Halal food lands on menus
It reflects growing interest by Muslims
BY NIRAJ WARIKOO
Growing up in Dearborn, Zeinab Chami often was tempted by ads for Col. Sanders' original recipe, the finger-lickin' meal sold by fast-food giant KFC.
However, Chami was an observant Muslim, and the restaurant's chicken was not halal, meaning it wasn't prepared according to Islamic law. Her choices usually were limited to what her immigrant parents cooked or the occasional takeout from Middle Eastern restaurants.
But now she's able to get a taste of KFC. Last month, the restaurant's east Dearborn restaurant began selling halal chicken, a change that reflects the growing demand for halal products among metro Detroit's sizable Muslim population.
Underneath the colonel's bearded face, the store's sign reads "Now serving halal original & crispy." The juxtaposition of an American icon with Islamic tradition is a striking display of the changing landscape of southeast Michigan. Halal meat is not new to Dearborn's butcher shops and Arab restaurants, but a growing number of national chains have been accommodating the local demand for Muslim food in recent years.
"A lot has changed just in the past decade," said Bilal Dabaja, 22, a Dearborn resident who eats halal. "More people want these products."
The change is similar to how the growing Jewish population decades ago led to kosher becoming part of the American food industry and vocabulary. The kosher symbols "K" and "U" can be seen today on everything from Heinz ketchup bottles to Fruity Pebbles cereal boxes.
Muslims hope to create a similar market for halal products.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Halal food lands on menus
Showing posts with label michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label michigan. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: FOOTBATHS INSTALLED AT UNIVERSITY FOR MOSLEM STUDENTS - - - ISLAMIZATION OF AMERICA IS ON SCHEDULE
Universities Install Footbaths to Benefit Muslims, and Not Everyone Is Pleased
DEARBORN, Mich. — When pools of water began accumulating on the floor in some restrooms at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and the sinks pulling away from the walls, the problem was easy to pinpoint. On this campus, more than 10 percent of the students are Muslims, and as part of ritual ablutions required before their five-times-a-day prayers, some were washing their feet in the sinks.
The solution seemed straightforward. After discussions with the Muslim Students’ Association, the university announced that it would install $25,000 foot-washing stations in several restrooms.
But as a legal and political matter, that solution has not been quite so simple. When word of the plan got out this spring, it created instant controversy, with bloggers going on about the Islamification of the university, students divided on the use of their building-maintenance fees, and tricky legal questions about whether the plan is a legitimate accommodation of students’ right to practice their religion — or unconstitutional government support for that religion.
“It’s an awkward thing,” said Alexis Oesterle, a junior. “If I’m sitting with Muslim friends, I wouldn’t want to bring it up. In this country, at this time, it’s not so easy to discuss the issues of Muslims in American society.”
As the nation’s Muslim population grows, issues of religious accommodation are becoming more common, and more complicated. Many public school districts are grappling with questions about prayer rooms for Muslim students, halal food in cafeterias and scheduling around important Muslim holidays. As Muslim students point out, the school calendar already accommodates Christians, with Sundays off and vacations around Christmas and Easter.
“Starting about two years ago, school attorneys have been asking more and more questions about accommodations for Muslim students,” said Lisa Soronen, a National School Boards Association lawyer. “These issues don’t get litigated very often; they’re usually worked out one by one.”
Nationwide, more than a dozen universities have footbaths, many installed in new buildings. On some campuses, like George Mason University in Virginia, and Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich., there was no outcry. At Eastern Michigan, even some Muslim students were surprised by the appearance of the footbath — a single spigot delivering 45 seconds of water — in a partitioned corner of the restroom in the new student union.
“My sister told me about it, and I didn’t believe it,” said Najla Malaibari, a graduate student at Eastern Michigan. “I was, ‘No way,’ and she said, ‘Yeah, go crazy.’ It really is convenient.”
But after a Muslim student at Minneapolis Community and Technical College slipped and hurt herself last fall while washing her feet in a sink, word got out there that the college was considering installing a footbath, and a local columnist accused the college of a double standard — stopping a campus coffee cart from playing Christmas music but taking a different attitude toward Islam.
“After the column, a Christian conservative group issued an action alert to its members, which prompted 3,000 e-mail and 600 voice messages to me and/or legislators,” said Phil Davis, president of the college.
Mr. Davis said that after a legal briefing, the board concluded that installing footbaths was constitutional, and that the college hoped to have a plan in place by the next school year.
Here in Dearborn, the university called the footbaths a health and safety measure, not a religious decision. And it argued that while the footbaths may benefit Muslim students, they will be available to others, like lacrosse players who want to wash their feet.
Still, the plans are controversial.
“My first reaction was, ‘Where’s the money coming from?’ ” said Emily Hutfloetz, a senior. “I feel like it’s favoring one group of people.”
On her Web site, Debbie Schlussel, a conservative lawyer and blogger in Southfield, Mich., posted, “Forget about the Constitutionally mandated separation of church and state ... at least when it comes to mosque and state.”
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Universities Install Footbaths to Benefit Muslims, and Not Everyone Is Pleased
DEARBORN, Mich. — When pools of water began accumulating on the floor in some restrooms at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and the sinks pulling away from the walls, the problem was easy to pinpoint. On this campus, more than 10 percent of the students are Muslims, and as part of ritual ablutions required before their five-times-a-day prayers, some were washing their feet in the sinks.
The solution seemed straightforward. After discussions with the Muslim Students’ Association, the university announced that it would install $25,000 foot-washing stations in several restrooms.
But as a legal and political matter, that solution has not been quite so simple. When word of the plan got out this spring, it created instant controversy, with bloggers going on about the Islamification of the university, students divided on the use of their building-maintenance fees, and tricky legal questions about whether the plan is a legitimate accommodation of students’ right to practice their religion — or unconstitutional government support for that religion.
“It’s an awkward thing,” said Alexis Oesterle, a junior. “If I’m sitting with Muslim friends, I wouldn’t want to bring it up. In this country, at this time, it’s not so easy to discuss the issues of Muslims in American society.”
As the nation’s Muslim population grows, issues of religious accommodation are becoming more common, and more complicated. Many public school districts are grappling with questions about prayer rooms for Muslim students, halal food in cafeterias and scheduling around important Muslim holidays. As Muslim students point out, the school calendar already accommodates Christians, with Sundays off and vacations around Christmas and Easter.
“Starting about two years ago, school attorneys have been asking more and more questions about accommodations for Muslim students,” said Lisa Soronen, a National School Boards Association lawyer. “These issues don’t get litigated very often; they’re usually worked out one by one.”
Nationwide, more than a dozen universities have footbaths, many installed in new buildings. On some campuses, like George Mason University in Virginia, and Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich., there was no outcry. At Eastern Michigan, even some Muslim students were surprised by the appearance of the footbath — a single spigot delivering 45 seconds of water — in a partitioned corner of the restroom in the new student union.
“My sister told me about it, and I didn’t believe it,” said Najla Malaibari, a graduate student at Eastern Michigan. “I was, ‘No way,’ and she said, ‘Yeah, go crazy.’ It really is convenient.”
But after a Muslim student at Minneapolis Community and Technical College slipped and hurt herself last fall while washing her feet in a sink, word got out there that the college was considering installing a footbath, and a local columnist accused the college of a double standard — stopping a campus coffee cart from playing Christmas music but taking a different attitude toward Islam.
“After the column, a Christian conservative group issued an action alert to its members, which prompted 3,000 e-mail and 600 voice messages to me and/or legislators,” said Phil Davis, president of the college.
Mr. Davis said that after a legal briefing, the board concluded that installing footbaths was constitutional, and that the college hoped to have a plan in place by the next school year.
Here in Dearborn, the university called the footbaths a health and safety measure, not a religious decision. And it argued that while the footbaths may benefit Muslim students, they will be available to others, like lacrosse players who want to wash their feet.
Still, the plans are controversial.
“My first reaction was, ‘Where’s the money coming from?’ ” said Emily Hutfloetz, a senior. “I feel like it’s favoring one group of people.”
On her Web site, Debbie Schlussel, a conservative lawyer and blogger in Southfield, Mich., posted, “Forget about the Constitutionally mandated separation of church and state ... at least when it comes to mosque and state.”
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Universities Install Footbaths to Benefit Muslims, and Not Everyone Is Pleased
Sunday, July 29, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: C.A.I.R. PRAISES THE NATION OF ISLAM
Muslim leader touts education, discourages violence
by Tom Greenwood
The Detroit News
DETROIT -- It isn't often that you see a speaker receive a standing ovation before he addresses an audience, but that's what happened to Imam W. Deen Mohammad in the auditorium of Wayne Community College Saturday afternoon.
Imam Mohammed, the son of Elijah Muhammad who founded the Nation of Islam, addressed the audience on the role of "Islam and Higher Education." While the Imam lightly touched on the subject of formal education, his main theme was on the moral education of mankind.
"Muhammad, the messenger of Allah, told us that 'the ink of the scholar is more precious than the blood of the martyr,'" the Imam told a warm and respectful audience of about 300 people.
"Education teaches us morality; from the simple justice of right and wrong to the higher level of morality, which we call ethics. Our scientists, whether they are political, military or economic, must eventually respect justice and morality."
While the Imam's audience was made up mainly of Muslims and was totally African American, his theme was aimed at people of all races, colors, creeds and religions; a reflection of his break from the Nation of Islam and his embrace of Islam proper.
"This man is the best kept secret in America when it comes to Muslims in America," said Dawud Walid, Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations.
