Muslim American News Briefs, December 28, 2006

An Editorial Note From Al-Jazeerah: News articles may be reduced in size or slightly changed to conform to the Conflict Terminology guide adopted by Al-Jazeerah. Changes also include correcting Arabic names and editing. So, readers are advised that news articles may not represent their original form in verbatim or size, according to the mentioned original sources. Al-Jazeerah comments are in parentheses.

* Hadith: Celebrate on Eid Days
            - FL: Muslim Holiday is a Joyous Occasion (Sun-Sent)
* ISLAM-OPED: Abraham's Devotion Inspires Muslims, Christians, Jews
* Anti-Muslim Remarks Reflect Lack of Faith in America
            - Warning on Muslim Rep Gets It All Wrong (Sun-Times)
            - Not Goode Enough (Baltimore Sun)
* Uncle Sam Wants US Muslims to Serve (Christian Science Monitor)
* CAIR: Feud May Cast Texas Mosque Beside Swine (LA Times)
* CAIR-CA: Iran Disappoints with Conference (Sacramento Bee)
            - NH: Serving at Shelter Brings Jews, Muslims Together
* Anonymous Testimony of Israeli Agents Pushes Limits (LA Times)
* U.S. Muslims Celebrate Faith Western-Style (AP)
* Israel Breaks Promise to U.S. Approves New Settlement (AP)
            - Jimmy Carter's Book: A Palestinian View (WSJ)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: CELEBRATE ON EID DAYS - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) approved of celebrations on religious holidays such as Eid ul-Adha when he said: "(Islam) is spacious (and has room for relaxation), and I have been sent with an easy and straightforward religion."

The Prophet also said: "The days of (Eid) are days of eating and drinking (non-alcoholic drinks) and of remembering God, the Exalted."

Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 2, Number 153

VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD GIVES EVERY COMMUNITY RITES OF SACRIFICE

"For every community We established rites (of sacrifice) so that they may pronounce the name of God over the (animals) that He has given them for food. But the object is one and the same: to remember that your God is one God. So submit yourselves to Him and give good news to the humble, whose hearts tremble (with awe) at the mention of God; who endure adversity with patience, who establish prayer, and spend in charity out of what we have given them. . .It is neither (the sacrificial animal's) meat nor their blood that reaches God; it is your piety that reaches Him."

The Holy Quran, 22:34-37

NOTE: Each year on the holiday of Eid ul-Adha, Muslims sacrifice an animal in remembrance of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael at God's command. The meat is distributed to relatives and to the needy.

SEE ALSO:

FL: MUSLIM HOLIDAY IS A JOYOUS OCCASION - TOP
Suhail Nanji, Sun-Sentinel, 12/25/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-25forum56dec25,0,7988595.story

As Christian and Jewish communities in South Florida and all over the world join in celebration of the sacred traditions of Christmas and Hanukkah this month, so will Muslims celebrate their most important and respected holiday, Eid-Ul-Adha (EED-ul-ad-HAA). For most people, it may be a once-in-a-lifetime event to witness these three great religions celebrating something of great significance, not only to their respective followers, but to the whole of mankind.

Eid-Ul-Adha commemorates the sacrifice of the prophet Abraham, who is respected by the followers of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. It also marks the end of the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. Hajj is called the "largest peace gathering on Earth," with more than 2.5 million pilgrims gathering each year.

Hence, this holiday is a very special and joyous occasion for all Muslims as they exchange social visits and seek to strengthen bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood. Muslims also greet each other by saying "Eid mubarak" (EED-moo-BAR-ak), meaning "blessed Eid." (MORE)

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ISLAM-OPED: ABRAHAM'S DEVOTION INSPIRES MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS, JEWS - TOP

ISLAM-OPED is a national syndication service of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis.

CONTACT: ihooper@cair.com
TEL: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 (c)

Please consider the following commentary for publication AFTER DECEMBER 28, 2006. The Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Adha begins December 30th.

