Islam

Banking Options in the American-Muslim Community

March 17, 1999

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 17, 1999, the Los Angeles Times published an article on the organizations in the United States that are trying to offer American Muslims a way to conduct their financial affairs in accordance with Islamic law. Since the Qur'an and the Sunnah forbid Muslims to pay or receive interest, many devout Muslims are at odds with contemporary financial mores. Though Islamic banking systems now operate throughout the Muslim world, they withered under colonial rule and have only made a comeback in the last 20 years. Institutions like...

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Latino Converts to Islam

March 15, 1999

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 15, 1999, the Los Angeles Times reported on the growing phenomenon of Latino conversions to Islam. Though precise statistics are not available, Islamic leaders estimate that there are approximately 15,000 Latino Muslims in the United States, with major populations in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, and Miami. Last month, a group of 30 Southern California Latino converts founded the Latino-Muslim Movement at the ILM Foundation to educate Spanish-speaking Muslims and to spread Islam to other Latinos. One of the their main...

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Fire at Mosque in Minneapolis

March 14, 1999

Source: Star Tribune

On March 14, 1999, the Star Tribune reported that U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota inspected the ruins of the mosque that was destroyed on March 5th. "As an American Jew, I feel strongly about this because we've experienced the same type of hate crimes. We don't know exactly what happened here, but it feels like that," Wellstone said. The fire gutted the mosque and the adjacent Islamic Cultural Community Center in Minneapolis. Police and fire officials have suggested that the fire may have been set to cover up a burglary, but...

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FBI Investigating Death Threats to Prominent Muslim Leader

March 14, 1999

Source: The Arizona Republic

http://www.amconline.org/medias/Release/messages/86.html

On March 14, 1999, The Arizona Republic reported that the FBI is investigating alleged death threats received by Sheikh Hisham Kabbani of Los Altos, CA, the chairman of the Washington-based Islamic Supreme Council of America. Since January, Kabbani and his followers have taken security precautions after Kabbani was condemned by several Muslim organizations for statements he made...

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Shiite Muslim Community Denied Zoning Permit for Mosque in Connecticut

March 9, 1999

Source: The Hartford Courant

On March 9, 1999, The Hartford Courant reported that the Jafaria Association, which has undergone a year long effort to establish a mosque in Meriden, CT, was denied a zoning permit on the grounds that it would create too much traffic. Although a dozen churches have been granted permits in Meriden over the past three decades, the Jafaria Association's efforts were denied largely because of a neighborhood protest that claimed the new mosque would create too much traffic on the weekends. Syed Naqvi, president of the Jafaria...

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Muslim Women File Religious Discrimination Suit

March 3, 1999

Source: The Washington Post

On March 3, 1999, The Washington Post published an article on the religious discrimination complaint filed by five Muslim women with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Muslim women contend that they were fired from a Dulles International Airport security firm for refusing to remove their Islamic head scarves. The suit, which names Argenbright Security Inc. and United Airlines as respondents, alleges a civil rights violation based on federal law that requires employers to accommodate religious practices on the job....

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Shi'ite Muslims in Connecticut Trying to Build Mosque

February 16, 1999

Source: The Hartford Courant

On February 16, 1999, The Hartford Courant published an article on the efforts of the Jafaria Association of Connecticut to gain city approval for a Shi'ite mosque in Meriden, CT. The association, which only had a handful of families in 1996, has now grown to 150 members. They began to worship in private homes in 1996 and then moved to a rented church. Now, members of the association are trying to get a proposal approved by the Meriden town officials. Although the association has made a deal for the property, the city zoning...

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Nation of Islam Leader Calls For Million Family March

February 13, 1999

Source: The Hartford Courant

On February 13, 1999, The Hartford Courant reported on the visit of Minister Benjamin F. Muhammed to Hartford. Muhammed, the former NAACP Director Benjamin Chavis Jr. who has converted from Christianity to Islam, is now a leader within the Nation of Islam. He spoke at Mosque 14 in Hartford and called for a "Million Family March" to take place in the year 2000 in Washington. "The Million Family March has the potential to transform our society...and the world," Muhammed said. "There once was a time when we'd look out for one...

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Muslim Leader Speaks in Indiana

February 12, 1999

Source: The Indianapolis Star

On February 12, 1999, The Indianapolis Star reported on a message delivered by Imam W. Deen Muhammad, son of Elijah Muhammad, of the Nation of Islam at Martin University in Indiana. Muhammad, speaking to an audience of Muslims, Protestants, Catholics, and Jews from across the Midwest, stated, "God originally created us to be one family, and before this world is finished, we have to become one community again." Muhammad also stated that the "fundamental feature of Islam is unity, peace, and charity. We must be that to each other...

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Ramadan Reflections

January 20, 1999

Source: Los Angeles Times

On January 20, 1999, the Los Angeles Times reported on the feasts and celebrations taking place in the San Fernando Valley for Eid al-Fitr, which means "the festival of breaking of the fast" and signals the end of Ramadan. The feast, celebrated on January 19th, saw thousands offer morning prayers at the several mosques in the area and approximately 700 were attracted by the Islamic Center of Reseda to prayers held in Granada Hills.

Ramadan Reflections

January 20, 1999

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On January 20, 1999, The Baltimore Sun published an article on the breaking of the fast celebrations held at the Masjid al-Rahmah, the mosque of the Islamic Society of Baltimore in Catonsville, MD. Since Ramadan began with the U.S. bombings of Iraq and closed with the massacre of 45 Albanian Muslims in Kosovo, the Muslim community in Baltimore was saddened and angered over the situation of Muslims in the world. Imam Adam El-Sheikh, the spiritual leader of Masjid al-Rahmah, called on American Muslims to organize and speak out...

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