Civic

Civil Rights Leaders Urge Muslim Americans to Voice Concerns

March 12, 2003

Source: The Harvard Crimson

On March 12, 2003 The Harvard Crimson reported that "three civil rights leaders urged Muslim Americans and others to speak out against government encroachment on civil liberties at panel at the [Harvard] Divinity School yesterday morning... The discussion, which was part of the two-day Islam in America 2003 conference, focused on violations of American Muslims' civil rights since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks... Panelists said ethnic profiling stemming from restrictive national security measures has become a prominent...

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New York Iman Explicates Muslim Beliefs to FBI Agents

March 11, 2003

Source: Daily News

On March 11, 2003 the Daily News reported that "in an office in lower Manhattan yesterday blocks from Ground Zero, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf talked about his Muslim beliefs to an unusual audience - a roomful of FBI agents... 'Islamic extremism for the majority of Muslims is an oxymoron,' he explained to the agents... Rauf - imam of the Masjid al-Farah mosque of Tribeca - was speaking as part of an FBI effort to present agents who are the ground troops in the war against terrorism with a view of Islam that avoids stereotypes... It comes as...

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Iowa: Controversy over North Liberty City Officials Plan to Lease Land Intended for Muslim Youth Camp

March 10, 2003

Source: Des Moines Register

http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4780934/20691905.html

On March 10, 2003 the Des Moines Register reported that "Muslim Youth Camps of America wants to lease the wooded 106 acres and turn it into Camp Heritage, the nation's first summer camp for Muslim youth. The Cedar Rapids-based nonprofit group envisions a conference center with spectacular views, 10 cabins, a boat dock and a 36-foot prayer tower... Some people hear...

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Muslim Women Celebrate International Women's Day

March 10, 2003

Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-limusl103166000mar10,0,2788189.story

On March 10, 2003 Newsday reported that "they hail from Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt and other nations. They share the same religion: Islam... They gathered yesterday at the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury to celebrate International Women's Day and to talk in part about what it is like to be a Muslim woman in the...

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Arrest of Muslim Doctoral Student Worries Area Foreign Students

March 10, 2003

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/03/10/MN41108.DTL

On March 10, 2003 San Francisco Chronicle reported that "a recent predawn arrest of a Muslim doctoral student in Moscow, Idaho, has left residents there wondering if the roughly 100 federal agents who swarmed into their small college town made a major terror-related bust or an alarming blunder... A detention hearing is to be held in Boise on...

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Hindu Temple Invites Community to Celebrate Anniversary and to Pray for Peace

March 7, 2003

Source: Appeal-Democrat

On March 7, 2003 the Appeal-Democrat reported that "Raj Narayan Pathak and his wife, Rama Pathak, are visiting from Germany and are proud to make preparations for the seventh annual anniversary of the Sri Narayan Hindu Temple on Franklin Road in Yuba City [CA]... Saturday, the community is invited to join the anniversary celebration and pray for peace around the world, Pathak said. The Pooja/Havan will begin at 9 a.m. Pathak plans to lead his audience in prayer and giving offerings to the gods. Songs and chants are also planned... A...

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Update: Increasing Support for Lutheran Reverend Who Participated in Interfaith Event

March 7, 2003

Source: The Omaha World-Herald

On March 7, 2003 The Omaha World-Herald reported that "the Rev. David Benke, suspended president of the synod's Atlantic District, didn't dodge questions Thursday about his prayer at a post-Sept. 11 interfaith event. Benke lectured at Concordia University, describing his congregations' responses to the World Trade Center attacks... He said the disaster and his 30 years of ministry in New York City's melting pot help explain why he joined non-Lutheran clergy at 'A Prayer for America' at Yankee Stadium - an act that led to his...

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CAIR to Open Chapter in Arizona

March 6, 2003

Source: The Arizona Republic

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0306muslim-ON.html

On March 6, 2003 The Arizona Republic reported that "a national Islamic civil rights organization will open its first office in Arizona today as part of ongoing efforts to improve the image of Muslims in the United States and protect their civil rights... The office of the Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations will function as a place where Muslims can...

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World Religion Curriculum Raises Concerns about Changes and Cost

March 5, 2003

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On March 5, 2003 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "world religion studies should take a higher profile in the School District, with teachers receiving more training on how to teach the topic using updated texts, a report by district social studies teachers concludes... But fine-tuning to accommodate such changes would take at least another year, and adding a separate course couldn't happen until 2005-'06, according to the eight-member group... But board member Daniel Warren questioned how high a priority the...

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Update: Civil Suit against NYPD

March 5, 2003

Source: Newsday

On March 5, 2003 Newsday printed an editorial stating that "the sheriff of Los Angeles County, for one, would happily consider Amric Singh Rathour, or other turban-wearing Sikhs, for work as a uniformed officer. But the Queens-born Rathour has always wanted to be a traffic agent for the New York Police Department, so much so that he filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the NYPD yesterday to make it happen... Officials should relax the department's uniform policy to accommodate Rathour's religious expression and save taxpayers the...

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Muslim Leaders Fear Backlash from Allegations that NY Mosque Financed Terrorism

March 5, 2003

Source: Voice of America

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=7743118A-4316-4498-A66EE8CD69A72325

On March 5, 2003 Voice of America reported that "U.S. investigators say worshippers at a mosque in New York City helped a prominent Yemeni cleric raise millions of dollars to finance terrorism... The allegations, in court papers unsealed Wednesday in a federal courthouse in Brooklyn, focus on the Al-Farouq mosque in Brooklyn and its...

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Update: Lawmakers Walk Out of Muslim Prayer in Washington State House

March 5, 2003

Source: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/111090_mcmahan05.shtml

On March 5, 2003 The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that "Rep. Lois McMahan will apologize on the state House floor today for comments she made about her decision to sit out a prayer delivered Monday by a Muslim cleric that opened the session, legislative staff members said... McMahan, a Republican from Gig Harbor, did not mean to offend anyone when she...

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