* Hadith: The People of Paradise
* Incitement: Neal Boortz Threatens to 'Eradicate' Muslims
* FL: Man Fires Shots at 'Iraqi' Neighbors (Sun-Herald)
            - FL: Man Thinks He Sees 'Iraq' People, Fires Rifle
            - Video: CAIR-TX: Muslim Family Victim of Hate Crime
            - CO: Newspaper Allows Writers' Hate to Spread
* CA: Judge Clears Muslim, Cites Potential FBI Wrongdoing (AP)
            - CA: Judge Dismisses Charges in Market Case (Ent-Record)
* CAIR-LA Urges Community to Support Workers' Rights
            - CAIR-CAN Receives Human Rights Award
* IL: Muslims' Presence in Political Process (Sun-Times)
            - Giuliani Stacks Campaign Staff with Mideast Hawks
            - John McCain Addresses Christians United for Israel
* TX: High Stakes in Texas Muslim Charity Trial (AltMuslim.com)
* CAIR-OH: Plot Betrays Muslim Legacy to Medicine
* MI: Officials, Cops Reach Out to U.S. Muslims (Free Press)
* Wash Post/Newsweek to Host Online Dialogue with Muslims

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HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PEOPLE OF PARADISE - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(The people of Paradise) will not have differences or hatred among themselves. Their hearts will be as if one heart and they will be glorifying God in the morning and in the evening."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Hadith 468

The Prophet also said: "A (tiny spot) in Paradise is better than the whole world and whatever is in it."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Hadith 473

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INCITEMENT: RADIO HOST NEAL BOORTZ CALLS ISLAM A 'CULT,' THREATENS TO 'ERADICATE' MUSLIMS - TOP

The following are excerpts from a dialogue between radio host Neal Boortz and a Muslim caller to his program. (SEE: http://boortz.com/) An audio clip of the program is circulating on anti-Muslim Internet hate sites. It is not known when the program aired.

Caller: Sir I'm calling because of some statements you been making in the past week about the religion of Islam and. . ."

Neal Boortz: It's a cult it's not even a religion. . .

Boortz: You don't have a word of condemnation in you until the non-Islamic world rises up and starts to make it clear that we are fed up with your damned religion. We've had it up to here.

And somebody, like I said yesterday, somebody needs to grab the Muslim world by the shirt collar, backhand it a good one, knock it into the damn corner and say straighten up or we're gonna eradicate you beetles from the face of the Earth. . .

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO CLIP:
http://www.cair.com/audio/Neal_Boortz/neal.htm
(Click twice on start button.)

(Note: Please DO NOT attempt to contact Neal Boortz. Mr. Boortz can and will use any comments to further defame Islam and Muslim. This clip was offered only to demonstrate the growing level of Islamophobic rhetoric in our society.)

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FL: MAN SAID HE FIRED AT NEIGHBORS BECAUSE THEY ARE FROM IRAQ - TOP
Carolyn Quinn, Sun-Herald, 7/18/07
http://www.sun-herald.com/breakingnews.cfm?id=2760

A man was arrested after he allegedly shot at a house with a rifle. According to a Charlotte County Sheriff's Office report, he was trying to kill four or five Iraqis he claimed he saw running through the yard.

Arthur R. Miller, 58, was sitting in the carport of a friend's home at 20424 Tappan Zee Drive in Port Charlotte Tuesday afternoon when he saw what he believed were Iraqis, the report said. He asked his friend to get him a rifle, and the friend brought him a .22-caliber firearm and ammunition. The friend told deputies they had been drinking, the report said.

Miller shot at the house at 1041 Bristol St., leaving eight to 10 holes in a concrete block wall and an air conditioning unit, which was destroyed, the report said. Two people were inside at the time, but were not harmed. Home owner Charles Somers told deputies he saw Miller shooting at the house.

Miller called 9-1-1 and told police he had shot at the house, the report said. When deputies arrived, he told them he was defending his country against the Iraqis.

"Arthur states his intent was to kill the people," the report said.

