VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH
Volume 185, May 29, 2011
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin
(www.xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com)
Editorial:
UK first: Mrs Naveeda Ikram, Britain's first female Muslim Lord Mayor, has served as a councillor in Little Horton, Bradford, since 2004
“This is a problem of identity. We are born Europeans but are Muslims. Islam is also part of the European identity,” she said.
New website offers practical information in seven foreign languages; opponents say money could have been better spent
From CPR-numbers to daycare placements, from how to register a new business to leisure opportunities, many resident services are administered through Denmark’s 98 local councils.
But for a newcomer to the country, navigating all the information can be difficult if not downright impossible, because the details about these vital services are generally found only in Danish, with limited information in English – if you’re lucky.
But thanks to a new initiative by Copenhagen Council, non-Danish speakers now have access to the trove of practical information on resident services.
The council has spent 100,000 kroner to develop the website ‘Kend Din Kommune’ (Know Your Council) a guide to resident services made available in Urdu, Arabic, Farsi, French, Bosnian, Turkish and Somali.
Italy's largest Muslim group has sent a message to Italy's highest ranking bishop to thank him for his organisation's support for a project to construct a mosque in Milan, the country's conservative business hub.
In the message to Angelo Bagnasco, who leads Italy's Bishops' Conference (CEI), the UCOII said: "We are relieved and immensely grateful for the position voiced by senior officials from the Italian Bishops' Conference in support of official places of worship for Muslims, an issue which nowadays has wrongly become a political hot potato."
"The brotherly solidarity of the great majority of Christians, which we have experienced at thousands of inter-faith gatherings and debates, has been strongly confirmed," the statement added.
(Ed Note:
PART B:
ISLAM IN EUROPE
Sead Bekric -- survivor of the 1993 Srebrenica Children Massacre -- holds a copy of the Newsweek Magazine, cover featuring him as a boy in the hospital, at his home in Palm Harbor, Fla., Wednesday, June 1, 2011. (Photo/Tamara Lush)
Srebrenica Celebrate 10th Anniversary Of Massacre With A Massive Funeral SREBRENICA, BOSNIA - HERZEGOVINA - JULY 11, 2005
ITALY
Days ahead of a key run-off vote for mayor of Milan, Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi warned the opposition centre-left would turn his hometown into an "Islamic" city overrun by Roma Gypsies and other immigrants.
"Milan can't become, on the eve of the Expo 2015, an Islamic city, a city of Gypsies, full of Roma camps and swamped by foreigners, a city that gives voting rights to immigrants in municipal elections," Berlusconi said on Monday.
"I don't think that we Milanese consider it a priority to build a beautiful mosque," Berlusconi said in a message posted to the website of his ruling conservative People of Freedom (PdL) party.
The leader of Italy's largest centre-left opposition Democratic Party Pierluigi Bersani met Berlusconi's inflammatory remarks with an ironic putdown:
ISLAM IN NORTH AMERICA:
Terror is only terror when Muslims are responsible, according to South Carolina state Sen. Michael Fair (R-Greenville), who recently sponsored legislation that would ban Shariah law in the state’s courts. That much was made clear again during a Hatewatch interview with Fair Thursday, a day after he told the Think Progress blog that “99%, probably” of all terror attacks worldwide in the last three decades was carried out by Islamic groups.
That estimate isn’t even close to accurate, and serves no obvious purpose but to vilify hundreds of millions of people around the globe for political ends.
THE END
Volume 185, May 29, 2011
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful
(www.xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com) Editorial:
In this issue, we first highlight the positive news followed by brief notes on Islam in Europe and North America. The main highlight of past week was the arrest of the notorious Bosnian-Serb leader Ratko Mladic.
With regard to the Bosnian conflict, according to Gendercide.org:
"As of December 1994," writes Sabrina Ramet in Balkan Babel (p. 267), "between 200,000 and 400,000 people had died since June 1991 as a result of the war between Serbs and non-Serbs, and at least 2.7 million people had been reduced to refugees. An estimated 20,000-50,000 Bosnian Muslim women had been raped by Bosnian Serb soldiers in a systematic campaign of humiliation and psychological terror."
