Archive for the ‘terrorism’ Tag
Points to consider before being suspicious of the next random Muslim you meet
Filed under: Guest | Tags: Islam, muslim anti terrorist, muslim efforts against terror, Muslims, muslims against terror, terrorism
Leave a Comment By Hani Hamdan, Engage Minnesota
You’ve probably seen a Muslim in a public place at some point in time. Given the rising anti-Muslim sentiment in the US, you probably went through the brief discomfort associated with the questions: “Is it wrong to feel suspicious about this guy?” and “How do I know he/she isn’t plotting something?”
Right wing pundits wish to make you believe that you’re being forced under the pressure of illogical “political correctness” to treat Muslims with equality. I’m here to tell you that you can put all notions of political correctness aside and simply look at the facts:
Terrorism Has No Religion
By Hajra Zaid, 9th grader at Century High School in Rochester, MN
I remember in 8th grade, my school hosted an inspirational speaker, Calvin Terrell. His presentation had a lot to do with racism, discrimination and the grotesque realities of today regarding these things. There was one point in the presentation when he would flash words onto a screen and we students would have to say the first race that we associated with that word. The list went on, and the reactions of the students were highly stereotypical. Then came the last word, “terrorist.” I remember bracing myself for the worst; students around me stared yelling not only races, but religions, people and countries. After hearing them repeatedly saying Islam, Muslims, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and so on, I became mortified. People need to know what Islam really is, not what the media and stereotypes spell it out to be. Islam is drowning in the misconceptions placed upon it, and it is being distrusted and hated for what it is not. There is no teaching in Islam that condones hate and violence against non-Muslims; in fact, all of the teachings prohibit aggression and injustice towards not only other human beings, but also every creation of God. Read more »
Press release condemning the horrific suicide bombing in Mogadishu
Filed under: Guest | Tags: Islam, mogadishu, mogadishu terror, Muslims, somali Americans, somalia, terrorism
Leave a Comment In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Islamic League of Somali Scholars in America
504 Cedar Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55454
Minneapolis, MN – October 4, 2011
PRESS RELEASE CONDEMNING THE HORRIFIC SUICIDE BOMBING IN MOGADISHU
The Islamic League of Somali Scholars in America strongly condemns the horrific suicide bombing that claimed many innocent lives in Mogadishu.
Abu Hurayra (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Every Muslim is forbidden from transgressing against the blood, property, and honor of another Muslim.” (Related by Muslim and Ahmed).
1. We extend our condolences to the families of those who lost their brothers/sisters, children, parents, and relatives in this senseless attack in Mogadishu.
- May Allah grant His Mercy to those who were killed.
- May Allah grant swift healing to those injured in the blast.
2. This criminal act goes against the teachings of Islam and all human norms.
3. We also declare that anyone who blows himself up or commits suicide may earn Hellfire in the following three ways:
- Taking his own life
- Killing an innocent life that has not committed any wrongdoing
- Justifying the spilling of an inviolable blood
4. We call on the Somali people to extend urgent assistance to the people affected by this heinous act
Our success comes from Allah,
And peace be upon you,
Sheikh Abdirahman Sharif Mohamed,
President, Islamic League of Somali Scholars in America
Email: shabraahin@yahoo.com; Telephone: (612) 558-5389
My 9/11 experience
Filed under: Guest | Tags: 9/11, al qaeda, discrimination, Islam, Islamophobia, Muslims, post 9/11, terrorism, terrorists
Leave a Comment By Rihab Naheel
I rarely think of 9/11. I know that almost every one has been affected by this day in one way or another. It was 10 years ago and yet it feels like yesterday. I had to remember that day against my will the other day, long before the actual date came, while teaching a grammar lesson. Yes, this day creeps up in unexpected places, unexpected times. Read more »
Countering Islamophobia on the Tenth Anniversary of September 11 Attacks
Filed under: Guest | Tags: al qaeda, asma adam, Islam, Islamophobia, muslim-americans, terrorism
Leave a Comment By Asma Adam