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ABRAHAM'S DEVOTION INSPIRES MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS, JEWS
By Asma Mobin-Uddin
WORD COUNT: 641 words

[Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin is a pediatrician and president of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Her upcoming children's book, The Best Eid Holiday Ever, is due to be published in the fall of 2007 and is about the Eid al-Adha holiday. She may be contacted at: asma@cair-ohio.com]

In the current climate, I hesitate to tell people that the biggest holiday of the Muslim year celebrates the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at God's command. I worry that people will associate the observance with the political situations we are seeing and will miss the profound beauty and strength of the story. Told in both the Bible and the Quran, the episode is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims, who all honor Abraham's example of righteousness and faith.

God tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his only son. Out of devotion and obedience, Abraham was willing to do so. Before the deed could take place, a ram was substituted for sacrifice instead of the boy. The lesson in this great trial of Abraham's is that people should love and be faithful to God above everything else in their lives.

Some are uncomfortable with this story because of the reference to child sacrifice. Others spend time arguing over which son it was. Both miss the point. Of course God does not want us to kill our children. Both the Bible and the Quran are clear that the purpose of the event was to test Abraham's devotion to God, not to condone a human sacrifice. And which son it was is irrelevant.

The prophets throughout the ages have taught this same message of faithfulness as the most important imperative in worshipping God. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might," Moses urged his followers (Deuteronomy 6:5). Jesus reaffirmed the same message, saying, "This is the first and greatest commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38). A prayer from the Quran reads, "Truly my prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are all for God, the Cherisher of the worlds" (Qur'an 6:162).

The Prophet Muhammad taught that the most important belief in Islam is that nothing is worthy of worship, nothing is deserving of one's complete love, devotion and obedience, except for God.

Whatever we love of the gifts God has given us, these gifts should not be more important to us than their source. If they are, then we have strayed. And many such "idols" compete for our time and attention. Our devotion to pursuing material wants, riches, fame, desires, or even leisure activities can border on worship. But Abraham's example reminds us what should be most important in our lives.

During the Hajj pilgrimage and the Eid al-Adha holiday, Muslims commemorate the history of the Prophet Abraham and his family. This year, these events take place during the last week of December.

Pilgrims in Mecca retrace Abraham's footsteps and rededicate themselves to following his example. As part of the Eid celebrations, Muslims have a sheep, camel or goat slaughtered, share part of the meat with family and friends in holiday meals, and donate at least one third of the meat to the poor. The symbolism of the sacrifice commemorates the trial of Abraham.

Devotion to God is the purpose of the sacrifice, not the actual meat or animal killed. Sharing holiday meals strengthens ties of family and friends, and donating the meat helps remind Muslims of their responsibilities to people in need. Food banks in America have reported an increase in fresh meat donations as Muslims donate to the poor the meat from this commemoration.

Muslims return from the Hajj with a renewed closeness and commitment to God. They recommit to loving and serving God above all else, with all their hearts, souls and minds, because nothing else is worthy of this devotion.

The opportunities for reflection and rededication to one's priorities are part of the many holidays celebrated this season. As we choose our paths, we have a tremendous example in the firm and sure footsteps of the great Prophet Abraham, the true in faith, the friend of God.

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CONGRESSMAN'S ANTI-MUSLIM REMARKS REFLECT A LACK OF FAITH IN AMERICA - TOP
Beaver County Times, 12/26/06
http://www.timesonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17632

981&BRD=2305&PAG=461&dept_id=478566&rfi=6

We have nothing to fear but ourselves.

In the depths of the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt counseled Americans that they had nothing to fear but fear itself.

Today, some Americans are letting their fears get the better of them when it comes to Muslims, especially those living in the United States.

In a jaw-dropping letter to constituents, U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., played to the worst of some people's fears. The Associated Press reported that Goode wrote that unless immigration is tightened, "many more Muslims" will be elected and follow the lead of a recently elected lawmaker who plans to use the Quran at his ceremonial swearing-in.

He was referring to Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat and the first Muslim elected to Congress. . .

Guess what? The nativists were wrong - and they will always be wrong. At some basic level, they are the ones who are afraid of the American dream. They fear change. They are frightened by anyone who is not like them. They want to maintain the status quo in an ever-changing world.

Don't listen to them. Our nation is better than that. Have faith in the future. Have faith in America.