"When he said that the 'ink of the scholar is more precious than the blood of the martyr' he was telling us that armed struggle is not the answer. Education and morality; those two things will propel Muslims out of the condition they are in today."
According to Imam Mohammad, 73, who was born in Hamtramck, the importance of education can be seen from the very beginnings of Islam.
"The first word that God said to Muhammad was not 'God,' but 'read,'" the Imam said, as many in the audience nodded or took notes.
"The word 'Koran' means 'that which must be read.' And the Koran shows both men and women to be thinkers."
The Imam also quoted African-American scholar and nationalists W.E.B. DuBois who said that "we will progress in the measure that we are willing to teach our children to think."
With a flash of humor, the Imam reminded the audience of the greatness of Muslim scholars throughout the ages.
"Why do you think they call it 'Arabic numbers?'" he said to the audience.
"It's because Muslims invented it. We'd be in serious trouble if we had to multiply using Roman numerals, don't you think?"
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim leader touts education, discourages violence
by Tom Greenwood
The Detroit News
DETROIT -- It isn't often that you see a speaker receive a standing ovation before he addresses an audience, but that's what happened to Imam W. Deen Mohammad in the auditorium of Wayne Community College Saturday afternoon.
Imam Mohammed, the son of Elijah Muhammad who founded the Nation of Islam, addressed the audience on the role of "Islam and Higher Education." While the Imam lightly touched on the subject of formal education, his main theme was on the moral education of mankind.
"Muhammad, the messenger of Allah, told us that 'the ink of the scholar is more precious than the blood of the martyr,'" the Imam told a warm and respectful audience of about 300 people.
"Education teaches us morality; from the simple justice of right and wrong to the higher level of morality, which we call ethics. Our scientists, whether they are political, military or economic, must eventually respect justice and morality."
While the Imam's audience was made up mainly of Muslims and was totally African American, his theme was aimed at people of all races, colors, creeds and religions; a reflection of his break from the Nation of Islam and his embrace of Islam proper.
"This man is the best kept secret in America when it comes to Muslims in America," said Dawud Walid, Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations.
"When he said that the 'ink of the scholar is more precious than the blood of the martyr' he was telling us that armed struggle is not the answer. Education and morality; those two things will propel Muslims out of the condition they are in today."
According to Imam Mohammad, 73, who was born in Hamtramck, the importance of education can be seen from the very beginnings of Islam.
"The first word that God said to Muhammad was not 'God,' but 'read,'" the Imam said, as many in the audience nodded or took notes.
"The word 'Koran' means 'that which must be read.' And the Koran shows both men and women to be thinkers."
The Imam also quoted African-American scholar and nationalists W.E.B. DuBois who said that "we will progress in the measure that we are willing to teach our children to think."
With a flash of humor, the Imam reminded the audience of the greatness of Muslim scholars throughout the ages.
"Why do you think they call it 'Arabic numbers?'" he said to the audience.
"It's because Muslims invented it. We'd be in serious trouble if we had to multiply using Roman numerals, don't you think?"
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim leader touts education, discourages violence
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: 2 MOSLEM CHARITIES RAIDED IN DEARBORN MICHIGAN - - - FUNNELING $$$ TO IRANIAN BACKED JIHADISTS GROUPS IN M.E.
Agents raid 2 Muslim charities
In Dearborn, U.S. accuses 1 of ties to Iran, terrorism
BY NIRAJ WARIKOO and JENNIFER DIXON
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
Federal agents raided two Shi'ite Muslim charities Tuesday in Dearborn, one of which the government said funneled money raised in the United States to Iran-backed terrorist groups in the Middle East.
The agents hauled away documents and files from charities that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from metro Detroit Muslims, some of whom were upset by the government's moves and spoke against a rush to judgment.
In a news release, the U.S. Treasury Department said that the Goodwill Charitable Organization is a Hizballah front group that solicits money from Hizballah members who live in the United States. Based in Lebanon, Hizballah has killed more Americans than any other terrorist group besides Al Qaeda, according to the U.S. government.
"We will not allow organizations that support terrorism to raise money in the United States," said Stuart Levey, the Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
The other charity that was raided, Al-Mabarrat Charitable Organization, often holds fund-raisers in metro Detroit and enjoys support from many in the area. Federal officials maintain its founder, Hussein Fadlallah, is the spiritual leader of Hizballah and a terrorist. But the Treasury Department did not designate Al-Mabarrat as a terrorist group, which means it technically can still operate.
According to tax records, Goodwill Charitable received $167,628 in contributions in 2005 and $202,500 in 2004. Al-Mabarrat raised $954,027 in 2004, according to its tax records.
No arrests were made at either office Tuesday.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Agents raid 2 Muslim charities
In Dearborn, U.S. accuses 1 of ties to Iran, terrorism
BY NIRAJ WARIKOO and JENNIFER DIXON
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
Federal agents raided two Shi'ite Muslim charities Tuesday in Dearborn, one of which the government said funneled money raised in the United States to Iran-backed terrorist groups in the Middle East.
The agents hauled away documents and files from charities that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from metro Detroit Muslims, some of whom were upset by the government's moves and spoke against a rush to judgment.
In a news release, the U.S. Treasury Department said that the Goodwill Charitable Organization is a Hizballah front group that solicits money from Hizballah members who live in the United States. Based in Lebanon, Hizballah has killed more Americans than any other terrorist group besides Al Qaeda, according to the U.S. government.
"We will not allow organizations that support terrorism to raise money in the United States," said Stuart Levey, the Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
The other charity that was raided, Al-Mabarrat Charitable Organization, often holds fund-raisers in metro Detroit and enjoys support from many in the area. Federal officials maintain its founder, Hussein Fadlallah, is the spiritual leader of Hizballah and a terrorist. But the Treasury Department did not designate Al-Mabarrat as a terrorist group, which means it technically can still operate.
According to tax records, Goodwill Charitable received $167,628 in contributions in 2005 and $202,500 in 2004. Al-Mabarrat raised $954,027 in 2004, according to its tax records.
No arrests were made at either office Tuesday.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Agents raid 2 Muslim charities
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A.: U.S. TREASURY DEPARTMENT SETS ITS SIGHTS ON HIZ B'ALLAH BRANCH IN MICHIGAN
Treasury Department Targets Organization With Michigan Branch Linked to Hezbollah
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration took action Tuesday against an Iran-based foundation, including its U.S. branch, for allegedly providing support to Hezbollah, a terrorist group the United States has blamed for bloodshed in Lebanon.
The Treasury Department's action covers the Martyrs Foundation and Goodwill Charitable Organization of Dearborn, Mich., which the government identified as a fundraising office for the foundation.
The government also moved against al-Qard al-Hassan, a Beirut firm that the U.S. government believes was used by Hezbollah "as a cover to manage its financial activity."
Two Lebanese people — Qasem Aliq and Ahmad al-Shami — also were covered by Tuesday's order.
The U.S. identified Aliq as a Hezbollah official who was once the director of the Martyrs Foundation's branch in Lebanon. The U.S. says he is currently a director of Jihad al Bina, a Lebanon-based construction company allegely formed and operated by Hezbollah.
Al-Shami had worked for the foundation in Lebanon, the department said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Treasury Department Targets Organization With Michigan Branch Linked to Hezbollah
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration took action Tuesday against an Iran-based foundation, including its U.S. branch, for allegedly providing support to Hezbollah, a terrorist group the United States has blamed for bloodshed in Lebanon.
The Treasury Department's action covers the Martyrs Foundation and Goodwill Charitable Organization of Dearborn, Mich., which the government identified as a fundraising office for the foundation.
The government also moved against al-Qard al-Hassan, a Beirut firm that the U.S. government believes was used by Hezbollah "as a cover to manage its financial activity."
Two Lebanese people — Qasem Aliq and Ahmad al-Shami — also were covered by Tuesday's order.
The U.S. identified Aliq as a Hezbollah official who was once the director of the Martyrs Foundation's branch in Lebanon. The U.S. says he is currently a director of Jihad al Bina, a Lebanon-based construction company allegely formed and operated by Hezbollah.
Al-Shami had worked for the foundation in Lebanon, the department said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Treasury Department Targets Organization With Michigan Branch Linked to Hezbollah
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: THEY WOULDN'T GET STARES TO BEGIN WITH IF THEY DIDN'T WEAR THOSE DISGUSTING SHMATAS
Since I know exactly what those shmatas stand for, I have no desire to see them and they offend the hell out of me...
More Muslim women defy stares and prejudice by wearing head scarves
By Niraj Warikoo
DETROIT — At 19, Sandra Jawad decided she wanted to wear an Islamic headscarf.
Her mother's response: a long lecture on how that could draw prejudice and limit her career options.
"She told me, it's going to be hard. ... It'll make things difficult," Jawad said, recalling a four-hour talk with her mom in their Dearborn, Mich., home last July.
Jawad eventually convinced her family to let her wear the headscarf. Six months later, her 44-year-old mother began wearing one, too, spurred by her daughter's religious awakening.
The two are part of the growing number of Muslim women in Michigan choosing to wear the head scarves, known as hijab, with many donning them at increasingly younger ages.
The upswing is driven by increased attendance at local mosques and Islamic schools, where clerics often describe hijab as the flag of Islam.
And the local trend mirrors an increased use of hijab among women in the Middle East and Europe, where Islamic beliefs in Muslim communities have intensified. In the past, women often waited until reaching their teenage years or middle age before putting on hijab, but now, even elementary school-age children are wearing them.
The changes represent a fundamental shift in how Muslim youth identify themselves. But it comes with a price.