Miller was arrested and taken to the Charlotte County Jail, where a breath test determined his blood alcohol level to be slightly more than 0.13. The report also said he was on a number of medications.

Miller was charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling, criminal mischief and using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol. Though he told deputies he gave Miller the weapon, the friend was not arrested. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

FL: MAN, THINKING HE SEES 'IRAQ' PEOPLE, FIRES RIFLE AT CHARLOTTE HOUSE - TOP
Neighbor believed he saw Iraqis in yard and took aim, deputies say
Herald Tribune, 7/19/07
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20070719/NEWS/707190574

Claiming he saw "Iraq" people running through his neighbors' yard, a Port Charlotte man fired a rifle into his neighbors' house, a report says.

The neighbors were home during the shooting but were not injured, although a window air-conditioning unit was destroyed when 58-year-old Arthur R. Miller opened fire on the home Tuesday evening, according to the report by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.

Miller was charged with two felonies, shooting into a dwelling and criminal mischief. He also was charged with using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol, a misdemeanor.

He told deputies that he has mental problems.

Miller was taking multiple medications and drinking beer with a friend at 6:10 p.m. when he saw what he thought were Iraqis running through the neighbors' yard on Tappan Zee Drive, according to the report.

The unemployed Massachusetts native asked his friend to fetch a .22 caliber rifle from the house, according to the report.

Miller told deputies he then fired "10 to 12 rounds" at the house.

Eight spent shell casings were found in Miller's carport, according to the report.

"Arthur states his intent was to kill the people," a deputy wrote.

Miller's neighbors estimated the damage to their air-conditioning unit at $1,000.

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VIDEO: CAIR-TX: MUSLIM FAMILY SEEKS INVESTIGATION OF HATE CRIME - TOP
Fox KABB, 7/18/07

Acts of terrorism halfway across the world have some local families living in fear-because they've been hit by vandals. Some say it's not the first time, and if local law enforcement does not start taking the situation seriously, it will not be the last.

Michael Valdes has more from one family who say they just want to be protected like everyone else.

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAWNkvgGLPo

SEE ALSO: TX Muslim Family's Cars Defaced with Hate Messages
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2859&theType=NR

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CO: NEWSPAPER ALLOWS WRITERS' HATE TO SPREAD - TOP
Bruce Stotts, Coloradoan, 7/19/07
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070719/OPINION04/707190360

On Saturday, the Coloradoan published a letter to the editor and a Soapbox in its opinion section denigrating Muslims. In one, we are falsely told that "in the Islamic world, persecution of the Christian is widespread" and we can "blame radical Islam for possible destruction of our way of live (sic)". In the other, we are told "the Koran is a guide to hatred of infidels (that is America), waging war and victory through slaughter."

While I encourage the free exchange of ideas on the opinion page, including the dangers of "extremism" in the Muslim world, sweeping generalizations about an entire religion such as these can only be defined as one thing: racism. And for publishing this hatred as a viable "opinion," the Coloradoan succeeds in institutionalizing and promoting it.

Would the paper consider publishing such quotes as these?

"The Muslims are trying to destroy all other cultures - as a survival mechanism."

"Muslims are filled with more hatred and rage for our race, for our heritage, for our blood than perhaps you can imagine."

Replace "Muslim" with "Jew" above, and you get two quotes from Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke. Or how about:

"Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Muslim, I am fighting for the work of the Lord."

Again, replace "Muslim" with "Jew" and you get a quote from "Mein Kampf" by Adolf Hitler.

The paper should at a minimum be ashamed and publish a public apology to the Muslim community. If they are serious about being a newspaper with integrity, they should fire any editor that allows this kind of hatred to be published.

Bruce Stotts lives in Fort Collins.

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CA: JUDGE CLEARS MUSLIM STORE OWNER, CITES POTENTIAL FBI WRONGDOING - TOP
Associated Press, 7/18/07
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_6405808

A Butte County judge has dismissed the case against a Chico market owner who was accused of purchasing stolen cigarettes, saying it appeared the charges were a way for the FBI to question the owner about terrorism.

