Islam

Muslim Concern at Stop and Search

July 22, 2008

Author: Staff Writer

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7519040.stm

Muslims in Scotland have expressed unease about the use of "stop and search" procedures at Glasgow Airport.

The Scottish-Islamic Foundation said some members were concerned about the type of interviews they faced.

The issue will be discussed on Tuesday night during a question and answer event at a...

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Islam Subway Ads Cause Stir in New York

July 22, 2008

Author: Staff Writer

Source: CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/22/islam.ads/index.html

Ads promoting Islam are to be placed on New York subway cars in September, but a U.S. congressman finds people sponsoring the messages unacceptable.

"I have no problem with the ad itself, but I have a very, very real problem with those behind it," Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, said Tuesday. He is urging the Metropolitan Transit Authority to...

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Muslims Begin to Copy the Megachurch Multi-Site Model

July 22, 2008

Author: Mallika Rao

Source: Religion News Service

http://www.pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=16109

Mosques across the country are beginning to use a model similar to the one used by some suburban and downtown megachurches, operating multiple sites to serve a large and dispersed congregation.

Many of these "mosque chains" brand themselves as progressive, and sometimes feature gymnasiums and mixed-gender prayer areas for men and women...

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Ulmer Trip Abroad Aimed to Bond Yuma Christian and Islamic Communities

July 22, 2008

Author: William Roller

Source: The Yuma Sun

http://www.yumasun.com/news/abroad_43132___article.html/trip_aimed.html

An Arizona legislator's trip abroad next month is designed to strengthen cultural bonds that may help the lawmaker better represent the diverse base of residents living in the Yuma area.

District 24 Rep. Theresa Ulmer, D-Yuma, will leave for Istanbul, Turkey, on Aug. 4 for a 10-day tour to broaden her...

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Firms Offer Muslims Alternatives To Mortgages

July 22, 2008

Author: Jamie Tarabay

Source: NPR

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92787430

Khalid Aqbal's new condo sits in one corner of a quiet leafy square in a northern Virginia suburb. He's 62, and it's the first home he's bought in the U.S. since moving here from Canada. Some of his neighbors' homes are in foreclosure, but Aqbal isn't worried because he didn't take out a high-risk loan.

"I've always bought everything...

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Religion is a Valid Reason for a Beard

July 20, 2008

Author: Staff Writer

Source: The Chicago Sun-Times

http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1064662,CST-EDT-edit20a.article

Should a man be forced to shave his beard for work if it violates his religious beliefs?

Abal Zaidi, who is Muslim, refused to shave and now alleges that's why he lost his job as a Kane County correctional officer in Geneva. Last week, he sued the Kane County Sheriff's Department, where he worked...

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Young Muslims Find Mission, Motivation in ‘30/30’

July 19, 2008

Author: Jeff Karoub

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/religion/story/417110.html

They filled the cafe night after night. To the casual observer, it might have appeared to be a roomful of 20-somethings with enviable amounts of idle time.

Yet the 30 young Muslim men and women who met for 30 days had serving society, not socializing, on their minds. And the group calling itself 30/30 emerged from the...

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Religious Intolerance Rife in Saudi Schools - Report

July 19, 2008

Author: Dylan Bowman

Source: Arabian Business

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/525206-religious-intolerance-rife-in-saudi-schools--report-?ln=en

King Abdullah’s international push to promote interfaith dialogue has hit a setback on news children in Saudi Arabia are still being taught religious intolerance.

Textbooks used in schools across the conservative Muslim kingdom refer to Jews and...

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Turkmen, Uzbek Faith Groups Still Under Pressure

July 18, 2008

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Institute for War & Peace Reporting

http://www.iwpr.net/?p=bca&s=b&o=345801&apc_state=henh

The state of religious freedoms in both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan remains as poor as ever, with both governments suspicious of Muslim and non-Muslim faith groups alike.

At a White House meeting on July 14 dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the United States’ International Religious Freedom Act, President...

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Government Funds Muslim Thinkers

July 18, 2008

Author: Dominic Casciani

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7512626.stm

The British government is to fund a board of Islamic theologians in an attempt to sideline violent extremists.

The move will see Oxford and Cambridge Universities host a group of scholars who will lead debate on key issues such as women and loyalty to the UK.

The plans have angered some hardline activists who accuse ministers of trying to create...

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Pope Benedict XVI Meets Non-Christian Leaders

July 18, 2008

Author: Staff Writer

Source: The Australian

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24039586-2702,00.html

Leaders of non-Christian faiths have met Pope Benedict XVI, who hailed the shared moral values of the world's major religions.

About 20 religious leaders from the Jewish, Hindu, Islamic and Buddhist communities gathered to meet the Pope and the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney George Pell in the Chapter Hall...

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Philippines Muslim Area to Expand

July 17, 2008

Author: Staff Writer

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7512401.stm

The Philippine government and a separatist rebel group have agreed to expand an autonomous Muslim region in the south of the country.

The agreement envisages the extension of the present region in Mindanao to include a further 712 villages.

The proposed homeland will also be entitled to a large share of the resources in the area.

...

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Religious Tensions Rise in West Papua

July 15, 2008

Author: Staff Writer

Source: One News Now

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Business/Default.aspx?id=178632

Authorities in West Papua, Indonesia, must move fast to prevent tension between Christian and Muslim communities escalating into a Malukan-style conflict, according to a recent report by the International Crisis Group (ICG). The neighboring Maluku islands erupted into bitter sectarian warfare between 1999 and 2002, leaving thousands dead, injured...

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Flushing, Just Outside Manhattan, is Proud of Its Religious Diversity

July 15, 2008

Author: Paige Kollock

Source: Voice of America News

http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-07-15-voa27.cfm

The neighborhood of Flushing in New York City borough of Queens, just outside Manhattan, has been a model for religious freedom since the 1600s. Back then, members of The Society of Friends, or Quakers, began arriving in what was then a Dutch colony, fleeing religious persecution in England.

The colony's director-general barred the...

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