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Chronology of Islam in America (2013)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
November 2013 Page Two
Canadian Muslim Council settles defamation claim against Ottawa-based academic
Nov 21: The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties & advocacy organization, today announced that it has settled a defamation claim against Janice Fiamengo, a professor at the University of Ottawa, regarding certain articles written by Ms. Fiamengo about the NCCM. As part of the legal settlement, Ms. Fiamengo has issued a full public retraction and apology to the NCCM which states: "I previously wrote two articles dated September 2nd and September 20th, 2013 respectively and published online at FreedomPress.ca which contained several factually incorrect and defamatory statements about the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), as follows: (1.) Falsely stating that the NCCM is connected to and inspired by a foreign group called the Muslim Brotherhood. (2.) Falsely stating and suggesting that the NCCM has beliefs in, allegiances to and is supportive of bigotry, extremism and terrorism. (3.) Falsely stating and suggesting that the NCCM is an intolerant, anti-Semitic and fascist organization which supports the ideology of Nazism and the killing of Jewish people. I retract the foregoing allegations without reservation, and I apologize to the NCCM and its board of directors, employees and volunteers for the harm caused by my statements." Commenting on the matter, NCCM Board Chairman Kashif A. Ahmed said: "The NCCM is an independent and non-partisan grassroots Canadian organization which has consistently and categorically condemned racism, xenophobia, terrorism, and extremism. We are proud of our public record of effective advocacy for civic engagement and human rights and we stand by that record every day." [NCCM]
Attorney placed on federal watch list after representing student in FBI investigation
Nov 25: Abdul Kadir Mohamed, a Somali immigrant-turned-immigration-attorney, has often worked pro bono cases for the ACLU. So he wasn't surprised when the group's program director, John Chasnoff, contacted him in February regarding a Missouri University of Science and Technology student who needed representation during an FBI investigation. But Mohamed tells Daily RFT that he's since been placed on a government watch list for air travel, suffering unexplained delays and multiple missed flights. "This is wrong," the lawyer insists. "It's unjust." Mohamed says that he met his client on February 9 and helped him draft a statement for the FBI. One week later, two agents, "Mr. Miller" and "Mr. Roper," interviewed the student in Mohamed's Lafayette Avenue office. That should have been the end of the story, Mohamed says. It wasn't until he tried to fly to Texas on June 18 that he realized that, for whatever reason, his name had ended up on a watch list. After receiving an e-mail from his airline informing him that his reservation needed "special handling," Mohamed spent hours waiting at the check-in desk with no explanation. Eventually, he was told that he could not fly but would be allowed to travel the next day, for which the airline provided a new ticket..... In October, Mohamed was mysteriously delayed when he tried to fly to New York City but was able to make his original flight. However, earlier this month he was again delayed for hours at the check-in desk and missed his flight. The redress number provided by DHS didn't seem to make any difference. Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project, says that problems such as Mohamed's are common. The government's watch list potentially includes millions of people. To be clear, Shamsi says that Mohamed doesn't appear to have been placed on the FBI's no-fly list, since he was, in fact, allowed to fly. Rather, she says that he's probably been put on a list for secondary screening. "The major problem with the watch list is that it's huge," she says. "The potential placement on the system is very broad and very vague, and trying get yourself off that system is a very frustrating process for many people." Shamsi says that many citizens like Mohamed don't know if they will be significantly delayed the next time they visit the airport, redress number or not. [River Front Times]
Hundreds of Muslims attend Atlants conference to eradicate Islamophobia
Nov 25: Several hundred Muslims were in Atlanta this weekend to tackle two big issues: how do you overcome people’s fear of Islam, and how should the Muslim community address issues facing Muslim women. Those issues were the focus points of this Islamic World International Conference held near the Atlanta Airport. The event space of the hotel was filled with a variety of tables from people selling Hijabs to outreach programs and academies for Muslim children. Debbie Almontaser works for the New York City Department of Education and was a guest speaker at the conference. Almontaser says domestic violence has no race or religion and negative stereotypes on how Muslim women are treated is just another example of Islamophobia. “Domestic violence, female genital mutilation, and human trafficking and slavery of women is not something specifically driven by Islam, but it is unfortunately a societal ill that exists regardless of the faith, racial, or ethnic background of individuals”. Maryam Abdul-Karim is a Douglasville homemaker attending the conference with her friend. For her, the main message of the Eradicating Islamophobia conference is about making a positive impact. “We all have a responsibility and our responsibility is just to convey a message to people that yes we’re Muslim and we’re not going to stop being Muslim, but here’s how we effect society; not negatively but positively. Look at our doctors, look at our students, look at our political aspirations as a people. There is something we can bring to the table even in an Islamophobic society”. Members of the Islamic World International Conference hope discussions like this one can lead to a future with more understanding, where their culture isn’t as feared. [WABE-Atlanta]
City and NYPD ordered to turn over records in Muslim surveillance lawsuit
Nov 26: For the past year or so, the NYPD has been forced to very publicly defend a program it once denied existed at all: the surveillance of Muslims, which has allegedly targeted student groups, mosques, religious leaders, and ordinary people. The city and the NYPD are being sued in three separate lawsuits for that surveillance; the most recent suit, Raza v. City of New York , was filed in June by the ACLU; the lead plaintiff, Hamid Hassan Raza, is the imam at Masjid Al-Ansar, a Brooklyn mosque that the ACLU says the NYPD has been spying on since at least 2008. The city and the NYPD don't deny they were investigating Raza and the other plaintiffs: Asad "Ace" Dandia, a Muslim student leader; Masjid-At-Taqwa, another mosque; a charity called Muslims Giving Back; and Mohammad Elshinawy, who gives classes and lectures about Islam. But they say their actions were the result of legitimate concerns about potential criminal behavior and terrorism, not anti-Muslim bias. But the city and the NYPD also didn't want to comply with the ACLU's discovery request, which would force them to turn over lots and lots of records about not just the surveillance of the plaintiffs, but about the police department's broader policies regarding spying on Muslims, or indeed anyone, based on their religious or political beliefs. After an in-court tussle that's lasted two months, in a potentially very big development, U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen has ordered the city and the NYPD to turn over some of those records.