"A reasonable person could draw the conclusion that this ABC undercover operation was a subterfuge for an FBI anti-terrorism investigation," Superior Court Judge Steven J. Howell wrote in a three-page opinion issued Tuesday.

Bilal Abdul Yasin, his brother Muwaiia Abdulra Yasin, 35, and a co-worker, Alberto Cabrera, 39, were arrested in March 2005 for allegedly purchasing dozens of cartons of cigarettes from an undercover agent with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control who said the cigarettes were stolen, prosecutors said.

However, once they were arrested, FBI agents questioned Bilal Yasin about connections to his Palestinian homeland, his Muslim religion, his relationship with other Middle Eastern shopkeepers in Butte County and whether he sent money to terrorist groups, according to testimony he gave during the trial.

"I give the government the right to look at me more closely, but I don't give them the right to go over the line," said Bilal Yasin, the 37-year-old Palestinian-born owner of Chinca's Market.

In his three-page ruling, Howell said the FBI refused to turn over court-ordered documents which could have provided Bilal Yasin a fair trial. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CA: JUDGE DISMISSES ALL CHARGES IN CHINCA'S MARKET CASE - TOP
Terry Vau Dell, Chico Enterprise-Record, 7/18/07
http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_6400119

Saying there was at least an inference that an undercover illegal cigarette sales sting was merely a "subterfuge" to question a Muslim Chico store owner about possible terrorist ties, a Butte County judge Tuesday dismissed all charges in the case.

The failure of the FBI to turn over court-ordered documents to the defense provided the basis for the dismissal action.

"Praise God and my attorneys, justice has been done," said Bilal Abdul Yasin, the 37-year-old Palestinian-born Muslim owner of Chinca's Market, after the case was thrown out of court Tuesday against him, his brother, Muwaiia Abdulra Yasin, 35, and a co-worker, Alberto Cabrera, 39.

Though grateful the charges were dropped, Bilal Yasin said the surrounding publicity damaged his reputation and has left him struggling to stay in business.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Bilal Yasin said, "I give the government the right to look at me more closely, but I don't give them the right to go over the line."

The trio were arrested in March 2005, after they allegedly purchased dozens of cartons of cigarettes at the neighborhood market on Boucher Street from an undercover agent of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control, who represented them to be stolen.

In dismissing multiple counts of attempted receiving stolen property Tuesday, the judge said testimony in the case suggested the real focus of the investigation was not about cigarettes, but the store owner's "connection to his Palestinian homeland, his practice of the Muslim religion, and relationship with other Middle Eastern shopkeepers in Butte County. (MORE)

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CAIR-LA URGES COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT WORKERS' RIGHTS, WORKER-FRIENDLY BUSINESSES - TOP

(ANAHEIM, CA, 7/19/07) - In keeping with the Islamic values of fairness and justice, the Greater Los Angeles area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today urged members of the Muslim community to remember the working poor of America, particularly those in the service and hospitality industries who work low and minimum-wage jobs to make ends meet while trying to achieve the "American Dream."

Muslims are commanded to honor and extend fairness to laborers and workers, assign them work which does not overburden them, and give them just wages. We are admonished to ensure justice. This means supporting and establishing industry standards that promote just working conditions and environments for all workers. To that end, we should encourage doing business with those, especially in the service and hospitality industries, who support workers' rights, do not discriminate against their employees, and permit them the freedom of association and the right to organize.

"As Muslims, it is our duty to set an example of justice for all people, including speaking out on behalf of the working poor and encouraging companies to be worker-friendly," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR-LA. Ayloush also serves on the National Board of Interfaith Worker Justice, a national group that seeks to improve wages, benefits, and working conditions for workers.

He also said Muslims should avoid signing contracts and working with businesses that do not support workers' rights and, when necessary, must stand with those who work toward equity in wages and the right for workers to organize when those demands are not met. The Muslim community should also support employers, such as hotels, restaurants and other businesses that are worker-friendly.

