VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

Volume 117,  February 7, 2010
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful

CONTENTS:

Editorial

"All Terrorists are Muslims…Except the 94% that Aren’t"

AFRICA:
(a) Libya: Memorizing The Koran To Get Out Of Jail.
(b) Mauritania: Fatwa Alone Will Not Stop Female Genital Mutilation

AUSTRALIA:
Muslim Feminists Deserve To Be Heard

EUROPE:
(a) France:Proposals For Restrictions on Face Covering Veils

(b) France: French citizenship denied to man with veiled wife.

(ED NOTE:
Does the French Prime Minister Francois Fillon now want to take away the right of a Muslim male to have a choice of whether to shake the hands of a woman or not?

Has the French PM also literally intruded inside a French Muslim's home by opposing the Islamic value of segregation between males and females WITHIN THE MUSLIM'S OWN HOME during their social gatherings ?

Is the French PM trying to impose the value of free intermixing of both sexes within the Muslims own home during gathering of one's social circle?

While the United States is called the melting pot of the world in terms of its awesome ability to absorb various cultures and religions into its own, do the French seem to be moving in the direction of having a "burnt pot" with very rigid and close minded values ? This has never been the FRANCE that the world had ever known.  Recent restrictions on Muslims that are in the making by the French Govt are clear markers of a subtle form of fascism and anti-Islamic extremism that is slowly raising its ugly head in the beautiful country of France.

Paradoxically while the French PM is imposing radical close minded values on French Muslims, he laments that French Muslim men are imposing values on others, what a hypocrisy ? WELCOME TO FREEDOM IN FRANCE.

Dear French Men and Women, wake up before it is too late and lend us your ears :
"Remember, all extremists regardless of religion are of the same family having the same characteristics of intolerance, close mindedness and prejudice. Please don't allow extreme right wing French (taliban) to ruin the reputation of such a great country of France. The future destiny of France is right in your hands"

ASIA:
(a)Women Should Play An Important Role In Fight Against Terror"
(b) Kuwait's First Women-Only Taxi Service Launched
(c)Islam: OneWorld 2011, Initiative To Defeat Stereotypes
(d) Adopt UAE’s Tolerance Model, Swiss Tells Europe

NORTH AMERICA:
USA: Muslim, Arab, Sikh & South Asian American Community Leaders Welcome Dept of Health Services Secretary Napolitano's Commitments in Meeting on Countering Violent Extremists

Editorial:

The Global Ummah cannot sit passively while the anti-Islamic elements both within and outside Islam continue their tirade in their attempt to denigrate Islam. At the same time, as a response we must oppose all forms of violence including suicide bombing to deal with differences whether with other Muslim sects/groups or with other non-Muslim anti-Islamic elements.

With regard to our response to the Islamaphobes, we totally oppose physically attacking or harming any individual who is a Islamaphobe fanatic. Our response should be mainly on the intellectual battlefield of ideas and points put forward and let the local/national/international community judge for themselves.
In our research we found a website www.loonwatch.com that is spear heading a peaceful, yet unparalleled, unmatched response to the Islamaphobes. We strongly urge you to check out above website and preferably be in their mailing list. Their intellectual response based on KNOWLEDGE (which the gems of Islam Holy Quran and Hadith had repeatedly emphasized) is truly amazing and they literally and intellectually rip apart the prejudicial arguments brought forth by the anti-Islamic elements. Below is a sample of one of their articles.

All Terrorists are Muslims…Except the 94% that Aren’t

20 January 2010
Danios (loonwatch.com)

CNN recently published an article entitled Study: Threat of Muslim-American Terrorism in U.S. Exaggerated; according to a study released by Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, “the terrorist threat posed by radicalized Muslim-Americans has been exaggerated.” Yet, Americans continue to live in mortal fear of radical Islam, a fear propagated and inflamed by right wing Islamophobes.

If one follows the cable news networks, it seems as if all terrorists are Muslims. It has even become axiomatic in some circles to chant: “Not all Muslims are terrorists, but nearly all terrorists are Muslims.” Muslims and their “leftist dhimmi allies” respond feebly, mentioning Waco as the one counter example, unwittingly affirming the belief that “nearly all terrorists are Muslims.”