Some "look at us, smirk, stick out their tongues or shout out the window, 'Why do you have that on?'" said Arrwa Mogalli, 29, of Dearborn, Mich., who has worn hijab since she was 11. "You have nuns totally covered ... and no one questions it. But when a Muslim does it, we're from outer space."
Flip through Fordson High School yearbooks and you'll see a marked change. In 1990, only seven seniors at the Dearborn school wore hijab in their class photos. That's less than 5 percent of the female students in the senior class of a public school with a student body that's at least 85 percent of Arab descent.
In the class of 2006, 78 are wearing hijab — 40 percent of the women in the class.
The percentages measured at the end of this article are nothing mor than an indication of how successful the islamization of America really is and American Infidels are still way too ignorant to realize the problems facing this country in the not so distant futures...
Pertinent Links:
1) More Muslim women defy stares and prejudice by wearing head scarves>
More Muslim women defy stares and prejudice by wearing head scarves
By Niraj Warikoo
DETROIT — At 19, Sandra Jawad decided she wanted to wear an Islamic headscarf.
Her mother's response: a long lecture on how that could draw prejudice and limit her career options.
"She told me, it's going to be hard. ... It'll make things difficult," Jawad said, recalling a four-hour talk with her mom in their Dearborn, Mich., home last July.
Jawad eventually convinced her family to let her wear the headscarf. Six months later, her 44-year-old mother began wearing one, too, spurred by her daughter's religious awakening.
The two are part of the growing number of Muslim women in Michigan choosing to wear the head scarves, known as hijab, with many donning them at increasingly younger ages.
The upswing is driven by increased attendance at local mosques and Islamic schools, where clerics often describe hijab as the flag of Islam.
And the local trend mirrors an increased use of hijab among women in the Middle East and Europe, where Islamic beliefs in Muslim communities have intensified. In the past, women often waited until reaching their teenage years or middle age before putting on hijab, but now, even elementary school-age children are wearing them.
The changes represent a fundamental shift in how Muslim youth identify themselves. But it comes with a price.
Some "look at us, smirk, stick out their tongues or shout out the window, 'Why do you have that on?'" said Arrwa Mogalli, 29, of Dearborn, Mich., who has worn hijab since she was 11. "You have nuns totally covered ... and no one questions it. But when a Muslim does it, we're from outer space."
Flip through Fordson High School yearbooks and you'll see a marked change. In 1990, only seven seniors at the Dearborn school wore hijab in their class photos. That's less than 5 percent of the female students in the senior class of a public school with a student body that's at least 85 percent of Arab descent.
In the class of 2006, 78 are wearing hijab — 40 percent of the women in the class.
The percentages measured at the end of this article are nothing mor than an indication of how successful the islamization of America really is and American Infidels are still way too ignorant to realize the problems facing this country in the not so distant futures...
Pertinent Links:
1) More Muslim women defy stares and prejudice by wearing head scarves>
Monday, July 09, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: HOMELAND SECURITY HEAD CHERTOFF GOES TO MICHIGAN IN ORDER TO KISS MORE MOSLEM ARSE
Homeland Security chief to visit Dearborn mosque
By NIRAJ WARIKOO
The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, is planning to visit a Shi’ite mosque in Dearborn on Tuesday.
Chertoff is to be at the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center, department spokeswoman Veronica Valdes said. The mosque has a largely Iraqi-American congregation.
He will meet with the center’s imam, Husham Al-Husainy, and other religious leaders during a private meeting. This is the second meeting with local Muslim and Arab-American leaders that Chertoff has had in Michigan this year.
Pertinent Links:
1) Homeland Security chief to visit Dearborn mosque
By NIRAJ WARIKOO
The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, is planning to visit a Shi’ite mosque in Dearborn on Tuesday.
Chertoff is to be at the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center, department spokeswoman Veronica Valdes said. The mosque has a largely Iraqi-American congregation.
He will meet with the center’s imam, Husham Al-Husainy, and other religious leaders during a private meeting. This is the second meeting with local Muslim and Arab-American leaders that Chertoff has had in Michigan this year.
Pertinent Links:
1) Homeland Security chief to visit Dearborn mosque
Sunday, July 08, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - DETROIT: MOSLEMS UPSET THAT WIRETAPPING CAN CONTINUE - - - CRAMPS THEIR JIHAD JUST A LITTLE
Federal appeals court overturns wiretap ruling
By NIRAJ WARIKOO
A federal appeals court panel today vacated an order by a federal judge in Detroit that ruled that the Bush Administration's wiretapping program was unconstitutional -- a move that concerned local civil rights advocates and Muslim leaders.
In a 2-1 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati said that the plaintiffs, which included local Muslim and Arab-American groups, could not prove they have been harmed by a National Security Agency spying program created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The Bush administration argued that such a program was legal and necessary to defend the nation from terrorism.
But the American Civil Liberties Union, along with groups and attorneys based in Michigan, filed a lawsuit in Detroit in January 2006 saying that the government’s surveillance program was unconstitutional and interfered with their jobs.
U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit ruled in favor of the plaintiffs last August.
The U.S. Justice Department then appealed the case to the Sixth Circuit Appeals Court.
Kary Moss, head of the Michigan branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, said “it’s a really unfortunate decision.”
She said that one of the reasons the plaintiffs had difficulty proving they were being adversely affected was that the government has kept information about the wiretapping program a secret.
Moss said they are considering appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations, one of the co-plaintiffs, said: “It’s a shame that the court overturned the decision... what the executive branch was doing was unconstitutional.”
Pertinent Links:
1) Federal appeals court overturns wiretap ruling
By NIRAJ WARIKOO
A federal appeals court panel today vacated an order by a federal judge in Detroit that ruled that the Bush Administration's wiretapping program was unconstitutional -- a move that concerned local civil rights advocates and Muslim leaders.
In a 2-1 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati said that the plaintiffs, which included local Muslim and Arab-American groups, could not prove they have been harmed by a National Security Agency spying program created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The Bush administration argued that such a program was legal and necessary to defend the nation from terrorism.
But the American Civil Liberties Union, along with groups and attorneys based in Michigan, filed a lawsuit in Detroit in January 2006 saying that the government’s surveillance program was unconstitutional and interfered with their jobs.
U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit ruled in favor of the plaintiffs last August.
The U.S. Justice Department then appealed the case to the Sixth Circuit Appeals Court.
Kary Moss, head of the Michigan branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, said “it’s a really unfortunate decision.”
She said that one of the reasons the plaintiffs had difficulty proving they were being adversely affected was that the government has kept information about the wiretapping program a secret.
Moss said they are considering appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations, one of the co-plaintiffs, said: “It’s a shame that the court overturned the decision... what the executive branch was doing was unconstitutional.”
Pertinent Links:
1) Federal appeals court overturns wiretap ruling
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A.: "HEAD TO TOE BAGS" ON THE RISE IN THE U.S. - ALL THOSE WAHHABI PETRO DOLLARS ARE WORKING TOWARDS ISLAMIZATION OF THE U.S.
More Muslim women defy stares and prejudice by wearing head scarves
By NIRAJ WARIKOO, MCTDetroit - At 19, Sandra Jawad decided she wanted to wear an Islamic headscarf.
Her mother's response: a long lecture on how that could draw prejudice and limit her career options.
"She told me, it's going to be hard. ... It'll make things difficult," Jawad said, recalling a four-hour talk with her mom in their Dearborn, Mich., home last July.
Jawad eventually convinced her family to let her wear the headscarf. Six months later, her 44-year-old mother began wearing one, too, spurred by her daughter's religious awakening.
The two are part of the growing number of Muslim women in Michigan choosing to wear the head scarves, known as hijab, with many donning them at increasingly younger ages.
The upswing is driven by increased attendance at local mosques and Islamic schools, where clerics often describe hijab as the flag of Islam.
And the local trend mirrors an increased use of hijab among women in the Middle East and Europe, where Islamic beliefs in Muslim communities have intensified. In the past, women often waited until reaching their teenage years or middle age before putting on hijab, but now, even elementary school-age children are wearing them.
The changes represent a fundamental shift in how Muslim youth identify themselves. But it comes with a price.
Some "look at us, smirk, stick out their tongues or shout out the window, `Why do you have that on?' " said Arrwa Mogalli, 29, of Dearborn, Mich., who has worn hijab since she was 11. "You have nuns totally covered ... and no one questions it. But when a Muslim does it, we're from outer space."
Flip through Fordson High School yearbooks and you'll see a marked change. In 1990, only seven seniors at the Dearborn school wore hijab in their class photos. That's less than 5 percent of the female students in the senior class of a public school with a student body that's at least 85 percent of Arab descent.
In the class of 2006, 78 are wearing hijab - 40 percent of the women in the class.
While some women stopped wearing headscarves in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, there has been a noticeable increase overall in recent years. In some cases, such as in the Jawad family, children are convincing their mothers to put on head scarves, a role reversal in which kids are guiding their parents toward an Islamic life.
"She was very, very anxious about wearing it," Jawad said of her mom's decision. "But after she saw me, she found the courage to take the step."
The idea of hijab - an Arabic word that also refers to clothing in general that conceals the body - is rooted in the Middle East. By covering up in the presence of men who aren't their relatives, women can deflect the desires and gazes of the opposite sex, clerics say.
"Physical beauty is not what makes a woman," Mogalli said. "It's her mind and actions."
For Muslim children growing up in the United States, that belief has run into American culture, producing a generation of young Muslims trying to blend teenage Western traditions with Islamic norms.
The usual outfit for women's volleyball teams is sleeveless shirts and snug shorts, but last year's captain of the volleyball team at Fordson wore long pants and a hijab while playing on the courts.
