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CAIR – November 9, 2009
CAIR repudiates praise for Fort Hood shooter
WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov 9, 2009 - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today repudiated online remarks by a former Virginia imam praising Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who allegedly killed 13 people and wounded 29 others in a shooting spree last week at Fort Hood in Texas.
The posting on the web site of Anwar al-Awlaki called Hasan a “hero” and said American Muslim groups, like CAIR, that condemned the Fort Hood attack are “hypocrites” and traitors to Islam.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“As American Muslims said with one voice when this cowardly attack first occurred, no ideology could ever justify or excuse such violence. To call the alleged killer a ‘hero’ makes a mockery of every Islamic principle of justice. The twisted and misguided views in Anwar al-Awlaki’s posting are not those of American Muslims and do not reflect mainstream Islamic beliefs or sentiments.”
USA Today November 8, 2009
American imam praises Fort Hood shooter
From staff and wire reports
The personal website for a radical American imam living in Yemen who had contact with two Sept. 11 hijackers is praising alleged Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan as a hero.
One U.S. official said Monday that the government had discovered electronic communications that showed Hasan had reached out to the imam, Anwar Aulaqi, in the past. But investigators said late Monday there was no indication Hasan was directed to attack or had help in the massacre last Thursday.
The posting Monday on the website for Aulaqi, who was a spiritual leader at two mosques where three Sept. 11 hijackers worshipped, said American Muslims who condemned the attacks on the Texas military post last week are hypocrites who have committed treason against their religion.
Two U.S. intelligence officials told The Associated Press the website was Aulaqi's. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence collection.
Aulaqi said the only way a Muslim can justify serving in the U.S. military is if he intends to "follow in the footsteps of men like Nidal."
Regarding the alleged communications between Hasan and Aulaqi, the messages were picked up by U.S. counterterror officials, but an inquiry into the matter was shelved because the contacts were not deemed to suggest a threat, said a U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. Investigators now are trying to determine whether Hasan has any links to terror groups.
Hasan's family held his mother's funeral at the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Va., on May 31, 2001, according to her obituary in The Roanoke Times newspaper. Aulaqi was an imam there at that time.
The mosque released a statement to "openly denounce" Aulaqi.
"As we understand the teaching of the scriptures, our mission and method as Americans of faith is to enrich our society with service, wisdom and beautiful preaching of God's love and mercy to all of mankind," the statement said.
It said that while at the mosque, Aulaqi's "public speech was consistent with the values of tolerance and cooperation." But it added that after returning to Yemen, Aulaqi changed his tone and "has clearly set himself apart from Muslims in America. We continue to send our condolences and prayers for recovery of all the victims of this godless act."
Meanwhile, the Obama administration and top military leaders are discouraging an anti-Muslim backlash in the aftermath of the shooting.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey and Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano on Sunday echoed weekend remarks by President Obama cautioning against saying that religion played a role in the attack or that it was "terrorism."
Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an American-born Muslim, is suspected of being the lone gunman in the attack Thursday that killed 13 and wounded 29.
"Speculation could potentially heighten a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers," Casey said. Added Napolitano: "This was an individual who does not represent the Muslim faith."
Obama lauded the armed services' diversity. "They are Americans of every race, faith and station. They are Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers," he said.
Muslim and Arab groups have reported a few threats of violence, plus angry phone calls and hateful e-mails. So far, the harsh words haven't turned to action.
"We haven't heard of anything violent, which is a good thing," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group. "It shows our society has matured in how it responds to these incidents." He said the Obama administration and the military are setting the right tone.
Michael Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, disagreed, saying the response has been far too weak to protect Muslim military personnel.
The military and FBI are investigating whether Hasan was motivated by Islamic terrorism.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, said he wanted to know whether the Army missed signs that Hasan was voicing extremist views, calling the shootings a "terrorist act."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-11-08-fort-hood_N.htm
Associated Press – November 11, 2009
German man guilty of courtroom killing of Egyptian woman
By LARS RISCHKE
DRESDEN, Germany, Nov 11, 2009 - A 28-year-old Russian-born German man was found guilty today of murder and sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing a pregnant Egyptian woman in a Dresden courtroom, an attack that triggered outrage in the Muslim world.
The Dresden state court said in its ruling that because of the particularly brutal nature of the crime defendant Alexander Wiens would not be eligible for early release.
During the trial, Wiens admitted to stabbing Marwa al-Sherbini to death at a July 1 court hearing. Wiens had argued, however, that his actions were not premeditated and that he had no xenophobic motivation. His attorneys had sought a lesser manslaughter conviction.
Al-Sherbini, a 31-year-old pharmacist, was stabbed at least 16 times by Wiens in the Dresden courtroom where she was to testify against him. She had filed a complaint against him in 2008, accusing him of insulting her with racial slurs, calling her a "terrorist" and "Islamist" during an altercation.
Her husband, a scientist conducting research in Dresden, was stabbed and suffered serious injuries when he intervened to protect her. The couple's 3-year-old son was in the courtroom and witnessed the attack.
Demonstrators outside the courtroom ahead of the verdict carried signs with slogans like "stop the Islam hate in Germany" and "the death of Marwa is the result of Islam hunting."