But perception is not reality. The data simply does not support such a hasty conclusion. On the FBI’s official website, there exists a chronological list of all terrorist attacks committed on U.S. soil from the year 1980 all the way to 2005. Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Soil by Group, From 1980 to 2005, According to FBI Database

According to this data, there were more Jewish acts of terrorism within the United States than Islamic (7% vs 6%).

These radical Jews committed acts of terrorism in the name of their religion. These were not terrorists who happened to be Jews; rather, they were extremist Jews who committed acts of terrorism based on their religious passions, just like Al-Qaeda and company. Yet notice the disparity in media coverage between the two.

It would indeed be very interesting to construct a corresponding pie chart that depicted the level of media coverage of each group. The reason that Muslim apologists and their “leftist dhimmi allies” cannot recall another non-Islamic act of terrorism other than Waco is due to the fact that the media gives menial (if any) coverage to such events. If a terrorist attack does not fit the “Islam is the perennial and existential threat of our times” narrative, it is simply not paid much attention to, which in a circuitous manner reinforces and “proves” the preconceived narrative.
It is to such an extent that the average American has no image in his head of any Jewish or Latino terrorist; why should he, when he has never even heard of the Jewish Defense League or the Ejercito Popular Boricua Macheteros? Surely what he does not know does not exist!

The Islamophobes claim that Islam is intrinsically a terrorist religion. The proof? Well, just about every terrorist attack is Islamic, they retort. Unfortunately for them, that’s not quite true. More like six percent. Using their defunct logic, these right wingers ought now to conclude that nearly all acts of terrorism are committed by Latinos (or Jews). Let them dare say it…they couldn’t; it would be political and social suicide to say such a thing. Most Americans would shut down such talk as bigoted; yet, similar statements continue to be said of Islam, without any repercussions.

The Islamophobes live in a fantasy world where everyone is supposedly too “politically correct” to criticize Islam and Muslims. Yet, the reality is the exact opposite: you can get away with saying anything against the crescent. Can you imagine the reaction if I said that Latinos should be profiled because after all, they are the ones who commit the most terrorism in the country? (For the record: I don’t believe in such profiling, because I am–unlike the right wing nutters–a believer in American ideals.)

The moral of the story is that Americans ought to calm down when it comes to Islamic terrorism. Right wingers always live in mortal fear–or rather, they try to make you feel that way. In fact, Pamela Geller (the queen of internet Islamophobia) literally said her mission was to “scare the bejeezus outta ya.” Don’t be fooled, and don’t be a wuss. You don’t live in constant fear of radicalized Latinos (unless you’re Lou Dobbs), even though they commit seven times more acts of terrorism than Muslims in America.

Why then are you wetting yourself over Islamic radicals? In the words of Cenk Uygur: you’re at a ten when you need to be at a four. Nobody is saying that Islamic terrorism is not a matter of concern, but no more so than the acts of terrorism committed by people of other faiths. So calm the bleep down, and continue living your life.

AFRICA:

(ED NOTE: A New Prison Release Program: Would the Ummah be supportive of applying such a concept in their respective Muslim countries ? )

(a) LIBYA: MEMORISING THE KORAN TO GET OUT OF JAIL

(ANSAmed) - Rome, Jan 13, 2010

Learning the verses of the Koran by heart could soon result in an early exit from prison for common criminals in Libya. The measure has not yet been implemented, but the proposal is being examined by the Supreme Justice Council, the highest judicial authority in Libya. A measure that could soon become a different system to get out of jail ahead of time in a country that is implementing amnesty policies also for former terrorists in prison. Mechanisms that have led to the emptying of some long-time prisons.
The decision to include "people who learn the Koran by heart" in the amnesty, explained online Arab newspaper, Al Manara, and therefore introducing studying the sacred book for Muslims as a method of prisoner rehabilitation, will be part of a measure subject to ratification by the Supreme Justice Council, whose first regularly scheduled meeting for 2010 was headed by Justice Minister, Mustapha Abdul Jalil.

The method of prisoner rehabilitation, which includes the study of the Koran, has already been used on prisoners who were released last October, and included about 100 detainees, all former members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), which is linked to Al Qaida, and the so-called Jihad Group. The former Islamic militants, under the auspices of the Gaddafi Foundation, studied the Koran for two years and changed their political convictions.