Also last year, public pools in Washtenaw County began allowing Muslim women to cover their entire bodies while swimming. The policy change came after Jumanah Saadeh of Ann Arbor, then 13, was kicked out of a pool for swimming with long pants, a full-sleeve shirt, and her Islamic head scarf.
In Dearborn, there are now hijab-wearing cheerleaders. And some parents have started to allow daughters who wear hijab to date boys, though others still frown on that practice.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) More Muslim women defy stares and prejudice by wearing head scarves
By NIRAJ WARIKOO, MCTDetroit - At 19, Sandra Jawad decided she wanted to wear an Islamic headscarf.
Her mother's response: a long lecture on how that could draw prejudice and limit her career options.
"She told me, it's going to be hard. ... It'll make things difficult," Jawad said, recalling a four-hour talk with her mom in their Dearborn, Mich., home last July.
Jawad eventually convinced her family to let her wear the headscarf. Six months later, her 44-year-old mother began wearing one, too, spurred by her daughter's religious awakening.
The two are part of the growing number of Muslim women in Michigan choosing to wear the head scarves, known as hijab, with many donning them at increasingly younger ages.
The upswing is driven by increased attendance at local mosques and Islamic schools, where clerics often describe hijab as the flag of Islam.
And the local trend mirrors an increased use of hijab among women in the Middle East and Europe, where Islamic beliefs in Muslim communities have intensified. In the past, women often waited until reaching their teenage years or middle age before putting on hijab, but now, even elementary school-age children are wearing them.
The changes represent a fundamental shift in how Muslim youth identify themselves. But it comes with a price.
Some "look at us, smirk, stick out their tongues or shout out the window, `Why do you have that on?' " said Arrwa Mogalli, 29, of Dearborn, Mich., who has worn hijab since she was 11. "You have nuns totally covered ... and no one questions it. But when a Muslim does it, we're from outer space."
Flip through Fordson High School yearbooks and you'll see a marked change. In 1990, only seven seniors at the Dearborn school wore hijab in their class photos. That's less than 5 percent of the female students in the senior class of a public school with a student body that's at least 85 percent of Arab descent.
In the class of 2006, 78 are wearing hijab - 40 percent of the women in the class.
While some women stopped wearing headscarves in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, there has been a noticeable increase overall in recent years. In some cases, such as in the Jawad family, children are convincing their mothers to put on head scarves, a role reversal in which kids are guiding their parents toward an Islamic life.
"She was very, very anxious about wearing it," Jawad said of her mom's decision. "But after she saw me, she found the courage to take the step."
The idea of hijab - an Arabic word that also refers to clothing in general that conceals the body - is rooted in the Middle East. By covering up in the presence of men who aren't their relatives, women can deflect the desires and gazes of the opposite sex, clerics say.
"Physical beauty is not what makes a woman," Mogalli said. "It's her mind and actions."
For Muslim children growing up in the United States, that belief has run into American culture, producing a generation of young Muslims trying to blend teenage Western traditions with Islamic norms.
The usual outfit for women's volleyball teams is sleeveless shirts and snug shorts, but last year's captain of the volleyball team at Fordson wore long pants and a hijab while playing on the courts.
Also last year, public pools in Washtenaw County began allowing Muslim women to cover their entire bodies while swimming. The policy change came after Jumanah Saadeh of Ann Arbor, then 13, was kicked out of a pool for swimming with long pants, a full-sleeve shirt, and her Islamic head scarf.
In Dearborn, there are now hijab-wearing cheerleaders. And some parents have started to allow daughters who wear hijab to date boys, though others still frown on that practice.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) More Muslim women defy stares and prejudice by wearing head scarves
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: THE A.C.L.U. GIVES ITS OK TO THE ISLAMIZATION OF AMERICA
Is the ACLU Giving Muslims Special Treatment?
ACLU Changing Its Tune?
The University of Michigan at Dearborn is planning to spend $25,000 to install two footbaths for Muslim students to use before prayers.
Muslim leaders had considered trying to raise funds to pay for the baths privately — until the American Civil Liberties Union said it would not oppose having the university pay for the project. The director of the Detroit ACLU called the footbaths a "reasonable accommodation" to resolve "safety and cleanliness issues."
The ACLU has a long history of opposing other activities associated with prayer and religion on public property. It sued a Louisiana school board over allowing a preacher to give out pizza at school during lunch periods, and it sued a west Texas school district over an optional Bible class.
Pertinent Links:
1) Is the ACLU Giving Muslims Special Treatment?
ACLU Changing Its Tune?
The University of Michigan at Dearborn is planning to spend $25,000 to install two footbaths for Muslim students to use before prayers.
Muslim leaders had considered trying to raise funds to pay for the baths privately — until the American Civil Liberties Union said it would not oppose having the university pay for the project. The director of the Detroit ACLU called the footbaths a "reasonable accommodation" to resolve "safety and cleanliness issues."
The ACLU has a long history of opposing other activities associated with prayer and religion on public property. It sued a Louisiana school board over allowing a preacher to give out pizza at school during lunch periods, and it sued a west Texas school district over an optional Bible class.
Pertinent Links:
1) Is the ACLU Giving Muslims Special Treatment?
Monday, June 18, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: THE A.C.L.U. WILL NOT STAND IN THE WAY OF THE ISLAMIZATION OF AMERICA
Muslims won't fund footbaths
Leaders cite ACLU's decision not to oppose use of public money for UM-Dearborn project.
Karen Bouffard / The Detroit News
DEARBORN -- Muslim leaders in Metro Detroit have decided not to raise private money to pay for two footbaths at a local college campus now that the American Civil Liberties Union has said the plan doesn't pose constitutional problems.
The University of Michigan-Dearborn's plan to spend $25,000 on the footbaths was criticized on conservative blogs and radio shows this month. Critics said using public money for the project would violate the First Amendment, which says governments can't favor or subsidize religions.
Muslims are required to wash body parts, including feet, up to five times daily before prayers.
University officials say the floor-level wash basins are needed because some students at the 8,600-student campus wash their feet in the sinks.
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said his group was concerned a public outcry would cause the university to back down from the project.
"If the ACLU had decided to take legal action against the UM-Dearborn, we probably would have called for the university to raise the funds privately, just so that the UM-Dearborn wouldn't have to go through the trouble of having to defend its position against the ACLU," Walid said.
Kary Moss, director of the Detroit branch of the ACLU, said its review concluded the plan is a "reasonable accommodation" to resolve "safety and cleanliness issues" that arose when Muslims used public sinks for foot cleaning before prayers, which often spilled water on bathroom floors.
"We view it as an attempt to deal with a problem, not an attempt to make it easier for Muslims to pray," said Moss, who likened the plan to paying for added police during religious events with huge turnouts.
"There's no intent to promote religion."
and the people respond:
Should college help Muslims with foot baths?
Bathe off campus
If ritual bathing is so important, Muslim students should drive or walk to the mosque that's less than a mile from campus ("College's foot bath plans spark backlash," June 5). They should schedule their classes around their prayer time. If all Christian groups are forced to find off-campus places to pray, then Muslims should, too.
L. Meyer
Dearborn
Wash feet at home
People wash their feet at home, not at school. That's just the way it is. In my years at school, I never washed my feet at school unless I had an accident in chemistry class. Give me a break.
Felicia Chase
Bellaire
Bathroom use not deterred
I attended the University of Michigan-Dearborn for my undergraduate studies, and Muslim students washed their feet in the bathrooms frequently. It is their right to exercise their religious beliefs in whatever way they must, but it shouldn't be at the expense of other students and taxpayers. Building these "foot baths" will not deter anyone from using the bathroom sinks in the library and other buildings for washing their feet in the future.
Daniel Spencer
Canton Township
Bottled water better?
If the foot-washing stations were placed by the restrooms where water and sewer pipes already exist, wouldn't the feet of Muslim students get dirty by the time they get to where they will be praying? Wouldn't it be better for them to take some bottled water and put it onto a paper towel?
Wally Piontakiewicz
Hamtramck
No special interest catering
If Muslims want public institutions to cater to their religious whims, they should move to the Middle East. America is degraded every time we cater to the special interest of a group, especially if that group has no respect for the rights of others.
Richard O'Keefe
Redford Township
Keep religion private
Religion is a private matter. All religious fetishes should be carried out in private and at the religionists' expense, not the state's.
Henry Morgan
Westland
Baths show understanding
Islam is the world's fastest-growing religion with 1.3 billion practitioners. This dynamic alone should encourage the building of bridges and understanding between the major faiths of Abraham. I commend Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan-Dearborn for having the vision to do something positive to enhance the synergy between these faiths in America.
Harun Ar-Rasheed
North Las Vegas, Nev.
Christian sensitivity too?
Wouldn't it be nice if the University of Michigan-Dearborn were as sensitive to the 90 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Christian? If that group asked for any sort of accommodation, they would be laughed off campus.
Don Schmittdiel
Clinton Township
Reduce tuition instead
Although I do not care how a person practices his or her religious beliefs, I believe that using public funds for a religious ritual is wrong. Instead of using the monies for baths, the university should bring tuition down by about $500, since they have all this money to spend on a nonessential.
Tom Danowski
New Boston
Take up a collection
We understand that Muslims must purify themselves before praying. However, they must not do so at the expense of the rest of the community. Do churches request that the general public underwrite the cost of baptismal fonts to purify themselves? Do Jewish people request that the public underwrite the cost of mikvahs used monthly by women and converts? Given the huge projected budget deficit, this is a misuse of taxpayer money as well as a violation of the separation of church and state. If Muslim students want foot-washing stations, why don't they take up a collection among the Islamic community to fund it?
