* Hadith: God's Mercy is Vast
* CAIR-Tampa Announces $10K Reward in Arson Case
            - CAIR-FL: Reward Offered for Hate Crime Info
            - FL CFO Offers Reward for Arson Information
* CAIR-FL: Muslim Guard Harassed, Then Fired (Sun-Sent)
            - Muslim: Wackenhut Firing Unjustified (PB Post)
* U.S. Islamic Charities Feel Post 9/11 Heat (Reuters)
* CAIR-CA: Muslims, Christians Begin Interfaith Initiative
            - CAIR-IL: Journey to Citizenship Not Without Bumps
* NC: Study to Examine How U.S. Muslims Counter Radicalism
            - OH: Muslim Women's Rights Reaffirmed (Chicago Trib)
* Richardson Would Name Envoy to Build Muslim Ties (AP)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD'S MERCY IS VAST - TOP

Once during prayers, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) heard a person shout: "O God! Bestow Your mercy on me and Muhammad only, and do not bestow it on anybody else along with us." The Prophet later told that person: "You have limited a very vast (thing)," meaning God's mercy.

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 39

The Prophet also said: "He who does not have mercy on people, God's mercy will be kept from him."

Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 93C

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CAIR-TAMPA, FIRE MARSHALL ANNOUNCE $10K REWARD IN ARSON CASE - TOP

(TAMPA, FL, 7/20/07) - The Tampa office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Tampa) and the Florida Division of State Fire Marshall today announced a combined $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of arsonists who torched a Sarasota Muslim family's home earlier this month.

CAIR-Tampa is offering up to a $7,500 reward, while Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who also serves as the state fire marshal, is offering a reward of up to $2,500.

The Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group has called on the FBI to investigate the July 6th incident in which a Bosnian family's home was burned and spray painted with anti-Muslim slurs.

"We hope this reward will lead to the prompt apprehension and prosecution of whoever carried out this cowardly attack," said CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier.

A statement sent to CAIR-Tampa today by Florida Governor Charlie Crist stated: "I am saddened by any incident of hate targeting Floridians of the Muslim faith. We will not tolerate such acts. We are an open society and one that takes great pleasure in our diverse communities of faith."

SEE: Florida Muslim Home Torched By Arsonists
http://cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2854&theType=NR

SEE ALSO: Destruction Screams of Hate (Bradenton Herald)
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20070714/NEWS/707140330

SEE THE DAMAGE TO THE HOME:
http://www.cairfl.org/tampa/hate/sarasota-arson/index.html

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 33 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506 or E-Mail: abedier@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

CFO SINK ANNOUNCES REWARD OFFERED FOR INFORMATION IN ARSON OF HOME THAT WAS TARGET OF ANTI-ISLAM SLURS - TOP
http://myfloridacfo.com/pressoffice/ViewMediaRelease.asp?ID=2709

SARASOTA-Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who also serves as state fire marshal, announced today that a reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of whoever is responsible for an intentionally set fire on July 6 at a Sarasota residence where anti-Islam slurs were also spray-painted throughout the home.

"Arson is a violent crime and the State Fire Marshal's Office is committed to protecting Floridians from arson," said CFO Sink. "As in every arson case we investigate, we will follow every lead and we urge anyone with information about this particularly heinous crime to please come forward and help us get the perpetrator off the street."

The reward money has been posted by the Florida Advisory Committee on Arson Prevention (FACAP), which includes the State Fire Marshal's Office. Detectives with the State Fire Marshal's Office, Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations (BFAI), have determined that the fire was the result of arson.

In addition to the arson, which heavily damaged the home located at 5311 Avila Ave. in Sarasota, the arsonist spray-painted anti-Islam messages inside and outside the home. The crime is also being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. There were no injuries reported.

The Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations (BFAI) is a law enforcement branch of the Division of State Fire Marshal that assists other state and local fire and law enforcement agencies in the investigation of fires of suspicious origin. To report information about this case or any suspected arson to the BFAI, call 1-877-NOARSON (1-877-662-7766).

# # #

As a statewide elected officer of the Florida Cabinet, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink oversees the Department of Financial Services, a multi-division state agency responsible for management of state funds and unclaimed property, assisting consumers who request information and help related to financial services, and investigating financial fraud. CFO Sink also serves as the State Fire Marshal.

