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Chronology of Islam in America (2014)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
November 2014
Canadian Prime Minister's silence on anti-Muslim backlash disheartens Muslim groups
Nov 1: Muslim groups are disappointed that (Prime Minister) Stephen Harper hasn’t spoken out against a spike in anti-Muslim hate crimes since two separate attacks by jihadist sympathizers left two Canadian soldiers dead last week. The prime minister has not publicly uttered one word of support for Canadian Muslims following the incidents, which Harper and the RCMP have labeled acts of terrorism. He’s remained silent despite an apparent backlash against Muslims , including the defacing of a mosque in Cold Lake, Alta., racist slurs against Muslim candidates in Toronto’s municipal election and threats against the B.C. Muslim Association. In the latest incident, windows were smashed early Friday morning at the Assunnah Muslims Association mosque in Ottawa. Mosque president Mohammed Mostefa believes the vandalism was “probably” in response to last week’s incidents: the hit-and-run murder of a soldier in Quebec and the killing of an honor guard at the National War Memorial by a gunman who then stormed the Parliament buildings. In both cases, the killers were Canadians with an alleged history of drug addiction, mental illness and admiration for extremist Islamic terrorists who’ve been on a brutal rampage in Iraq and Syria. Muslim groups have condemned the killings and the extremist beliefs which apparently motivated them. But they say their efforts to demonstrate that most Muslims do not share those beliefs and to show solidarity with non-Muslim Canadians need to be reinforced by political leaders, particularly the prime minister. [The Canadian Press]
FBI to keep visiting mosques despite Muslim complaints
Nov 2: With the Islamic State making vague threats of an attack on the American homeland, FBI agents are visiting and questioning leaders in the U.S. Muslim community to gather information they say might help head off any danger to the American public. And those visits will continue despite complaints from an organization that works to protect Muslims’ civil rights. The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, is advising Muslims not to talk to FBI agents without a lawyer present. Agents have called on the imams of several major Florida mosques, including some in the Tampa area, CAIR leaders said in an advisory to Muslims issued in the past week. Similar complaints have come from Muslims across the nation, the statement said.“CAIR has documented how these interviews have been used to coerce law-abiding American Muslims to become agent provocateurs,” the advisory said. “Therefore it is highly advisable never to meet with the FBI without a lawyer present."
“If the FBI truly has a legitimate reason to speak to you,” the advisory said, “they will have no problem doing so through your lawyer as the American legal system establishes.” Local FBI spokesman David Couvertier said agents have visited mosques all around West Central Florida but that the effort is nothing new. Hassan Shibly, CAIR’s communications director in Tampa, said American Muslims are concerned about the FBI visits and questioning. “We think it’s unacceptable to target people for questioning just because of their religious affiliation,” Shibly said. “The FBI has threatened law-abiding individuals, saying, ‘You either spy for us on your mosques and houses of worship or we’ll throw you in jail.’ We feel that’s inappropriate.” He said there’s no reason for that. [The Tampa Tribune]
Coachella mosque shooting possible hate crime
Nov 3: Shots were fired at a Coachella (CA) mosque early today and investigators say they're treating it as a possible hate crime, notifying the FBI and the Anti-Defamation League. Four people were inside about 5 a.m. when the bullets hit the Islamic Society of the Coachella Valley said Riverside County Sheriff's Department Capt. Andrew Shouse. There were at least five shots -- three hitting a Toyota Corolla parked out front and others striking the building. "A reasonable person would believe when a mosque is targeted, a hate crime may be occurring," Shouse said as he stood outside the building that was surrounded in yellow crime tape. The people inside the mosque were praying when they heard the gunfire, said one worshiper. Two bullet holes were on the bottom, driver's side of the blue Toyota. There was a bullet hole in the front door and another one to its left. One of the bars in the front gate also was damaged, but it wasn't clear if it was hit by a separate bullet. "Somebody drunk? Something crazy? Nothing ever happened here before," said mosque board member Salah Salah, adding "We are concerned about our safety, our security." The mosque has been around for 16 years and has about 90 members, Salah said. [The Desert Sun]
U.S. Muslim-Christian coalition formed to protect religious minorities in Arab countries
Nov 3: A group of American Muslim and Christian organizations has announced the formation of an interfaith coalition to protect Christians and other religious minorities in Arab countries and to promote peaceful coexistence. Leaders of major Muslim and Christian organizations, religious leaders and activists met last week in Washington, D.C., at the invitation of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation whose mission is to maintain and support the presence of Christians in the Holy Land. Discussions at that meeting resulted in the creation of the coalition to achieve the long-term goal of defending and protecting indigenous Christians and other religious minorities in Arab countries by restoring the historical coexistence of Muslim and Christians and preserving the presence of Christians and other religious groups as part of the fabric of Arab and Muslim civilization. The coalition will work with all concerned organizations and individuals around the world to challenge stereotypes of Arabs of all backgrounds and to show that Christians and Muslims are united in working toward the common goals of peace and justice. The coalition’s leadership committee includes the Very Reverend Joseph Rahal, pastor of the St. George Orthodox Church, the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese; Syed Moktadir, president, All Dulles Area Muslim Society; Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, national director of the Office of Interfaith & Community Alliances, Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Nihad Awad, national executive director, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); Bassel Korkor, Esq., legal officer, Syrian Christians for Peace; Haris Tarin, director of the Washington, D.C., office, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC); Salam Al Marayati, president, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC); and Kamal Nawash, Esq., president, Free Muslims Coalition. The committee elected Sir Rateb Y. Rabie, president/CEO of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, as chair. [The American Muslim]