With regard to the Bosnian conflict, according to Gendercide.org:
"As of December 1994," writes Sabrina Ramet in Balkan Babel (p. 267), "between 200,000 and 400,000 people had died since June 1991 as a result of the war between Serbs and non-Serbs, and at least 2.7 million people had been reduced to refugees. An estimated 20,000-50,000 Bosnian Muslim women had been raped by Bosnian Serb soldiers in a systematic campaign of humiliation and psychological terror."
PART A
POSITIVE NEWS:
UNITED KINGDOM
(Ed Note:
First Female Muslim Lord Mayor
www.dailymail.co.uk
25 May 2011
(Ed Note:
As we had indicated in the past, we fully support Muslim women to climb up the ladder of success in their careers and we are proud of below Muslima to be the first Female Muslim Lord Mayor).
First Female Muslim Lord Mayor
www.dailymail.co.uk
25 May 2011
UK first: Mrs Naveeda Ikram, Britain's first female Muslim Lord Mayor, has served as a councillor in Little Horton, Bradford, since 2004Bradford council has announced that the city has appointed the UK's first female Muslim Lord Mayor.
Councillor Naveeda Ikram was nominated by the council's Labour Group to serve as Lord Mayor in the West Yorkshire city.
The mother-of-three, who was born in the UK, was given the title during a ceremony at Bradford City Hall today.
Cllr Ikram spent some of her teenage years in the Punjab, but has lived in Bradford for most of her life.
The mother-of-three, who was born in the UK, was given the title during a ceremony at Bradford City Hall today.
Cllr Ikram spent some of her teenage years in the Punjab, but has lived in Bradford for most of her life.
A psychology and sociology graduate, Mrs Ikram has served as deputy Lord Mayor of Bradford since 2009. She will serve as Mayor for at least one year, with her husband Saqib Salam Shah serving as her consort.
GERMANY
(Ed Note: For Muslims, Islam is a way of life and a practicing Muslim is NOT a part time Muslim. Therefore whether he or she is at school, work, play or at travel, prayers is a part of his or her daily lifestyle. Special thanks for Munich Airport authorities for providing Muslims a prayer room. In a growing anti-islamic social tide that is slowly but steadily raising its ugly head across Europe, even small developments such as the above is deeply appreciated).
Munich: Airport Opens Mosque
www.islamineurope.blogspot.com
26 May 2011
Via AeroMorning (h/t EuropeNews):
Munich Airport makes Muslim guests feel welcome: Airport CEO Dr Michael Kerkloh (left) officially opened the newly completed Muslim prayer room in Terminal 1. Mohammed A. Al Romaithi, the General Consul of the United Arab Emirates, Ahmad Al-Khalifa, the head of the Munich Islamic Center, and Salah Elenany, the Vice President of the Bavarian Arabic Society (l. to r.) attended the ceremony.
Last year alone, routes to the Near East accounted for some 870,000 arriving and departing passengers at Munich Airport, and the traffic continues to increase. Serving as a gateway to the Arab world is Module C in Terminal 1, where airlines such as Emirates, Etihad Airways and Oman Air offer flights to major centers in the Gulf states. In addition to signage in German, English and Arabic, the food services in departure area feature halal menu selections. The prayer room now completes the facilities.
SWEDEN
(Ed Note:
Muslim Youth Org To Return Grants Received From State Gambling Profits
(Ed Note:
We fully support the decision of below Muslim Youth Organization to return grants received from State Gambling Profits. Their reasoning for not accepting above grants is sound and consistent with Islamic values).
Muslim Youth Org To Return Grants Received From State Gambling Profits
Via Tro och Politik (Swedish):
The Young Muslims of Sweden organization (Sveriges unga muslimer) is going to give back a million kroner they've received in grants from the state via Svenska Spel, the government's gambling monopoly. "The grant is morally questionable since gambling addiction has become more widespread," says Mohammed Kharraki, President of Young Muslims of Sweden.