CONTACT: Nina Banister, (850) 413-2842; or Samuel Venzeio, (813) 927-8604

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CAIR-FL: AWARD OFFERED FOR HATE CRIME INFO - TOP
Bradenton Herald, 7/20/07
http://www.bradenton.com/local/story/102182.html

SARASOTA --The state fire marshal's office and the Tampa office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations plan to announce a reward today for information leading to the arrest and conviction of arsonists who burned the home of a Muslim family in Sarasota.

The arson occurred July 6 at the home of Hasib and Sedefa Sejfovic, Muslim immigrants from Bosnia in the former Yugoslavia. The Sejfovics were on vacation at the time and there were no injuries.

There have been no arrests.

Today's announcement is scheduled for noon outside the Sejfovic home at 5311 Avila Ave., Sarasota.

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CAIR-FL: FORMER SECURITY GUARD SAYS HE WAS HARASSED FOR BEING MUSLIM, THEN FIRED - TOP
Rachael Joyner, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 7/20/07
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpharassment0

720pnjul20,0,4055556.story

Palm Beach Gardens - A former security guard claims he was harassed by a co-worker because of his religion, and then fired for complaining about it.

Refat Amar, 31, a Muslim, said he was hassled because of his faith and origin. He came to America from Egypt in 1998.

"This is a case of religious discrimination because [the co-worker] used words like 'terrorist' and 'Guantanamo,'" said Altaf Ali, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national group that defends the civil rights of Muslims in America.

Cases such as Amar's are common, he said. There were 168 anti-Muslim discrimination cases in Florida last year, he said.

The council held a news conference Thursday to present Amar's case against his former employer, Wackenhut Corp., a private security and investigation business. Amar asked the company for a formal apology and a full investigation of his harassment complaints but got neither, he said.

"We take these things very seriously," said Michael Hogsten, vice president and assistant general counsel of Wackenhut. He said the company was preparing a response for the Florida Commission on Human Relations, which is investigating the case.

Thursday, from the sidewalk in front of Wackenhut headquarters, Amar said he had "daily" encounters with an abusive co-worker.

"He regularly called me names," Amar said. "He called me a terrorist and said that me and my family should be arrested and sent to Guantanamo."

The harassment continued for six months, Amar said, until he complained to the human relations department. Amar was fired two days later, he said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MUSLIM: WACKENHUT FIRING UNJUSTIFIED - TOP
JEFF OSTROWSKI, Palm Beach Post, 7/20/07
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/content/business/epaper/

2007/07/20/a6d_wackenhut_0720.html

PALM BEACH GARDENS - A Muslim man says Wackenhut Corp. fired him from his security guard job last year after he complained about a co-worker repeatedly calling him "a terrorist," although a Wackenhut official said it investigated the incident and found no evidence of discrimination.

At a news conference Thursday outside Wackenhut's Palm Beach Gardens headquarters, Refat Amar, 31, of Jacksonville said he lost his $8-an-hour job in June 2006.

Amar, who is a native of Egypt, said a co-worker made repeated cracks about his religious beliefs. When the co-worker repeated the insult in front of a supervisor, Amar reported it to Wackenhut's human relations department, Amar said. Two days after he complained, Amar said, he was fired.

"They fired me for no reason, just simply because I complained," Amar said. . .

Altaf Ali, executive director of the South Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, organized Thursday's news conference. He said workplace discrimination against Muslims is all too common.

"We are very concerned about anti-Muslim incidents in the state of Florida," Ali said. "We're very disturbed that Wackenhut would cast a blind eye on this issue."

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U.S. ISLAMIC CHARITIES FEEL POST 9/11 HEAT - TOP
Reuters, 7/20/07
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N17254139.htm

DALLAS, July 20 (Reuters) - Islamic charities in the United States complain they are being unfairly scrutinized and persecuted as part of a broader backlash against Muslims since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The issue has come under renewed focus as a major trial gets under way in Dallas in which the U.S. Department of Justice is trying to prove the Holy Land Foundation charity illegally sent money to the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

"We feel our faith and charity which are very important to us are under attack in this trial," said Khalil Meek, spokesman for Hungry for Justice, a coalition of civil rights groups offering support to the defendants in the trial -- the charity and seven men linked to it. (MORE)

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CAIR-SAN DIEGO: MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS BUILD BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING - TOP

(SAN DIEGO, CA, 7/20/07) - Local members of the Mission Valley Church of the Nazarene and representatives of the San Diego Muslim community met recently to begin an interfaith dialogue initiative.

