Islam

Response to Military Action in Afghanistan

October 8, 2001

Source: The Kansas City Star

On October 8, 2001, The Kansas City Star reported that "Kansas City area Muslims, already dismayed by comments of those who would link their religion to terrorism, watched news of Sunday's bombings unfold from several perspectives: as Muslims, as American citizens and as former residents of Middle Eastern countries...Area Muslims said they were praying that there would be few or no civilian casualties."

Multifaith, Interfaith Responses to Terrorist Attacks (October)

October 7, 2001

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On October 7, 2001, the The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that "the terrorists who attacked the United States on Sept. 11 may have expected that their deeds would separate American Muslims from mainstream American society. The opposite occurred. A new era of interfaith dialogue has begun. People of many faiths have reacted to the attacks by inviting Muslims to pray with them and to teach them about Islam."

Islamic Scholars Condemn Terror Attacks and Speak Out about Islam

October 7, 2001

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On October 7, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "Umar Faruq Abdallah, an Islamic scholar and leader in the Muslim community in Chicago, said it is time for the followers of the Prophet Mohammed to start policing their own demagogues... Iftekhar Hai, a Bay Area leader of the United Muslims of America, couldn't agree more. 'We have to encourage moderate theology backed up by love and compassion and forgiveness -- not extremist interpretations backed up with rage and anger and wrath,' he said."

Americans Turn to Religion

October 6, 2001

Source: Omaha World-Herald

On October 6, 2001, The Omaha World-Herald reported that "as Americans in greater numbers turn to churches, synagogues and mosques for answers to the incomprehensible horror, they may find that clergy, too, mourn. They, too, are not immune to questions and doubts in sorting out the ambiguities of life and faith...Pastors say they find support in the same places they tell others to find it - in prayer, in religious study, in their faith communities and in talking with others."

Muslim Leaders, Scholars, and Community Members Clarify that Terrorism is Contrary to Islam

October 5, 2001

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On October 5, 2001, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that "Muslim students at Grossmont College [San Diego] countered misconceptions about their religion in the wake of recent terrorist attacks by educating their classmates about Islam." Also in the area at the University of California San Diego, "Muslim, Christian, Sikh and other student organizations rallied support for the Islamic community and tried to educate each other about the similarities and differences in their faiths."

In the U.S.: Muslims, Sikhs, Arabs, South Asians Face Threats, Violence (September 17 - October)

October 5, 2001

Source: The New York Times

On October 5, 2001, The New York Times reported that "African-American Muslims are under intensified public scrutiny...and find themselves in the bind of being Americans singled out because of their Islamic faith...African-American Muslims, who are estimated to make up 25 to 40 percent of American Muslims, have condemned the terroist attacks." Blaming Islam is "'like blaming Christianity for what the Klu Klux Klan did throughout the South,' Mr. Hasan said,...a member of the Muslim American Society," a group that claims 2.5 million...

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Americans Seek Understanding of Islam

October 5, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On October 5, 2001, The Boston Globe reported that "sales of the Koran, the holy scripture of Islam, have quintupled in the United States since Sept. 11, according to the book's main US publisher...Purchasing the Koran appears to be one way that Americans are trying to understand what happened."

International Dimensions of "Backlash"

October 4, 2001

Source: Amnesty International

http://www.web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/ACT300282001?OpenDocument

On October 4, 2001, Amnesty International issued the press release, "Caught in the backlash: Human rights under threat worldwide in aftermath of September 11 attacks." The release cites a report by Amnesty International, which voices concerns about civil rights around the world and states, "Mosques, Hindu temples and community centres have been attacked and...

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Afghan-Americans Speak Out

October 4, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 4, 2001, Los Angeles Times reported that "decrying last month's terrorist attacks on the East Coast, leaders of the nation's largest Afghan expatriate community... urged decisive strikes against the perpetrators and the Taliban government in their homeland. But at the same time, they expressed hope that President Bush would avoid a full-scale war that would threaten the lives of innocent Afghans."

Muslim Shopkeeper Killed in California: Suspected Hate Slaying

October 4, 2001

Source: The San Jose Mercury News

http://www0.mercurycenter.com/partners/docs1/019145.htm

On October 4, 2001, The Mercury News reported on the funeral of Abdo Ali Ahmed, a Yemeni-American shopkeeper killed in a suspected hate crime. The article reported that some 500 people came to the funeral, including "Quaker pacifists, Latino farmworkers, Sikhs and Christians joined the local Muslim community at the white-domed mosque, Fresno Masjid."

Interfaith Group Takes Stand Against Domestic Violence

October 4, 2001

Source: The Arizona Republic

On October 4, 2001, The Arizona Republic featured the editorial "Faith Finds Help for Abuse Victims" which stated that "Religious leaders are frequently the first persons a victim approaches for help, yet they are often poorly equipped to deal with the realities of abuse... The Religious Response to Domestic Violence, an interfaith task force drawn from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim congregations, seeks to change the climate of congregations so that victims find information, safety, and support in their faith communities; and...

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Americans Turn to Religion

October 4, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On October 4, 2001, The Boton Globe reported that "people of many religions have turned to faith to help cope with the pain of Sept. 11. In the weeks since the terrorist attacks on the United States, attendance at churches, synagogues and mosques south of Boston has swelled."

Afghan-Americans Support US Military Action

October 4, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 4, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "decrying last month's terrorist attacks on the East Coast, leaders of the nation's largest Afghan expatriate community [in Northern California]...urged decisive strikes against the perpetrators and the Taliban government in their homeland."

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