The prisoners who took part in the "rehabilitation" programme by studying the sacred text and who were all detainees for over 10 years in the Fellah prison in Tripoli in the Abu Slim neighbourhood, were the third group of Islamic detainees freed in Libya in the past two years. The proposal put forth recently to free prisoners who study the Koran, follows a phase of amnesties and prisoner releases that began along with the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of Gaddafìs rise to power. On September 1, a decision was made to grant a pardon to 1273 prisoners and to replace the death penalty with a life-prison sentence for whose who had been sentenced with the maximum penalty before September 1. (ANSAmed).

(b) MAURITANIA

Fatwa Alone Will Not Stop Female Genital Mutilation30 Jan 2010
Source: IRIN

NOUAKCHOTT, 29 January 2010 (IRIN)
A recent fatwa banning female genital mutilation/cutting in Mauritania will help reduce the practice only if religious leaders take the message to the people, scholars and anti-FGM/C activists say. Given the widespread practice of FGM/C in Mauritania and the belief that it is imposed by Islam – families cut their girls "as Allah wishes", one woman said upon hearing of the fatwa – convincing people to stop will take time and engagement from religious leaders. "Imams and Muslim scholars must not stop at just talking about the ban in their sermons," Muslim scholar Baba Ould Mata told IRIN. "They must go before the people, especially in remote regions where FGM/C is prevalent."

A group of Muslim clerics and scholars on 12 January signed the religious decree against FGM/C after two days of debate led by the Forum de la pensee islamique et du dialogue des cultures in the capital Nouakchott. A 2007 Health Ministry study showed that 72 percent of women in Mauritania had undergone FGM/C – about the same proportion as in 2001 despite years of awareness campaigns and a 2005 law punishing anyone cutting a child and "causing injury". But education campaigns did help bring about the fatwa, religious heads said. The Muslim leaders issuing the decree drew on a 2008 declaration by Mauritanian doctors and midwives that FGM/C is "harmful to health and can have grave consequences including death".

In 2006 a Mauritanian association of Islamic scholars issued a fatwa denouncing FGM/C but few religious leaders agreed to sign it. The 2008 declaration put more weight behind the move this time, Muslim scholar and secretary general of the forum, Cheikh ould Zein told IRIN. He said of the recent fatwa: "Our reasoning went like this: Are there texts in the Koran that clearly require this practice? No. On the contrary, Islam is clearly against any act that would have negative repercussions for health. Today Mauritanian doctors unanimously declare [FGM/C] threatens health; therefore it is against Islam." But many Mauritanians, like one in Nouakchott who gave her name just as Fatimatou, say they cut because Islam requires it. "We practice this from generation to generation as Allah wishes," she told IRIN. "A girl who is not cut cannot pray or get married."

She asked several times for confirmation of the fatwa then said: "I have my doubts. I am going to ask about this in the village; we have a marabout [religious leader] there." Fatimatou, pregnant with her third child, added: "But if the child I'm carrying is a girl, I think I'll have her cut because I don't want her to have a bad life." Ould Zein said FGM/C is too often seen as required by Islam. "The difficulty is separating tradition from religion." Given "the weight of tradition" scholar Ould Mata told IRIN, hearing of FGM/C's harmful effects from NGOs will not be enough. "Though if an imam goes to a village and says, 'Yes, Islam is against FGM/C', men and women can no longer defend the practice with a religious argument."

Mauritanian law has had little effect on the ground, said Yakhare Soumaré with the Mauritanian NGO Action. She agreed that the fatwa can have influence only if religious leaders actively promote it. "It has been the position of many religious leaders up to now that was the greatest obstacle to our awareness efforts. Even if our campaigns reach remote populations, it is always the religious leaders who have the last word."

AUSTRALIA:

Muslim Feminists Deserve To Be Heard

Randa Abdel-Fattah & Susan Carland

(The age.com.au)

January 28, 2010

Women don't have to give up Islam for rights, argue Randa Abdel-Fattah and Susan Carland.

Orientalists writing on Islam and Muslims have tended to represent Muslim women as infantilised and oppressed, victims in need of rescue by the enlightened West. This is a classic example of the tyranny of self-projection, where the ''rescuer'' assumes a position of superiority so the belief systems, values and norms of Muslim women are judged against the Western experience. The work of Muslim human rights and social justice advocates is discredited and ignored. It is as if liberation and freedom are the monopoly of secular feminists. Muslim women are apparently too downtrodden to care to make a difference.

