Archive for the ‘Islam’ Tag
The Muslim Public Affairs Council Condemns Senseless Killing of U.N. Workers in Afghanistan
Filed under: Guest | Tags: Islam, Muslims, Muslims condemning UN killings, quran burning, terrorism, terry jones, UN killings
Leave a Comment (Washington, DC – 4/1/11)—The Muslim Public Affairs Council today condemned the killing of at least 12 people, including seven United Nations workers, in Afghanistan by protesters as “barbaric, atrocious and senseless.” This afternoon, MPAC will hold press conferences in Washington, DC and Los Angeles to respond to today’s events.
Read the rest of The American Muslim’s article here.
Dishonoring the Qur’an in the West and East
Filed under: Guest | Tags: afghanistan violence, Islam, Muslims, quran burning, terrorism, UN killings
Leave a Comment By Zafar Siddiqui, Engage Minnesota
Terry Jones, the pastor of a little known church in Florida, first came to attention during the hysteria that surrounded the proposed Park51 project in New York last year. His threat to burn the Qur’an was given way too much attention than it deserved and he ended up topping the list of the most notorious. At that time, he backed off from his threat to burn the Qur’an. However, he apparently missed being in the spotlight and decided to go ahead and burn the Qur’an on March 20, 2011.
Read the rest of Zafar’s Star Tribune article here.
To learn about Islam, why not ask a Muslim?
Filed under: Guest | Tags: dick durbin, durbin, homeland security, Islam, islam hearings, Islamophobia, mosques, pete king, peter king, terrorism
Leave a Comment by Hani Hamdan, Engage Minnesota
Quite refreshing were new hearings led by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., on protecting the civil rights of American Muslims, especially after a slew of anti-Muslim events within the past year or so. Those culminated in a House committee’s hearings on the “radicalization of American Muslims” a couple of weeks ago.
As glad as I am about Durbin’s hearings, I have to maintain that the way to gain the best understanding of Muslims in the United States starts not by listening to politicians or pundits, left or right, but by shutting them off.
Read te rest of Hani’s article here.
Hearings on Islamic extremism set the worst example
Filed under: Guest | Tags: commission on homeland security, Fedwa Wazwaz, Islam, Islamophobia, Muslims, peter king, terror hearings, tolerance
Leave a Comment By Fedwa Wazwaz, Engage Minnesota
Next month, the chair of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security plans to launch hearings on so-called domestic Islamic terrorism.
To justify the hearings, Rep. Peter King, R-New York, has made grossly irresponsible statements to right-wing broadcasters — claiming that 80 percent of U.S. mosques are extremist hotbeds and that Muslims aren’t cooperating with law enforcement.
Read Fedwa’s full article here.
Is It Me or Is It the Media? Engage Minnesota’s Manual for Journalists
Filed under: Tamim Saidi | Tags: al qaeda, holy war, Islam, Islamophobia, jihad, media, Muslims, terrorism, terrorist
Comments (1) Engage Minnesota is proud to present the following short manual written by our very own Tamim Saidi for journalists who seek to be fair toward Muslims in their journalistic work.
Is It Me or Is It the Media?
Muslims in the Media: Some suggestions for fair-minded journalists
At the outset, and before I start the discussion on presentation or misrepresentation of Muslims in the media, I feel obliged to acknowledge and thank all the great journalists who have gone out of their way to be fair in representing Muslims. I have personally met or communicated with some these great journalists. Being fair to Muslims is not an easy task in the prevalent commercial media culture where “if it bleeds, it leads” has become the motto of some commercial stations. Read more »
Why do U.S. allies so often turn out to be the bad guys?
Filed under: Guest | Tags: egypt, egypt revolution, egypt uprising, egypt violence, Islam, mubarak, Muslims, Tunisia, tunisian revolution
Leave a Comment By Hani Hamdan, Engage Minnesota
The events in Tunisia a few weeks ago and the ones unfolding in Egypt at the moment have been quite revealing of the type of leadership these two countries have had for the last few decades.