Topics discussed at this meeting included misconceptions about Islam, what is the Church of the Nazarene, the concept of paradise and hell in Islam, and Islam's view of Jesus.

CAIR-San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida and MPAC San Diego (Muslim Public Affairs Council) Interfaith and Community Outreach Coordinator Sal Saboor were among the delegation of Muslims invited to dialogue with Pastor Scott Peterson and members of his congregation.

CONTACT: CAIR-San Diego Public Relations Director Edgar Hopida, Tel: 619-913-0719; E-Mail: ehopida@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

JOURNEY TO CITIZENSHIP NOT WITHOUT ITS BUMPS - TOP
Ambreen Ali, Medill Reports, 7/19/07
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=41069

Velasco's application was processed in five months, considered a little longer than typical. But compared to what Tariq Saeed faced, hers was a walk in the park.

Saeed, who lives in Lombard, waited three years while the FBI conducted a name check, a process that typically takes a few days. He and his wife applied together in March 2004; she received her citizenship later that year.

"We thought it was OK and [that] the procedure took this long," Saeed said. "But after a few months I learned that in Chicago at least five other husbands had not cleared their citizenship and were in the same situation."

Saeed contacted the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which filed a class-action suit on behalf of the individuals. He became a citizen in March.

"We found that only 1 percent of individuals are caught up in this delay," Bitta Mastofi, CAIR staff attorney, said. "But the numbers as to how many people were delayed used to be two [or so] a year. In the past two years, they have been in the hundreds of thousands." (MORE)

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HOW MUSLIM COMMUNITIES COUNTER RADICALISM TO BE STUDY TOPIC - TOP
Duke and UNC researchers will seek to learn from the responses of four American Muslim communities to radical Islamic movements across the globe
http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2007/07/muslim_study.html

Durham, NC -- Finding out how American Muslims address messages of extremism in their communities will be the goal of a two-year study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Researchers at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will then use the information to recommend policies for reducing the likelihood that the United States experiences the type of homegrown terrorism seen recently in Europe.

"In light of the recent events in London and Glasgow, it is critically important to understand why widespread radicalization has not occurred in the United States and take steps to reinforce this trend," said David Schanzer, a visiting professor at Duke and adjunct professor at UNC and principal investigator for the study.

Schanzer directs the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, a think tank sponsored by the two universities and RTI International, a research firm headquartered in Research Triangle Park. The National Institute of Justice -- the research arm of the Justice Department -- recently awarded the center $394,000 for the study.

Center researchers will seek to learn from the responses of four American Muslim communities to radical Islamic movements across the globe, said Charles Kurzman, a UNC associate professor of sociology and co-principal investigator in the project. With another co-principal investigator, Ebrahim Moosa, associate professor of Islamic studies at Duke, and graduate students, Kurzman and Schanzer will study Muslim communities in Buffalo, Houston, Seattle and the Triangle. . .

For more information about the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, visit its Web site: http://www.pubpol.duke.edu/centers/tcths/

SEE ALSO:

OH: MUSLIM WOMEN'S RIGHTS REAFFIRMED - TOP
Chicago Tribune, 7/20/07
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-rel_briefs20jul20,1,4388949.story

CINCINNATI - Two Muslim women had the right to continue wearing their head scarves when sitting for a driver's license photo, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles said.

Clerks at separate bureau offices in southwest Ohio were wrong to insist that the women remove the scarves, also known as hijabs, which are expressions of faith and modesty, said Tom Hunter, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, which oversees the motor vehicles bureau.

The women's photos were shot again for free.

"It was just a misunderstanding on the part of BMV employees as to what the policy was," Hunter said.

No one was disciplined, Hunter said, but an e-mail was sent to the state's 216 registrar offices in May reminding employees that head coverings, such as hijabs, are allowed. (MORE)

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RICHARDSON WOULD NAME ENVOY TO BUILD MUSLIM TIES - TOP
Associated Press, 7/19/07
http://kob.com/article/stories/S143893.shtml?cat=504

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson says a multilateral Marshall Plan is needed to rebuild the Middle East.

He also says that if he were president, he'd name a top-level envoy to rebuild shattered ties to Muslim nations.

He spelled out foreign policy views before the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa.

Richardson says winning the war against al-Qaida has a lot to do with building goodwill and he says that for a small fraction of the cost of the war in Iraq, the U.S. could make friends.

The New Mexico governor also says the U.S. should lead by example. He says prisoner abuse, secret prisons and evasion of the Geneva convention have no place in policy.

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

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