If they do insist on fighting for equality and justice within an Islamic perspective, their efforts are dismissed, assuming freedom and Islam are mutually exclusive, or, worse, that Muslim women are brainwashed, suffering from a form of religious Stockholm syndrome. This patronising discourse arrogantly assumes the way to overcome patriarchy is to abandon Islam and adopt ''Western values''. How can a constructive effort to improve the situation of women begin when the conversation is so unsophisticated, demeaning and primitive?

Muslim women have engaged in the quest for dignity, democracy and human rights, for full participation in political and social affairs, since the time of Prophet Mohammed. As Amina Wadud, the American-Islamic feminist scholar, said: ''By going back to primary sources and interpreting them afresh, women scholars are endeavouring to remove the fetters imposed by centuries of patriarchal interpretation and practice.'' And although you may not hear much about them, Muslim women and men are doing much to improve the plight of women, from grassroots projects to legal activism and religious leadership training. They see Islam not as a stumbling block to progress, but as a platform for change.

In Jordan, there is a strong push, spearheaded by journalist Rana Husseini, to fight honour killings. Husseini's team has publicised each crime despite death threats. She has led the charge for law reform and mobilised protest rallies, which even princes from the Jordanian royal family have attended. Far from fighting Islam to achieve this, Husseini tells the murderers during interviews that their acts contradict the teachings of Islam and are punishable by God. Most of them concede this.

In Malaysia, groups such as Sisters in Islam offer free legal clinics to teach women their rights under Sharia and civil law, run campaigns to stop domestic violence and hold education programs for women with a goal of "justice and equality within the family". In the United Arab Emirates, Ahmed al Haddad, the head of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, has started a program to train women to become muftis. Previously, women religious advisers were only allowed to speak on "women's issues".

The training will enable them to work as equals to men in issuing religious rulings in all areas. There is nothing new in this. Islamic history is "rich in examples of highly learned women acting as muftis and issuing decrees on all matters", al Haddad said. The Shura Council of the Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equity, an advisory council comprising of Muslim women scholars, activists and specialists from around the world, aims to "critically engage with dominant Islamic interpretations of social issues and practices and promote religiously grounded arguments that enable women to make dignified choices based on their own religious tradition".

There is a long way to go for women in many Muslim societies, just as there is for women everywhere. But if we are interested in change, it is time to let go of outdated Orientalist arguments and ill-informed generalisations that see Islam as ''The Problem''. It is time to respect the fact that Muslim women are fighting for their rights and doing so without giving up their allegiance and commitment to Islam. Their quest does not stem from imported Western values but is integral to the Islamic tradition. Demonising their convictions is unhelpful - and a repudiation of the feminist ideal of the right for women to autonomy and freedom of choice.

Randa Abdel-Fattah is a lawyer and author, and Susan Carland is a lecturer in politics at Monash University. Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

EUROPE:

(A) FRANCE:

(a) Proposals For Restrictions on Face Covering Veils

According to USA TODAY, Associated Press (Jan 26, 2010), mass transport, hospitals, post offices and all public services in France would be off-limits to Muslim women wearing face-covering veils if a parliamentary panel's recommendations, out Tuesday, become law. According to the report by the 32-member multiparty panel: a woman seeking unemployment benefits or other state aid, for instance, would walk away empty-handed if she refused to uncover her face.

She would also be denied entrance to town halls, buses, subway trains and university classrooms. One recommendation: denying residency cards and citizenship to women who wear veils. France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe — estimated at 5 million.

(b) French Citizenship Denied To Man With Veiled Wife

Christian Science Monitor Feb 4, 2010
Global News Blog

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the Moroccan man, who had married a French woman, failed to respect the “values of the [French] republic” by forcing his wife to wear a burqa.

“This case is about a religious radical: he imposes the burqa, he imposes the separation of men and women in his own home, and he refuses to shake the hands of women,” Fillon said.

ASIA:

(A) "Women Should Play An Important Role In Fight Against Terror"

P.K. Abdul Ghafour,
Arab News Jan 25, 2010

Samar Fatany opens the seminar

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Muslim women should play an important role in the global fight against extremism and terrorism, said Samar Fatany, a prominent Saudi journalist and a radio talk show host here on Friday. “Muslim women have been marginalized for too long. It is high time they play a more active role in defending Islam and Muslims and become advocates of tolerance and peaceful coexistence,” she said.

