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National Public Radio – May 30, 2007
Mosque attendance falls after terrorism arrests
By Dina Temple-Raston
Midday prayers at the South Jersey Islamic Center in Palmyra often have thin attendance, but since the arrest of a handful of its members, attendance has plummeted. The hundreds of congregants who used to show up for Friday evening prayers now number just dozens. People who had prayed there for years are now staying away.
Ejlvir, Shain and Dritan Duka are among six New Jersey men accused of plotting to attack soldiers at Fort Dix. The FBI has said they were part of a homegrown terrorist cell intent on launching a jihad in New Jersey. Agents had been tracking the Duka brothers for more than 15 months before the arrests in early May; since then, Muslims around the mosque have been treading carefully.
"There may be a tendency to believe we are being watched," said Ismail Badat, who is one of the mosque's trustees. He and his wife are founding members of the center and helped buy the two-story former Catholic Church that now houses the mosque.
"Frankly, it is possible we are being watched," he said. "The congregation is open to anybody — you can come and go as you like. We don't sanction anybody before they enter the doors. So people may feel they don't want to be involved."
Members aren't just worried about Muslim extremists infiltrating their ranks; they are worried about undercover FBI agents coming in as well.
Badat and his wife, Naseem, were walking around the mosque with the three Albanian brothers days before their arrest. The couple were pointing out spots in the plaster and on the roof that needed fixing. The brothers were going to start the work the following week. When they were arrested, Badat was stunned.
"They came, they prayed and they left," Badat said about the men. "The question always comes up: what they did outside these four walls, nobody knows."
Afsheen Shamsi is with the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations. She said that after the arrests, Muslims in New Jersey were blamed. When Naseem Badat was a guest on a local radio station after the arrests, someone called in and threatened to blow up the mosque. A short time later, a Muslim woman in south Jersey was beaten by a white man who called her a terrorist. He was later arrested. Neighbors who live close to the Center asked the Badats to start screening visitors.
That has put nerves on edge.
"Every time a terrorist plot is averted, we breathe a sigh of relief because this is our home and this is our country, too, and we don't want to see it come to any harm," CAIR's Shamsi said. "But relief is immediately followed by fear — a fear that there is going to be a reaction against the Muslim community."
Concern about reprisals aside, what everyone really wants to know is what caused the six young men to want to attack soldiers at Fort Dix?
The Badats say the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq may well have been a trigger. The men tended to be quiet and kept to themselves. But they did talk about their frustration over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan….
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10529148
Media reports – May 30, 2007
NY: Rochester mosque vandalized
for third time this year
A mosque in Rochester has been vandalized for the third time this year, and the FBI is now investigating the incidents.
Leaders of the mosque (Masjid Sabiqun) say someone scrawled racial slurs across the entrance to the building over the weekend.
Imam Yusuf Sharif says it's the third time in three months that his mosque has been targeted by vandals.
Sharif also said the FBI told him at least four other houses of worship involving various faiths were similarly defaced since last weekend.
"It's a sad, sad day." said Sharif concluding "the mindset of whoever did this is really disturbing."
"We stayed silent up till now, but this can no longer be tolerated," he said.
The Associated Press - May 24, 2007
Imam leads prayer in Alabama House
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A Muslim minister gave the opening prayer Thursday in the Alabama House.
Kareem Abdullah, imam of the Birmingham Islamic Center, prayed for Alabama to prosper as the House was coming into session. Ministers from across the state, mostly from Christian churches, come to the microphone to pray at the start of each day's session, just before House members say the Pledge of Allegiance.
Abdullah was invited by Rep. Yusuf Salaam, D-Selma, the only Muslim member of the Legislature.
Salaam said he invited Abdullah because he feels it's important to show legislators and other Alabama residents that most Muslims are "sane, sober-minded people," and not terrorists or against America.
"Most Muslims are God-fearing people with much in common with this country," Salaam said.
http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-29/1180028970141200.xml&storylist=alabamanews
News & Observer – May 24, 2007
North Carolina schools forbid selling religion
Yonat Shimron
From now on, guest speakers in the Wake County School System must sign a document agreeing not to denigrate any culture, race, gender, national origin or religion.
That new rule was made in response to an incident earlier this year in which a guest speaker at Enloe High School denigrated Islam and urged students to shun Muslims.
The new rule grows out of a three-month investigation into an incident last February in which an Enloe High School social studies teacher, Robert Escamilla, invited a Christian evangelist to his classrooms. The evangelist, Kamil Solomon of Raleigh, asked students to embrace Christianity and distributed pamphlets calling the Prophet Muhammad a "criminal," "demon possessed" and "inspired by Satan."
