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The San Bernardino County Sun – December 9, 2007
Fontana City, CA approves mosque
Lauren McSherry
FONTANA , CA - The latest in a string of mosques piercing the skyline with minarets and domes along the 10 Freeway was approved last week.
"It's an exciting time," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Greater Los Angeles Council on American-Islamic Relations. "(Fontana) is probably one of the only major cities in San Bernardino County not to have a mosque."
Ar-Rahman Islamic Center will be built on a one-acre lot close to downtown on Sierra Avenue, near Miller Avenue.
Ar-Rahman, which means "the most merciful" in Arabic, refers to the holy name of God, said imam Faiz Shah, the Muslim community's religious leader in Fontana.
"A mosque is a basic need," Shah said. "Every Muslim community needs a place for worship."
Ayloush said it is not surprising to see mosques springing up along the 10.
"That's the nature of freeways," he said. "Economic growth has attracted a lot of people, among them members of the Muslim community who are proud to live in San Bernardino County."
Shah said his congregation is looking forward to having a permanent home, an effort spanning at least five years as members worked to collect enough donations to build the mosque.
The congregation has been renting space at the Karate Club on Sierra Avenue.
Shah said the architectural details of the mosque still need to be worked out, but the minaret will tower nearly 40 feet above ground.
Just over one-third of the 7,656-square-foot building, which will be oriented toward Mecca, will be used as a meditation area for worship.
The two-story mosque will also have a multipurpose room, lobby, kitchen and office space, according to planning documents.
Shah estimated that about 45 Fontana families will attend prayer on Fridays, the religion's holy day.
He said the mosque will also serve Muslims who work in Fontana because they will no longer have to drive to neighboring cities to pray.
Shah said he expects the mosque will help bring the community together because Muslim families are scattered across the city.
Citing the free-clinic run by Muslim volunteers in San Bernardino, Ayloush said the presence of mosques has triggered Muslims to become more involved in their communities. The Quran mandates community service, and mosques aid in organizing that work, he said….
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_7679562
CAIR Bulletin – December 12, 2007
Muslim helps Jewish victim of bias attack
NEW YORK, NY, December 12, 2007 - The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today called on the FBI to investigate as a hate crime an alleged bias attack against four Jewish subway riders, who were aided by a Muslim passenger.
The attack on the riders, which resulted in the arrests of 10 people, reportedly prompted a Muslim college student to intervene, giving one the alleged victims enough time to pull the emergency break to alert law enforcement.
“An unequivocal message must be sent that attacks motivated by bias and hate are un-American and must be prosecuted to the full extent the law,” said CAIR-NY Civil Rights Director Aliya Latif. “We hope the friendship sparked by this incident will continue to promote a commitment to interfaith tolerance and good will.”
According to Daily News, Maria Parsheva and boyfriend Walter Adler were assaulted on Q train after they wished their attackers Happy Chanukah.
The Good Samaritan who tried to stop the Christmas-versus-Chanukah subway beating has two black eyes and a sore nose - but no regrets.
"I did what I thought was right," said Hassan Askari, 20. "I did the best that I could to help."
Hassan Askari, a Bangladeshi Muslim studying at Berkeley College in Manhattan, was on a Q train headed to Brooklyn late Friday when he came to the aid of young women confronted by a group of 10 thugs.
Fearful for the women's safety, he pushed one of the men away - and was then pounced on by the group, he said.
"They grabbed me and punched and beat me up," Askari said. "They punched me first. I didn't get a chance to punch him back." Askari, all of 5-feet-7 and 140 pounds, said he was left with a swollen face.
He was mystified as to why the men became so outraged when the women and their male friends wished them a "Happy Chanukah" while they were yelling "Merry Christmas" on the train car.
"I don't understand," he said. "They were just being nice."
One of the Jewish victims, Walter Adler, expressed amazement that Askari took the risk to try to help.
"That a random Muslim kid helped some Jewish kids, that's what's positive about New York," said Adler, 23, who suffered a broken nose and required four stitches to close a lip wound.
Askari's interference allowed Adler to pull the emergency brake, which alerted police to trouble on the train.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2007/12/12/2007-12-12_muslim_hero_breaks_up_train_beating-1.html
Daily Targum - December 12, 2007
Panelists combat 'Islamophobia'
Marissa Graziadio
In recent polls, one out of five Americans said the civil liberties of Muslims should be restricted for security reasons.
In 2004, there were more than 1,500 civil rights complaints from Muslims, and from 2005-06, there was a 25.1 percent increase in complaints, said Afsheen Shamsi, the director for Community Relations at the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations. The council is the largest Islamic civil rights group in the nation with 33 chapters across American and Canada.
"Terrorism: The Manipulation of Fear and the Emergence of Islamophobia," was presented by University group Ubuntu, in association with the Islamic Society of Rutgers University, SALAM, the Muslim Student Association at Rutgers and Hillel, last night in the Multipurpose Room of the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus.
A panel of speakers presented issues concerning acts of terrorism, the stereotyping of Islam and of fear perpetuated by American media to a crowd of about 75 students, faculty and staff.
Panelist Hamid Abdejaber, former chief of the Middle East Radio Unit at the News and Media Division of the Department of Public Information at the United Nations, said the root causes of terrorism are frustration, extremism and despair. Abdejaber said when people are stricken with poverty, famine, a lack of education and a lack of health care, some are willing to commit violent acts.
Shamsi focused on the rising trend of Islamophobia, which is the phenomenon of prejudice against and fear of Muslims.
Experts say negative attitudes about Islam come from media and political figures calling Muslims "crazed fanatics" and calling Islam a terror organization, Shamsi said. Elected officials and presidential candidates all too often pair the term Islam with the word radical. This creates bias and discrimination that have now become the accepted form of institutionalized racism, she said.
American Mosques were chemically bombed and Islam centers were vandalized following the anti-Muslim words in political speeches, Shamsi said.
Shamsi said she wanted to debunk the myths and the preconceived notions many people have of Muslims and Islam.
A way to eliminate Islamophobia, she said, is by reporting and speaking out against racial profiling, educating journalists about using terms like "fundamentalist," which has a negative connotation, and the campaigning at synagogues, churches and places of other religions in order to help demystify Islam and Muslim beliefs.
"There is a tendency to romanticize forms of violent resistance," said Professor Stephen Eric Bronner. "I've seen enough Che Guevara T-shirts to last me a while."
Bronner said terror is a short-term solution without ends, and it always stands opposed to humanitarianism. The media perpetuates fear, but viewers should think more carefully and logically about the information they get, he said.
"Thirty thousand bombs were dropped in the first week of the invasion of Iraq. You're telling me to believe that only 150 people were killed?" Bronner said. "That's what you call suspending belief. It's this kind of thing that is key."
http://media.www.dailytargum.com/media/storage/paper168/news/2007/12/12/PageOne/Panelists.Combat.islamophobia-3142243.shtml
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