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Canadian Islamic Congress – February 24, 2007
Canadian Muslims take bold stand
Muslim and Arab groups opt to boycott Harper govt
Dr. Mohamed Elmasry
National Muslim and Arab groups representing more than one million Canadians said today they are boycotting any talks with the Harper government and are jointly accusing the Prime Minister of not governing on
behalf of the majority of Canadians.
For the past year, Stephen Harper has avoided meeting with any major Canadian Muslim and Arab organizations and most of his ministers have followed suit as they are powerless to act outside policies originating
within the Prime Minister's Office.
The Canadian Islamic Congress, the Canadian Arab Federation and the Canadian Muslim Forum stated that Harper's policies are taking Canada down a dangerous path where the nation has never been. Examples include:
1. Harper's policy in Afghanistan: the extension and possible enlargement of current Conservative foreign policy and the push for increasing militarism will lead to disaster, especially in the absence of peace table negotiations to resolve the conflict.
2. Harper's policy in the Middle East: Canada's stance regarding Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran closely copies the failed and morally corrupt policies of the Bush Administration.
3. Harper's regressive policy on domestic civil liberties: the erosion of Canadians' rights and freedoms continues with the entrenchment of Security Certificates, the Anti-Terrorist Law, no-fly listing, limitations on dual citizenship, and lack of protection for Canadian citizens denied entry to the U.S.
Predictions are growing that a federal election could be called this spring or summer. Canadian Muslims and Arabs hold a crucial swing vote in more than 100 ridings.
CBC News – February 25, 2007
Muslim girl ejected from tournament for wearing hijab
Five young teams from across Canada walked out of a Quebec soccer tournament Sunday because a young Muslim girl was ejected for wearing a hijab.
Calling the rule banning the headscarf worn by Muslim women racist, four other teams followed Asmahan Mansour's team, the Nepean Selects from Ottawa, after she was thrown out for running afoul of a Quebec Soccer Association rule.
"The referee was staring and pointing. 'She can't play,'" said Asmahan, Asi to her friends. "I was like why? Why can't I play?"
Because of a safety rule, league spokesman Lyes Arfa said. He pointed out that the referee is Muslim himself, and that the ban on hijabs is to protect children from being accidentally strangled.
"We have to protect the players on the field, and that's the main point. It's not against the Muslims."
And the league had told organizers about the rule - "The wearing of the Islamic veil or any other religious item is not permitted" - before the game.
Asi's team was aware of the rule, but didn't expect it would be enforced.
So when it was, many players and adults were outraged.
Girls backed up teammate
"I automatically went back to the referee: 'Are you sure this is what you wanna do?'" said Louis Maneiro, the Selects' head coach. When nothing changed, he said, "I just decided that there's no way that I would allow our team to continue, and the girls backed up Asi very strongly."
Asi's teammates supported the move. "I felt disgraced, I was crushed, I couldn't see Asi like that," said Lisa Furano…..
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/02/25/hijab-soccer.html
Chicago Tribune – February 22, 2007
IL: NU says no to private prayer space at games
Michelle S. Keller
Citing a lack of space, Northwestern University athletic officials informed students last week that they would not be able to set aside a secluded area for Muslim students to pray during athletic events.
"Unfortunately, we are not able to meet your primary request to have designated prayer space at Ryan Field or Welsh-Ryan Arena," John Mack, external media affairs for Northwestern athletics, wrote in a letter. "There just aren't any spaces that are sufficient to meet your needs of a clean, quiet, enclosed space."
Mack said students are allowed to pray during games and can "feel free to use whatever available space they can find," as long as it does not disrupt traffic flow. Students can bring prayer mats to the stadiums and will be allowed to use the coat check to check their mats if there is one available.
Representatives of the Muslim-cultural Student Association said that although the university's decision was not ideal, they were at least glad to know they would be allowed to pray during games.
"In the past, particularly during football games, we felt a little uncomfortable praying," Amir Siddiqui said. "Knowing that we are allowed to pray in the stadiums and being aware of some recommended areas will enable students to feel more comfortable praying at basketball and football games."
Games often coincide with prayer times for salaat, a ritual prayer that faithful Muslims perform five times a day. After huddling under the bleachers and praying on pieces of cardboard during several home football games, students from the Muslim association last year requested a quiet, private space to pray at the basketball and football facilities.
University athletic officials said they are sympathetic to the students' religious requests, adding that event staff will be notified that students may be praying at games and staff should allow them to do so in peace…..
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/northshore/chi-0702220174feb22,1,7727514.story?coll=chi-newslocalnorthshore-hed
New York Times – February 22, 2007
Muslim call to prayer gets complaints
Jake Mooney
The Masjid Nur al-Islam mosque, on Church Avenue in Kensington, Brooklyn, is a humble two-story brick structure with a green and white sign in Arabic and English. Amid the auto body shops and the Mexican and Middle Eastern restaurants that populate its low-slung corner of the neighborhood, the building barely stands out -- except for the sounds that emanate, four times a day, from a small gray bullhorn mounted on the edge of its roof.
A little before 12:30 p.m. and again at 3, 5:30 and 7:15, the speaker broadcasts Muslim calls to prayer that the faithful consider essential, but that some neighbors, who have complained for years, say are just too loud. These residents renewed their complaints at a recent meeting of the Dahill Neighborhood Association attended by the police captain in charge of the 66th Precinct, Peter DeBlasio. The meeting was reported in Flatbush Life, a local newspaper.
Ivan Selzer, co-president of the neighborhood group, said in an interview that in response to previous entreaties, the mosque had lowered the volume, but that the noise had recently gotten worse.
And he emphasized that his group's objections to the mosque, which serves a large Bangladeshi and Pakistani community, were narrowly focused. ''This is not coming from any radical place, or anti-anything,'' Mr. Selzer said. ''This is coming from, it's just a lot of noise.''
Early one afternoon last week, Mohamed Elshenawy, an imam at the mosque, stood at a microphone on the building's second floor and, in a sonorous voice, intoned Arabic words over the loudspeaker that translate, in part, to: ''God is the greatest. There is no god except God. Muhammad is the messenger of God. Come to prayer. Come to salvation.''
A short time later, Mr. Elshenawy said he was aware of few complaints about noise, though he acknowledged that a police officer had visited the mosque in connection with the matter. Out of consideration for neighbors, he added, the mosque does not amplify a fifth, early-morning call to prayer, but he said that if the other calls were not loud enough for local Muslims to hear, they would be the ones complaining.
“If they don’t hear it,” Mr. Elshenawy said, “you make something for nothing.”
Police Officer Martin Speechley, a department spokesman, said that at this point the police can do little besides mediate…..
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/nyregion/thecity/25mosq.html
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