Egyptians expressed outrage at the attack and an initially low-key German response, which many viewed as a sign of racism and anti-Muslim sentiment. The week after the killing, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her condolences to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak but did not comment publicly.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - November 17, 2009
Does religion play role in Lilburn mosque controversy?
By Shane Blatt
Is it faith or future land use that's behind a Lilburn (Georgia) community's opposition to a giant mosque?
Some neighborhood residents say religion has nothing to do with their vocal fight against rezoning plans to put a 20,000-square-foot mosque, cemetery and gymnasium at U.S. 29 and Hood Road.
But some members of the local Muslim congregation of Dar-E-Abbas aren't so sure. They say religion plays a part, evidenced by comments they've read on community blogs.
At a packed city Planning Commission meeting last week that was moved to Lawrenceville to accommodate the crowd, about a half-dozen speakers framed the issue as a land-use matter involving traffic, parking and noise. They hammered the point, they said, despite goading from the media to speak about religion.
The Lilburn City Council will vote on the matter deciding whether to go along with the Planning Commission's recommendation to deny the rezoning application.
Wasi Zaidi, a founding member of the 11-year-old congregation, said he doesn't believe everyone in the community sees it as a rezoning issue.
"There are a lot of good people, but there also are some who don't like Muslims," Zaidi said. "They don't want us in their backyards."Our mosque already exists there, so we have a right to stay there anyway, legally," he said, referring to two 2,000-square-foot buildings on the same property.
Ninety families worship on 1.4 acres of land owned by the congregation. The group wants to buy an additional 6.5 acres to build the mosque for the city's growing Muslim population.
Yusof Burke, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Georgia, said even though Muslims are no longer strangers to Georgia, mosques do attract opposition for religious reasons. There are more than 35 mosques and an estimated 80,000 Muslims in metro Atlanta, he said.
"From the Muslim perspective, if this was a church, [the rezoning] wouldn't be so difficult. It has to do with the issues we're having in the Muslim community," Burke said. "But at the same time, I can definitely see this as a land-use issue. This seems to be outside the city's [land-use] plan."…
http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/does-religion-play-role-202048.html
The Tribune Star – November 18, 2009
Church sign raises objection
Lisa Trigg
TERRE HAUTE -- A sign at a Terre Haute church bearing a message that many people would deem “intolerant” has raised an objection from a concerned teenager who could not let the message go unchallenged.
Saagarika Coleman submitted a letter to the editor of the Tribune-Star stating that she was “hit with a wave of shock. I was horrified” when she saw the sign at Bible Baptist Church as her father drove her to school Monday morning.
The sign stated, “Jesus died and rose and lives for you. What did Allah do.”
To Coleman and others, the message seems to challenge or belittle the Muslim faith. At best, such sentiments strike some people as an un-Christian approach to tolerance of other beliefs.
“I just think God’s love is wider and deeper than that,” said Sister Denise Wilkinson, general superior of the Sisters of Providence, when asked for comment about the sign’s message.
“We believe and operate from the assumption that God is known in many different ways by many different people in many different cultures,” Wilkinson said of the Catholic tradition. “And the ways God speaks to people is bigger than any one faith or belief.”
The use of the word “Allah” in the sign may seem to challenge Islam, but Pastor Bob Parker of Bible Baptist Center at 25th Street and Margaret Avenue said the intent was not derogatory.
“People are making it a political statement,” said Parker when asked about the meaning of the sign’s statement….
Terre Haute is a diverse community, with many people of the faiths of Judaism, Islam and Hinduism residing, working, raising families and being active in the community. However, the dominance of Christian churches and worship centers may give the impression that Christianity is the only organized religion in the area…..
http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_322230826.html
The Denver Post – November 21, 2009
"President or Jihad?" billboard inDenver sparks boycott, threats
By Electa Draper
A billboard at a Wheat Ridge, Denver, car dealership — with a caricature of President Barack Obama as a turban- wearing jihadist — has sparked a boycott and death threats, but even more support, its sponsor said.
Phil Wolf, owner of Wolf Automotive, said the billboard asks a legitimate question about Obama's alleged lack of documentation of his American birth.
"President or Jihad?" the billboard reads. "Wake up, America! Remember Fort Hood!"
Wolf said politicians have not been held accountable. "This man is not telling the truth," Wolf said. "He should prove he's an American."
Bobby Clark of the liberal online network Progress Now Colorado is organizing a boycott of Wolf Automotive. Clark said "birthers" and "teabaggers" like Wolf have been emboldened by mainstream Republican politicians and pundits.
"When people like Rush Limbaugh, Peter Boyles, Glenn Beck and elected officials like Sarah Palin and Sen. Dave Schultheis openly question the president's citizenship and compare him to terrorists, it gives permission to this kind of speech," Clark said. "It's hateful. It's racist. It's outrageous."
Wolf, who owns dealerships in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, said the Obama administration has ruined the auto industry by interfering in it.
This billboard isn't likely to help sell cars, said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. "It's an offensive billboard on several levels," Hooper said. "It's disrespectful of the presidency and Islam. It's a racist depiction as well….
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_13837289
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