Amnesty Report: Israel Committed War Crimes In Gaza
Nov 4: Israeli forces have killed scores of Palestinian civilians in attacks targeting houses full of families which in some cases have amounted to war crimes, Amnesty International has disclosed in a new report on the latest Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip. The report titled: Families under the Rubble: Israeli attacks on inhabited homes details eight cases where residential family homes in Gaza were attacked by Israeli forces without warning during Operation Protective Edge in July and August 2014, causing the deaths of at least 104 civilians including 62 children. The report reveals a pattern of frequent Israeli attacks using large aerial bombs to level civilian homes, sometimes killing entire families. “Israeli forces have brazenly flouted the laws of war by carrying out a series of attacks on civilian homes, displaying callous indifference to the carnage caused,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International. In all of the cases researched by Amnesty International no prior warning was given to residents of the homes which were attacked. If it had been given, excessive loss of civilian lives could clearly have been avoided. The report highlights the catastrophic consequences of Israel’s attacks on homes, which have shattered the lives of entire families. Some of the homes attacked were overflowing with relatives who had fled other areas of Gaza in search of safety. (According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report released in August, 2,104 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, including 1,462 civilians, among them 495 children and 253 women. Those U.N. numbers would mean that 69 percent of the total killed were civilians.) [Amnesty International]
Proposal for an Islamic cultural center sparks irrational outcry in Wheatfield
Nov 4: According to a story in The News, controversy began after word got out that Suzanne’s Fine Dining restaurant had been sold to the Islamic Center of Western New York. The married owners of Suzanne’s say they had not planned to sell, but once approached with an offer decided that, after 30 years in the business, it was time to retire. The private transaction did not need town approval. The couple should have been able to relax and plan for a quieter future. Instead, angry calls started coming in from what can at best be termed intolerant people who are not necessarily opposed to a cultural center, just an Islamic one. The head of the Islamic Center of Western New York, Mohammad Salem Agwa, plans to hold a public meeting to deal with the irrational response of what we hope is only a few people. The center hopes to take a place that was a community gathering place for years and keep it serving the community, including as the site of interfaith gatherings. Vociferous complaints were lodged with Town Supervisor Robert B. Cliffe, who issued a letter to his constituents explaining that the town had no role in the approval of the Islamic cultural center. As a cultural center it will host banquets and gatherings, among other uses. Prayers may take place, but there are no plans to turn the former restaurant into a mosque. Opponents of the center should look to Heim Road in Amherst, where the $2 million Masjid An-Nur and Muslim Community Center of Western New York was built nearly two decades ago. Early objections melted away, thanks in part to good community outreach. [Buffalo News]
Nasrallah: Conflict in Middle East Political, Not Sectarian
Nov 5: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said that the current turmoil in the Middle East region was a "political," not "sectarian" conflict. Addressing thousands of supporters in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital on the religious festival of Ashura in a rare public appearance, Nasrallah repeated that his movement was waging war against radical Islamists and Israel, not against Sunnis. "Portraying the current conflict as one between Shias and Sunnis is a major mistake," Nasrallah said in his second appearance among his supporters in a few months. “I address all Shias in the region: You need to understand that Sunnis are not our enemies. We are not at war with Sunnis.” “I address Sunnis in the region: Shias are not at war with you. We are both, together, at war with extremist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS),” he added. Nasrallah said that what happens in the Middle East would decide its future for years to come. "Our battle is against radicals who want to crush everybody else and against Israel," Nasrallah said. "This is not a battle against Sunnis," he added, going on to call on Sunni Muslims to practice caution in regard to the current developments. [ICH]
No one hurt when gunshots hit Coachella, CA Mosque
Nov 5: No one was hurt when gunfire struck a mosque in the desert city of Coachella before dawn yesterday, an incident that authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime. Six bullets were fired around 5 a.m. at the Islamic Society of the Coachella Valley, (CA) approximately 25 miles southeast of Palm Springs. Three bullets struck a car out front, two hit the building and one lodged into a wrought iron fence. Nobody was injured. The shooting was being investigated as a possible hate crime, a Sheriff's Department statement said. "I know we've been getting a lot of bad press lately around the world but that is really and truly not what Islam is," mosque president Reymundo Nur said. A regional office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement calling for an FBI investigation. "Any time shots are fired at a house of worship, the FBI should offer its resources to local authorities to help determine whether or not there was a bias motive for the attack,'' CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said.....Last month in New Mexico, someone hurled a Molotov cocktail at the wall of an unoccupied Albuquerque mosque. No one was hurt, and no suspects were identified. Community members held a peace walk a few days later to support the mosque. CAIR also said a threatening letter containing an unknown substance was recently mailed to a mosque in San Diego. [NBC Los Angeles]