For a list of worker-friendly hotels in your area, please visit:

http://hotelworkersrising.com/HotelGuide/boycott_list.php
www.inmex.org

For more information on workers' rights and how to become involved, please visit one of the following websites:

Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ) - www.iwj.org
Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) - http://www.cluela.org/
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE) -- www.laane.org/
Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development (OCCORD ) - (714) 621-0919

CONTACT: Munira Syeda, CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator, 714-776-1847 or msyeda@cair.com.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-CAN RECEIVES HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD - TOP

(Ottawa, Canada - July 19, 2007) The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) is pleased to announce it recently received a Human Rights Award from the Muslim community of Greater Toronto. The award was presented on June 13 at an annual dinner held by the Toronto Muslim community to honour men and women of the city's emergency services.

On behalf of CAIR-CAN, Board Chair Abdul-Basit Khan accepted the award for the organization's "outstanding work in advocating for the civil liberties and human rights of Maher Arar." Also, a second, identical award was given to Amnesty International Canada.

"It's important to recognize the contribution of the hundreds of Canadians, many of whom remain unnamed, who struggled to free Maher Arar. On behalf of those who worked within CAIR-CAN, I humbly accept this award," said Khan.

The event attracted 700 attendees and guests. Several elected officials and emergency service heads attended including:

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Mike Colle, Ontario Minister of Education Kathleen Wynee, Oshawa Mayor John Gray, Pickering Mayor David Ryan, Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino, Toronto Chief of Police Bill Blair, Toronto Fire Chief William Stewart, and Toronto Emergency Medical Service Chief Bruce Farr.

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IL: MUSLIMS' PRESENCE IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS OF THE SOUTHLAND HAS BEEN GRADUAL - TOP
Kim Janssen, Chicago Sun-Times, 7/15/07
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/insight/467032,151INS1.article

It is a little-noted irony about George W. Bush that he is the first U.S. president who owes his election to the votes of Muslims.

Bush, whose legacy will be defined by the wars he waged in Muslim countries, and who is less popular now with Muslim voters than any other segment of a disapproving American public, aggressively courted their votes in the run-up to the 2000 election.

He used a televised debate with Al Gore to criticize laws that allowed secret evidence to be used against terrorism suspects, unhappily describing "Arab-Americans (who) are racially profiled."

The gambit, an unprecedented appeal to a minority that made up just 0.5 percent of the electorate, paid off.

In Florida -- which he carried by just 537 votes -- he won an estimated 20,000 more votes from Muslims than Gore managed. Ralph Nader, a Lebanese-American, secured an estimated further 15,600 Muslim votes in the state.

Seven years on, Muslim issues including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the nuclear ambitions of Iran, the detention without trial of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, and the profiling of Muslims at airports and elsewhere are central issues in national politics.

But despite two widely reported, recent major studies by the Pew Research Center and Zogby International, which stress the emerging power of American-Muslims, Muslims' decisive role in the 2000 election seems more a blip than the emergence of a political trend.

Though the first ever Muslim congressman, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), drew headlines earlier this year when he was sworn in using a copy of Thomas Jefferson's Quran, the relatively small proportion of Islamic voters across the U.S. means Muslims remain at the margins of national politics in all but the closest of races.

Even in Chicago's southwest suburbs, where an estimated 30,000 Arab-Americans live, Muslims, who began emigrating to the U.S. in large numbers in the 1970s, are only beginning to flex their political muscle. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

GIULIANI STACKS CAMPAIGN STAFF WITH A WHO'S WHO OF MIDEAST HAWKS - TOP
Neoconservative leader Podhoretz picked as a foreign policy adviser
Jennifer Siegel, Forward, 7/18/07
http://www.forward.com/articles/11195/

As the roster of Republican presidential hopefuls grapples with the seeming implosion of one-time front-runner John McCain's candidacy, Rudolph Giuliani is taking steps to claim his place as the field's leading hawk.