Rose Crane
Oak Park
Equal opportunity prayers
If this is permitted in our universities, then I should be able to pray in public or assemble there. Everyone should.
Forrest Harris
St. Clair Shores
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslims won't fund footbaths
2) Should college help Muslims with foot baths?
Leaders cite ACLU's decision not to oppose use of public money for UM-Dearborn project.
Karen Bouffard / The Detroit News
DEARBORN -- Muslim leaders in Metro Detroit have decided not to raise private money to pay for two footbaths at a local college campus now that the American Civil Liberties Union has said the plan doesn't pose constitutional problems.
The University of Michigan-Dearborn's plan to spend $25,000 on the footbaths was criticized on conservative blogs and radio shows this month. Critics said using public money for the project would violate the First Amendment, which says governments can't favor or subsidize religions.
Muslims are required to wash body parts, including feet, up to five times daily before prayers.
University officials say the floor-level wash basins are needed because some students at the 8,600-student campus wash their feet in the sinks.
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said his group was concerned a public outcry would cause the university to back down from the project.
"If the ACLU had decided to take legal action against the UM-Dearborn, we probably would have called for the university to raise the funds privately, just so that the UM-Dearborn wouldn't have to go through the trouble of having to defend its position against the ACLU," Walid said.
Kary Moss, director of the Detroit branch of the ACLU, said its review concluded the plan is a "reasonable accommodation" to resolve "safety and cleanliness issues" that arose when Muslims used public sinks for foot cleaning before prayers, which often spilled water on bathroom floors.
"We view it as an attempt to deal with a problem, not an attempt to make it easier for Muslims to pray," said Moss, who likened the plan to paying for added police during religious events with huge turnouts.
"There's no intent to promote religion."
and the people respond:
Should college help Muslims with foot baths?
Bathe off campus
If ritual bathing is so important, Muslim students should drive or walk to the mosque that's less than a mile from campus ("College's foot bath plans spark backlash," June 5). They should schedule their classes around their prayer time. If all Christian groups are forced to find off-campus places to pray, then Muslims should, too.
L. Meyer
Dearborn
Wash feet at home
People wash their feet at home, not at school. That's just the way it is. In my years at school, I never washed my feet at school unless I had an accident in chemistry class. Give me a break.
Felicia Chase
Bellaire
Bathroom use not deterred
I attended the University of Michigan-Dearborn for my undergraduate studies, and Muslim students washed their feet in the bathrooms frequently. It is their right to exercise their religious beliefs in whatever way they must, but it shouldn't be at the expense of other students and taxpayers. Building these "foot baths" will not deter anyone from using the bathroom sinks in the library and other buildings for washing their feet in the future.
Daniel Spencer
Canton Township
Bottled water better?
If the foot-washing stations were placed by the restrooms where water and sewer pipes already exist, wouldn't the feet of Muslim students get dirty by the time they get to where they will be praying? Wouldn't it be better for them to take some bottled water and put it onto a paper towel?
Wally Piontakiewicz
Hamtramck
No special interest catering
If Muslims want public institutions to cater to their religious whims, they should move to the Middle East. America is degraded every time we cater to the special interest of a group, especially if that group has no respect for the rights of others.
Richard O'Keefe
Redford Township
Keep religion private
Religion is a private matter. All religious fetishes should be carried out in private and at the religionists' expense, not the state's.
Henry Morgan
Westland
Baths show understanding
Islam is the world's fastest-growing religion with 1.3 billion practitioners. This dynamic alone should encourage the building of bridges and understanding between the major faiths of Abraham. I commend Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan-Dearborn for having the vision to do something positive to enhance the synergy between these faiths in America.
Harun Ar-Rasheed
North Las Vegas, Nev.
Christian sensitivity too?
Wouldn't it be nice if the University of Michigan-Dearborn were as sensitive to the 90 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Christian? If that group asked for any sort of accommodation, they would be laughed off campus.
Don Schmittdiel
Clinton Township
Reduce tuition instead
Although I do not care how a person practices his or her religious beliefs, I believe that using public funds for a religious ritual is wrong. Instead of using the monies for baths, the university should bring tuition down by about $500, since they have all this money to spend on a nonessential.
Tom Danowski
New Boston
Take up a collection
We understand that Muslims must purify themselves before praying. However, they must not do so at the expense of the rest of the community. Do churches request that the general public underwrite the cost of baptismal fonts to purify themselves? Do Jewish people request that the public underwrite the cost of mikvahs used monthly by women and converts? Given the huge projected budget deficit, this is a misuse of taxpayer money as well as a violation of the separation of church and state. If Muslim students want foot-washing stations, why don't they take up a collection among the Islamic community to fund it?
Rose Crane
Oak Park
Equal opportunity prayers
If this is permitted in our universities, then I should be able to pray in public or assemble there. Everyone should.
Forrest Harris
St. Clair Shores
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslims won't fund footbaths
2) Should college help Muslims with foot baths?
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: MOSLEMS FOOTBATHS IN BATHROOMS OF UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
The islamization of America is ahead of schedule & it appears compltely voluntary:
Controversy At U Of M Dearborn
University of Michigan Dearborn announced on Tuesday plans to renovate two bathrooms with foot baths.
School officials said the project is estimated to cost $25,000.
The renovation will accommodate the school's Muslim students.
...
Hat Tip:
UmmahNewsLinks
Pertinent Links:
1) Controversy At U Of M Dearborn
Controversy At U Of M Dearborn
University of Michigan Dearborn announced on Tuesday plans to renovate two bathrooms with foot baths.
School officials said the project is estimated to cost $25,000.
The renovation will accommodate the school's Muslim students.
...
Hat Tip:
UmmahNewsLinks
Pertinent Links:
1) Controversy At U Of M Dearborn
Saturday, May 26, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: A MOSQUE TO RAISE AWARENESS OF RACISM & BROKEN FAMILIES
Muslim House looks at raising kids, funds
By George Jaksa
FLINT - Seizing on a well-known African proverb, a local mosque hopes to raise awareness of broken families and racism in the Flint area at an annual event on Memorial Day.
"The African proverb says it takes a village to raise a child, but immorality has gotten in the way of the good," said Hanafi Abdul-Malik, head of Muslim House of Flint, which is planning a 4 p.m. program Monday at Village Market Place, 5262 N. Saginaw St. in Genesee Township.
The sixth annual public fundraiser will include speakers, an Islamic radio station poet and local comedians and amateur rap artists.
Abdul-Malik said the site was chosen purposely because the name of the building reflects the event theme.
"We have racism and economic disparity locally, and we have to ask the question: What happened to the village?" said Abdul-Malik. "Something had to happen to take away the village we had in the past."
Sheikh Rashid Raji, a Nigerian university professor who will be among speakers at the event, blames the situation on the deterioration of the family.
"We have broken homes, broken marriages," said Raji, who was at Muslim House this week in preparation for the fundraising event where donations will be accepted. "How can we expect children to do well?"
"We need unity to raise children," he added. "We need two-parent families with good values."
Raji, currently a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, will be among speakers on Memorial Day.
He received a doctorate at UM in 1982 in Near Eastern studies and is on a nine-month tenure at the university on classical Arabic-Islamic studies before returning to Nigeria to teach at the University of Ilorin.
...
The 'racism' that will be discussed will be the racism of whites against everyone else, never ever reverse racism, because see that just doesn't exist...I am also sure that the 'racism' against moslems will also be on the agenda, though I don't quite understand how moslem is a race since moslems can be found amongst every single variety of human...
Oooops, too politically incorrect with that statement...
Ohh well, such is life...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim House looks at raising kids, funds
By George Jaksa
FLINT - Seizing on a well-known African proverb, a local mosque hopes to raise awareness of broken families and racism in the Flint area at an annual event on Memorial Day.
"The African proverb says it takes a village to raise a child, but immorality has gotten in the way of the good," said Hanafi Abdul-Malik, head of Muslim House of Flint, which is planning a 4 p.m. program Monday at Village Market Place, 5262 N. Saginaw St. in Genesee Township.
The sixth annual public fundraiser will include speakers, an Islamic radio station poet and local comedians and amateur rap artists.
Abdul-Malik said the site was chosen purposely because the name of the building reflects the event theme.
"We have racism and economic disparity locally, and we have to ask the question: What happened to the village?" said Abdul-Malik. "Something had to happen to take away the village we had in the past."
Sheikh Rashid Raji, a Nigerian university professor who will be among speakers at the event, blames the situation on the deterioration of the family.
"We have broken homes, broken marriages," said Raji, who was at Muslim House this week in preparation for the fundraising event where donations will be accepted. "How can we expect children to do well?"
"We need unity to raise children," he added. "We need two-parent families with good values."
Raji, currently a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, will be among speakers on Memorial Day.
He received a doctorate at UM in 1982 in Near Eastern studies and is on a nine-month tenure at the university on classical Arabic-Islamic studies before returning to Nigeria to teach at the University of Ilorin.
...
The 'racism' that will be discussed will be the racism of whites against everyone else, never ever reverse racism, because see that just doesn't exist...I am also sure that the 'racism' against moslems will also be on the agenda, though I don't quite understand how moslem is a race since moslems can be found amongst every single variety of human...
Oooops, too politically incorrect with that statement...
Ohh well, such is life...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim House looks at raising kids, funds
Monday, May 21, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: HOW SOON WILL THE ENTIRE STATE OF MICHIGAN BE SHARI'AH COMPLIANT?!?