Playing the Anti-Muslim Card in the 2014 Midterm Election
Nov 6: The most significant anti-Islam action of the 2014 midterm election, Alabama’s Amendment 1, was approved by voters. Alabama is the eighth state to approve a law intended to vilify Islam. The measure was inspired by Islamophobe David Yerushalmi’s American Laws for American Courts legislation, which stigmatizes Muslims as a group from which the US needs protection. In Alabama, two organizations - Christians against Amendment One and the Christian Coalition of Alabama - organized opposition to the measure citing its threats to international adoptions, marriage law and religious liberty. A Harris poll conducted prior to the election found that “just over half” of Americans would not vote for a Muslim candidate. However, observed usage of Islamophobic rhetoric on the campaign trail was present, but significantly down, from the 2010 midterm election. Prior to election day, Republicans in New Hampshire modified their state party platform, signaling their intent to push a legal measure intended to vilify Islam. While Republicans were overwhelmingly responsible for pushing anti-Islam prejudice during the election, three separate incidents in 2014 showed that the party will, at times, act against Islamophobia. The use of Islamophobic discourse to exploit voters’ fears remains an acceptable component of political campaigns. The overall effectiveness of employing such tactics remains in doubt. As in the 2010 midterm election, Republicans were responsible for the overwhelming majority of anti-Islam electoral prejudice. Outside of an electoral setting, however, the party held some public officials accountable for employing anti-Muslim prejudice in 2014. Georgia Islamophobe Jody Hice handily won a U.S. House seat. Hice believes the First Amendment does not apply to Islam. He also claims in that women should only be able to run for office "if the woman's within the authority of her husband." Larry Kaifesh, a Republican who sought a U.S. House seat representing Illinois was defeated. Kaifesh told the Chicago Tribune's editorial board, "I think if you follow Islam the way Muhammad wanted you to, you will be intolerant of nonbelievers, you will support aggression and you will believe that there will only be peace in the world if the world is Islam."In Texas, Republican Larry Smith, who called Islam the "death of humanity," lost his bid for a U.S. House seat. [CAIR]
Imams express concern about FBI visits
Nov 6: Hassan Shibly, an attorney and executive director of CAIR-Florida, the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Tampa, has mixed feelings about the FBI's outreach to the Muslim community. He says he welcomes a new initiative to combat violent extremism, also known as CVE. But at times, it can seem a bit two-faced to members of the Muslim community. Shibly told Dina Temple-Raston of NPR: "We just feel like they're partners with law enforcement when they're sitting at the table. And yet when they go back into their communities or enjoy their day-to-day life as Muslims, they often face unfair and unjustified scrutiny by law enforcement, which counters the positive effect that CVE intends to build." Here's an example - Shibly says three imams from the largest mosques around Tampa, Florida, complained that FBI agents showed up in the past week, asking them questions without a lawyer present. The imams felt the agents were trying to turn them into informants, Shibly said, and that creates distrust. He add, that being said, look, the community's top concern is the safety of this country. And I don't think the community is going to not report a threat if a threat exists. [NPR]
San Diego High School choir concert goes on as planned, Islamic chant included
Nov 6: A San Diego-area high school backtracked after its administration received backlash when it removed an Islamic selections from an upcoming concert lineup. Earlier this week, Mt. Carmel High School asked the school’s choir director to remove an Islamic chant from the Thursday evening concert program after a parent complained it showed religious elements. The choir director told NBC 7 that the concerned parent does not have child in the Classical Choir Ensemble. Yesterday the students were told to remove the Islamic Chant called “Zikr” and a Korean Chant because it couldn't be directly translated. Choir student Alyssa Marine said the songs were connected throughout the concert to show how America is diverse. Earlier today, Mt. Carmel High School told NBC 7 that administrators reviewed all of the songs scheduled to be performed in a choir performance and a decision was made to change portions of the performance. This decision was based on input from parents, students and teachers over the past two days, school officials said. But at about 4 p.m., Principal Greg Magno sent an email to the choir families, announcing all the songs will be included in the performance. "The students performing tonight chose those particular pieces because they represent and honor the diversity in their choir, the diversity at their school, and the diversity in their community," the statement says. "These students made the right decision when they put together this program. They have my full support and the support of the Superintendent and the District for the performance you are about to hear." [NBC San Diego]
U.S. Banks Targeting Muslim-Americans
Nov 14: In the recent weeks, the Council on American-Islamic Relations of the Greater Los Angeles office (CAIR-LA) has been receiving complaints from customers of Bank of America who have been receiving a letter package requesting customers to provide proof of current residence or information about the source of their assets. These letters have targeted Muslims and individuals from U.S sanctioned countries, such as, Syria and Iran. Bank of America claims it is implementing a program designed comply with United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions. In doing so, customers are threatened with the inability to use debit cards to make purchases and restrictions on all accounts for noncompliance. Similarly, Chase has taken a more aggressive approach. Customers have reported having their bank accounts closed without warning or have been unable to donate to charitable organizations affiliated with the Muslim community.
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