The former New York City mayor announced last week that he had assembled a team of foreign policy advisers featuring several prominent neoconservatives, including one of the movement's founders, Norman Podhoretz. In addition to being an unwavering supporter of the war against Iraq, Podhoretz, a former editor of Commentary magazine, has grabbed headlines in recent months as one of most vocal proponents of American military action against Iran.

The eight-member advisory panel also includes several figures with experience in Israeli affairs. Giuliani's chief foreign policy adviser, Charles Hill, served as a top aide to Secretary of State George Shultz in the Reagan administration and once served as political counselor to the American Embassy in Tel Aviv. The team also includes Martin Kramer, who is an expert on Islam at Harvard University and a fellow with both the pro-Israel Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Jerusalem-based Shalem Center.

These selections show Giuliani is "very serious about his approach to ensuring the security and safety of Israel," said Ben Chouake, head of the pro-Israel political action committee Norpac. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

JOHN MCCAIN ADDRESSES THE CHRISTIANS UNITED FOR ISRAEL - TOP
7/18/07
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/Speeches/df96a751-

be4f-4275-8d28-2c38ad036983.htm

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) addressed the national convention of Christians United for Israel in Washington, DC on Tuesday, July 17th. The remarks as prepared for delivery are below.

"Thank you for the honor of speaking before this gathering, and thank you for the work you do in support of the State of Israel. Your efforts are needed today more than ever, as it is harder to think of a time in recent memory when Israel's national security has faced so many varied challenges.

"The Jewish state has, of course, experienced tough times before - indeed, they have perhaps been the norm rather than the exception. When one thinks back over the conflicts - 1948, the Six Day War, Yom Kippur, Lebanon, the first Gulf War, two intifadas and Lebanon again - it is clear that Israel has been challenged more, in less time, than any nation on earth. Survival in the face of such trials would be impressive; flourishing would seem out of the question.

"Yet Israel has thrived. I would like to believe that Israel's success has been aided by America, Israel's natural partner and ally, and by its supporters here and the world over - several thousand of which are here today. But the tests continue - with Hamas and Hezbollah, in the anti-Semitism so pervasive in the Arab press, in the restive violence in Iraq and elsewhere, and in the vile threats issued routinely by the Iranian president.

"But Israel will survive. Just as it has thrived in the face of armies and terrorists, just as it has prospered in the most dangerous neighborhood on earth, so will it succeed in the face of today's threats. There will always, always be an Israel.

"And just as there will always be a proud, strong Israel, so too will there always be a close and enduring U.S.-Israel relationship. When it comes to the defense of Israel, we simply cannot compromise. In view of the increased threats to Israeli security, American support for Israel should intensify - to include providing needed military equipment and technology and ensuring that Israel maintains its qualitative military edge. Israel's enemies are too numerous, its margin of error too small, and our shared interests and values too great for any other position. (MORE)

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TX: HIGH STAKES IN TEXAS MUSLIM CHARITY TRIAL - TOP
The vague definition of "effective support" for terror in the Holy Land Foundation trial creates a zero-tolerance policy that can be applied to any type of support - even moral - for beleaguered Muslims overseas.
Shahed Amanullah, AltMuslim, 7/19/07
http://www.altmuslim.com/perm.php?id=P1952_0_24_0

Casual observers of US attempts to shut down Muslim charities might have an image in their head: funds solicited by Muslim charities for basic needs such as food, traded instead in shadowy back alleys for Kalashnikovs. It would be hard to blame them, given efforts by the authorities to paint US Muslim charities as being financiers of terrorism over the years, particularly since 9/11. This week, the trial involving the most high-profile charity, the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation, began, and the stakes for both the US legal fight against terror financing and charitable institutions among US Muslims are high.