Every year the Swedish National Board for Youth Affairs grants money to youth organizations for their activities. About two thirds come from Svenska Spel's profits. In 2010 Young Muslims of Sweden received 1.5 million kroner. Mohammed Kharraki says that for a while they've been having internal discussion on whether to take the money. Young people in particular are susceptible to gambling addiction, and they don't want to build their organization on money which comes from the suffering of others.
He says there are more youth organizations in the same situation. They take the money even though they do not want to, because they depend on government assistance to survive. But that means they support a system they should reject.
Last year Young Muslims of Sweden decided to save on their 2010 activities, so they'll be able to pay back the money coming from Svenska Spel.
Mohammed Kharraki says they did so by getting more sponsors for their events and by using money they've saved in the past. They did not need to cut down on any of their major activities: they organized a summer camp and theme weekends around the country, and held their annual conference as usual.
Last year Young Muslims of Sweden decided to save on their 2010 activities, so they'll be able to pay back the money coming from Svenska Spel.
Mohammed Kharraki says they did so by getting more sponsors for their events and by using money they've saved in the past. They did not need to cut down on any of their major activities: they organized a summer camp and theme weekends around the country, and held their annual conference as usual.
Mohammed Kharraki says that the members and clubs are happy with the decision. The Youth Affairs Board thought it was strange to get money back The government decided from now on not to earmark money for organizations. Also, the money won't come just from Svenska Spel, but from the general budget. Mohammed Kharraki welcomes the decision and says that they can't do without this money every year. He adds that it's a sensible decision, even if it probably didn't come due to their protests, but rather from the fact that Svenska Spel is at risk of losing its monopoly.
SPAIN
"Islam gave me the rights not given by Catholicism"
www.aina.org
April 6, 2010
"Islam gave me the rights not given by Catholicism"
www.aina.org
April 6, 2010
Women have more rights in Islam than in Catholicism, a Spanish Muslim convert told a group of visiting Turkish journalists last week.
Born a Catholic and educated in Catholic schools, Laura Rodriguez converted to Islam and now represents Spanish Muslim women. She believes that Catholicism restricts women’s rights.
“Islam gave me the rights not given by Catholicism, like individual liberty, legal rights, the right to education, the right to employment and the right to sexuality,” said Rodriguez, the president of the Muslim Women’s Union in Spain.
“Women cannot communicate directly with God in the Catholic religion. They have no rights to sexuality. Their mission is to give birth to children,” she added. “[Catholic] women have no right to divorce. Birth control is forbidden by Catholicism.”
Until recently, Spanish women needed the official consent of their husbands to open a bank account, noted Yusuf Fernandez Ordonez, the secretary of the Muslim Federation of Spain, or FEME, of which Rodriguez’s organization is an affiliate.
When asked why women are more educated, more empowered and more present in public and private life in Christian countries compared to Muslim ones, Rodriguez said Europe cannot be evaluated from a Christian perspective since individual citizens may be Christian, but the church has lost its power to influence society.
Ordonez added that women acquired their rights after Christian European countries became secular following the French Revolution. “As for Islam, most of the countries are not reflecting the real Islam,” he said. “In Iran, for example, there are an equal number of men and women in universities.”
Though she says she has more rights as a Muslim, Rodriguez said there is still work to be done to improve conditions for Muslim women, especially migrants, in Spain. She has worked on migration issues for the past 17 years and says female migrants face more difficulties compared to their male counterparts.
Born a Catholic and educated in Catholic schools, Laura Rodriguez converted to Islam and now represents Spanish Muslim women. She believes that Catholicism restricts women’s rights.
“Islam gave me the rights not given by Catholicism, like individual liberty, legal rights, the right to education, the right to employment and the right to sexuality,” said Rodriguez, the president of the Muslim Women’s Union in Spain.
“Women cannot communicate directly with God in the Catholic religion. They have no rights to sexuality. Their mission is to give birth to children,” she added. “[Catholic] women have no right to divorce. Birth control is forbidden by Catholicism.”
Until recently, Spanish women needed the official consent of their husbands to open a bank account, noted Yusuf Fernandez Ordonez, the secretary of the Muslim Federation of Spain, or FEME, of which Rodriguez’s organization is an affiliate.
