Author: ROBIN MCDOWELL

Source: Canoe News

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2007/03/04/3695190-ap.html

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Women are jailed for being on the street alone after dark in parts of Indonesia, long held up as a beacon of moderate Islam. Gamblers are caned as punishment, Christian schoolchildren are forced to wear headscarves and a proposed law would sentence thieves to amputation of the hands.

Though most people in...

Author: NICOLE SACK

Source: North County Times

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/02/25/news/californian/20_34_472_24_07.txt

TEMECULA ---- When U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison was sworn in as the first Muslim member of Congress in January, the Minnesota Democrat took his oath of office on a copy of the Quran that had belonged to the author of the Declaration of Independence and third president of the United States, Thomas...

Author: Knight Ridder

Source: Beliefnet

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/213/story_21318_1.html

Mar. 2 - A Minneapolis police lieutenant faces an internal investigation into recent comments that fellow officers say implied that U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison is a terrorist.

The comments allegedly were made during a required police ethics training class this week by Lt. Bob Kroll, according to Mayor R.T. Rybak. In a highly unusual move, Chief Tim...

Source: WCMP.net

http://www.thewcmp.net/press_release.php

Oak Brook, IL- In the wake of recent natural and man-made calamities, there has surfaced the need for an intense and determined action to collectively address global humanitarian concerns. This calling motivated local humanitarians to institute a first-of-its-kind forum, the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (WCMP). The WCMP annual conference will give Muslim philanthropists the opportunity to share ideas and cultivate...

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/6403269.stm

A Muslim association has criticised a council's decision not to grant planning permission for a £6m mosque.

Dudley's planning committee voted unanimously to refuse outline permission. Thousands of signatures and letters of objection had been sent.

Khurshid Ahmed, chair of Dudley Muslim Association, said it was "very likely" to appeal and accused the...

Source: Capital News 9

http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/your_news/capital_region/default.asp?ArID=206172

Plans for building a new mosque in the Town of Colonie have been on the table for five years.

But finally the town planning board made a decision to approve the 50,000 square foot facility.

The Masjid Al-Hidaya Mosque is set to be built off Route 2 in Latham. The worship center will house the mosque, and eventually a...

Source: Vancouver Sun

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=9bce6ff5-2cf6-46aa-97f9-ad83cca6b436

For the second time in less than than two years, the reputation of amateur soccer in Canada has been needlessly tarnished by referees, administrators and politicians who misunderstand the rules, yet expect players to follow their faulty directives anyway.

The latest debacle occurred in Quebec,...

Source: NBC4

http://www.nbc4.com/news/11138569/detail.html

FREDERICK, Md. -- Police said they are investigating a possible hate crime in Frederick County after vandals defaced a mosque last week.

Authorities said someone threw large stones through some of the mosque's windows last Wednesday. The incident is the third of its kind against the Islamic Society of Frederick in just more than a year, officials said.

A window was broken at the mosque three weeks ago,...

Source: bernama.com

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=248832

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 (Bernama) -- The United States Tuesday praised Malaysia as its success story in the Muslim world demonstrates clearly the capacity for Islam to resume the leadership role it once played among the world's civilisations.

Speaking at an intellectual discourse, US ambassador to Malaysia Christopher J. LaFleur said Malaysia was clearly a success story in Southeast Asia,...

Source: KOMO-TV

http://www.komotv.com/news/6004201.html

SEATTLE - Two people have been charged under the state's hate crime law after a surveillance camera at Saleh's Delicatessen in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood caught a confrontation between two customers and two clerks during which racial slurs, obscenities and punches were thrown.

A Seattle man and a Shoreline woman were charged Thursday afternoon with malicious harassment. The two are accused of slinging words and...

Source: The New York Times

Wire Service: AP

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Canada-Hijab-Conflict.html

MONTREAL (AP) -- An 11-year-old Muslim girl was ejected from a soccer game for refusing to take off her hijab, reigniting Quebec's debate over reasonable accommodation for minorities and even prompting comments from Premier Jean Charest.

Quebec's soccer federation said Asmahan Mansour of Ottawa was given the...

Author: Cindy V. Culp

Source: Waco Tribune-Herald

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/02/26/02262007wacphoenixproject.html

For decades, Richard Thompson has struggled with an injury he received during Marine Corps training.

But the Gholson resident doesn’t dwell on the loss of most of the hearing in his left ear. Instead, he is troubled that the resulting medical discharge...

Author: Stephen Kurkjian

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/02/25/lawsuit_over_mosque_site_is_dismissed/

A Suffolk Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit that contended the Boston Redevelopment Authority's sale of a parcel of land in Roxbury for a price significantly below its appraised value to the Islamic Society of Boston violated the constitutional separation between...

Author: Richard Hamilton

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6392531.stm

A radical innovation in the Islamic world has arisen in Morocco - women preachers. The Mourchidat, as they are known, are the first women ever in any Muslim country that can perform the functions of a male Imam in a mosque, except lead the prayers.

Fifty Mourchidat have graduated and have now begun their ministries.

However, not everyone agrees with...

Author: Greg Krikorian

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-holyland25feb25,1,4876426.story

When the Bush administration shut down the nation's largest Muslim charity five years ago, officials of the Dallas-based foundation denied allegations it was linked to terrorists and insisted that a number of accusations were fabricated by the government.

Now, attorneys for...