe urged for threats targeting Muslim Candidate for Ohio House
Oct 16: The Cincinnati chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Cincinnati) today urged state and national law enforcement authorities to investigate threats made against a Muslim candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives as a hate crime. Cathina Hourani, a candidate in the 52nd District, reportedly received threatening phone calls yesterday after a story ran in a local paper about her candidacy. The article was followed by hate-filled and threatening comments. One such comment said in part, “don’t elect a Muslim SOB, you should start shooting them!” Hourani has reported the threats to the proper law enforcement agencies. She is the first Muslim woman to run for public office at the state level in Ohio. “Threats targeting a candidate for public office based on her faith are very disturbing and should be of concern to all Americans,” said CAIR-Cincinnati Executive Director Karen Dabdoub. “We believe the rising level of bigotry targeting Muslims in our nation is a direct result of the Islamophobia industry pumping out this type of hatred on a daily basis.” [CAIR]
US Supreme Court Denies Mehanna Appeal
Oct 16: Tarek Mehanna’s appeal to the US Supreme Court was rejected on Monday, October 6, 2014. Mehanna of Sudsbury, Massachusetts, is serving a sentence of 17 1/2 years on account of visiting Yemen to study Arabic and later translating Islamic texts for the website At Tibyan, which the government has construed as “supporting terrorism.” “Where, exactly, does free speech end and unlawful terrorist coordination begin?” commented Mark Joseph Stern in Slate. “Translating, publishing, and praising ideological texts, no matter how morally vile, is generally considered to be a basic free speech activity. Everyone knows that the First Amendment protects translations of Mein Kampf. Why did Mehanna’s translation of jihadist hosannas land him behind bars?” This question gains weight with the news this week that the Supreme Court also refused to hear appeals from two other Muslim men, who have suffered intolerably for no crime: Ziyad Yaghi, a North Carolina native and Guantanamo inmate Abdul Razak Ali.
“Petitioner raised arguments based solely on issues of undisputed fact: he was arrested in Pakistan, not in Afghanistan, he had nothing to do with the September 11th attacks or terrorism, and he was not engaged in hostilities against the United States or its allies at any time. Petitioner’s “malfeasance” that apparently warrants his life imprisonment without charge was simply an eighteen day stay in the same guesthouse as a man who the government once believed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda, but, as the evidence showed below, is now no longer believed by the government to have been associated with al-Qaeda,” wrote Abdul Razak Alik on August 23, 2014..... Tarek Mehanna had no idea his actions were criminal . He possessed the self-confidence and outspoken attitude of a relatively affluent, American born male. Mehanna’s lawyers argued that he didn’t give any tangible support to al-Qaida, and his online activities were protected free speech. However, five years later, Mehanna’s father Ahmed said his family had not even had “one iota of hope” that his son would get a hearing before the high court, in light of the news reports on ISIS. “Unfortunately, the Supreme Court is affected by such a saga and such media frenzy,” Ahmed Mehanna said. “It is a very, very sad day.” [The Muslim Observer]
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