Islam

Muslim Police Officers in New Jersey Settle Discrimination Lawsuit

May 19, 2000

Source: The New York Times

On May 19, 2000, The New York Times reported that 33 Sunni Muslim police officers settled a federal lawsuit against the New Jersey State Department of Corrections in regard to banned beards. The officers claimed they were being discriminated against because the Department required that a religious leader certify that an officer's beard was being grown out of religious obligation. The Department of Corrections decided to eliminate the third-party certification.

Muslim Prohibition on Paying Interest Creates Challenges for Homeownership

May 18, 2000

Source: Star Tribune

On May 18, 2000, the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis will be hosting a daylong meeting entitled, "Homeownership 2000: Meeting the Needs of New Communities" which will include a cooperative model for Islamic financing that is working in Toronto, New York City, Houston, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Minnesota's Muslim population has doubled over the past five years, mostly due to a large number of African Muslim immigrants. The Minneapolis branch of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has recognized the challenges...

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Jewish Council Honors Muslim Leader in St. Louis, Missouri

May 10, 2000

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On May 10, 2000, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that imam Waheed Rana was awarded the Norman A. Stack award by the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis for his work building bridges between the Muslim and Jewish communities. Rana is a founder of the Islamic Center in St. Louis and serves as the imam at the Daar-ul-Islam Masjid in St. Louis. Rana, accepting the award, stated: "We need each other...We are all the children of Abraham."

Muslim Advocacy Efforts

April 22, 2000

Source: The Denver Rocky Mountain News

On April 22, 2000, the Denver Rocky Mountain News reported that Colorado Arabs and Muslims are claiming that the new Hollywood film, 'Rules of Engagement', is racist for its portrayal of the people of Yemen. Husni S. Sayed, who was among dozens of demonstrators outside the Carmike 10 Theatre in Colorado, stated: "We are tired of being bashed, and we're not going to take it anymore...This movie...portrays all people of Yemen as liars and cheaters. It basically portrayed Yemen as fertile ground for breeding terrorists,...

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Muslim Advocacy Efforts

April 21, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On April 21, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that it is removing controversial advertisements for the newspaper depicting bikini-clad women and chador-covered Islamic women. James Helin, the chief marketing officer for the Los Angeles Times, said the advertisements were being removed because they "have had their life": "People have seen it and had very strong reactions to it. We're not going to get much more mileage from it." The advertisements were protested by Muslim and feminist organizations and over 200 people on the Los...

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Protests by Muslims and Women Over Ad Campaign in Los Angeles Times

April 15, 2000

Source: Los Angeles Times

On April 15, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Feminist Majority Foundation and the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have demanded that the Los Angeles Times pull parts of an advertising campaign that the groups claim are offensive. A $15-million advertising campaign in print and on television by the Los Angeles Times, tied with the slogan "Connecting Us to The Times," contains juxtaposed images of Southern California life with scenes representing Muslim societies in some of their ads....

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Speaking Tour by Yusuf Islam (Formerly Cat Stevens)

April 8, 2000

Source: The Boston Globe

On April 8, 2000, The Boston Globe published an article on Yusuf Islam, the popular singer/songwriter who used to be known as Cat Stevens, and his speaking tour around the United States about his life-long spiritual journey and his conversion to Islam. In a recent appearance at Harvard University, Yusuf Islam spoke of his flirting with Buddhism, astrology, and Pythagorean numerology in his quest for truth. He was introduced to Islam when his brother gave him a copy of the Koran. When he read the Koran, Islam stated: "I found my...

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Muslim-American Activist Hesham Nasser Reda Dies at 47

April 5, 2000

Source: Star Tribune

On April 5, 2000, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, Minnesota reported that Hesham Nasser Reda, who headed the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Washington, D.C., died of lung cancer at the age of 47. Reda lived in Minnesota's Twin Cities for 26 years and was the founder and first president of the American Muslim Council of Minnesota, the first such chapter in the country. Matthew Ramadan, who succeeded Reda as council president in 1998 when Reda left for the Muslim Public Affairs Council in 1998, stated: "The important thing about him...

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Arrest of Imam Jamil Al-Amin on Murder Charges

March 22, 2000

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On March 22, 2000 the Atlanta Constitution ran an article covering the capture of Al-Amin in Alabama after an extensive manhunt. The national Muslim community has expressed their concern for justice: "We are not here today to judge the guilt or innocence of any party to this tragic series of events, " Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations, said at a press conference in Washington, D.C. "We want to ensure that Imam Jamil receives proper legal representation."

Arrest of Imam Jamil Al-Amin on Murder Charges

March 20, 2000

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On March 20, 2000, the Atlanta Constitution reported on the search for Imam Jamil Al-Amin, wanted in connection with the shooting of two Fulton County Deputies on March 16th. Deputy Richard Kinchen died the next day. Al-Amim is the leader of a mosque in Atlanta's West End, and a "hero to some in the West End because he is credited with doing something the police could not: clearing out drug dealers." Police report no help from the community.

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