Michigan seeks joint ventures with Qatar
The American state of Michigan, home to the largest Arab population outside the Middle East, yesterday invited Qatar Inc to invest there and sought joint ventures with them in the energy-rich peninsula.
With the US presidential elections round the corner, the American Arab Chambers of Commerce (AACC) also hopes that a change of guard at the White House may see change in policies to attract more businesses from the Middle East into the US.
“We are looking at sectors like construction, services, IT, healthcare, education and transportation. There are lots of opportunities,” said American Arab Chambers Chairman Nasser Beydoun, who is leading a 32-member delegation from Michigan to Qatar.
The delegation comprised representatives of banks, insurance, pension funds, construction companies, IT and many other sectors.
AACC has a long-term relationship with Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and had signed an agreement with the QCCI four years ago.
QCCI Executive Committee member Mohamed bin Ahmed Towar al-Kuwari said Qatar’s attractive investment climate had prompted many multinational companies to enter the country in a big way.
“The trade delegation’s one of the objectives is to build relationships that are mutually beneficial,” he said, adding the members looked for joint ventures and investments back to Michigan.
The mission would like to see alliances between Qatar and Michigan healthcare sectors, he said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Michigan seeks joint ventures with Qatar
The American state of Michigan, home to the largest Arab population outside the Middle East, yesterday invited Qatar Inc to invest there and sought joint ventures with them in the energy-rich peninsula.
With the US presidential elections round the corner, the American Arab Chambers of Commerce (AACC) also hopes that a change of guard at the White House may see change in policies to attract more businesses from the Middle East into the US.
“We are looking at sectors like construction, services, IT, healthcare, education and transportation. There are lots of opportunities,” said American Arab Chambers Chairman Nasser Beydoun, who is leading a 32-member delegation from Michigan to Qatar.
The delegation comprised representatives of banks, insurance, pension funds, construction companies, IT and many other sectors.
AACC has a long-term relationship with Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and had signed an agreement with the QCCI four years ago.
QCCI Executive Committee member Mohamed bin Ahmed Towar al-Kuwari said Qatar’s attractive investment climate had prompted many multinational companies to enter the country in a big way.
“The trade delegation’s one of the objectives is to build relationships that are mutually beneficial,” he said, adding the members looked for joint ventures and investments back to Michigan.
The mission would like to see alliances between Qatar and Michigan healthcare sectors, he said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Michigan seeks joint ventures with Qatar
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A.: DO MOSLEMS WANT FOREIGN INTERVENTION, AS IN FOREIGN IMAMS & LITERATURE, OR DON'T THEY?!? OR IS THIS JUST SOME TAQIYYA ?!?
US Muslims sign intra-faith code
A group of Muslim Americans in Detroit may have set a trend by signing an intra-faith code of conduct based on respect for all religions and belief systems.
Last week, around 30 Muslim community leaders in the Detroit area, home to the largest Muslim community in the US, almost wholly of Arab origin, signed an “Intra-Faith Code of Honour”. The pact calls for stressing commonalities rather than differences. The code also condemns the use of disparaging or insulting language about other religions or sects and the labelling of others as non-believers or kafirs. To end the Muslim sectarian divide, fuelled by the large number of illiterate mullahs who have come here on religious visas, the code calls on congregations to follow the traditions of the majority in a particular mosque.
The code also calls for avoiding “imported literature that is divisive, inflammatory, and irrelevant to the future of Islam in America.” Materials sent from Saudi Arabia in the past have often denigrated Shias as well as Christians and Jews. The code was initiated by the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles. A number of prominent Muslim community leaders in Southern California signed it last month and others are expected to follow the lead.
and
Cultures clash in US mosques
Young Muslims steeped in American life are tuning out imams brought in from foreign countries to teach Islam.
By Tom A. Peter
Like any good Muslim, Ali Karjoo-Ravary went to mosque on Friday seeking spiritual inspiration. What the 19-year-old Iranian-American found, however, was something completely different.
At the head of a mosque in upstate New York, a foreign imam was leading the Friday service. Sitting on the floor with the other congregants, Mr. Karjoo-Ravary strained to understand the religious leader's thick accent. Even as he made out the imam's words, the message made little sense. "The entire sermon was about 'Don't let a girl pat your back. It can lead to things,' " Karjoo-Ravary recounts.
The imam's disconnect with American culture shocked Karjoo-Ravary. Trying to gauge the reaction of other young congregants, he spotted a cluster of teenagers and 20-somethings toward the back of the mosque. They were hunched over and appeared to be earnestly listening to the imam's every word. But looking closer, he realized their attentive postures were meant to conceal cellphones. The entire group had tuned out the sermon and was texting busily.
For many American-born Muslims, experiences like Karjoo-Ravary's are not uncommon. Over the past 40 years, hundreds of thousands of Muslims from around the world have emigrated to the United States, bringing their own cultural interpretations of Islam and electing imams who support their views. This practice worked well until recently, when large numbers of these immigrants' Westernized children reached adulthood, creating a disconnect between faith and culture. Foreign imams are at the center of this fast-growing divide between immigrant Muslims and their American-born children.
When Muslim immigrants flooded into the US from the Middle East and South Asia in the 1960s and '70s, their "first priority was to preserve their cultural integrity," says Johari Abdul-Malik, an American-born imam in Sterling, Va., and president of the Muslim Society of Washington, Inc. "The need for an imam from their background is … to preserve the cultural authenticity of that community."
Immigrant imams have served this purpose well, but the children of this immigrant wave – now adults – identify more with US culture than the one found in their parents' homeland. As a result, they find themselves increasingly at odds with foreign imams, who lead 85 percent of non-African-American mosques in the US, estimates the Islamic Society of North America. A mosque's imam is selected by its congregants, who often want someone fluent in Arabic, which is the language of the Koran.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) US Muslims sign intra-faith code
2) Cultures clash in US mosques
A group of Muslim Americans in Detroit may have set a trend by signing an intra-faith code of conduct based on respect for all religions and belief systems.
Last week, around 30 Muslim community leaders in the Detroit area, home to the largest Muslim community in the US, almost wholly of Arab origin, signed an “Intra-Faith Code of Honour”. The pact calls for stressing commonalities rather than differences. The code also condemns the use of disparaging or insulting language about other religions or sects and the labelling of others as non-believers or kafirs. To end the Muslim sectarian divide, fuelled by the large number of illiterate mullahs who have come here on religious visas, the code calls on congregations to follow the traditions of the majority in a particular mosque.
The code also calls for avoiding “imported literature that is divisive, inflammatory, and irrelevant to the future of Islam in America.” Materials sent from Saudi Arabia in the past have often denigrated Shias as well as Christians and Jews. The code was initiated by the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles. A number of prominent Muslim community leaders in Southern California signed it last month and others are expected to follow the lead.
and
Cultures clash in US mosques
Young Muslims steeped in American life are tuning out imams brought in from foreign countries to teach Islam.
By Tom A. Peter
Like any good Muslim, Ali Karjoo-Ravary went to mosque on Friday seeking spiritual inspiration. What the 19-year-old Iranian-American found, however, was something completely different.
At the head of a mosque in upstate New York, a foreign imam was leading the Friday service. Sitting on the floor with the other congregants, Mr. Karjoo-Ravary strained to understand the religious leader's thick accent. Even as he made out the imam's words, the message made little sense. "The entire sermon was about 'Don't let a girl pat your back. It can lead to things,' " Karjoo-Ravary recounts.
The imam's disconnect with American culture shocked Karjoo-Ravary. Trying to gauge the reaction of other young congregants, he spotted a cluster of teenagers and 20-somethings toward the back of the mosque. They were hunched over and appeared to be earnestly listening to the imam's every word. But looking closer, he realized their attentive postures were meant to conceal cellphones. The entire group had tuned out the sermon and was texting busily.
For many American-born Muslims, experiences like Karjoo-Ravary's are not uncommon. Over the past 40 years, hundreds of thousands of Muslims from around the world have emigrated to the United States, bringing their own cultural interpretations of Islam and electing imams who support their views. This practice worked well until recently, when large numbers of these immigrants' Westernized children reached adulthood, creating a disconnect between faith and culture. Foreign imams are at the center of this fast-growing divide between immigrant Muslims and their American-born children.
When Muslim immigrants flooded into the US from the Middle East and South Asia in the 1960s and '70s, their "first priority was to preserve their cultural integrity," says Johari Abdul-Malik, an American-born imam in Sterling, Va., and president of the Muslim Society of Washington, Inc. "The need for an imam from their background is … to preserve the cultural authenticity of that community."
Immigrant imams have served this purpose well, but the children of this immigrant wave – now adults – identify more with US culture than the one found in their parents' homeland. As a result, they find themselves increasingly at odds with foreign imams, who lead 85 percent of non-African-American mosques in the US, estimates the Islamic Society of North America. A mosque's imam is selected by its congregants, who often want someone fluent in Arabic, which is the language of the Koran.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) US Muslims sign intra-faith code
2) Cultures clash in US mosques
Thursday, March 22, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: DEPT. OF HOMELAND SECURITY KISSING MOSLEM BUTT
Homeland Security Woos American Muslims
DEARBORN, Mich. - In addressing a Senate committee, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff said that his department recognizes that extremists are only a small, fringe element in the American Arab and Muslim community, and that radicalism encompassed a wide range of threats,” not just in the Muslim community, reports The Arab American News. Chertoff’s comments echo sentiments in the Arab American community, the Arab American News reports. Chertoff recognized that Arab Americans and American Muslims deplore terrorist violence and have made strong contributions to stable, peaceful and economically successful communities in the United States. He encouraged Arab Americans and Muslim Americans to take leadership roles representing more than just their religious and ethnic enclaves by serving in elected and appointed government positions. Homeland Security officials said that federal agents are being trained in cultural and religious issues of importance to the community. In particular, airport security personnel are trained in how to screen and search individuals who are Muslim. The officials asked in return that community leaders explain the necessity of security procedures such as questioning at an airport or border. At a dinner after the hearing, Chertoff asked the community to help expected Iraqi refugees with resettlement.