Solomon's visit led to outrage in the Muslim community and to a 90-day paid suspension for Escamilla. On Wednesday, Superintendent Del Burns apologized about Solomon's visit and said Escamilla would be reassigned to another school. Burns did not name Escamilla's new school.
"On behalf of the Wake County School System I wish to offer my apology," Burns said. "It was not acceptable and it will not be tolerated." ……
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/578088.html
WCPSS completes review of
controversial guest speaker
May 23, 2007 - The Wake County Public School System today completed its investigation into the controversial guest speaker who spoke to Enloe High School classes at the invitation of an Enloe history teacher earlier this semester. As part of this process the district interviewed students and staff and reviewed materials related to the speaker's presentation. The investigation also included a comprehensive review of the teacher's performance and of the district's policies and procedures relating to the use of guest speakers.
The investigation showed that, while the speaker described his own personal experience of religious persecution in Egypt, this was not his primary message. He spent most of his presentation conveying his anti-Muslim and pro-Christian views and distributed flyers that denigrated Muslims and the Islam religion, while promoting Christianity.
As a result of the investigation, Superintendent Del Burns has strengthened existing procedures to emphasize the district's expectations for the use of guest speakers. The new procedures remind teachers and speakers that: "Materials and presentations must not denigrate any culture, race, gender, national origin, or religion. Also, while factual information on politics, religion, culture, or ethnicity may be presented, proselytizing is not permitted."
According to Superintendent Del Burns, "Absolutely under no circumstances will we allow proselytizing or the denigration of any culture or religion in our schools. All students in the Wake County Public School System should be able to come to school each day feeling respected and supported."
Burns concluded, "The presentation of the guest speaker at Enloe was unacceptable and very regrettable. However, because of it, I believe we have clarified expectations and provided better guidance and support to our teachers regarding the appropriate use of outside resources. On behalf of the school system, I apologize to members of our Muslim community who were understandably concerned and offended by this incident."
http://www.wcpss.net/news/2007_may23_guest_speaker/
AMP Report – May 24, 2007
Quran may be used to swear
May 24, 2007: A North Carolina County judge today ruled that any religious text can be used to swear in a witness or juror in the state's courtrooms, not just the Bible.
In June 2005, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on North Carolina judges to allow use of the Quran, Islam's revealed text, when administering oaths. The CAIR said the current exclusive use of the Bible may be an inappropriate state endorsement of religion. CAIR issued its call after Guilford County judges said they would not allow use of Qurans in their courtrooms.
The American Civil Liberties Union, filed a suit arguing that the law that some judges said required the state's courts to use the Bible alone is unconstitutional because it favors Christianity over other religions.
The ACLU sought a court order clarifying that the law is broad enough to allow the use of multiple religious texts, or else declare the statute unconstitutional.
"As of today, all people can use the holy text of their choice," said Seth Cohen, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who argued the case.
State law allows witnesses preparing to testify in court to take their oath in three ways: by laying a hand over "the Holy Scriptures," by saying "so help me God" without the use of a religious book, or by an affirmation using no religious symbols.
The issue surfaced after Muslims from Greensboro tried to donate copies of the Quran to Guilford County's two courthouses. Two judges declined to accept the texts, saying that taking an oath on the Quran was illegal under state law.
North Carolina law allows witnesses preparing to testify in court to take their oath in three ways: by laying a hand over "the Holy Scriptures," by saying "so help me God" without the use of a religious book, or by an affirmation using no religious symbols.
A trial court judge initially dismissed the ACLU's lawsuit in December 2005, ruling it was moot because there was no actual controversy at that time warranting litigation.
In January, the ruling was reversed by an unanimous three-judge panel of the state Court of Appeals, after the ACLU had added Syidah Mateen as a plaintiff. In its decision, the appeals court cited Mateen's claim that her request to place her hand on the Quran as a witness in a domestic violence case in Guilford County was denied in 2003.
"We welcome this ruling as an expression of our nation's constitutional commitment to religious diversity and tolerance," said CAIR Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar.
“Eliminating the opportunity to swear an oath on one's own holy text may also have the effect of diminishing the credibility of that person's testimony.” Iftikhar said CAIR will offer a free copy of the Quran to any judge in North Carolina or throughout the United States for use in oaths or for personal awareness of the holy text.
“Eliminating the opportunity to swear an oath on one's own holy text may also have the effect of diminishing the credibility of that person's testimony.” Iftikhar said CAIR will offer a free copy of the Quran to any judge in North Carolina or throughout the United States for use in oaths or for personal awareness of the holy text.
The state has 30 days to appeal the ruling issued by Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway.
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