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Chronology of Islam in America (2007)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
September 2007 Page III
Muslim Prayers at the Capitol Hill
Sept 23: The jummah (Friday) is the most recent sign that faith-based groups are thriving in the corridors of power. "Actually praying in the Capitol building -- it's a sign that Muslims have a place in government and are respected, just like any other religious group or philosophy," said Saleh Williams, 33, an assistant to a Democratic congressman. On weekdays, two of the five sets of Muslim daily prayers fall during Williams' working hours. So he washes and prays in the office with his chief of staff, a fellow Muslim. Muslim prayers in the Capitol have gone on each Friday for a decade, undiminished despite the attacks of September 11, 2001, which led to tightened security and, Williams said, hostility against Muslims. The jummah has expanded since permission was first given for members to use a Capitol room for it in 1997, said Suhail Khan, a Republican who works for the Department of Transport and was one of the group's founders. (AFP)
Tension between Sunnis, Shiites emerging in USA
Sept 24: For years, Sunnis and Shiites in this country have worked together to build mosques, support charities, register voters and hold massive feasts for Eid al-Fitr, the celebration at the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Now there are small signs of tension emerging in America's Muslim community that are raising concerns among many of its leaders. They worry that the bitter divisions that have caused so much bloodshed abroad are beginning to have an impact here. Several recent incidents pointing to rising tension among Sunnis and Shiites here have led Muslim leaders to call on their followers to reach out to those in other sects. None of the incidents has been violent. But leaders worry that these could be signs of increasingly cool relations between Sunnis and Shiites here or undermine other Americans' views of a religion that has been under particular scrutiny since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. However, it was heartening when 10,000 people at the Islamic Society event cheered for a new Muslim Code of Honor, pledging Sunni and Shiite respect and cooperation. The code, drafted by the Muslim Public Affairs Council, a civil rights group, initially was circulated in Southern California after the Detroit vandalism incidents. It moved quickly to Michigan and then to the leadership of several major U.S. and Canadian Muslim political, social and religious groups. In June, a half-dozen groups launched an "American Muslim Iraq Peace Initiative" intended to build harmony and make clear that "America cannot be a scene of conflict," says Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR. (USA TODAY)
US bars South African democracy scholar
Sept 25: Professor Adam Habib, a South African national who is a prominent human rights activist and world renowned scholar of democracy, governance, and social movements, is being barred from entry into the US without explanation. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) today filed a lawsuit filed in US District Court for the District of Massachusetts on behalf of organizations who have invited Professor Habib to speak in the near future, including the Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), American Sociological Association (ASA), the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and the Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights (BCPR). The lawsuit seeks the immediate processing of Habib's pending visa application and a declaration that his exclusion without explanation since October 2006 violates the First Amendment rights of US organizations, citizens, and residents. (ADC Press Release)
New PEW survey: Attitude toward Muslims grows more negative
Sept 25: Most Americans say they know little to nothing about the practices of Islam and Mormonism but say their own religious beliefs have little in common with either of these faiths, according to a national survey released today. Forty-five percent of those polled said Islam was more likely than other religions to encourage violence among its believers. The survey of 3,002 Americans was conducted last month by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Although 58% of respondents said they knew little or nothing about Islamic practices, 70% of non-Muslims said Islam was very different from their own religious beliefs. The survey found that public attitudes toward Muslims have grown more negative in recent years, with 35% of respondents expressing an unfavorable view. In 2002, the figure was 29%. Respondents who knew a Muslim or who were college graduates were more likely to express positive views about Islam. But the belief that Islam encourages violence has increased even among groups that have relatively favorable views of Muslims. According to the survey, college graduates are just as likely as those with no college experience to associate violence with Islam. (Los Angeles)
ISNA joins interfaith leaders call for day of fasting to bring peace and reconciliation
