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Obama Muslim co-ordinator resigns
Barack Obama's Muslim outreach adviser has resigned from the US Democratic presidential candidate's campaign after reports emerged about a previous link to an imam with ties to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.
Mazen Asbahi, a Chicago lawyer, stepped down from Obama's campaign on Monday, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal newspaper published on Wednesday.
"I am stepping down from the volunteer role I recently agreed to take on with the Obama campaign as Arab-American and Muslim-American co-ordinator in order to avoid distracting from Barack Obama's message of change," Asbahi said in a statement the paper reported.
Asbahi sat briefly on the board of Allied Assets Advisors Fund in 2000 alongside Jamal Said, an imam at a mosque in the state of Illinois who the paper said had been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political group in Egypt.
Said had also been investigated by US authorities over fundraising for Hamas, a Palestinian political faction, the newspaper reported. Barack Obama's Muslim outreach adviser has resigned from the US Democratic presidential candidate's campaign after reports e... more -
Muslim Voters Detect a Snub From Obama
Excerpt:
As Senator Barack Obama courted voters in Iowa last December, Representative Keith Ellison, the country’s first Muslim congressman, stepped forward eagerly to help.
Mr. Ellison believed that Mr. Obama’s message of unity resonated deeply with American Muslims. He volunteered to speak on Mr. Obama’s behalf at a mosque in Cedar Rapids, one of the nation’s oldest Muslim enclaves. But before the rally could take place, aides to Mr. Obama asked Mr. Ellison to cancel the trip because it might stir controversy. Another aide appeared at Mr. Ellison’s Washington office to explain.
“I will never forget the quote,” Mr. Ellison said, leaning forward in his chair as he recalled the aide’s words. “He said, ‘We have a very tightly wrapped message.’ ”
"When Mr. Obama began his presidential campaign, Muslim Americans from California to Virginia responded with enthusiasm, seeing him as a long-awaited champion of civil liberties, religious tolerance and diplomacy in foreign affairs. But more than a year later, many say, he has not returned their embrace.
While the senator has visited churches and synagogues, he has yet to appear at a single mosque. Muslim and Arab-American organizations have tried repeatedly to arrange meetings with Mr. Obama, but officials with those groups say their invitations — unlike those of their Jewish and Christian counterparts — have been ignored. Last week, two Muslim women wearing head scarves were barred by campaign volunteers from appearing behind Mr. Obama at a rally in Detroit." Excerpt: ... more -
Baptist Church Closes Property to Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
Organizers of an interfaith Thanksgiving celebration scrambled to find a new location for the annual event after an Austin, TX evangelical Baptist megachurch objected to Muslims worshipping on its property. Organizers of an interfaith Thanksgiving celebration scrambled to find a new location for the annual event after an Austin, TX evangel... more
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Muslim Fear in America
Brandi Fowler looks at how fear has risen among the Muslim-American community since 9/11.
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Footbaths to Benefit Muslims
Nationwide, more than a dozen universities have footbaths, many installed in new buildings. On some campuses, like George Mason University in Virginia, and Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich., there was no outcry. At Eastern Michigan, even some Muslim students were surprised by the appearance of the footbath a single spigot delivering 45 seconds of water in a partitioned corner of the restroom in the new student union. Nationwide, more than a dozen universities have footbaths, many installed in new buildings. On some campuses, like George Mason Univer... more
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How American Muslims could become as alienated as European Muslims.
Slate: The two terrorist attacks known worldwide by their dates9/11 and 7/7inspired suspicion of Muslims in communities in both Europe and America. But each one also symbolizes the different relations each continent has with their Muslim populations. On 9/11, America was attacked by Muslims who came here solely for the purpose of attacking it. On 7/7, London was bombed by British Muslims who were products of their own society. What lessons Europe and America each draw from this will determine the future of their Muslims and their national identity. Slate: The two terrorist attacks known worldwide by their dates9/11 and 7/7inspired suspicion of Muslims in communities in both Euro... more
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