When asked why women are more educated, more empowered and more present in public and private life in Christian countries compared to Muslim ones, Rodriguez said Europe cannot be evaluated from a Christian perspective since individual citizens may be Christian, but the church has lost its power to influence society.
Ordonez added that women acquired their rights after Christian European countries became secular following the French Revolution. “As for Islam, most of the countries are not reflecting the real Islam,” he said. “In Iran, for example, there are an equal number of men and women in universities.”
Though she says she has more rights as a Muslim, Rodriguez said there is still work to be done to improve conditions for Muslim women, especially migrants, in Spain. She has worked on migration issues for the past 17 years and says female migrants face more difficulties compared to their male counterparts.
In Spain, Rodriguez added, Islam is identified not only with extremism and terrorism, but also with immigration. She said that it should be seen as part of the European identity instead.
DENMARK
(Ed Note:We appreciate below initiative taken by the Municipalities in Denmark to offer on-line information in several languages that are native to Muslims from Global Ummah. Above small initiative along with many other major initiatives that have thus far been taken by the Europeans reinforces our belief that they have in practice exercised a lot of tolerance, accommodation and acceptance to people from other cultures and it is high time that the Global Ummah reciprocate the same.
Unfortunately there are certain Muslims who continue to remain closed minded, self-centered, have a sense of entitlement which we believe is wrong. We are convinced that one can be a good practicing Muslim while at the same time exercise good citizenship and be an asset at the Local, State or National level in a non-Muslim country).
Unfortunately there are certain Muslims who continue to remain closed minded, self-centered, have a sense of entitlement which we believe is wrong. We are convinced that one can be a good practicing Muslim while at the same time exercise good citizenship and be an asset at the Local, State or National level in a non-Muslim country).
Municipalities offer on-line info in Urdu, Arabic, Farsi, Bosnian, Turkish and Somali (and French)
29th, May 2011
29th, May 2011
Via the Copenhagen Post:
New website offers practical information in seven foreign languages; opponents say money could have been better spent
From CPR-numbers to daycare placements, from how to register a new business to leisure opportunities, many resident services are administered through Denmark’s 98 local councils.
But for a newcomer to the country, navigating all the information can be difficult if not downright impossible, because the details about these vital services are generally found only in Danish, with limited information in English – if you’re lucky.
But thanks to a new initiative by Copenhagen Council, non-Danish speakers now have access to the trove of practical information on resident services.
The council has spent 100,000 kroner to develop the website ‘Kend Din Kommune’ (Know Your Council) a guide to resident services made available in Urdu, Arabic, Farsi, French, Bosnian, Turkish and Somali.
Italy
Muslims thank Bishop for Milan mosque support
29 May 2011
Via AKI:
Italy's largest Muslim group has sent a message to Italy's highest ranking bishop to thank him for his organisation's support for a project to construct a mosque in Milan, the country's conservative business hub.
In the message to Angelo Bagnasco, who leads Italy's Bishops' Conference (CEI), the UCOII said: "We are relieved and immensely grateful for the position voiced by senior officials from the Italian Bishops' Conference in support of official places of worship for Muslims, an issue which nowadays has wrongly become a political hot potato."
"The brotherly solidarity of the great majority of Christians, which we have experienced at thousands of inter-faith gatherings and debates, has been strongly confirmed," the statement added.
EGYPT
(Ed Note:
We fully support Egypt's Orders to restore the Church that was destroyed in Islamic attack. Despite all odds, we pray for peace between Christians and Muslims in Egypt).
Egypt Orders Restoration of Church Destroyed in Islamic Attack
5-26-2011
The military regime in Egypt has attempted to ease interfaith relations by ordering the restorations of an Egyptian church destroyed by Islamist extremists earlier this month.
A group of craftsmen have been dispatched and are working to restore St. Mary's Church in Imbaba, a suburb of Egyptian capital Cairo.
A group of craftsmen have been dispatched and are working to restore St. Mary's Church in Imbaba, a suburb of Egyptian capital Cairo.
Rising tensions between Christians and Muslims in Egypt have seen an escalation in violence over recent months. However, the country's military rulers are looking to calm both sides and have ordered that the gutted church be restored immediately. Workers have quickly moved in and are hoping to complete work in just three weeks, even though such work would normally be completed in closer to three months.
