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Chronology of Islam in America (2013)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
September 2013
Civil rights groups rip Detroit Police stop-and-frisk plan
Sept 5: A coalition of civil rights organizations today expressed concern about a Detroit Police plan to adopt a stop-and-frisk policy in the wake of a federal judge’s decision that found that the practice in New York was unconstitutional. The Manhattan Institute and Bratton Group, consultants hired to help shape Detroit Police Department policy, pioneered the stop-and-frisk model when they developed New York’s program. Last month, U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled the program was unconstitutional and said the city’s police unfairly targeted blacks and Hispanics. The consultants are implementing a stop-and-frisk initiative in Detroit, laid out in their contract with the city, in which Traffic Unit officers are training to “prevent street crime through the use of traffic stops.” Members of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, the Arab-American Civil Rights League and the National Action Network held a press conference Thursday to voice their opposition to the plan. “We don’t want STRESS 2.0,” Dawud Walid, director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in reference to the controversial Detroit Police unit, “Stop the Robberies, Enjoy Safe Streets,” which was disbanded by former Mayor Coleman Young after residents complained officers assigned to the unit were violating citizens’ civil rights. Walid pointed out that police aren’t allowed to stop someone solely based on race, which the federal judge said was happening in New York. “Some may say that Detroit is 80 percent black, so how can there be racial profiling? But if the police department is involved in looking at just skin color, that doesn’t make our community safer, but it also takes away people’s dignity." [The Detroit News]
CAIR-Ohio Wins Important Naturalization Delay Lawsuit
Sept 6: The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) announced today that it received a favorable ruling in an important immigration case. The case, Ahmed v. Holder, involved a Muslim man who was experiencing a delay of his naturalization application because United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) claimed his background check could not be completed because he was allegedly "under criminal investigation." Ahmed denied the allegations and USCIS did not produce any evidence to substantiate their claim. Despite the fact that Ahmed, who had lived in the United States for more than 12 years, had no criminal history whatsoever, USCIS continued to claim it could not proceed with his application and refused to schedule Ahmed's naturalization interview. CAIR-Ohio filed a lawsuit asking the court to order USCIS to schedule Ahmed's interview and otherwise proceed with his naturalization application. Ultimately the judge found that it was unreasonable to keep Ahmed's application pending indefinitely in the absence of any charges and ordered USCIS to schedule his interview so his application could proceed. [CAIR]
New Jersey Gov. Christie: In Post-9/11 World, We Must Protect Muslim Civil Liberties
Sept 9: Out-of-state law-enforcement agencies doing counter-terrorism surveillance in New Jersey risk having a state judge block their snooping unless they let county officials know in advance. State lawmakers devised the proposal after reports about surveillance efforts by the New York Police Department involving Muslim businesses, mosques and Rutgers University student organizations in New Jersey. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed the bill into law Monday. As a former U.S. Attorney appointed in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, I strongly believe we need to do everything in our power to prevent terrorist attacks on our country and keep our people safe," Christie told USA Today. "I also believe we must protect and maintain civil liberties, especially those of the citizens in New Jersey's Muslim community. This bipartisan legislation will help us reach that balance." The new law, which takes effect immediately, requires out-of-state law-enforcement entities to inform the county prosecutor of plans to conduct activities within his or her county 24 hours prior to entering its borders. Within those 24 hours, the county prosecutor must in turn notify the New Jersey State Police. [USA Today]
San Angelo (Texas) Tea Party wants Muslims out
Sept 10: Radical Islam and Sharia Law were discussed at the San Angelo Tea Party's bi-monthly meeting in San Angelo, Texas, tonight. Around 40 people attended the San Angelo Tea Party meeting to hear ACT! for America's co-director in Texas give a presentation based on her book, "500+ Islamic Words You Should Know". Lessons from O'Brien's book: A list of words and their Islamic meanings were also discussed in the gathering held at the West Texas Training Center. “There are four Muslim families in San Angelo…and that’s four too many,” Tea Party member Terry Campbell declared. “There is 1.6 billion…Muslims in the world, and they claim that only 10 percent of the Muslims is radical Islamists,” Campbell continued. “That means there is 160 million Muslim terrorists in the world.” The group had gathered to hear Dorrie O’Brien, author of “500+ Islamic Words You Should Know” and co-director of ACT! for America in Texas, speak on Sharia Law and the Muslim Brotherhood at the bi-monthly San Angelo Tea Party meeting at the West Texas Training Center.The presentation topic and timing were calculated, Campbell confided. Held just hours before the stroke of midnight on the eve of September 11 when the nation is already sensitive to the Muslim population, the Tea Party hosted the presentation with the intent of educating their audience, in line with the objectives of ACT! for America. [San Angelo Olives]
9/11 Memorial Turned Into Anti-Islam Hate Fest
