Islam

Diverse Delegation from Texas

August 18, 2000

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On August 18, 2000, The Houston Chronicle reported on the "Texas delegation to the Democratic National Convention, which prided itself on its diversity, included five Muslims who were either delegates or alternates. Four were from the Houston area, and one was from Dallas. One of the delegates, Houston businessman Zafar Tahir, made history on Thursday at a breakfast meeting of Texas convention delegates, when he delivered a Muslim prayer - the first ever at such a gathering. Tahir, a native of Pakistan who lives in Houston,...

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Some Muslims Question Lieberman

August 16, 2000

Source: The Times-Picayune

On August 16, 2000, The Times-Picayune reported that "Uneasy American Muslim leaders say Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., must move quickly after his nomination today as the Democratic vice presidential candidate to reassure them that he will be fair on the Mideast, or risk losing millions of votes in crucial states to Republican George W. Bush...The ambivalence toward Lieberman is evident even among strong Democrats of the Muslim faith, and among Arab-American delegates of other faiths, who are attending the Democratic National...

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Muslim Girls' Sports Camp

August 12, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On August 12, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that while adolescent girls are two times more inactive than boys, for Muslim girls who follow religious laws of modesty, the problem can be even greater. These modesty requirements "eliminate public appearances in swimsuits, shorts, visible sports bras and tank tops. Once girls reach puberty, many choose to cover their hair, legs and arms; the most conservative families insist that the clothing be baggy enough to obscure the figure." Semeen Issa and the Muslim Women's League are...

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Some Muslims Question Lieberman

August 12, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On August 12, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that on the previous Friday Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan "questioned the national loyalty of Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph I. Lieberman, asking if his Jewish religion would make him more faithful to Israel or the United States." Farrakhan incorrectly asserted that, "Mr. Lieberman, as an Orthodox Jew, is also a dual citizen of Israel. The state of Israel is not synonymous with the United States, and the test he would probably have to pass is: Would he be...

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Larger Mosque Proposed in California

August 11, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On August 11, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that the "Mohammedi Center Anjuman-e-Burhanee congregation is proposing to build a 7,500-square-foot, two-story structure on its Platt Avenue property, officials said...Men would worship on one floor of the mosque, and women on the other, said Alain Bally of Bally / Taylor Associates, a land-use consulting firm that is representing the Islamic congregation." At the present time, "men and women take turns worshiping in the mosque's existing 4,500-square-foot building." Despite the...

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Nation of Islam and Mainstream Islam Seek Further Unity

August 11, 2000

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On August 11, 2000, The Columbus Dispatch reported that "About half a year has passed since Minister Louis Farrakhan announced that the Nation of Islam, the black Muslim movement he heads, planned to align itself more closely with mainstream Islam. Local members of the Nation of Islam, which had its roots in America's black-nationalist movement, have taken steps to follow Farrakhan's lead." In toning down some of its "inflammatory" language and acknowledging Mohammed as the final prophet, the Nation of Islam has taken...

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Plans for Mosque in D.C. Suburb

August 10, 2000

Source: The Washington Post

On August 10, 2000, The Washington Post reported that "For nearly three years, the Islamic Society of Frederick has been trying to build a house of worship for its members, who regularly drive more than an hour to worship at mosques in Montgomery or Baltimore counties. And for three years, some members say, they have been misled and rebuffed by county and Frederick city officials. The group contends that county officials have taken steps to impede construction of their 300-seat mosque--the county's first. County officials...

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Palos Heights Discrmination Case Continues

August 10, 2000

Source: The New York Times

On August 10, 2000, The New York Times reported that the city of Palos Heights, Illinois, is the target of a federal civil rights lawsuit. The City Council had voted to pay the Al Salam Mosque Foundation $200,000 to walk away from purchasing a church in Palos Heights that they had intended to turn into a mosque. The mosque foundation accepted the buyout offer, but then the mayor of Palos Heights, Dean Koldenhoven, vetoed the buyout, saying he considered it an insult to Muslims. Now the mosque foundation is "seeking $6.2 million,...

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Offensive Jeans Removed from Shelves

August 5, 2000

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On August 5, 2000, The Houston Chronicle reported that a "Michigan store has agreed to stop selling women's jeans covered with verses from the Koran, a product that Muslim leaders labeled blasphemous, officials for the shopping mall where the store is located said last week. Officials for the Northland Center shopping mall bought the remaining 20 pairs of pants, which were inscribed with the words "Allah" and "In the name of God, most gracious most merciful." Other verses from the Muslim holy book ran around the waist and cuffs...

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Muslim Judge Sworn In

August 5, 2000

Source: Star Tribune

On August 5, 2000, the Star Tribune reported that a Muslim has been sworn in as a judge of the District Court of Maryland. "God is merciful, and I pledge to show mercy from the bench - both for the accused and for those who have been wronged," said Judge Hassan Ali El-Amin, who joins only a few other Muslim judges nationwide. "Judge El-Amin's appointment shows that Muslims are entering and having a positive impact on every level of American society," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (...

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Muslims Joining Others in Support of Home Schooling

August 2, 2000

Source: The Boston Globe

On August 2, 2000, The Boston Globe published an article entitled "Trying Not to Fit in: Muslims Among Those Educating Children at Home." The article reported that "Muslims, one of the United States' fastest-growing populations, are following the lead of other groups, including evangelical Christians, in opting out of American public schools." The increase in home schooling is part of a larger trend in American schooling that is driven by both moral and educational concerns. Many parents choose religious, charter, or pilot...

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Muslims Face Discrimination

August 1, 2000

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On August 1, 2000, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that 11 Somali Muslim women lost their jobs at "Hertz's car-rental outlet at Hartsfield International Airport July 17 because they said no when the boss told them to wear pants or knee-length skirts. They said their Muslim faith requires them to dress more modestly." In a letter to CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), Hertz said the "crackdown came because 'there were at least five documented instances of Somali Muslim employees getting...

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