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Chronology of Islam in America (2008)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
December 2008
Cal Thomas calls for ban on building new mosques in America
Dec 2: In response to the attack on Mumbai, rightist columnist Cal Thomas writes in the Jewish World Review: “At the very least, all non-Western immigrants to Britain and America should be told prior to their arrival that our intention is to westernize them. They must learn English, study and embrace the history of their host nation and, if they are Muslim, they will be allowed to worship only in existing mosques. No new ones should be built. Existing mosques must be monitored to make sure that hate is not taught and aggressive behavior toward their host countries is not promoted. If such behavior and speech are detected, the mosques should be closed and the imams arrested or deported.” (Jewish World Review)
Arab Americans continue to face discrimination
Dec 4: Arab Americans continue to face higher rates of employment discrimination in both the public and private sectors and continuing challenges associated with government watch lists, immigration enforcement and other actions, according to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) “Report on Hate Crimes and Discrimination Against Arab Americans” announced today. The report was announced at a press conference in Washington by Lieutenant Colonel Lance Koury, a long-time member of the Alabama National Guard who for years has been subjected to a hostile and abusive work environment. Lt. Col Koury also told his story in public for the first-time during the press conference. The ADC said that in simply announcing the release of this report, ADC’s Communications Director received a number of hate email messages. One such message read, “Why do we not hear of these "hate crimes." NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN all are in the pockets of the politically correct. Why not ONE news story? Could it be an overly sensitive Arab population who really doesn't give a damn about the U.S.S. Cole, 9/11/2001, Khobar Towers? If you folks are so "hated" here why not go back to your own kind? Simple solution and I seriously doubt you'd be missed in this, the greatest of all countries.” (AMP Report)
Ex-marine sues to display anti-Islamic car decals
Dec 9: Jesse Nieto, the 25-year veteran, has filed a federal lawsuit accusing base officials of violating his constitutional rights by requiring he remove anti-Islam decals from federal property. The ex-Marine’s car left little doubt that he despised Islam and equated it with terrorism. “ISLAM = TERRORISM” read one decal. Another showed a cartoon boy urinating on a man wearing a turban. Two featured a stop symbol over “The KORAN” and another over the star and crescent symbol. Yet another said disgrace my flag and I will (defecate) on your Quran. Jesse Nieto was angry over the death of his son in the 2000 bombing of the U.S.S.-Cole in Yemen. But officials at the military base where he worked told him he could not display the anti-Islamic decals on federal property. In July, Nieto’s supervisor at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where he worked as a civilian in an electrical shop, threatened to fire him if he did not remove the stickers and police issued him a ticket for displaying “offensive material.” (Al Arabiya)
Muslim woman sent to jail for not removing hijab
Dec 11: A Muslim woman was jailed and then released today following a dispute over whether she could enter the judge’s courtroom in Douglasville, Georgia, while wearing her hijab. In the past year, other Muslim women have either been jailed under similar circumstances or barred from that judge’s court. According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Lisa Valentine, also known by her Islamic name, Miedah, 40, was arrested at the Douglasville Municipal Court for violating a court policy of no headgear, said Chris Womack, deputy chief of operations for the Douglasville police. Judge Keith Rollins ordered her held in jail for 10 days, but she was released Tuesday evening. The reason for the early release wasn’t immediately clear. Other Muslim women said the same judge has ordered them to remove their hijabs. Sabreen Abdul Rahman, 55, said she was asked to take off her scarf when she went to the municipal court last week with her son. ‘I can’t. I’m Muslim,’ she mouthed silently to the bailiff, who then removed her from the courtroom, Rahman said. “Halimah Abdullah, 43, said she spent 24 hours in jail in November 2007 after Rollins held her in contempt of court for refusing to remove her head covering. Rollins could not be reached for comment.” (Media reports)
Dearborn man sues Wal-Mart, alleging discrimination
Dec 18: A Dearborn man has sued Wal-Mart for $12 million, claiming the merchandising giant fired him because he complained about discriminatory harassment he suffered on the job at the hands of fellow employees and supervisors. The lawsuit filed today in Wayne County Circuit Court by Louay N. Kezy, 42, alleges the company allowed anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias and taunting at the Dearborn Wal-Mart. Kezy worked in the stock department from the time the store opened last March until Aug. 14, when he was fired after filing a written complaint with managers. Kezy was born in Iraq but is a naturalized U.S. citizen. (Detroit News)
Rev. Warren addresses MPAC convention
Dec 20: Fresh from being tapped to deliver the invocation at President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, Orange County Pastor Rick Warren spoke tonight to about 800 members of the Muslim Public Affairs Council at its convention in Long Island. Under fire for opposing gay marriage, influential evangelical pastor Rick Warren said that he loves Muslims, people of other religions, Republicans and Democrats, and he also loves "gays and straights." The 54-year-old pastor and founder of Saddleback Church in Southern California told the crowd of 500 that it's unrealistic to expect everyone to agree on everything all the time. "You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand," said Warren. A council spokeswoman acknowledged that some members objected to the choice of the evangelical pastor as the keynote speaker. "We're always looking to work with unlikely partners, and I think he's a new kind of evangelical," said spokeswoman Edina Lekovic. "We have a lot in common." (Media Reports)
NJ press group president calls Islam ‘internal’ threat to U.S.
Dec 23: Art Hall, president of the New Jersey Press Association, says he believes Islam is an “internal” threat to the United States and seemed to support the exclusion of Muslims from American society. In his editorial, headlined “Keep the Muslims Out?” and published in the Cape May County Herald, Art Hall wrote: “The internal-external threat is like no other we have ever faced. It is from Islam. While Christianity preaches peace, the Quran preaches conquest by force of arms…We were and are both a democratic and Christian nation in our fundamental structure. If we desire for America to remain thus, we must first recognize the current threats, and then develop the will to stand against those who are undermining them, those who detest what we cherish.” Hall, who is publisher of the Cape May County Herald, also seemed to support the views of one of Europe’s leading anti-Muslim ideologues, Dutch politician Geert Wilders. Wilders has called for banning the Quran, Islam’s revealed text, in the Netherlands. Wilders has been quoted as saying: "I've had enough of Islam in the Netherlands; let not one more Muslim immigrate…I've had enough of the Quran in the Netherlands: Forbid that fascist book." (Media reports)
Long John Silver apologizes on religious toy incident
Dec. 24: The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) today welcomed an apology from a Long John Silver’s restaurant in that state that distributed religious literature in children’s meals. In November, a Muslim family visited the Long John Silver’s at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., and ordered a children’s meal for their three-year-old son. The Muslim parents noticed that the toy that came with the meal was a small notepad with the phrase “Build with Jesus” written at the top along with a quote from the Bible. Although Muslims respect the Bible and believe in Jesus as a prophet of Islam, the family preferred a non-religious toy in the children’s meal. After requesting an alternative toy for their child, the family was shown variations of the notepad, each containing a different verse from the Bible. Following intervention by CAIR-MN, the restaurant investigated the matter and found that the “families’ request was not handled in a manner consistent with company policy.” (CAIR bulletin)
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