Sept 11: What was billed as a 9/11 memorial service took on elements of an anti-Islamic rally today, including a lengthy speech by the leader of what has been labeled an anti-Muslim hate group. An audience of about 500 people, including schoolchildren, gathered at Patriots Park to hear remarks by city officials, law enforcement and family members of those who died on 9/11 and the ongoing fight against terrorism. But three other speakers used the podium to criticize Islam and the policies of President Obama, taking city officials by surprise, including Venice Mayor John Holic, who called the message "extreme." One speaker was Tom Trento, who heads an organization called The United West, which says its mission is to defend "Western Civilization against Shariah Islam." The United West is based in Lake Mary and is classified as an "anti-Muslim hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Trento, whose speech lasted for nearly 30 minutes, told the audience: "I'm not talking about radical Islam or moderate Islam. I'm talking about all Islam. Their goal is to get every single one of us to convert to Islam. And they won't stop until we do." Mayor Holic stressed that the event was not city-planned and that an organization called Salt of the Earth had rented out the park and organized the event. [Herald Tribune]
Pastor Terry Jones arrested before he can burn Qurans
Sept 11: A Florida pastor was arrested today while driving a pickup truck towing a large grill filled with kerosene-soaked Qurans to a park. The pastor said he planned to burn 2,998 Qurans, the Muslim holy book, one for each victim of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, reports the Associated Press. Today was the 12th anniversary of the attacks. Pastor Terry Jones, 61, and his associate Pastor, Marvin Sapp, Jr., 44, were both charged with unlawful conveyance of fuel, a felony. Jones was also charged with an unlawful open-carry of a firearm, a misdemeanor. Jones first gained notoriety in 2010 when he planned to publicly burn a Quran on the anniversary of 9/11, though he eventually called the stunt off. His church did, however, burn a Quran in 2011, and he promoted an anti-Muslim film in 2012. All three incidents sparked violence in the Middle East. The U.S. military has told Jones that his actions put American and Western troops in Afghanistan and elsewhere in dangers. Jones has repeatedly ignored their pleas to stop. [Time]
Burnt pages of Quran found outside CAIR office in Tampa, Florida
Sept 12: The day after a controversial Florida pastor was arrested before he could set fire to thousands of Qurans, burnt scraps of the holy book were found in front of the Tampa office for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Samantha Bowden, the communications director of CAIR Florida, says she found the damaged pages of the Quran in the parking lot when she arrived at work this morning. "There's no scorch marks [on the ground], so I don't think it happened here," she says. "I do think someone just drove by and sprinkled some that maybe they had from home." Bowden says she searched the property and didn't find any other parts of the Quran. [wtsp.com]
FBI Sharpens Scrutiny of Arabs in US
Sept 12: Earlier this month, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) issued a Community Advisory following a New York Times article entitled, “F.B.I. Sharpens Scrutiny of Syrians in U.S.”. The article revealed that the FBI was increasing surveillance of Syrians inside the United States. Over the course of the past week, ADC has received numerous phone calls and reports from community members who have been approached by the FBI for questioning. Many of the calls came from community members who are not of Syrian decent, indicating that the FBI has expanded its scrutiny to include other Arab and Muslim Americans. In light of this recent development, ADC is reissuing this Community Advisory to members of the Arab and Arab American communities. ADC reminds members of the Arab, Muslim, and South Asian-American communities that equal protection and due process rights are afforded to everyone, including non-citizens, in the United States. ADC urges anyone who is contacted by law enforcement for an interview to strongly consider the following: (1) You do not have to allow any law enforcement officer or agent to enter your home or office, unless they have a search warrant. Agents must have a search warrant to enter your house, except in emergency situation. Even with a search warrant, you are under no obligation to answer any questions without a lawyer present. Make it clear to the agent that you do not consent to the search so that they cannot go beyond what the warrant authorizes. (2) You are not obligated to immediately speak to an FBI agent. Ask the agent for his or her contact information so that you will be able to get back in touch with them later. If you are visited in person, ask for a business card. The agent must provide you his or her contact information upon your request. (3) You have the right to an attorney being present when speaking to the agent. This right is extended to both citizens and non-citizens, including student visa holders. If you cannot afford an attorney, or do not know of one in your area, call the ADC Legal Department at (202) 244-2990 or send an email to Legal@ADC.org. Also, ADC will do its best to provide third party observers in cases community members would want such additional safeguards. (4) Entering an interview with the understanding that the interviewee has absolute discretion as to what questions to answer. For example, one may choose to answer questions about their neighborhood or activity they may deem suspicious and yet refuse to answer any questions regarding their immigration status. ADC also urged anyone who is contacted by law enforcement to contact the ADC Legal Department and provide details concerning the incident by calling (202) 244-2990 or via email at Legal@ADC.org. [ADC]
Public records sought after county communications staffer posts anti-Islamic message