When will the MICHIGAN INTIFADA begin?!?
Pertinent Links:
1) Homeland Security Woos American Muslims
DEARBORN, Mich. - In addressing a Senate committee, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff said that his department recognizes that extremists are only a small, fringe element in the American Arab and Muslim community, and that radicalism encompassed a wide range of threats,” not just in the Muslim community, reports The Arab American News. Chertoff’s comments echo sentiments in the Arab American community, the Arab American News reports. Chertoff recognized that Arab Americans and American Muslims deplore terrorist violence and have made strong contributions to stable, peaceful and economically successful communities in the United States. He encouraged Arab Americans and Muslim Americans to take leadership roles representing more than just their religious and ethnic enclaves by serving in elected and appointed government positions. Homeland Security officials said that federal agents are being trained in cultural and religious issues of importance to the community. In particular, airport security personnel are trained in how to screen and search individuals who are Muslim. The officials asked in return that community leaders explain the necessity of security procedures such as questioning at an airport or border. At a dinner after the hearing, Chertoff asked the community to help expected Iraqi refugees with resettlement.
When will the MICHIGAN INTIFADA begin?!?
Pertinent Links:
1) Homeland Security Woos American Muslims
Thursday, March 01, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: IRSHAD MANJI IS GOING TO OFFEND MOSLEMS
Force for change in Islam is lightning rod for debate
Irshad Manji's film may rankle metro Muslims, but hey, even her loving mom can be a critic
March 1, 2007
BY DAVID CRUMM
FREE PRESS RELIGION WRITER
Irshad Manji is an internationally known Muslim activist and feminist whose new PBS documentary makes fun of Yemeni women who wear veils, argues that Muslims don't need to pray five times a day and accuses Muslim leaders around the world of being soft in their opposition to violence.
Until now, Manji's reputation as a provocateur sprang from her in-your-face Web site, http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/, and her best-selling memoir, "The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in her Faith."
But tonight, Manji will appear in Detroit as part of a Public Broadcasting Service exploration of America, Islam and the war on terror. PBS is sponsoring a sneak peek of her documentary, "Faith Without Fear," which will be shown nationally in April. It is part of an effort to spark a fresh national discussion about global tensions.
Local Muslims who previewed Manji's film this week said they expect only curiosity and perhaps frustration at tonight's showing and talk.
"Some of what she says is good and Muslims here will agree with her, for example, on condemning violence," Farhan Latif, an admissions counselor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, said after viewing the documentary. "Under no circumstance should she be receiving death threats."
But many of Manji's arguments attack the pillars of the faith, said Nadia Bazzy, an educator at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn. "She likes to pick and choose the verses of the Quran she will follow and to decide for herself what truth will be," Bazzy said.
That is a pretty fair summary of Manji's ultimate goal. In her book, documentary and a phone interview last week, she talked about her hope for major reformation in Islam.
"I'm very, very much a believer in Allah, and this film, I'd like to say, is really about reconciling my love of Allah with my love of freedom," she said.
On her Web site, Manji, 38, of Toronto describes herself as a journalist turned activist who was dubbed by the New York Times as "Osama bin Laden's worst nightmare." In a fresh posting on the site Tuesday, Manji renewed her intention to "engage, enrage, discuss and debate." But, by phone last week, she said she doesn't expect trouble in Detroit, partly because she'll have a formidable defender at her side: her mother.
If Manji seems fearless, her mother seems even stronger. Mumtaz Manji, 62, is a traditional Muslim who prays five times a day, covers her hair and attends community prayers at a mosque near her home in Vancouver.
In the documentary, Mumtaz Manji does her best to convince her daughter that she should pray five times a day.
Irshad Manji refuses, saying she'll pray when she feels like it and in her own words, not by reciting traditional prayers.
"On some things we just disagree," Mumtaz Manji said last week. "But what can I say? Some of what she says is right, some is not. But I will always love her. She is my daughter."
Mumtaz Manji is so tenacious in both her own faith and her support for her daughter that she once sat in silence through a sermon by a Muslim cleric as he denounced her daughter.
"I was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me get up and leave," she said. "Afterward, people asked me, 'How could you sit there?'
"And I said, 'I'm not going to be driven away from my own faith.' They can say what they want, but this is my family."
Local Muslims echoed that response in describing their reaction to Irshad Manji's visit.
"So, Irshad will come here and she'll talk about rescuing Muslims from oppression and she'll offend Muslims here, because we don't feel that we're oppressed," Najah Bazzy, who works with youth at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, said after seeing the film. "But it won't change Islam and it won't change who we are."
Pertinent Links:
1) Force for change in Islam is lightning rod for debate
Irshad Manji's film may rankle metro Muslims, but hey, even her loving mom can be a critic
March 1, 2007
BY DAVID CRUMM
FREE PRESS RELIGION WRITER
Irshad Manji is an internationally known Muslim activist and feminist whose new PBS documentary makes fun of Yemeni women who wear veils, argues that Muslims don't need to pray five times a day and accuses Muslim leaders around the world of being soft in their opposition to violence.
Until now, Manji's reputation as a provocateur sprang from her in-your-face Web site, http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/, and her best-selling memoir, "The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in her Faith."
But tonight, Manji will appear in Detroit as part of a Public Broadcasting Service exploration of America, Islam and the war on terror. PBS is sponsoring a sneak peek of her documentary, "Faith Without Fear," which will be shown nationally in April. It is part of an effort to spark a fresh national discussion about global tensions.
Local Muslims who previewed Manji's film this week said they expect only curiosity and perhaps frustration at tonight's showing and talk.
"Some of what she says is good and Muslims here will agree with her, for example, on condemning violence," Farhan Latif, an admissions counselor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, said after viewing the documentary. "Under no circumstance should she be receiving death threats."
But many of Manji's arguments attack the pillars of the faith, said Nadia Bazzy, an educator at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn. "She likes to pick and choose the verses of the Quran she will follow and to decide for herself what truth will be," Bazzy said.
That is a pretty fair summary of Manji's ultimate goal. In her book, documentary and a phone interview last week, she talked about her hope for major reformation in Islam.
"I'm very, very much a believer in Allah, and this film, I'd like to say, is really about reconciling my love of Allah with my love of freedom," she said.
On her Web site, Manji, 38, of Toronto describes herself as a journalist turned activist who was dubbed by the New York Times as "Osama bin Laden's worst nightmare." In a fresh posting on the site Tuesday, Manji renewed her intention to "engage, enrage, discuss and debate." But, by phone last week, she said she doesn't expect trouble in Detroit, partly because she'll have a formidable defender at her side: her mother.
If Manji seems fearless, her mother seems even stronger. Mumtaz Manji, 62, is a traditional Muslim who prays five times a day, covers her hair and attends community prayers at a mosque near her home in Vancouver.
In the documentary, Mumtaz Manji does her best to convince her daughter that she should pray five times a day.
Irshad Manji refuses, saying she'll pray when she feels like it and in her own words, not by reciting traditional prayers.
"On some things we just disagree," Mumtaz Manji said last week. "But what can I say? Some of what she says is right, some is not. But I will always love her. She is my daughter."
Mumtaz Manji is so tenacious in both her own faith and her support for her daughter that she once sat in silence through a sermon by a Muslim cleric as he denounced her daughter.
"I was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me get up and leave," she said. "Afterward, people asked me, 'How could you sit there?'
"And I said, 'I'm not going to be driven away from my own faith.' They can say what they want, but this is my family."
Local Muslims echoed that response in describing their reaction to Irshad Manji's visit.
"So, Irshad will come here and she'll talk about rescuing Muslims from oppression and she'll offend Muslims here, because we don't feel that we're oppressed," Najah Bazzy, who works with youth at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, said after seeing the film. "But it won't change Islam and it won't change who we are."
Pertinent Links:
1) Force for change in Islam is lightning rod for debate
Monday, February 26, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: FARRAKHAN'S NATION OF ISLAM & THE UMMAH
Nation of Islam at a Crossroad as Leader Exits
DETROIT, Feb. 25 — Louis Farrakhan, the departing leader of the Nation of Islam, gave what was billed as his last major public address here on Sunday, with his extended illness throwing into sharp focus the question of whether the group will shift toward more mainstream Islamic teachings to survive once it loses its central charismatic figure.
Mr. Farrakhan, 73, looking fairly robust for a man who emerged from major surgery six weeks ago, spent most of his two-hour address denouncing the war in Iraq and calling for the impeachment of President Bush.
“If you don’t want to impeach him,” Mr. Farrakhan said, “censure him, say to the world something went wrong with our leadership and we repent after our wrongdoing.”
He also made an appeal for religious unity in the address before thousands at Ford Field, home to the Detroit Lions football team, capping an annual convention of Nation of Islam members.
It was his first major speech since August, when health problems forced him to turn over control of the Nation of Islam to an executive committee. His health problems stemmed from radiation seeds implanted a decade ago to combat prostate cancer, said Ishmael Muhammad, the organization’s national assistant minister. The treatment obliterated the cancer but also damaged nearby organs.