SEE ALSO:

WARNING ON MUSLIM GETS IT ALL WRONG - TOP
Chicago Sun-Times, 12/26/06
http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/186024,CST-EDT-edits26b.article

It's hard to decide where to start when criticizing Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. (R-Va.), who thinks Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, poses a serious threat to American values. His complaint is short on the facts and short on logic, not to mention being short on tolerance. And it's disrespectful to the voters who elected Ellison. (MORE)

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NOT GOODE ENOUGH - TOP
Baltimore Sun, 12/26/06
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-ed.goode26dec26,0,6224822.story

Shameful enough that in this season of peace on earth, good will toward men arrived with an insult to the first Muslim member of Congress from one of his new colleagues.

Even more disturbing was the ignorance reflected in Republican Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr.'s remarks: He asserted that Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison represents the first wave of a major Muslim migration into the United States that threatens American values.

Americans sincerely trying to put aside their biases are not well-served by elected officials who proudly espouse wrongheaded views fostering distrust and hatred. (MORE)

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UNCLE SAM WANTS US MUSLIMS TO SERVE - TOP
The Pentagon builds Islamic prayer rooms and hires imams to make military life more appealing.
Richard Whittle, Christian Science Monitor, 12/26/06
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1227/p03s01-usmi.html

WASHINGTON - As US troops battle Islamic extremists abroad, the Pentagon and the armed forces are reaching out to Muslims at home.

An underlying goal is to interest more Muslims in the military, which needs officers and troops who can speak Arabic and other relevant languages and understand the culture of places like Iraq and Afghanistan. The effort is also part of a larger outreach. Pentagon officials say they are striving for mutual understanding with Muslims at home and abroad and to win their support for US war aims. Among the efforts to attract and retain Muslim cadets:

o West Point and the other service academies have opened Muslim prayer rooms, as have military installations.

o Imams serve full- and part-time as chaplains at the academies and some bases.

o Top non-Muslim officers and Pentagon officials have taken to celebrating religious events with Muslims overseas and here in the US.

"There is a message here, and that is that Muslims and the Islamic religion are totally compatible with Western values," says Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England in an interview. (MORE)

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CAIR: FEUD MAY CAST MOSQUE BESIDE SWINE - TOP
A Texas man's response to a he said-he said dispute with Muslim neighbors: pig races on Friday nights.
Lianne Hart, Los Angeles Times, 12/26/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-pigraces26dec26,1,3909504.story

KATY, TEXAS - While Kamel Fotouh makes plans to build a mosque on 11 acres of pasture here, neighbor Craig A. Baker is making plans of his own - plans to hold pig races.

Baker figures he'll need a tent, souvenirs and a track for the pigs to race on, all in full view of the Muslims next door, for whom pigs are forbidden as food.

As a bonus, Baker will host the competition on Friday - a Muslim holy day.

This is not meant as a slur on Islam, Baker said. It's a dispute between two neighbors. "A lot of people are making this into a racist situation, a redneck guy from Texas saying 'We're going to put on pig races,' " he said. "But I'm standing up for property rights."

The trouble started in October, shortly after the Katy Islamic Assn. bought the land next to Baker's marble business. . .

Another resident's website, anonymously registered, features an odometer-like counter that keeps track of attacks that "Islamic terrorists have carried out" since Sept. 11; a link to the FBI; and a link to a recording of the Muslim call to prayer. "Get used to it," reads the tagline. "You will be hearing it 5 times a day 365 days a year." . . .

Recent polls show that residents here aren't alone in their fears. About a quarter of respondents in a Gallup Poll in the summer said they would not want to live next door to a Muslim. A third thought that Muslims in the United States sympathized with Al Qaeda.

An independent poll released by the Council on American-Islamic Relations found in March that one in three Americans associated the word "Islam" with "war," "hatred" or "terrorist."

CAIR spokeswoman Rabiah Ahmed said it was not uncommon for people to say that a mosque would bring down their property values. "In order to stay away from being labeled racist, they try to come up with a more sophisticated response to support their opposition," she said. (MORE)

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CAIR-CA: IRAN DISAPPOINTS WITH CONFERENCE - TOP
Sacramento Bee, 12/22/06
http://www.sacbee.com/326/story/96428.html

Re "Defiling history: Iran showcases Holocaust deniers," Dec. 14: As a Muslim American and on behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Sacramento Valley, I'm terribly disappointed that the government of Iran hosted a conference where many of the invited guests were known Holocaust deniers.