In Tunisia, as the ruling party was clinging to the last shreds of power in the final days of protests, it resorted to unmentionable measures in trying to quench the revolution.
See the rest of Hani’s article here.
Reflections on a senior center
Filed under: Guest | Tags: Islam, islamic school, madrassa, Minnesota, Muslims, respecting elders, seniors, terrorism
Comments (2) Read more »
In Times of Anger
Filed under: Guest | Tags: arizona shooting, Islam, loghner, terrorism, tuscon shooting
Leave a Comment By Fedwa Wazwaz, Engage Minnesota
As we reflect on the life of Martin Luther King Jr., it is beneficial for us to see the whole person and not just one moment of his life where he gave the “I have a dream speech.” King was angry at the sufferings that African Americans were enduring. He was not passive, a dreamer or in denial of what was happening around him. People who are in denial of what they are experiencing cannot solve their problems, but resort to escapism solutions like drugs and alcohol.
Read the rest of Fedwa’s article here. Also read the Part II article here.
Hate Kills
Filed under: Guest | Tags: arizona shooting, dupnik, giffords, hate, Islam, media, Muslims, terrorism
Leave a Comment “…the vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from people in the radio business and some people in the TV business…. When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government—the anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous, and unfortunately Arizona has become sort of the capital…. People tend to pooh-pooh this business about all the vitriol we hear inflaming the American public by people who make a living off of doing that. That may be free speech, but it’s not without consequences.”
Egypt’s Muslims express solidarity by acting as “human shields” for Coptic Churches
Filed under: Guest | Tags: coptic, egypt, Islam, jihad, muhammad, Muslims, terrorism, tolerance, violence
Comments (2) We thought it is important to show examples of solidarity and tolerance in a time when contention and division are celebrated by the media. In case you missed it, here are a few links:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/07/egypt.coptic.church.attack/index.html
http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/news/29940-egyptian-muslims-serve-as-christian-body-shields
My New Year’s Resolution
Filed under: Guest | Tags: american red cross, donate blood minnesota, Islam, islam donating blood, islamic teaching, new year resolution
Leave a Comment By Hani Hamdan, Engage Minnesota
New Year’s resolutions frequently seem to involve putting an end to an embarrassing aspect of one’s life. I am no exception and I have a long list of resolutions for many new years to come. I need to eat healthier, because it is embarrassing that I seem to consume more cheese than water. I need to exercise more because I’m embarrassed that my only physical activity seems to be walking to and from the car. I need to watch less TV because, let’s face it, I can never be as cool as Horatio. His deadly combination of red hair and trendy shades oozes with can’t-be-like-me-ness.
I can also live with a little less sarcasm. Read more »
My Flag Flies Above
Filed under: Guest | Tags: hijab, Islam, islamic dress, islamic garb, islamic hijab, women in Islam
Comments (1) The first time I prayed the Islamic prayer, or Salat, I stood in my living room in the silvery morning just moments before dawn. I was self-conscious and unsure of what to do. I had prepared flash cards to help me through the complicated process of standing, sitting and bowing while reciting verses in Arabic. I stood facing Mecca and folded my right hand across my chest. My left hand clutched a flash card that read: Read more »
CAIR Welcomes Top Muslim Leader’s Hajj Sermon Against Terror
Filed under: Guest | Tags: cair, Islam, muslims denounce terror, terrorism
Leave a Comment FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR Welcomes Top Muslim Leader’s Hajj Sermon Against Terror
Saudi religious leader tells pilgrims that Islam prohibits terror and extremism
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/15/10) –- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today welcomed an anti-terror statement by Saudi Arabia’s top religious leader made in a sermon at the peak of the Hajj, the most important event on Islam’s spiritual calendar. Read more »
“A Small Kindness”
Filed under: Guest | Tags: ayisha yahya, building blocks, hunger, Islam, Minnesota
Comments (3) Feeding the Hungry in the Twin Cities
By Ayisha Yahya.