"There is no distinction," explained former Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2004 when shutting down the HLF, "between those who carry out terrorist attacks and those who knowingly finance terrorist attacks." But was the HLF, not to mention scores of other shuttered charities, acting in such a manner? The prosecution isn't arguing that donated funds went to militant purposes, only that worthy donations such as medical care and food "effectively reward[ed] past, and encourage[d] future suicide bombings and terrorist activities". The charities argue that their only crime was to provide relief services to a group of people, some of whom could have sympathized with terrorism without their knowledge. "They are trying to establish that using widely accepted methods of getting humanitarian aid to the Palestinians is criminal," said John Boyd, a defense lawyer. "If that is what you think, then put them on the list and say we can't give them money."

Both sides have now spent over six years preparing for the case, and if previous trials are any indication, US authorities are likely sparing no expense to make their point. The bar for the prosecution is certainly high - authorities must show that HLF knowingly sent money to Hamas-controlled charities. (As of now, the only proven links to Hamas are the family relationships between HLF and Hamas officials.) Criteria like this is why no US Muslim charity has been convicted of supporting terrorism since the crackdown began in 2001 (though certain individuals associated with some charities have been sent to prison on various offenses). If the al-Arian case is any indication (the government spent $70m in preparation on terrorism charges but did not receive one conviction), the prosecution has a tough sell ahead of it. Indeed, the case is so riddled with tension that fear has caused three potential jurors to opt out. (MORE)

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CAIR-OH: PLOT BETRAYS MUSLIM LEGACY TO MEDICINE - TOP
Asma Mobin-Uddin, Hamilton Spectator, 7/19/07
http://www.thespec.com/Opinions/article/221637

The thought of physicians treating sick patients by the light of day while plotting to kill innocent people under the cover of darkness sickens and angers me on a very personal level.

If the U.K. terror plot accusations are true, they are the ultimate betrayal of the trust placed in physicians to use their hands for healing, their intellects for diagnosis and their demeanours to bring comfort to the sick. As a Muslim physician, I am following the London and Glasgow terror plot investigation with incredulity, anger and outrage.

Islam teaches me that the gifts I have been given are entrusted to me by God for the purpose of serving humanity. I know that God is witness to my actions and intentions and I will be accountable to Him. The Koranic verse that equates saving one life with saving the lives of all of humanity teaches me the sacredness of each and every life and inspires me to strive for professional excellence.

Any Muslim doctor who would plot terror betrays his or her faith, profession and the incredible legacy Muslim physicians have left in the field of medicine.

Historically, Muslim physicians from the 9th to the 14th centuries were pioneers in the development of many areas of medicine, including anesthesia, surgery, ophthalmology, and pharmacology.

Muslim physicians were the first to systematically use inhalational anesthesia, sedating patients some 800 years ago in Islamic Spain by placing sponges soaked in narcotics over the patient's nose and mouth prior to surgery.

Muslim doctors introduced urinary catheters to the West, used cautery to stop bleeding, and ligated blood vessels using cat-gut suture in the 10th century.

They developed the hypodermic needle and used these hollow needles to suction out cataracts 1,000 years before this practice was performed in the West.

Muslim pharmaceutical texts from this era explained the preparation, uses, doses, and side-effects of medications and formed the basis for later European drug manuals. (MORE)

Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin is a pediatrician from Columbus, Ohio, and the board chairwoman for the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

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MI: OFFICIALS, COPS REACH OUT TO U.S. MUSLIMS - TOP
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 7/19/07
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070719/NEWS05/707190355/1004

Speaking at a private meeting of Arab-American and Muslim leaders in Dearborn, the only U.S. Attorney of Arab descent told the group Wednesday that the U.S. government should be smarter in how it combats terrorism.

The U.S. Attorney for Colorado, Troy Eid, joined other federal officials and metro Detroit police chiefs at the meeting to discuss concerns about civil rights in the war on terrorism. Eid was invited to participate in the talk, part of an ongoing series of private discussions between Arab Americans and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Eid left on a flight after the meeting and could not immediately be reached for comment.

"It was refreshing and inspiring to hear his story," said Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, who cochaired the meeting. "He spoke about the challenges that are facing the Arab-American and Muslim communities across the nation. ...He said the government should be smarter in how it gets at potential terrorists."