PART B:
ISLAM IN EUROPE
SERBIA:
Genocide suspect Ratko Mladic arrested
Genocide suspect Ratko Mladic arrested
26 May 2011
Via VOA:
Former Bosnian-Serb military leader Ratko Mladic has been arrested on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for his role in the Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian civil war in the early 1990s.
Ratko Mladic was one of Europe’s most wanted war crimes fugitives. He has been on the run for more than 15 years, since he was indicted by the United Nations war crimes tribunal at The Hague in 1995.
Mladic is a former Bosnian-Serb general. During the Bosnian war in the early 1990s he oversaw the siege of Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, which lasted more than three years and is the longest in the history of modern warfare.
He’s also accused of having played a key role in the bloody attack in 1995 of Srebrenica, where thousands of Muslim men and boys were killed in Europe’s worst massacre of civilians since the Second World War.
Former Bosnian-Serb military leader Ratko Mladic has been arrested on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for his role in the Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian civil war in the early 1990s.
Ratko Mladic was one of Europe’s most wanted war crimes fugitives. He has been on the run for more than 15 years, since he was indicted by the United Nations war crimes tribunal at The Hague in 1995.
Mladic is a former Bosnian-Serb general. During the Bosnian war in the early 1990s he oversaw the siege of Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, which lasted more than three years and is the longest in the history of modern warfare. He’s also accused of having played a key role in the bloody attack in 1995 of Srebrenica, where thousands of Muslim men and boys were killed in Europe’s worst massacre of civilians since the Second World War.
(Ed Note:
Recalling the dark chapter in the history of suffering of Muslims in terms of the Serbian-Bosnian Conflict).
Recalling the dark chapter in the history of suffering of Muslims in terms of the Serbian-Bosnian Conflict).
Sead Bekric -- survivor of the 1993 Srebrenica Children Massacre -- holds a copy of the Newsweek Magazine, cover featuring him as a boy in the hospital, at his home in Palm Harbor, Fla., Wednesday, June 1, 2011. (Photo/Tamara Lush)
Srebrenica Celebrate 10th Anniversary Of Massacre With A Massive Funeral SREBRENICA, BOSNIA - HERZEGOVINA - JULY 11, 2005 Relatives of the Srebrenica massacre victims cry during the funeral of their family members at the Srebrenica Memorial site during the 10th anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre on July 11, 2005 in Srebrenica, Bosnia Herzegovina. Srebrenica celebrate the 10th anniversary of the massacre with a massive funeral of about 610 victims that were identified after being exhumed and that will be buried at the memorial site. Some 8,000 Muslims, mostly boys and men, were slaughtered at Srebrenica in July 1995 by Bosnian Serb soldiers who had overrun the eastern town. The killings, in what was then a U.N.-protected zone, came shortly before the end of the country's 1992-95 war.
Berlusconi: Opposition will Islamicize Milan
May 24, 2011
Via AKI:
Days ahead of a key run-off vote for mayor of Milan, Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi warned the opposition centre-left would turn his hometown into an "Islamic" city overrun by Roma Gypsies and other immigrants.
"Milan can't become, on the eve of the Expo 2015, an Islamic city, a city of Gypsies, full of Roma camps and swamped by foreigners, a city that gives voting rights to immigrants in municipal elections," Berlusconi said on Monday.
"I don't think that we Milanese consider it a priority to build a beautiful mosque," Berlusconi said in a message posted to the website of his ruling conservative People of Freedom (PdL) party.
The leader of Italy's largest centre-left opposition Democratic Party Pierluigi Bersani met Berlusconi's inflammatory remarks with an ironic putdown:
"Your words are laughable..you're going to need to wear a burqa to avoid people recognizing you in the street," he jibed.