If asked whether Muslim-Americans should be treated fairly, most Americans would answer “yes.” However, America has had its struggles with racism, bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination in its history and it seems that Muslim-Americans are now on the receiving end of these hateful reactions. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001 by Al-Qaeda terrorists, Muslim-Americans have had to deal with mistrust, fear, discrimination, and greater scrutiny. For instance, Muslim-Americans experience traveling restrictions, extra airport searches, denial of immigration cases, and deportations. Just because some Muslims commit horrific atrocities in the name of Islam does not mean that all Muslims are responsible for such actions. There needs to be a more fair way of viewing current issues. There must be a balance between security concerns and protecting civil rights. Read more »
Minnesotans Standing Together on 9/11/2011
Filed under: Guest | Tags: 9-11, 9/11, 9/11 10th anniversary, 911-11, interfaith, Islam, Minnesota Muslims, minnesotans standing together, Muslims, muslims against terror, terrorism
Comments (1) Islamophobes’ authoritarian contemptuous attitude toward the American public
Filed under: Guest | Tags: anti-muslim, bigotry, CAP report on islamophobia, david horowitz, david yerushalmi, fear inc, hate speech, Islam, Islamophobia, pam geller, racism, robert spencer, terrorism
Comments (2) By Hani Hamdan, Engage Minnesota
Much of the industry of Islamophobia these days seems to operate based on a perceived existential threat to the American identity – the threat that somehow Americans may become “Islamicized” en masse and be brainwashed by Muslims either into converting to Islam or adopting Islamic viewpoints. The rhetoric of bigots like Robert Spencer and David Horowitz warns America from being nobbled into somehow becoming a Muslim nation.
Regardless of the hilarity of such a claim, there is something else about it that should be deeply insulting to Americans: It presumes that Americans are stupid. Read more »
American pundits’ anti-Muslim hate speech predictably ends up costing lives
Filed under: Guest | Tags: Anders Breivik, anti-muslim, ayan hirsi ali, hate speech, Islam, Islamophobia, norway attacks, pam geller, robert spencer, terrorism
Comments (1) By Hani Hamdan, Engage Minnesota
This is not to say that Islamophobia has not already cost a barrage of human lives. In addition to direct hate crimes committed against Muslims and Muslim-looking individuals in the US and Europe, hate speech against Muslims or at least the broad criticism of Muslims’ way of life is to blame, in my opinion, for the general public’s inaction toward the thousands of lost lives deemed “collateral damage” during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Read more »
Islamophobia Driven by Guroor, not Fear of Terrorism
Filed under: Fedwa Wazwaz | Tags: guroor, Habib Ali, Islam, Islamophobia, terrorism
Leave a Comment By Fedwa Wazwaz, Engage Minnesota
Organisation of The Islamic Conference condemns the killing of UN Staff members during protests in Mazar-i- Sharif
Filed under: Guest | Tags: Islam, Muslims condemning UN killings, OIC, quran burning, terrorism, terry jones, UN killings
Leave a Comment Recalling his warning against unforeseen and volatile consequences of the outrageous and irresponsible act of burning the Holy Quran, Prof. Ihsanoglu reiterated OIC’s position on a normative approach to deal with the acts of discrimination and incitement to violence on religious grounds – through concerted efforts by the international community- with a view to avoiding recurrence of incidents caused by inflamed religious sentiments.”
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.
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 »
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
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 »
Peaceful Tomorrows Statement on the 7th Anniversary of 9/11
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 9/11, Afghanistan, Guest bloggers, Iraq, Peaceful Tomorrows, terrorism, War on Terror
Comments (2) “…we never wanted wars of retaliation that would cause the deaths of innocent civilians in other nations.”
By September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Peaceful Tomorrows Statement on the 7th Anniversary of 9/11.
Letter via Email
The experience of yet another anniversary of 9/11 provides an occasion to reflect upon the hopes and beliefs that brought the members of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows together. In response to the terrorist attacks that killed our family members, we never wanted wars of retaliation that would cause the deaths of innocent civilians in other nations. We never wanted hunger for revenge to lead America to violate international law, abandon Constitutional rights, or engage in torture.
