Islam

Muslim Couple Suing US Bank

October 25, 2002

Source: The Associated Press

On October 25, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "a Muslim couple are suing US Bank, claiming a local branch refused to give them a checking account because of their religion and Arabic origin. Sami and Marisol Najjar said in the lawsuit that they tried to open a joint checking account last month but were told they could not because Sami Najjar had not been at his job or current address for 90 days. Others in the bank chain said there is no such requirement, according to the lawsuit, which asks for unspecified...

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Security Guard Allowed to Wear Religiously-Mandated Beard

October 25, 2002

Source: Council on Islamic-American Relations

On October 25, 2002 Council on Islamic-American Relations reported that "a security guard with the Smithsonian's Office of Protection Services in Washington, D.C., will be allowed to wear a religiously-mandated beard after intervention by CAIR. 'We appreciate the Smithsonian's concrete demonstration of its stated commitment to creating and maintaining a workplace free from religious discrimination,' said CAIR Civil Rights Consultant Hassan Mirza."

Poll Shows Americans' Unfamiliarity with and Negative Views of Islam

October 25, 2002

Source: ABC News

http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/dailynews/islam_poll021025.html

On October 25, 2002 ABC News released the results of an ABCNEWS/Beliefnet poll on attitudes of Americans towards Islam. "Amid broad public unfamiliarity with Islam, doubts about the religion's tenets have grown. More than a third of Americans now don't think it teaches respect for other beliefs, and nearly a quarter believe Islam encourages violence against non-...

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Muslims Fear Backlash from Sniper Attacks

October 24, 2002

Source: The Associated Press

On October 24, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "with the arrest of two men early Thursday--one a convert to Islam and a teen said to be his stepson--many Muslims feared yet another angry backlash like the one they endured after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."

Muslims Fear Backlash from Sniper Attacks

October 24, 2002

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations

On October 24, 2002 Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that "[CAIR] congratulated law enforcement officials for the arrest of two suspects in the series of sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C., area, and at the same time cautioned against speculation and stereotyping based on the name of one suspect."

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

October 24, 2002

Source: U.S. Newswire

On October 24, 2002 U.S. Newswire reported that "Calling a unilateral pre-emptive action against Iraq immoral, more than 125 Christian leaders and representatives from Jewish and Muslim faiths in the United States have signed onto a Statement of Conscience on the Iraq War... Citing sacred texts from the Qu'ran, Jewish and Christian scriptures, and elsewhere, religious leaders caution their government to take action against Iraq only through the United Nations, if at all. The...

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Plans to Attack Florida Islamic Centers Uncovered

October 24, 2002

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On October 24, 2002 St. Petersburg Times reported that "the wife of a Pinellas County podiatrist accused in a plot to bomb Islamic centers was arrested today on federal charges of possessing illegal explosives and firearms, federal authorities said. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms arrested Kristi Goldstein... said ATF Special Agent Carlos Baixauli. Full details of the investigation that led to Goldstein's arrest were not immediately available."

Anti-Muslim Leaflets in Hawaiian Islamic Center

October 23, 2002

Source: U.S. Newswire

On October 23, 2002 U.S. Newswire reported that "the Anti-Defamation League condemned the distribution of offensive hate materials, which occurred at the mosque of the Muslim Association in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Monday. ADL Regional Director Jonathan Bernstein stated, 'we are deeply concerned about the distribution of hate materials at a mosque. No religious community should be targeted for hate nor should a group of people be scapegoated for a few individuals' actions. We offer our support to the Muslim community.'"

Houston Muslim Sues Chick-Fil-A

October 22, 2002

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/business/1002/22muslim.html

On October 22, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "a Muslim from Houston has filed a lawsuit saying Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A's corporate purpose to glorify God discriminates against its non-Christian employees. Aziz Latif, 25, says he was fired a day after he refused to pray to Jesus Christ during a training session in November 2000."

Waukesha School Board President Urges Study of Religions in High School

October 22, 2002

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On October 22, 2002 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "the Waukesha School Board [WI] president is pushing a requirement for all students to study different religions in high school. In a memo to School Board members, William Domina said he wanted every student in the district to graduate with a basic knowledge of religions including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. 'Without this basic understanding, I am concerned that we have not provided our children with a full and complete education and that...

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Anti-Muslim Leaflets in Hawaiian Islamic Center

October 22, 2002

Source: The Associated Press

On October 22, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "Federal authorities and police are investigating as a hate crime the dropping of hundreds of anti-Muslim leaflets in the yard of a [Hawaiian] Islamic center, the FBI said Monday. The leaflets were thrown into the fenced yard of the mosque of the Muslim Association of Hawaii around 8 a.m. Monday, said Daniel Dzwilewski, special agent in charge at the bureau's Honolulu division."

Religious Diversity in Queens, New York

October 21, 2002

Source: Newsday

On October 21, 2002 Newsday reported on the "thousands of newcomers who live or worship in this spectacularly polyglot stretch of Flushing, which boasts Hindu and Buddhist temples, mosques, synagogues, Sikh gurdwaras as well as historic Catholic and Protestant churches dating, in a few cases, to the 17th century. In many ways, Bowne Street is a microcosm of the changing spiritual landscape of New York, which is being reordered by the powerful engines of immigration and globalization. If not quite a new Mecca or a Jerusalem, the New...

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Controversy Over Somali Muslim Immigrant Communities in Small N.E. Town

October 20, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 20, 2002 the Los Angeles Times reported that "more than 1,500 Somali refugees [arrived] in this fading industrial city about 30 miles north of Portland. The large influx of families -- most of them Muslim -- from East Africa came swiftly, in just 18 months. For longtime residents and newcomers alike, the sudden population shift has brought a sense of mutual culture shock. At Frenchy's Barber Shop, a one-chair establishment... 'Frenchy' Langlois said he was 15 when he hopped a train in French-speaking Canada 48...

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Growth of Muslim Community in Washington D.C. Region

October 20, 2002

Source: The Washington Post

On October 20, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "a Howard County [Maryland] Muslim congregation is edging closer to reality -- and with it, hopes of becoming a more integral part of the community's daily fabric. After bouncing among facilities for their prayers and gatherings since the early 1990s, members of Dar Al-Taqwa are just months away from a building permit to erect the county's first mosque. The worship center... will be a place to call their own, to teach Arabic to their children and to honor the customs and...

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Author of Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths Urges Interfaith Dialogue

October 19, 2002

Source: The Times-Picayune

On October 19, 2002 The Times-Picayune reported that "Bruce Feiler, [author of Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths], is urging followers of the three major mono-theistic faiths to... [talk] to one another. 'Abraham is a potential unifier because he stands before the creation of the three major religions,' Feiler said during a recent talk held at Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs, which houses a joint Conservative-Reform Jewish congregation."

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