Islam

Heroic Sikh Doctor Recalls Post-9/11 Backlash

September 10, 2002

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On September 10, 2002 The Houston Chronicle reported that "speaking at a senior citizen center Monday, [Dr. Navinderdeep Singh] Nijher... one of the first physicians to arrive at the burning remains of the twin towers... recalled the backlash of hate he and other Sikhs faced from fellow Americans in the wake of the attacks... When he walked into the drugstore to get film developed from Ground Zero, the store clerk mistook him for a Muslim. 'When I presented the pictures to the drugstore clerk, I asked him how much it would...

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Lawsuit Alleging Mistreatment in Prison

September 10, 2002

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=16935

On September 10, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "according to a lawsuit filed on his behalf... an Egyptian national who was detained after the Sept. 11 attacks was prevented from practicing his Muslim faith, denied access to a lawyer for two weeks and given repeated body cavity searches while in a federal prison in Louisiana. Prison officials also...

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9/11 Memorials and Interfaith Services in Southern California

September 9, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On September 9, 2002 the Los Angeles Times reported that "hundreds [of 9/11 memorials] will be held in places of worship and in public places across Southern California in the next few days to mark the Sept. 11 anniversary. The largest inter-religious gathering in Orange County will be A Prayer Service for Peace at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Columban Church in Garden Grove. Jewish, Islamic and Buddhist leaders will join bishops and other local heads of major Christian denominations for an interfaith service.

Pennsylvania Chapter of CAIR Hold Interfaith Service to Commemorate 9/11

September 9, 2002

Source: The Patriot-News

On September 9, 2002 The Patriot-News reported that "the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations hosted the service [at the Interfaith Center of Greater Harrisburg] to promote unity among faiths. Imam Mohammad Naseem urged those attending to introduce themselves and their families to their neighbors, offer their neighbors help and say they can call anytime."

Long Island's Muslim Community Reaches Out

September 9, 2002

Source: Newsday

On September 9, 2002 Newsday reported that "amid the carnage of last year's terror attacks, many American Muslims have found themselves both victims and on the defense, struggling to explain the essence of Islam to a hurt and bewildered public. As the nation prepares to observe the first anniversary, more than 100 members of Long Island's Muslim community gathered at the Islamic Center in Westbury [New York] yesterday to express their continued outrage and soothe their own pain."

Internal Dispute within American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

September 9, 2002

Source: Pacific News Service

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html

On September 9, 2002 the Pacific News Service reported that "a dispute within the ranks of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has raised tensions in the Arab American community at a particularly sensitive time, reports Arab-American Business magazine... Since Sept. 11, the ADC -- the largest nationwide Arab organization -- has taken the lead in protesting unfair targeting and...

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Religion and Education Post-9/11: Advocates Switch Sides

September 8, 2002

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On September 8, 2002 The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "the Thomas More Law Center, a Michigan-based Christian rights foundation, filed a federal suit this summer on behalf of two families. It charges Contra Costa County's Byron Union School District with violating students' constitutional rights after a seventh-grade class used the workbook Islam: a Simulation of Islamic History and Culture. Religion in the schools has long been a thorny issue. This time, however, some advocates have switched sides....

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Iowa City Muslims and Arabs Comment Positively on Local Response, but Local Universities Experience Backlash

September 8, 2002

Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen

http://www.press-citizen.com/news/090802arabs.htm

On September 8, 2002 Iowa City Press-Citizen reported that "some members of the Muslim and Arab communities in Iowa City say the local response has been overwhelmingly positive. Despite the mostly positive reaction in Iowa City, the local community was not immune from some negative backlash. A Press-Citizen survey of Big Ten schools the week after Sept. 11 found threats or incidents of...

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Educating Against Suspicion

September 8, 2002

Source: The Boston Globe

On September 8, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "a year after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, [Muslim, Arab, and Sikh people]... who initially aroused suspicion among some residents and law enforcement officials now find themselves - some reluctantly - in the role of educators, all the while enduring long stares and even longer searches at airport security checkpoints. Islamic leaders said their role has become more crucial as a result of the terrorist attacks, especially in the predominantly white Boston [...

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Reports on Anti-Muslim Violence

September 8, 2002

Source: The Boston Herald

On September 8, 2002 The Boston Herald reported that "the Massachusetts attorney general's office obtained four civil rights orders, punishable by up to five years in prison, against anti-Muslim offenders. Nationally, state and local prosecutors have brought charges in about 70 cases, including the slayings of seven people perceived as Muslims. The Department of Justice investigated about 350 allegations of threats and violence and brought federal charges in 10 cases. In one case, Zachary J. Rolnik, a publishing executive...

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Long History of Islam in America

September 8, 2002

Source: In These Times

On September 8, 2002 In These Times, a publication of the Institute for Public Affairs, featured an article entitled "The Forgotten History of Islam in America." The article begins with concerns that "Christian fundamentalists... have seized upon 9/11 to fire a fusillade of invective at the religion of Islam... Far too little media coverage since 9/11 has focused on the country's broader indigenous Islamic constituency. Yet the appeal of Islam in America is undeniable - indeed, it is the country's fastest-growing religion... The...

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Jewish Buddhists Reinterpret Psalms

September 8, 2002

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On September 8, 2002 The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "studying the violent passages in the Psalms, Norman Fischer saw something none of us can deny. Judaism and Christianity -- just like the Muslim faith -- can be used to justify the killing of innocents in the name of God. Fischer tries to reconcile all this in Opening to You: Zen-Inspired Translations of the Psalms. Meanwhile, another popular Buddhist teacher with Jewish roots and a Bay Area address is out with his own book of interfaith inspiration...

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Polls Indicate Americans Still Struggling Over Muslim Identity

September 8, 2002

Source: The Sun News

On September 8, 2002 The Sun News reported that "Muslim-Americans became the targets of scrutiny, criticism and even violence after Sept. 11, but a surprising thing has now happened: The elevated profile seems to have improved Americans' perceptions of them, according to a Knight Ridder poll. For many, though, it is an uneasy accommodation. The poll found that many Americans are struggling to distinguish their positive inclinations toward Muslims living in the United States from their suspicions of those living abroad. That tension is...

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