PART CISLAM IN NORTH AMERICA:
SC Pol Says ‘99%’ of Global Terrorism Comes From Muslims Posted in Anti-Muslim, Extremist Propaganda
by Ryan Lenz
May 20, 2011
by Ryan Lenz
May 20, 2011
www.splcenter.org
(HATEWATCH: Keeping an eye on radical right)
Terror is only terror when Muslims are responsible, according to South Carolina state Sen. Michael Fair (R-Greenville), who recently sponsored legislation that would ban Shariah law in the state’s courts. That much was made clear again during a Hatewatch interview with Fair Thursday, a day after he told the Think Progress blog that “99%, probably” of all terror attacks worldwide in the last three decades was carried out by Islamic groups.
That estimate isn’t even close to accurate, and serves no obvious purpose but to vilify hundreds of millions of people around the globe for political ends.
Obviously, the threat from radical Islamic terror groups such as Al Qaeda is very real. But terrorism is hardly limited to Muslims.
The world has endured countless acts of terrorism committed by non-Muslim perpetrators in recent decades — from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka to Basque separatists in Spain to radical-right attacks in the United States, including the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building.
In the United States alone, there have been scores of other terrorist plots and attacks since that Oklahoma attack left 168 men, women and children dead.
Just this March, a neo-Nazi activist was charged with attempting to use a homemade bomb to murder hundreds of Martin Luther King Day parade marchers in Spokane, Wash.
The world has endured countless acts of terrorism committed by non-Muslim perpetrators in recent decades — from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka to Basque separatists in Spain to radical-right attacks in the United States, including the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building.
In the United States alone, there have been scores of other terrorist plots and attacks since that Oklahoma attack left 168 men, women and children dead.
Just this March, a neo-Nazi activist was charged with attempting to use a homemade bomb to murder hundreds of Martin Luther King Day parade marchers in Spokane, Wash.
Countless experts on terrorism have pointed out the large number of non-Islamic terror conspiracies and attacks. The FBI reportedly has said that two-thirds of all terrorism between 1980 and 2001 in the United States was conducted by non-Islamic American extremists; from 2002 to 2005, a period when anti-Islamic sentiment exploded in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks, that percentage grew to 95%.
Last year, FBI Director Robert Mueller testified to Congress that “home-grown and lone-wolf extremists,” including domestic jihadists, had come to constitute a threat as serious as Al Qaeda.
More recently, Harper’s Magazine, citing the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said in its May 2011 issue that there had been 10 confirmed “terrorist plots against the United States perpetrated by Muslims in 2010,” while 25 came from non-Muslims.
Last year, FBI Director Robert Mueller testified to Congress that “home-grown and lone-wolf extremists,” including domestic jihadists, had come to constitute a threat as serious as Al Qaeda.
More recently, Harper’s Magazine, citing the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said in its May 2011 issue that there had been 10 confirmed “terrorist plots against the United States perpetrated by Muslims in 2010,” while 25 came from non-Muslims.
So where did the senator from the Palmetto State come to believe that “99%” of all terrorism comes from Muslims?
He said he has read enough books on the subject to make him an expert. “Jihad is an Islamic concept,” Fair told Hatewatch. “It comes from their books.” And anyway, he added, “I did not say that, I don’t think.” Reminded that his “99%” remark had been videotaped, he retreated. “Maybe I did say that, but what I thought I said was of any significance, large.” In a bizarre moment, Fair told Hatewatch that Think Progress had misunderstood his comments. He wasn’t referring to Muslim terrorists but to “radical Islamic Middle Eastern men” — a distinction clear only to him.
He said he has read enough books on the subject to make him an expert. “Jihad is an Islamic concept,” Fair told Hatewatch. “It comes from their books.” And anyway, he added, “I did not say that, I don’t think.” Reminded that his “99%” remark had been videotaped, he retreated. “Maybe I did say that, but what I thought I said was of any significance, large.” In a bizarre moment, Fair told Hatewatch that Think Progress had misunderstood his comments. He wasn’t referring to Muslim terrorists but to “radical Islamic Middle Eastern men” — a distinction clear only to him.
