Islam

Eid al-Fitr in U.S., 2002

December 7, 2002

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On December 7, 2002 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "with the words of the Qur'an fixed in his head and heart, 12-year-old Osama Siddiqui joined more than 3,000 [Franklin, WI] area Muslims Friday to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan. He performed communal prayers with them on the vast floor of the Milwaukee County Sports Complex. He listened as the imam, or religious leader, of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee condemned extremists' attacks on Americans abroad, prayed for peace in Iraq and...

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Taking Back Islam

December 7, 2002

Source: The New York Times

On December 7, 2002 The New York Times printed an editorial by Peter Steinfels. It stated, "these days, when American Muslims exchange that wish for a blessed Id al-Fitr -- the Feast of Fast-Breaking, which begins after the monthlong fast of Ramadan -- many are probably hoping for a few days' respite from anguishing about the meaning of Sept. 11. For over a year, they have watched public opinion teeter between sympathy and suspicion. Sympathy, encouraged from the White House, has kept the upper hand, but negative opinion,...

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Eid al-Fitr in U.S., 2002

December 7, 2002

Source: The White House

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/ramadan/eid_greeting.html

On December 7, 2002 The White House issued a Eid al-Fitr greeting. President Bush stated, "I am pleased to send greetings to all of those celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the culmination of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan... Ramadan commemorates the revelation of God's word in the holy Koran to the prophet Mohammed – a word that is read and recited with special attention and...

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Cotroversy over Azizah covers

December 7, 2002

Source: The Dallas Morning News

On December 7, 2002 The Dallas Morning News reported that "the mother of Amadou Diallo shared the story of how she turned to the strength of her Muslim faith after her son was shot and killed by new York police officers in 1999... Ms. Diallo's account of perseverance is typical fare for Aziaah, a Muslim quarterly women's magazine whose Arabic title translates to dear, bold, noble and strong... But its covers, all like the one featuring Ms. Diallo, have drawn rebukes from conservative Muslims for whom religious rules of...

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Eid al-Fitr in U.S., 2002

December 6, 2002

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On December 6, 2002 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "most of central Ohio's Muslims will spend today praying together and feasting with families during one of the faith's most important holidays. Eid al-Fitr, the Feast of Breaking Fast, marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Since Nov. 6, able-bodied Muslims have been abstaining from food, drink and sexual activity from sunrise to sunset. Islam uses a lunar calendar, and its months begin with the sighting of a new moon. That happened Wednesday night in much of the...

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Government Officials Speak Out Against Recent Comments About Islam

December 6, 2002

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/06/politics/06PREX.html

On December 6, 2002 The New York Times reported that "speaking at the Islamic Center of Washington in celebration of Id al-Fitr, the culmination of the holy month of Ramadan, the president kept up what aides described as an effort to minimize any anti-Muslim backlash in the United States and avoid having his administration's war against terrorism and confrontation with Iraq seen as a...

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National Library Project to Provide Information about Islam

December 5, 2002

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1205/p14s02-lire.html

On December 5, 2002 The Christian Science Monitor reported that "to help counter what it sees as 'a rising tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric' in US society, a national Islamic civil rights group has come up with a particularly American response. It has launched a grass-roots campaign to get Muslims to sponsor educational materials for local public libraries. 'It's important that...

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Equal Stature for Religious Holidays in the Schools

December 5, 2002

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On December 5, 2002 the St. Petersburg Times reported that "Hillsborough school [FL] officials have decided they no longer will penalize high school students who take time off to observe a religious holiday. As always, students who miss class for a religious observance will receive an excused absence. But that absence will no longer cost them the exemption from semester exams awarded students who maintain perfect attendance. Such exemptions are a coveted privilege in many high schools. The new policy comes nearly two years...

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U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Renews Anti-Discrimination Message

December 4, 2002

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5995-2002Dec3.html

On December 4, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iraq and continued concerns about terrorism, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has renewed its message to employers that it is illegal to discriminate against foreign-born workers. The agency issued updated anti-bias guidelines yesterday...

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Religious Groups Speak Out Against War with Iraq: Dec. 2002

December 4, 2002

Source: Connecticut Post

http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96%257E3750%257E1029127,00.html

On December 4, 2002 the Connecticut Post reported that "with the prospect of war with Iraq increasing, prayers for peace were offered by clergy of many faiths during a midday service Tuesday at Housatonic Community College. Despite bitter cold, about three dozen leaders of churches, mosques and synagogues gathered under a sunny sky in the college courtyard...

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American Muslim Aly Khan to Run for Illinois State Senate

December 2, 2002

Source: Northwest Indiana News

http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2002/11/26/news/top_news/64c14bdeff4ff10886256c7d0026bd94.txt

On December 2, 2002 the Northwest Indiana News reported that "Aly Khan [came] forward as a candidate in hopes of replacing Bill Alexa when he retires from the [IL] state Senate at the end of the month. As a Muslim leader, active on both the national and local levels, the 37-year-old is well...

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December: Celebrations and Dilemmas, 2002

December 2, 2002

Source: religionwriters.com

http://www.religionwriters.com/public/tips/120202/120202a.html

On December 2, 2002 religionwriters.com reported that "the first week in December includes the celebration of Advent, Hanukkah, and Eid al-Fitr, and Christmas and Kwanzaa aren't far behind. After a year of constitutional controversies regarding religion, the winter holidays are yet another venue for debating the meaning of religious symbols in the public square....

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Controversy Over Saudi Contributions to American Muslims

December 1, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/la-me-saudi1dec01001516,0,5307913.story

On December 1, 2002 the Los Angeles Times reported that "one of the nation's most prominent Islamic organizations has accepted a $500,000 donation from a Saudi prince, sparking a blunt debate among American Muslims over whether foreign contributions are compromising their independence and the integrity of their organizations. Omar Ahmed, board chairman of the Council on...

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Palm Beach County to Prosecute Hate Crime Suspect

December 1, 2002

Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

On December 1, 2002 the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that "a construction company owner has been charged with a misdemeanor hate crime after two Boca Raton [FL] police officers said they watched him set fire to a sign announcing the new site of a mosque. George Aboujawdeh, 45, is the first person in Palm Beach County to be prosecuted for a hate crime directed at Muslims since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, said Michael Edmondson, a spokesman for the State Attorney's Office. Aboujawdeh, a Catholic who was born and...

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