Islam

Muslims Face Discrimination

July 30, 2000

Source: Star Tribune

On July 30, 2000, the Star Tribune reported that some Muslims have lost their jobs, in an article entitled "At work, Religion and Policy Collide; Several Muslims, Who are Also Somali, Have Been Fired or Disciplined Because Policies Posed a Conflict with Their Religion." Even after he explained its importance to his faith, "Abdirisak Jama's supervisors gave him a choice: Shave your beard or don't return to work...He was wearing the beard...when he was hired as a security guard for Burns Security International in Bloomington. He loved...

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Faces of Long Island

July 30, 2000

Source: The New York Times

On July 30, 2000, The New York Times reported on Trinidad native Shamina Khan Mir, an "ambitious, successful entrepreneur who single-handedly runs [a] bustling store, one of 82 7-Elevens in Nassau County and one of seven owned by women. A resident since 1966, a citizen since 1970 and a Long Islander since 1974, Ms. Mir has become Americanized, but at the same time retains her West Indian identity. 'I live according to the specific circumstances,' she said. 'When I come to work, I wear Western clothing and eat American foods,...

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10 Commandments Monuments Barred from Capital Lawns

July 30, 2000

Source: The Washington Post

On July 30, 2000, The Washington Post reported that a "federal judge issued a temporary injunction Friday barring Indiana from erecting a Ten Commandments monument on the Statehouse lawn." The state has not decided if it will appeal, said a spokeswoman for the governor. She added that "We believe that because this monument was to be displayed in a historical context it would be constitutional." Indiana Civil Liberties Lawyer Ken Falk commented that "The judge indicated that...the monument lacks a secular purpose and it has the...

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Palos Heights, Chicago: Controversy over Sale of Church to Muslims

July 29, 2000

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On July 29, 2000, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that "A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against the city of Palos Heights by Muslims who say officials prevented them from buying property to use as a place of worship." The Al Salam Mosque Foundation claims that the suburb "violated the group's constitutional right to freedom of religion by refusing to approve zoning for the planned mosque. It also charges Mayor Dean Koldenhoven and all eight aldermen with conspiracy in violation of a civil rights law, alleging that they '...

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Nation of Islam to Move into Political Arena

July 25, 2000

Source: Financial Times

On July 25, 2000, London's Financial Times Limited published an article regarding America's Nation of Islam. After years of remaining out of mainline politics, the Nation of Islam is "again emerging from the political fringes and making a vigorous push into the political arena. With the presidential elections tightening by the day, the group hopes to create 'a third force' that could have an unexpected influence in choosing the next U.S. president." The push comes five years after Nation of Islam's leader Louis Farrakhan's Million...

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"Pool Bars Fully Clothed Women; Bridgeview Called Unfair to Muslims"

July 25, 2000

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On July 25, 2000, the Chicago Sun-Times article states that "Muslim women who want to go poolside while fully clothed have been banned from a Bridgeview Park District swimming pool. Several Muslim women, who believe they should be covered from head to foot, have complained that they aren't able to properly watch their children, said Sabri Samirah of the United Muslim-Americans Association in Palos Hills. 'This is discrimination because of religious beliefs and practices,' Samirah said. 'Just as there is legal protection for those...

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County Allows Muslims to Pay Fees, Not Taxes

July 22, 2000

Source: Star Tribune

On July 22, 2000, the Star Tribune published an article about a plan that has been approved in Hennepin County which would allow Muslims and others prohibited by religious law to find a way around paying taxes on their property. "What we've done would make an agreement with the purchaser of the property to charge a fee in addition to the purchase price rather than charging interest plus the purchase price," said Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Robert Burck. While intended for "Muslims and Orthodox Jews who feel that it's against...

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Palos Heights, Chicago: Controversy over Sale of Church to Muslims

July 20, 2000

Source: The Associated Press

On July 20, 2000, the Associated Press released an article about how the plan to convert a church into a mosque has divided the mostly Christian Chicago suburb of Palos Heights. Yet even with all the "political sniping and accusations of bigotry, residents seemed a little stunned when a federal mediator stood up at a recent city council meeting with an offer to step in." The council did not immediately accept the offer, but the mayor seemed open to the idea. Some in the small town wish the spotlight had never hit their quiet...

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Palos Heights, Chicago: Controversy over Sale of Church to Muslims

July 19, 2000

Source: National Public Radio

On July 19, 2000, National Public Radio aired a story entitled "Chicago Suburb Wrestles with Racist Overtones of City Council." The mayor of Palos Heights vetoed the $200,000 offer by the city council, calling it "an insult to Muslims and fiscally irresponsible for the city." Yet the Al Salam Mosque Foundation unexpectedly accepted the city's buyout. Speaking at a press conference, the foundation's attorney, Rouhy Shalabi, said "deciding to accept the money and walk away was a tough decision, but his clients did not want to be in a...

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Palos Heights, Chicago: Controversy over Sale of Church to Muslims

July 19, 2000

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On July 19, 2000, the Chicago Sun-Times published an article about a group of Muslims in Palos Heights who wish to buy a church and turn it into the city's first mosque, following a promised mayoral veto of a $200,000 offer for the Muslims to walk away from the project. The Al Salam Mosque Foundation plans to buy the "Reformed Church of Palos Heights building for $2.1 Million, even though many residents and some city council members had hoped to acquire the church for a new recreation center." Mayor Dean Koldenhoven vowed to veto...

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Farrakhan Plans Million Family March

July 15, 2000

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On July 15, 2000, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution published an article about Louis Farrakhan's Million Family March. Farrakhan called on families of all races and religions to congregate at the nation's capital on the fifth anniversary of the Million Man March. He "envisions a massive, peaceful parade where people seek common goals while walking under their separate symbols: 'Muslims under the crescent. Christians under the cross. Jews with the Star of David. ... gangs in the cities to come in their...

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Farrakhan Plans Million Family March

July 15, 2000

Source: The Washington Post

n July 15, 2000, The Washington Post published an article about Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan's plans for a Million Family March on October 16. Farrakhan "sounded an upbeat message of inclusion...encouraging all ethnic and religious groups, including Jews, to 'come under their own banner.'" To focus attention on what he sees as a breakdown of family values, Farrakhan plans to remarry a million men to their wives at the event and marry 10,000 new couples. "We are all members of the human family, though we are not yet...

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