A quick glance at your grocery bill is evidence that a dollar just doesn’t go as far as it used to – the cost of food is rising. But while some people can still afford to stock up the fridge and pantry, for others, hunger is a persistent problem. Read more »
Islam Awareness Week 2009 – “Islam Contributing to U.S. National Interests”
Filed under: Guest | Tags: Islam, islam awareness, national interest
Comments (2) By Lolla Mohammed Nur, Engage Minnesota
Every year, Muslim students at the University of Minnesota organize Islam Awareness Week, one of the largest events held by the Muslim community on campus for non-Muslim Minnesotans. Sponsored annually by the Muslim Students Association and Al-Madinah Cultural Center, Islam Awareness Week (IAW) has become a vibrant tradition usually filled with various events such as lectures, seminars, and featured entertainment. All are aimed at spreading awareness of Islam as a dynamic religion by presenting several contemporary issues from an Islamic perspective. Read more »
Muslims and People of Other Faiths
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: christianity, Islam, judaism, tolerance
Comments (5) 
Tamim Saidi
Reflections of an Imperfect Muslim
By Tamim Saidi, Engage Minnesota
Like many Muslims around the world, I grew up in a country that was 99.9% Muslim. Excluding a very small Hindu population, the only time we saw someone who was not a Muslim was on television. The vast majority of people in Afghanistan, my country of birth, like some other regions in the Muslim-majority parts of the world, had very little interaction with people of other faiths. Read more »
Powell Denounces Muslim-Bashing: ‘That’s Not America’
As former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for president on the NBC-TV program “Meet the Press” on Oct. 19, 2008, the conversation with host Tom Brokaw turned to tactics in the campaign that Powell said had “disappointed” him. Below is a verbatim portion of Powell’s comments:
Now, I understand what politics is all about. I know how you can go after one another, and that’s good. But I think this goes too far. And I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It’s not what the American people are looking for. And I look at these kinds of approaches to the campaign and they trouble me.
And the party has moved even further to the right, and Governor Palin has indicated a further rightward shift. I would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that’s what we’d be looking at in a McCain administration.
I’m also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, “Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.”
Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian.
But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?
The answer’s no, that’s not America.
Read more »
The Right to Food Threatened Worldwide
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Almanac of hunger and poverty, hunger, Islam, muslim, poverty, Ramadan, Uncategorized, world hunger
Comments (2) 
By Ramla Bile, Engage Minnesota
This month, Muslims across the world are observing Ramadan. In addition to its copious spiritual and personal benefits, the month provides an excellent opportunity to acknowledge the notion of freedom from hunger, and the extent to which the right to food is met locally, nationally, and internationally.
Women and Islam
Filed under: Tamim Saidi | Tags: Engage Minnesota, hijab, Islam, modest, modesty, muhammad, muslim, Prophet, Tamim Saidi, women, women rights
Comments (18) By Tamim Saidi, Engage Minnesota
Tamim Saidi
Based on my many conversations with Minnesotans about Islam, one of the most frequent criticisms I hear is the so-called “oppression of women.” As Muslims, we acknowledge that there are some Muslim women who are oppressed. But this oppression is not because of Islam, the religion, but rather because of cultures, traditions, politics, ethnic or tribal codes conduct or simply an individual’s desire to have dominion over another individual. Read more »
Counting the days to the End Times
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: apocalypse, Elias Karmi, end times, evangelical, hagee, Islam, Israel, jesus, judgement day, Muslims, prophecies, prophecy, second coming, Uncategorized
Comments (2) A Quick guide to the Islamic attitude toward prophecies
By Elias Karmi, Engage Minnesota
For some religions/denominations, notably Evangelical Christians, the subject of the End Times constitutes a formidable chunk of faith. Many of Pastor John Hagee’s books, from the fictional “Left Behind” series to “Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World,” attempt to predict the future according to interpretations of the Bible and have enjoyed tremendous popularity among Evangelical Christians. “Left Behind” was even made into a movie.