Regardless of the attempt to provoke American and Israeli sentiments for the minimization of Arab suffering in the Middle East, minimizing and denying the suffering of Jews during World War II is not only painful, but dangerous. It also goes against the Quran's injunction on Muslims to stand up for justice, even if it is against themselves (4:135).

If Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to make a political statement about Iraq, Palestine or even Zionism, let him do so without falling into something that the Quran warned about "O you who believe! Be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with justice, and let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably; act equitably, that is nearer to piety, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah; surely Allah is aware of what you do" (5:8).

-- Dina El-Nakhal, Davis

SEE ALSO:

NH: SERVING AT SHELTER BRINGS JEWS, MUSLIMS TOGETHER - TOP
RILEY YATES, Union Leader, 12/26/06

MANCHESTER - Preparing this Christmas meal were girls in Muslim head scarves side by side with members of the local reform synagogue.

Christmas may be a Christian holiday, but two other faiths were building their own tradition around it in the Queen City.

Inside the kitchen of New Horizon shelter bustled a group of volunteers who, while Christmas isn't their holiday, recognize in their own ways what in Hebrew is called a mitzvah, or good deed.

In the dining hall decorated with a tree and wreaths, a band played carols.

Dozens of the less fortunate awaited a meal that would warm the heart of Saint Nicholas himself: roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes.

For more than 25 years, members of Temple Adath Yeshurun, a Prospect Street synagogue, have been volunteering during Christmas and Christmas Eve, lending a hand at the soup kitchen, hospitals and Meals on Wheels to allow Christians to spend time with their families.

Yesterday, they were joined by the Islamic Society of Greater Manchester, in a partnership the two faiths hope will build cooperation and bridge divides that extend far beyond their communities. (MORE)

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ANONYMOUS TESTIMONY PUSHES LIMITS - TOP
Defense lawyers say justice isn't served if they can't know the identities of the Israeli agents.
Greg Krikorian, Los Angeles Times, 12/26/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-na-witnesses26dec26,1,3694525.story

In three current high-profile criminal cases, federal prosecutors have asked that the identities of Israeli government witnesses be withheld from defendants and their attorneys - a move some legal scholars see as a highly unusual end run around the 6th Amendment.

Defense attorneys in all three cases have argued, with mixed results, that allowing U.S. prosecutors to keep the witnesses' identities secret - as demanded by Israel to protect its agents - violates their clients' constitutional right to confront their accusers.

Though courts have allowed witnesses to testify in secured courtrooms or found other ways to protect their identities when they might be in danger, experts say it is extraordinary to keep the identities secret even from defense attorneys.

"It absolutely gives me pause," said Jeffrey L. Fisher, a Stanford University law professor and 6th Amendment expert. "The essence of cross-examination is often being able to do a background investigation on the witness and use that as a lever for questioning their testimony. And if you take that away from a defendant, he is not left with very much."

Fisher added, "I can safely say the Supreme Court has never had a case about testifying under a pseudonym."

In Chicago, a federal judge recently permitted two Israeli agents to testify anonymously against two men accused of aiding the Palestinian group Hamas, designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization since 1995. Judge Amy J. St. Eve said that the right to learn a witness' identity was "not absolute" and that the use of pseudonyms for the Israeli agents was justified because of their assignments. (MORE)

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MUSLIMS CELEBRATE FAITH WESTERN-STYLE - TOP
Lubna Takruri, Associated Press, 12/26/06
http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20061225-095142-8394r.htm

At a recent prayer service in Sterling, there was talk of decorations, gifts and the upcoming holiday, but the conversations at the All-Dulles Area Muslim Society mosque were not about Christmas.

They were about Eid ul-Adha, the large Muslim festival that begins Dec. 31 and is celebrated in ways similar to the Christian holiday -- family visits, toys for the youngsters, a large meal and commemoration of a religious history.