Judge Chen issued the order directing the NYPD to turn over any records relating to the investigation of the plaintiffs themselves, as well as information about two related "terrorism enterprise" investigations. They'll also have to hand over organizational charts showing how the department's Intelligence Division is structured. In addition, they'll be able to get any reports or presentations from the NYPD on how they use Islam, "non-Islamic religions," or "ancestries of interest" as a basis to investigate or conduct surveillance on a group or an individual, as long as they can prove it's relevant to their case. The city and the NYPD have argued, not surprisingly, that releasing this kind of information is both unnecessary and could damage other ongoing investigations. [Village Voice]
Islamophobe Gaubatz: Anti-Islam groups simply exist to make money
Nov 26: The infamous Islamophobe David Gaubatz, in announcing his retirement via email to his supporters, admitted what most have suspected: That the majority of anti-Islam groups simply exist to make money. Gaubatz wrote: “There are many good people fighting the fight from within these organizations, but the majority of the 501 nonprofit conservative organizations saying they are engaging Islam in head to head battle, are nothing more than business corporations fighting for the big bucks. I am referring to these conservative leaders who are fighting against each other (from the inside) for the $50,000 and $100,000 plus donations. If the average American knew how much fighting goes on between rival non-profit conservative organizations, they would cancel their membership from these groups and work alone to expose Islam. Do not allow anyone to tell you these 501 conservative acronyms are not businesses and their leaders do not make very high salaries. Many of their salaries are in excess of $150,000 plus. I believe most started out for the right reasons, but soon found out they can make a lot of money.” [Alt Muslim]
Muslims, Jews form ‘watchdog’ committee
Nov 26: Local (New Jersey) Muslims and Jews have launched a solidarity committee to work for mutual understanding and together fight acts of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.The committee came out of a program at the Islamic Center of Morris County in Rockaway, which had been targeted by anti-Islam vandals in June. During their gathering, volunteers prepared and packaged meals to be distributed at the Somerville Food Bank and Penn Station in Newark.The event included discussions facilitated by Dr. M. Ali Chaudry, cofounder and president of the Islamic Center of Basking Ridge, and Deb Smith, founder of Havurah Or Ha-Lev, a Jewish Renewal community in Morris County. The program was part of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding’s Sixth Annual Weekend of Twinning, an initiative that brings together for joint programs synagogues and mosques on six continents. Programs were also held in New York City, Atlanta, and Washington, DC, as well as one the previous week at the Masjid-e-Ali mosque in Somerset. “Islamophobia and anti-Semitism have been problems affecting both these communities both from the inside and the outside,” said Walter Ruby, director of Muslim-Jewish programs for the FFEU. Chaudry, a member of the NJ Commission on National and Community Service, said although the committee would initially focus on north Jersey, he envisioned committees being established in all 21 NJ counties. It would serve as a watchdog for incidents, “whether it’s desecration of a Jewish cemetery, or the taunting of a Jew walking down the street wearing a kipa, or a Muslim walking and being called a terrorist.” [New Jersey Jewish News]
Two American Muslims listedin top 50 Most Influential Muslims in the World
Nov 27: The fifth annual issue of The Muslim 500, a listing of the world’s ‘most influential Muslims’ has been released by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan. The publication sets out to ascertain the influence some Muslims have on the Muslim community, or on behalf of it, either positively or negatively. As in previous years, the prestigious Top 50 positions on the list are dominated by religious scholars and heads of state. According to the publishers, the dominant and lasting influence of these players cannot be denied, especially the rulers, who in many cases also appoint religious scholars to their respective positions. Two American Muslims appear on the top 50 list. Professor Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islamic Studies professor at George Washington University got 39th position while Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson, Co-founder of Zaytuna College, Berkeley, CA. The US dominates the 500 list again with forty-one inclusions including Muhammad Ali and Rep. Keith Ellison. [AMP Report]
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