Hamad led the meeting, along with Daniel Sutherland, officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (MORE)

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'ON FAITH' HOSTS ONLINE DIALOGUE WITH MUSLIM LEADERS ABOUT TERRORISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS - TOP
PR Newswire US, 7/19/07
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/

www/story/07-19-2007/0004628629

Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive announced today that several leading Muslim clerics and thinkers from around the globe will participate in an unprecedented online dialogue about their religion, terrorism and human rights on the joint washingtonpost.com and Newsweek blog "On Faith," which explores the intersection of religion and culture. The event, "Muslims Speak Out," is being presented in conjunction with Georgetown University and will run from Sunday, July 22 through Friday, July 27. http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/

The Washington Post's Sally Quinn -- moderator of On Faith with Newsweek editor Jon Meacham -- said that "Muslims Speak Out" marks the first time a major American news outlet has brought together so many Muslim leaders to ask their views on hot-button topics. "Muslim leaders say that the media don't listen to their views, or represent them accurately," Quinn explained. "This is an opportunity for these well-known men and women to speak in an open forum, and to educate people everywhere about their faith and its relevance in today's world."

The Washington Post Company will coordinate across its national media outlets to cover this critically important topic, each featuring unique stories and reporting. On Sunday, July 22, The Washington Post's Outlook section will run articles about Islam and its religious tenets; the issue of Newsweek on newsstands on Monday, July 23, will feature this in its news coverage; and the entire week of July 22 the online magazine Slate.com will cover the topic through text and photography features. Post/Newsweek television stations across the country will also participate in the event, and content from On Faith will also run in newspapers around the world that are part of The Independent Media Group.

Participants in the online discussion include representatives from all points in the political spectrum, discussing provocative issues of importance to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The questions each will address in "Muslims Speak Out" include:

-- What would you tell suicide bombers who invoke Islam to justify their actions?
-- What are the rights of women is Islam?
-- Is it permissible for a Muslim to convert to another faith?
-- Does Islam's view of male-female equality differ from the Western view?
-- Under what conditions does Islam sanction the use of violence?
-- How can laws against apostasy be reconciled with the Koranic injunction of "no compulsion in religion"?

All of the panel's participants will also be able to respond to comments and questions left by readers, creating a dialogue and a bridge to mutual understanding.

On Faith's "Muslims Speak Out" will include additional original content that further explores Muslim religion and culture for the six-day event. These companion pieces will not only offer other perspectives on Muslims and Islam in our world today, but bring other voices and experiences to this multi- faceted interactive discussion.
Scheduled to contribute pieces are President Jimmy Carter; former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; former South African leader Nelson Mandela; Congressman Keith Ellison (the only Muslim member of Congress); University of Chicago professor Martin Marty; Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia; and John L. Esposito, Dr. Akbar Ahmed, Judea Pearl, and Bishop John Chane who will discuss together the relationship between Muslims, Jews, and Christians.

Among the best-known prominent Muslim thinkers and religious leaders expected to take part in this event:

* Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, one of the leading Shi'ite Muslim religious authorities in the Islamic world, and a former spiritual adviser to the Lebanese Shi'ite resistance movement, Hezbollah;
* Tariq Ramadan, professor of Islamic Studies and senior research fellow at Oxford University. Selected by Time magazine as one of the world's top 100 thinkers and scientists in 2005, Ramadan relinquished his appointment to a tenured professorship at Notre Dame University in 2004 after the U.S. government revoked his visa;
* Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the Mufti of Egypt and a leading Sunni Muslim religious authority;
* Dr. Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia; and
* Sheikh Rashid Rashid al-Ghannoushi, the Muslim intellectual and exiled leader of Tunisia's Islamist opposition movement who is widely considered an Islamic radical in his native country.

A full list of participants is available upon request.

CONTACT: Angela Hayes, +1-212-446-5104, ahayes@goldbergmcduffie.com , for Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive

Web site: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith

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CAIR
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Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
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