Opening a seminar organized by Thanima, a cultural organization of Keralite expatriates at the conclusion of a month-long campaign on “Empowerment of Women for Social Change,” Fatany emphasized that women should be educated about their legal rights. Women should also obtain good education and achieve self-sufficiency through jobs. “Education is the key to empowerment,” she said.

In her keynote address, which was translated into Malayalam by Shamina Aziz of Al-Hayat International School, Fatany said women should raise their voice against abuse and injustice being inflicted upon them by men in the name of Islam.

“Muslim women have been brainwashed into believing that they have no role to play in society and that they should remain subservient to men.” Fatany said she was happy to attend a campaign aimed at empowering Muslim women in India. “Empowerment of women is the global duty of every educated man and woman.” She called on Muslim women to reach out to the international community in order to put an end to wars and conflicts and project the true image of Islam as a religion of peace and mercy. Women and children are the main victims of global conflicts and violence.

“We can no longer remain silent and allow our sisters in Islam to suffer from oppression and discrimination in the name of Islam,” she said. She described the rigid interpretation of Islam by hard-liners as a dangerous phenomenon that must be confronted for the promotion of world peace and security. “Extremism has endangered the lives of Muslims, who are being targeted all over the world. Islamophobia is on the rise because of the acts of a few, who have tarnished the image of Islam,” she said. Shahnaz Taplin Chinoy, Chairperson of the US-based Muslim Women’s Fund, spoke about her organization’s efforts to raise funds for the uplift of Muslim women worldwide. Sheeja Reynolds said empowerment of women was a social necessity.

Campaign convener Sulekha Yaqub presided over the seminar. Bushra Suleiman presented a paper on the topic while Rashmi Salif and O. Samira also spoke. The program started with Mumthaz’s recitation from the Holy Qur’an. Sehida Raheem welcomed the guests and M. Sahira gave a vote of thanks. A variety of cultural programs including Islamic and folklore songs and dramas, enthused the audience.

(B) KUWAIT'S FIRST WOMEN-ONLY TAXI SERVICE LAUNCHED

(ANSAmed) - Kuwait City, Jan 11, 2010

Kuwaiti entrepreneur Bedoor Al-Mutairi has launched the country's first women-only taxi service, it has been reported. The bright pink taxis cabs, which are driven by women for female customers only, offer women a secure mode of transport, she told the Kuwait Times.

The business, called EVE TAXIS, follows in the footsteps of other successful women-only firms in the UAE, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Bangladesh. Al-Mutairi was helped by the Kuwait Small Projects Development Company, a governmental body of the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), to start-up her business, she told the paper. The taxis service will operate from 8am to 8pm, Al-Mutairi told the paper. All cabs will be fitted with a GPS system and the female drivers all have a good local knowledge. Prices will be set by the Interior Ministry. (ANSAmed).

(C) "Islam: OneWorld 2011, Initiative To Defeat Stereotypes," from ANSAmed, January 13 (thanks to Insubria):

(ANSAmed) - DUBAI, JANUARY 13 -
Today in Dubai, OneWorld 2011 was presented, an ambitious project that aims to defeat stereotypes and misunderstandings between Muslims and the West by creating and event-movement founded on sharing sports, art, entrepreneurship, and reciprocal understanding.

The initiative will be inaugurated in Seattle (USA) on the 10th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center in New York, and will involve at least 40 Muslim countries. The initiative is founded on seven essential elements: youth exchange programs, with both sides hosting youngsters for at least a month; sports, with football tournaments - mainly women's - between young Americans and Muslims; an art and cultural festival; a trade bazaar that will gather hundreds of entrepreneurs from both sides; a medical conference; a conference dedicated to women; and an inter-religious conference that has already received the full support of U.S. President Barack Obama.

"The idea was born seven years ago, due to the climate created after the 9/11 attacks, but the conditions for the start of a real project, which will begin as an event that will last for just a few months, but intends constantly evolve, were set in place only after the election of President Obama," explained Bob Walsh, the creator and founder of OneWorld 2011, while speaking to ANSAmed. Walsh is not new to these kinds of initiatives; in 1990, together with Ted turner, he organised the Goodwill Game to bring down the iron curtain between the Russians and Americans.

After the inaugural event in Seattle, OneWorld will be repeated every two years in a different Muslim capital city. (ANSAmed).

