Muslim Americans Urge Community Members to Vote in Upcoming Election...
October 29, 2010 Kane Farabaugh | Chicago, Illinois Representatives Keith Ellison from Minnesota and Andre Carson from Indiana are currently the only Muslim American members of Congress. But they represent a growing segment of the U.S. population that is often in the spotlight as a result of racial profiling and religious intolerance. In an effort to seek better representation in Washington, many Muslim American communities across the country are organizing voting drives to ensure those that can vote, have their voices heard in the upcoming midtern elections. It is a cool and unusually windy evening in the suburban Chicago community of Bridgeview. Not far from the local mosque, which towers over the homes in this predominately Muslim-American neighborhood,...
Local US Farmers Cater to Muslim Traditions...
September 30, 2010 Jeff Swicord | Mount Airy, Maryland Many Muslim-Americans have often had difficulty finding Halal-certified meat, or meat slaughtered in according to Islamic tradition, in their local grocery stores. Sometimes, they have resorted to buying whole goats or lambs on farms and slaughtering them on-site themselves, in accordance with tradition. But this is illegal in many parts of the United States. Realizing the growing Muslim market in the U.S., some American farmers are opening legal halal-certified slaughterhouses with great success. After 37 years of working with livestock on other people’s farms, Joe Kavanagh decided to open a slaughterhouse on his own farm with a unique clientele in mind. Part of his business is catering to Muslims,...
Get to know a Muslim, rather than hate one...
Updated 9/26/2010 6:17 PM By Tom Krattenmaker And then you’d know that the situation was bound to play out on a whole different frequency. At flashpoints from Temecula, Calif., to Gainesville, Fla., to New York, N.Y., and all along the low road in between, mongers of fear and haters of the “other” are sounding the alarm about Islam with a new level of intensity. To hear it from conservative spokesman Newt Gingrich and those of a similar persuasion, the Muslims between our shores are bent on taking over the country and imposing their “un-American” values. This demonizing and demagoguery is beneath us. My plea to those tempted to fall for the beware-of-all-Muslims hype: Get to know someone before you decide to fear...
Greg Mortenson Fights Terror With Education...
September 13, 2010 Nancy Greenleese | Denver, Colorado Greg Mortenson looks like a typical climber. He’s a towering, boyish man in his fifties, wearing frayed khakis, a tan top and only socks on his feet – no pretensions whatsoever as he addresses about 400 people packed into a Denver area bookstore. Using slides, he tells the story detailed in Three Cups of Tea, his book about climbing K2, the world’s second tallest peak, which straddles the Pakistan-China border. In 1993, Mortenson came within hundreds of meters of the summit where he planned to honor his late sister. But an illness forced the California nurse and his climbing party to descend. A devastated Mortenson got lost on the way...
9/11 Widow Turns From Tragedy to Helping Afghan Women...
September 07, 2010 Faiza Elmasry | Washington, DC The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks brought about many changes in American society. The government established a new department to deal with terrorist threats. Airports instituted tough new security rules. Public awareness of Islam and Muslim countries grew and – in many cases – so did distrust and hate. But one woman whose life was turned upside down on September 11th turned that personal tragedy into healing and hope for women half a world away. Terrible loss Susan Retik Ger doesn’t like to remember September 11, 2001. Her husband was on American Airlines Flight 11 when hijackers seized control and flew it into the World Trade Center. “My husband, David,...
Sense of Community Supports US Muslims During Ramadan...
September 02, 2010 Sandra LeMaire | Washington Midway through the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims gather at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, or ADAMS Center, mosque to pray. Located in Reston, Virginia, the center was formed 25 years ago to attend to the needs of the Muslim community. Deputy Director Khalid Iqbal says people from 15 different countries, including the United States, participate in the center’s wide range of activities. During this time, ADAMS sees a spike in attendance. “During the month of Ramadan, we also serve meals every evening for breaking fast for almost four to five hundred people,” Iqbal explains. “I think because of the hardship and tough economic times more and more people are coming...
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