Politically, it is understandable why Fair might feel comfortable painting terrorism as a purely Muslim phenomenon. In the last year, anti-Muslim sentiment has been burgeoning in the United States, where one state, Oklahoma, recently passed an anti-Shariah amendment to the state constitution (it is currently stayed by a federal judge). At least 13 other states have considered similar legislation to outlaw the use of Shariah, or Islamic religious law, in U.S. courts — even though legal experts agree that that would be impossible under the constitution. Several politicians, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, recently have bashed Muslims publicly as a way of building political support in certain quarters.
In his interview with Think Progress, Fair readily admitted his bill wouldn’t really change anything. “The bill we have is an affirmation. It would be an exclamation point behind the law. It says you will practice the law. If you need reminding, foreign law does not prevail over South Carolina law,” he said.
My Take: This just in, Tennessee court says Islam is a religion
www.loonwatch.com
(condensed version) 23 May 2011
Anderson Cooper slams Laurie Cardoza Moore on her misinformation.
By Stephen Prothero (Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of “God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World,” is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor).
Special to CNN
A few months ago I spoke at an interfaith forum at the University of North Alabama. One of the speakers on my panel was Ossama Bahloul, Imam of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. Bahloul began his talk by observing that God must have a sense of humor to have given him a name as problematic as Ossama.
But the heart of his talk concerned the compatibility of Islam with American values. What surprised me about Bahloul, in both his public talk and our private conversations, was his deep and abiding faith in America. Signs at the construction site for his planned mosque had been vandalized twice and federal investigators had determined that a fire at the site was intentionally set. Efforts to build that mosque, appropriate for a growing congregation that had been active in the area for roughly two decades, were met not only with protests but also with a lawsuit.
Yet Bahloul continued to believe that what was right would win out in the end. In the lawsuit, opponents of the mosque argued, among other things, that Islam was not a religion and therefore was not entitled to the free exercise protections and special zoning treatment given to religious organizations.
But last week, a Murfreesboro court ruled for the Islamic center. In his ruling, judge Robert Corlew announced “that Islam is a religion.”
The fact that a court of law in the United States would actually have to make such a finding is a sad commentary on where we are today in the United States in terms of religious literacy.
Tennessee imam: My mosque was torched Islam is not just a religion. It is the second largest religion in the world, with over 1 billion adherents. And as the Murfreesboro case demonstrates, some of these Muslims are our neighbors. There is still one legal issue unsettled in this case—a technical matter concerning whether a prior proceeding allowing the mosque construction had followed the rules of a local open meetings ordinance.
But, as the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro noted on its web page yesterday, the building permit is now in hand. And, at least for now, the First Amendment is still the law of the land in Tennessee. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephen Prothero.
Special to CNN
A few months ago I spoke at an interfaith forum at the University of North Alabama. One of the speakers on my panel was Ossama Bahloul, Imam of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. Bahloul began his talk by observing that God must have a sense of humor to have given him a name as problematic as Ossama.
But the heart of his talk concerned the compatibility of Islam with American values. What surprised me about Bahloul, in both his public talk and our private conversations, was his deep and abiding faith in America. Signs at the construction site for his planned mosque had been vandalized twice and federal investigators had determined that a fire at the site was intentionally set. Efforts to build that mosque, appropriate for a growing congregation that had been active in the area for roughly two decades, were met not only with protests but also with a lawsuit.
Yet Bahloul continued to believe that what was right would win out in the end. In the lawsuit, opponents of the mosque argued, among other things, that Islam was not a religion and therefore was not entitled to the free exercise protections and special zoning treatment given to religious organizations.
But last week, a Murfreesboro court ruled for the Islamic center. In his ruling, judge Robert Corlew announced “that Islam is a religion.”
The fact that a court of law in the United States would actually have to make such a finding is a sad commentary on where we are today in the United States in terms of religious literacy.
Tennessee imam: My mosque was torched Islam is not just a religion. It is the second largest religion in the world, with over 1 billion adherents. And as the Murfreesboro case demonstrates, some of these Muslims are our neighbors. There is still one legal issue unsettled in this case—a technical matter concerning whether a prior proceeding allowing the mosque construction had followed the rules of a local open meetings ordinance.
But, as the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro noted on its web page yesterday, the building permit is now in hand. And, at least for now, the First Amendment is still the law of the land in Tennessee. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephen Prothero.
THE END
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