(D) Adopt UAE’s Tolerance Model, Swiss Tells Europe

Adel Arafa (condensed version)
adel@khaleejtimes.com

30 January 2010

ABU DHABI
A Swiss official has urged European countries to adopt the UAE’s exemplary model in dealing with a diverse mix of nationalities living on its land. Hasni Abidi, Director of the Study and Research Centre for the Arab and Mediterranean World in Geneva, said the UAE presents a role model where hundreds of thousands of workers of different nationalities and faiths are working.

Speaking at a lecture hosted by Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research on the theme ‘Europe’s Muslims — Between Marginalisation and Integration’, he said all live under the same roof in the UAE that guarantees religious freedom, religious and legal tolerance, equality and equal opportunities.

In France, he said, a Muslim or an Arab should obtain security clearance from intelligence service if he wants to work as a taxi driver. Most members of the Arab and Muslim communities in Europe are disappointed at being treated as migrants holding European citizenships for specific periods. The vote to ban minarets and the move to prevent Muslim women from wearing niqab are part of restricting religious, civilian and personal freedoms, he added.

This also raises the following questions:

What makes a deeply rooted country such as France, which was a model in terms of accepting immigrants on the principle of citizenship alone, transform into a country that has doubts about its doctrine and identity?

Has Europe failed in its capacity to integrate immigrants, or rather to accept its own citizens of Arab and Islamic origin?

Will the move to limit religious freedoms appear in all European countries, and will it encourage radicalism and fanaticism in the Muslim diaspora?

Why does Europe hesitate to adopt the principle of multiple and peaceful identities as a way out of what is essentially a religious and political crisis?

Do we stand before a new challenge for Europeans of Arab and Islamic origins whereby they become responsible for convincing their compatriots that their Arab names are not a yardstick to measure the extent of their integration, especially since they were born in Europe, have studied there and contribute to its construction?

NORTH AMERICA

USA:

Muslim, Arab, Sikh & South Asian American Community Leaders Welcome Dept of Health Services Secretary Napolitano's Commitments in Meeting on Countering Violent Extremists

(Washington, D.C., 1/29/10)
In a meeting with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano yesterday to discuss joint efforts against domestic violent extremists, Muslim, Arab, Sikh and South Asian American community leaders welcomed commitments by the Secretary to promote meaningful, positive and authentic dialogue. Leaders from national and local organizations representing these communities expressed concern about DHS policies, such as racial, ethnic, and religious profiling at airports and the border, that have eroded the government's trust and credibility with the communities.

The commitments Secretary Napolitano made to these community leaders include: * Community participation in an anti-violent extremism task force of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, which reports to the Secretary; * Regular, quarterly meetings with the Secretary; * Education and training for DHS leadership to promote understanding of the Muslim, Arab, Sikh & South Asian American communities and their concerns; and * An honest and full discussion of legitimate grievances from members of these communities about DHS policies that are ineffective and have a deleterious, humiliating impact on Muslim, Arab, Sikh and South Asian American communities.

Community leaders believe that fulfilling these commitments would be a step forward in establishing meaningful, open and authentic dialogue between DHS and the Muslim, Arab, Sikh and South Asian American communities. In addition, these leaders have called for changes to DHS policies that are ineffective and discriminate based on race, ethnicity or religion, including:

* Rescinding a new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) directive targeting travelers from or through 13 predominantly Muslim nations, plus Cuba. * Revising a TSA directive on religious headwear, such as turbans and headscarves. * Setting limits on interrogations and searches by Customs and Border Protection agents that probe an American's faith, politics, finances or associations, as well as cell phones, laptops and electronic devices, without any evidence of wrongdoing.

Media Contacts: Edina Lekovic, Muslim Public Affairs Council, 213.383.3443
John Showalter, Muslim Advocates, 415.336.1868

Amardeep Singh, Sikh Coalition, 212.655.3095, ext. 83;

Deepa Iyer, South Asian Americans Leading Together, 301.270.1855

Louay Safi, Islamic Society of North America, 317.838.8130

Hossam Al-Jabri, Muslim American Society,617.427.2636

Imad Hamad, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee-Michigan Chapter, 313.581.1201

Rebecca Brown, Arab American Institute, 202.429.9210;

Kiran Ansari, Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, 312.506.0070
Nawar Shora, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, 202-244-2990
Hannan Deep, Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services
313.842.5128;

Mohamed Elibiary, The Freedom and Justice Foundation, 214-403-2652.

THE END