Sept 13: One of the state’s leading Muslim groups today asked Palm Beach County officials to turn over all of the social media comments made on county computers by a public affairs employee who posted an anti-Islamic message on his private Facebook page. The Council on American-Islamic Relations Florida, Inc. emailed a public records request to the county commission asking for communications sent by employee John Jamason from any county computer within the last 30 days. The group requested any social media comments that Jamason received using a county computer within the same time frame. WPTV-Channel 5 reported yesterday that Jamason posted an anti-Islamic message on his private Facebook page. “Never forget. There is no such thing as radical Islam. All Islam is radical. There may be Muslims who don’t practice their religion, much like others. The Quran is a book that preaches hate,” the message said, according to WPTV. [Palm Beach Post]
MPAC launches nation immigration campaign
Sept 17: Today, the Muslim Public Affairs Council proudly announced the launch of its national campaign for comprehensive immigration reform with the release of its immigration policy paper and community toolkit. “A Nation of Immigrants: Realizing Comprehensive Immigration Reform” stresses the critical need for immigration reform and addresses the key issues being raised in the ongoing Congressional debate while the toolkit outlines opportunities for Muslims to get involved in supporting immigration reform. America is a nation of immigrants, making our federal immigration laws an issue that hits home for most people. American Muslims have a vested interest in establishing justice for all people and contributing to the social, economic and political fabric of our nation. “This immigration campaign is one way of amplifying the American Muslim voice in this important national debate that impacts tens of millions of U.S. residents,” said Saif Inam, MPAC’s Policy Analyst. “We look forward to working with American Muslims to increase awareness of the issues at hand, and empower them to engage their elected officials in order to get a potential bill passed.” In addition to the policy paper and community toolkit, the campaign will include town halls, national conference calls and working with coalition partners. [MPAC]
Islamophobia Network: 37 organizations dedicated to promoting anti-Islam prejudice
Sept 19: Anti-Islam and anti-Muslim groups received more than $119 million in funding between 2008 and 2011 while identifies 37 organizations dedicated to promoting anti-Islam prejudice in America, according to a report titled "Legislating Fear: Islamophobia and its Impact in the United States."The 160-page report was released today by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. "This report sheds light on the groups promoting Islamophobia in our society and reveals to the reader the impact those groups have on our nation's discourse about Islam, pluralism and the future of the protections enshrined in the U.S. Constitution," said Corey Saylor, who directs CAIR's department to monitor and combat Islamophobia. This is CAIR's second report on Islamophobia in the United States. The first, "Same Hate, New Target," was published in 2011 and argued that anti-Islam sentiment is a manifestation of problems minorities have faced in the U.S. throughout its history. Here are highlights of the report findings:
The U.S.-based Islamophobia network's "inner core" is currently comprised of at least 37 groups whose primary purpose is to promote prejudice against or hatred of Islam and Muslims. An additional 32 groups whose primary purpose does not appear to include promoting prejudice against or hatred of Islam and Muslims, but whose work regularly demonstrates or supports Islamophobic themes, make up the network's "outer core."
The inner core of the U.S.-based Islamophobia network enjoyed access to at least $119,662,719 in total revenue between 2008 and 2011. Groups in the inner core are often tightly linked with each other.
Groups in the inner core are often tightly linked. For example, Daniel Pipes’ Middle East Forum granted $1,242,000 over three years to Steven Emerson’s Investigative Project on Terrorism. Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer’s American Freedom Defense Initiative and Jihad Watch share the same five leaders.
In 2011 and 2012, 78 bills or amendments designed to marginalize Muslims and vilify Islamic religious practices were introduced in the legislatures of 29 states and the U.S. Congress. Sixty-two of these bills contained language that was extracted from David Yerushalmi's American Laws for American Courts (ALAC) model legislation. While the bias motive behind the bills is clear, the presence of an actual problem that needed to be solved was not -- even to the legislators introducing the measures. In at least 11 states, mainstream Republican leaders introduced or supported anti-Muslim legislation.
There were 51 recorded anti-mosque acts during the period covered by this report, 29 in 2012 and 22 in 2011. Two notable spikes in anti-mosque acts occurred in 2011-2012: May 2011 (7 acts), likely related to the killing of Osama bin Laden, and August 2012 (10 acts), probably all in reaction to the massacre of six Sikh worshippers by a white supremacist in Oak Creek, Wis. By comparison, in June 2010, CAIR published "CAIR: Who we are," a review of 1,999 CAIR press releases and action alerts spanning 1994-2008. In that report we noted: "Since 1994, CAIR has detailed at least 64 acts of destruction and defilement of Islamic places of worship--including shootings, vandalism, arson, and bombings."
Islamophobic rhetoric remains socially acceptable. Research released in 2011 found, “citizens are quite comfortable not only opposing [extending citizenship to legal Muslim immigrants], but also being public about that fact.” A number of mainstream candidates for the Republican presidential nomination used Islamophobic rhetoric. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) held a series of five anti-Muslim congressional hearings, which were subjected to broad spectrum push back but also enjoyed significant support. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) partnered with inner core leader Frank Gaffney to launch a campaign accusing Muslims in public service of infiltrating the government on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood. This last episode ended up being a very welcome example of public officials supporting Americans of the Islamic faith in a bipartisan manner. [CAIR]
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