Sept. 26: Several religious leaders representing tens of millions of faithful Americans stood today in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol calling religious communities of various traditions to a day of fasting and prayer. Represented at the news conference were leaders of Muslim, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Unitarian, and Baptist traditions. The Rev. Dr. Shanta Premawardhana, associate general secretary for interfaith relations at the National Council of Churches USA (NCC), and himself a Baptist, organized the news event. Ancient practices were used at the news conference in the call to the nation. The ram's horn, or Jewish shofar, was sounded to "wake up" a nation. Ashes were placed on the leaders' foreheads as signs of repentance. A bell was tolled to call America's people of faith to join together on October 8 to fast from dawn to sunset, breaking the fast with their Muslim sisters and brothers. (ISNA Press Release)
Senate endorses plan to divide Iraq
Sept 26: Showing rare bipartisan consensus over war policy, the Senate overwhelmingly endorsed a political settlement for Iraq that would divide the country into three semi-autonomous regions. The plan, conceived by Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), was approved 75-23 as a non-binding resolution, with 26 Republican votes. The Biden plan envisions a federal government system for Iraq, consisting of separate regions for Iraq's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish populations. The structure is spelled out in Iraq's constitution, but Biden would initiate local and regional diplomatic efforts to hasten its evolution. (Washington Post)
Senate urges Bush to declare Iranian Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group
Sept 26: The Senate approved a resolution today urging the Bush administration to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization. The measure, proposed by Senator Jon Kyl, Republican of Arizona, and Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut who usually votes with Republicans on war issues, relied heavily on testimony earlier this month by Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, the top American political official in Baghdad. (New York Times)
Day Care Proselytizes to Toddler
Sept 26: A Muslim mother, whose daughter has been attending childcare at a local University, reported that her toddler daughter has been using distinctly Christian religious phrases. Her daughter mentioned that a day care teacher had been teaching her religious songs and taking special walks with her during playtime. Her mother fears that at least one of the day care teachers has been proselytizing to her toddler and she is removing her child from the center. CAIR drafted a letter for the mother to present to the childcare administration in order to confront the situation and suggest steps to rectify the teacher's behavior to prevent further proselytizing to other children of different faiths. CAIR also suggested diversity training for the childcare staff. (CAIR Bulletin)
Federal judge rules 2 Patriot Act provisions unconstitutional
Sept 26: A federal court today struck down two provisions of the Patriot Act dealing with searches and intelligence gathering, saying they violate the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures with regard to criminal prosecutions. "It is critical that we, as a democratic nation, pay close attention to traditional Fourth Amendment principles," wrote Judge Ann Aiken of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon in her 44-page decision. "The Fourth Amendment has served this nation well for 220 years, through many other perils." The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, set up to review wiretap applications in intelligence cases under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, "holds that the Constitution need not control the conduct of criminal surveillance in the United States," Aiken wrote. The government "is asking this court to, in essence, amend the Bill of Rights, by giving it an interpretation that would deprive it of any real meaning. The court declines to do so," Aiken said. (CNN)
GOP Urged to Cite 'Islamic Terrorists'
Sept 27: Pollsters and communications advisers to congressional Republicans are urging lawmakers not to follow President Bush's lead when it comes to talking about terrorists and the threat they pose to the nation. One adviser, who was part of two closed-door briefings by the consultants to GOP congressional members and aides over the past two weeks, said most Americans polled are not threatened by "Muslims" and that the words "extremist" and "radical" conjure up an image of people who make threats but don't follow through with them. "People believe terrorists act, so we should be using that instead of extremist or radicals. Calling the threat 'an Islamic terrorist' or 'al Qaeda' works better than 'Muslim radical,'" said the consultant. (U.S. News & World Report)
Maryland: Pushing for a Muslim School Holiday