Given his age and health problems, and the lack of an obvious successor, questions loom large about the future and direction of the Nation of Islam.
Nation members dismiss the notion that the organization’s viability is linked to one man. But academic experts and Muslim leaders say they believe that without Mr. Farrakhan’s leadership, the Nation — which has been divided over its teachings in the past — will shrink even more dramatically unless it shifts toward mainstream Islam’s beliefs.
The 77-year-old Nation of Islam once enjoyed a near monopoly over interpreting Islam for black Americans, using the faith as a vehicle to promote black separatism.
But it now competes with sects that branched away, and with groups ascribing to the more traditional and inclusive Islam followed by millions of Muslim immigrants and their offspring.
Along with a significant bloc of former Nation members, many of these Muslim branches oppose crucial aspects of the organization’s beliefs, which some consider blasphemy.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Nation of Islam at a Crossroad as Leader Exits
DETROIT, Feb. 25 — Louis Farrakhan, the departing leader of the Nation of Islam, gave what was billed as his last major public address here on Sunday, with his extended illness throwing into sharp focus the question of whether the group will shift toward more mainstream Islamic teachings to survive once it loses its central charismatic figure.
Mr. Farrakhan, 73, looking fairly robust for a man who emerged from major surgery six weeks ago, spent most of his two-hour address denouncing the war in Iraq and calling for the impeachment of President Bush.
“If you don’t want to impeach him,” Mr. Farrakhan said, “censure him, say to the world something went wrong with our leadership and we repent after our wrongdoing.”
He also made an appeal for religious unity in the address before thousands at Ford Field, home to the Detroit Lions football team, capping an annual convention of Nation of Islam members.
It was his first major speech since August, when health problems forced him to turn over control of the Nation of Islam to an executive committee. His health problems stemmed from radiation seeds implanted a decade ago to combat prostate cancer, said Ishmael Muhammad, the organization’s national assistant minister. The treatment obliterated the cancer but also damaged nearby organs.
Given his age and health problems, and the lack of an obvious successor, questions loom large about the future and direction of the Nation of Islam.
Nation members dismiss the notion that the organization’s viability is linked to one man. But academic experts and Muslim leaders say they believe that without Mr. Farrakhan’s leadership, the Nation — which has been divided over its teachings in the past — will shrink even more dramatically unless it shifts toward mainstream Islam’s beliefs.
The 77-year-old Nation of Islam once enjoyed a near monopoly over interpreting Islam for black Americans, using the faith as a vehicle to promote black separatism.
But it now competes with sects that branched away, and with groups ascribing to the more traditional and inclusive Islam followed by millions of Muslim immigrants and their offspring.
Along with a significant bloc of former Nation members, many of these Muslim branches oppose crucial aspects of the organization’s beliefs, which some consider blasphemy.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Nation of Islam at a Crossroad as Leader Exits
Sunday, February 25, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - DETROIT: PROBLEMS IN DARFUR COULD HAVE BEEN SOLVED TRADITIONALLY [DHIMMITUDE], INFIDEL INTERVENTION RUINED IT ALL
President Al-Bashir answers questions raised by American Worshipers at the Mosque of Detroit regarding Darfur Khartoum
Feb. 24 (SUNA) - President of the Republic Field Marshal Omer Al-Bashir said only 19 administrative units in the three States of Darfur are affected by the conflict out of 122 units, refuting the misleading and inflated reports in this connection.
This came as he addressed Friday to the members of the Nation of Islam and the worshippers at the Mosque of Detroit city in the United States after Friday Prayer through video conference.
The President said many American Organizations and media tried to magnify the figures about those who are affected by the conflict in Darfur by saying that some 400,000 person were killed in Darfur.
The President moreover referred to the report of a 12-member committee from the American government and the National Scientific Academy, who affirmed that the information, data and procedures about the death toll in Darfur were untrue and subjective and lack credibility.
Answering questions raised by the audience, President Al-Bashir said the issue of Darfur could have been solved by the traditional norms and native administration but the issue was complicated by foreign interventions.
The President explained that Sudan signed N'djamena ceasefire agreement in April 2004 which was not respected by the rebels as well as the Abuja Peace Agreement and that the rebels were rewarded by more pressures on the government a matter which encouraged some countries to extend weapons and ammunitions to them while the international community and the African Union turned a blind eyes.
In this connection, the President explained that Sudan has embarked on talks with the rebel movements which did not sign the Abuja Peace Agreement and have been destabilizing the situations in the whole region.
As for the issue of the peacekeeping in Darfur, the President it was assigned to the African Union troops according to Abuja Peace Agreement, which was witnessed by the USA, UK, EU, UN and the AU, explaining that surprisingly Sudan was subject to pressures to transform these forces into international forces.
The UN's resolution No. 1706 affirmed the doubts that peace in Sudan was not the objective because it included restructuring of police and judiciary of Sudan as well as supervise the human rights in Sudan which means putting Sudan under tutelage in a similar way like the allied forces in Iraq, affirming rejection to the resolution 1706 as well as the international forces.
President Al-Bashir explained that Sudan has accepted the 3-stage UN plan with regard to the peace achievement in Darfur, explaining that the implementation of the first phase is underway and that Sudan raised reservations over some points in the third phase, saying that the African Peace and Security Council issued resolution last December with respect to these reservations and that the government and the UN's Security Council have accepted the African resolution.
Pertinent Links:
1) President Al-Bashir answers questions raised by American Worshipers at the Mosque of Detroit regardi
Feb. 24 (SUNA) - President of the Republic Field Marshal Omer Al-Bashir said only 19 administrative units in the three States of Darfur are affected by the conflict out of 122 units, refuting the misleading and inflated reports in this connection.
This came as he addressed Friday to the members of the Nation of Islam and the worshippers at the Mosque of Detroit city in the United States after Friday Prayer through video conference.
The President said many American Organizations and media tried to magnify the figures about those who are affected by the conflict in Darfur by saying that some 400,000 person were killed in Darfur.
The President moreover referred to the report of a 12-member committee from the American government and the National Scientific Academy, who affirmed that the information, data and procedures about the death toll in Darfur were untrue and subjective and lack credibility.
Answering questions raised by the audience, President Al-Bashir said the issue of Darfur could have been solved by the traditional norms and native administration but the issue was complicated by foreign interventions.
The President explained that Sudan signed N'djamena ceasefire agreement in April 2004 which was not respected by the rebels as well as the Abuja Peace Agreement and that the rebels were rewarded by more pressures on the government a matter which encouraged some countries to extend weapons and ammunitions to them while the international community and the African Union turned a blind eyes.
In this connection, the President explained that Sudan has embarked on talks with the rebel movements which did not sign the Abuja Peace Agreement and have been destabilizing the situations in the whole region.
As for the issue of the peacekeeping in Darfur, the President it was assigned to the African Union troops according to Abuja Peace Agreement, which was witnessed by the USA, UK, EU, UN and the AU, explaining that surprisingly Sudan was subject to pressures to transform these forces into international forces.
The UN's resolution No. 1706 affirmed the doubts that peace in Sudan was not the objective because it included restructuring of police and judiciary of Sudan as well as supervise the human rights in Sudan which means putting Sudan under tutelage in a similar way like the allied forces in Iraq, affirming rejection to the resolution 1706 as well as the international forces.
President Al-Bashir explained that Sudan has accepted the 3-stage UN plan with regard to the peace achievement in Darfur, explaining that the implementation of the first phase is underway and that Sudan raised reservations over some points in the third phase, saying that the African Peace and Security Council issued resolution last December with respect to these reservations and that the government and the UN's Security Council have accepted the African resolution.
Pertinent Links:
1) President Al-Bashir answers questions raised by American Worshipers at the Mosque of Detroit regardi
Thursday, February 22, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A.- DETROIT: FARRAKHAN'S NATION OF ISLAM & ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA COME TOGETHER
Mainstream Muslims to Join Farrakhan
PLAINFIELD, Ind. -- The Islamic Society of North America, which represents orthodox, mostly immigrant Muslims, will join ailing Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan this weekend in Detroit at what is billed as his final major address.
Imam Siraj Wahhaj, a longtime member of the Islamic Society, said he has accepted Farrakhan's invitation to give a sermon at Friday prayers ahead of the minister's speech on Sunday at Ford Field, the Plainfield-based Islamic Society said.
The Islamic Society's participation is significant because mainstream Muslims have considered the Nation heretical. Among their many differences, the Nation has promoted black supremacy, while mainstream Islam teaches racial unity. However, in recent years Farrakhan has adopted more orthodox teachings and has tried to build ties with other Muslims.
...
America's MOSLEM PROBLEM just got deeper and bigger...
Pertinent Links:
1) Mainstream Muslims to Join Farrakhan
PLAINFIELD, Ind. -- The Islamic Society of North America, which represents orthodox, mostly immigrant Muslims, will join ailing Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan this weekend in Detroit at what is billed as his final major address.
Imam Siraj Wahhaj, a longtime member of the Islamic Society, said he has accepted Farrakhan's invitation to give a sermon at Friday prayers ahead of the minister's speech on Sunday at Ford Field, the Plainfield-based Islamic Society said.
The Islamic Society's participation is significant because mainstream Muslims have considered the Nation heretical. Among their many differences, the Nation has promoted black supremacy, while mainstream Islam teaches racial unity. However, in recent years Farrakhan has adopted more orthodox teachings and has tried to build ties with other Muslims.
...
America's MOSLEM PROBLEM just got deeper and bigger...
Pertinent Links:
1) Mainstream Muslims to Join Farrakhan
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