During a month filled with holiday cheer, some of the estimated 6 million Muslims living in the United States say Eid ul-Adha gives them a chance to celebrate their faith with a nod to Western traditions.

Jean McTigue, 33, went home after a recent prayer service to hang decorations with her family. She is American-born with Irish and German roots, but she converted to Islam when she was 18. Instead of a Christmas tree, she now puts up custom lettering that reads "Happy Eid."

She, her husband and five children get together with family members who are Christian for an inclusive "holiday party" that her mother throws.

Farrukh Shahbaz, 41, who moved to Northern Virginia from Pakistan six years ago with her husband and three daughters, said she embraces the traditions of both countries.

"I tell my kids, Christmas is the American Eid," she said, "and our Eid is coming in a few days."

While others were Christmas shopping this month, her daughters were at the mall buying their Eid gifts. (MORE)

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ISRAEL APPROVES NEW WEST BANK SETTLEMENT - TOP
RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press, 12/26/06
http://www.dailycomet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/API/612263354

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has approved a new settlement in the West Bank to house former Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, officials said Tuesday, breaking a promise to the U.S. to halt home construction in the Palestinian territories.

SEE ALSO:

JIMMY CARTER'S BOOK: A PALESTINIAN VIEW - TOP
ALI ABUNIMAH, Wall Street Journal, 12/26/06
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116709416381459276.html

President Carter has done what few American politicians have dared to do: speak frankly about the Israel-Palestine conflict. He has done this nation, and the cause of peace, an enormous service by focusing attention on what he calls "the abominable oppression and persecution in the occupied Palestinian territories, with a rigid system of required passes and strict segregation between Palestine's citizens and Jewish settlers in the West Bank."

The 39th president of the United States, the most successful Arab-Israeli peace negotiator to date, has braved a storm of criticism, including the insinuation from the pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League that his arguments are anti-Semitic.

Mr. Carter has tried to mollify critics by suggesting that his is not a commentary on Israeli policy inside Israel's own borders, as compared with the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem -- territories Israel occupied in 1967. He told NPR, "I know that Israel is a wonderful democracy with equal treatment of all citizens whether Arab or Jew. And so I very carefully avoided talking about anything inside Israel."

Given the pressure he has faced, it may be understandable that Mr. Carter says this, but he is wrong. In addition to nearly four million Palestinians living under Israeli rule in the occupied territories, another one million live inside Israel's pre-1967 borders. These Palestinians are descendants of those who were not forced out or did not flee when Israel was created in 1948.

They have nominal Israeli citizenship, and unlike blacks in apartheid South Africa, they do vote for the country's parliament. Yet this is where any sense of equality ends. In Israel's history, no Arab-led party has ever been asked to join a coalition government. And, among scores of Jewish ministers, there has only ever been one Arab minister, of junior rank.

Discrimination against non-Jewish citizens both informal and legalized is systematic. Non-Jewish children attend separate schools and live in areas that receive a fraction of the funding of their Jewish counterparts. The results can be seen in the much poorer educational attainment, economic, health and life outcomes of Palestinian citizens of Israel. Much of the land of the country, controlled by the quasi-governmental Jewish National Fund, cannot be leased or sold to non-Jews. This is similar in effect to the restrictive covenants that in many U.S. cities once kept nonwhites out of certain neighborhoods.

A 2003 law stipulates that an Israeli citizen may bring a non-citizen spouse to live in Israel from anywhere in the world, excluding a Palestinian from the occupied territories. A civil rights leader in Israel likened it to the American anti-miscegenation measures from the 1950s, when mixed race couples had to leave the state of Virginia to marry legally.

For Palestinians, the most blatant form of discrimination is Israel's "Law of Return," that allows a Jewish person from any country to settle in Israel. Meanwhile, family members of Palestinian citizens of Israel, living in exile, sometimes in refugee camps just a few miles outside Israel's borders, are not permitted to set foot in the country.

The rise of Avigdor Lieberman, the new deputy prime minister, who openly advocates stripping Palestinians in Israel of citizenship and transferring them outside the state, reflects increasingly extremist politics. (MORE)

Mr. Abunimah is the author of "One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse" (Metropolitan Books, 2006).

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