Sept 27: There will be three religious holidays for which Montgomery County Public Schools will cancel classes this year: Rosh Hashanah, Christmas and Easter. Yom Kippur, which many MCPS students celebrated this week, began a half hour before sundown on Friday, thus forcing the rescheduling of several athletic and after-school events. Yom Kippur calls for, among other things, a 12-hour fast to end on the following night. Jews believe it is a day of atonement for sin. When it falls on a school day, it is also a holiday for which MCPS will cancel classes. But some community members are asking MCPS to recognize a similar religious holiday practiced by Muslims, though it's perhaps lesser known. It is Eid ul-Fitr, the end of the month-long period of fasting called Ramadan, which this year began at sunset on Sept. 12 and will continue until sunset on Oct 12. During Ramadan, Muslims cannot have food during the daytime, so most wake up before dawn to eat and pray. Eid ul-Fitr, or Eid, is the celebration the day after Ramadan ends, commemorated by food, prayer and time at home with family. "I know there is a large percentage of Muslims in school, and I know for a fact a lot of Muslims, especially kids who take AP classes, don't want to miss class," said Harris Akhtar, a senior at Seneca Valley High School who is Muslim. "At the same time they have this obligation to celebrate this day." (The Sentinel)
Utah: Non-Muslim student wears hijab for a day
Sept 27: Minu Gandhi is not Muslim. But for one day, she found out what it was like to be a Muslim at the U. In cooperation with the U's Muslim Student Association, Gandhi wore the hijab -- the head covering worn by Muslim women -- for a day. Gandhi, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering, said her Muslim friends have discussed the reactions of people on campus when they see someone who is wearing the hijab. Her friends said they are often stared at and complete strangers have approached them to ask if they were forced to wear the hijab. "I thought it would be fun to see if that really happens," Gandhi said. To show that people who wear the hijab are treated differently, the MSA wanted a non-biased and therefore non-Muslim student to experience wearing the hijab. (Daily Utah Chronicle)
Muslim stamp reissued at new rate
Sept 28: The Eid stamp commemorating Muslim holy days was reissued today, the Postal Service said. The stamp, first issued in 2001, was released at the new 41-cent first class rate that took effect in May. The stamp observes the two most important festivals in the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, while Eid al-Adha follows about two months later at the end of the annual period of pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. (USPS)
Boston mosque opens after long delay
Sept 28: A delegation of students from the Harvard Islamic Society (HIS) joined more than 2,000 congregants in Roxbury, Mass., tonight to attend the first-ever prayer session at the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) Cultural Center, which finally opened its doors after two decades of controversy and delays. The opening of the ISB Cultural Center, which includes a mosque, library, and school, had been opposed by several activist groups who expressed concern over alleged ISB ties to terrorists and anti-Semitic groups, and the purchase of the site raised some legal objections. The mosque is now the largest on the East Coast, according to Hossam AlJabri, president of Muslim American Society (MAS). (The Harvard Crimson)
McCain: No Muslim president, U.S. better with Christian one
Sept 29: Presidential hopeful Senator John McCain says that the United States is a Christian nation and that his Christian faith is of better spiritual guidance than Islam. In response to a question from Beliefnet.com about the possibility of a Muslim presidential candidate, the Arizona senator said: "I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles, that's a decision the American people would have to make, but personally, I prefer someone who I know who has a solid grounding in my faith." McCain also said that the values protected by the Constitution, by which he meant values such as respect for human life and dignity, are rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition." (AMP Report)
Freedoms Watch to raise $200 million to target 'radical Islam', Iran
Sept 30: Freedom’s Watch, a deep-pocketed conservative group led by two former senior White House officials, made an audacious debut in late August when it began a $15 million advertising campaign designed to maintain Congressional support for President Bush’s troop increase in Iraq. Founded this summer by a dozen wealthy conservatives, the nonprofit group is set apart from most advocacy groups by the immense wealth of its core group of benefactors, its intention to far outspend its rivals and its ambition to pursue a wide-ranging agenda. Its next target: Iran policy. One benefactor said the group was hoping to raise as much as $200 million by November 2008. Raising big money “will be easy,” the benefactor said, adding that several of the founders each wrote a check for $1 million. Bradley Blakeman, 49, the president of Freedom’s Watch, would not confirm or deny whether any donor gave $1 million, or more, to the organization. (New York Times)
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