




First congressional hearing on the civil rights of American Muslim

Despite the comparative lack of attention, the session chaired by Durbin (D-Ill.) made history as the first congressional hearing on the civil rights of American Muslims. About 50 people waited in line for the door of 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building to open, including a half-dozen high school students who had been sleeping on the floor since about 7 a.m. It was 90 minutes shorter, with noticeably less security and media attention — and fewer fireworks. But Sen. Richard J. Durbin’s hearing Tuesday on Muslim civil rights featured the same partisan sparring and many of the same arguments as Rep. Peter T. King’s hearing on Muslim radicals just three weeks ago.

Like the Homeland Security Committee hearing chaired by King (R-N.Y.), Tuesday’s Judiciary subcommittee session attracted Muslim leaders, civil liberties attorneys, curious graduate students and advocates for everything from conservative Christian marriage to interfaith tolerance.

Nearly a decade after 9/11, anti-Muslim harassment cases are now the largest category of religious discrimination in education cases. In addition, there has been a 163 percent increase in workplace complaints from Muslims to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission since the 2001 attacks, Perez said.

The hearing seemed to crystallize some of the key arguments made in current discussions about Islam: The importance of Muslims cooperating with law enforcement vs. some Muslims’ wariness of officials who they suspect of entrapment. Concern about discrimination against Muslims vs. concern about Muslims being discriminated against in their own community for being too outspoken against radicalization. Whether the rise in anti-Muslim incidents is being overblown when the vast majority of discrimination complaints reported to the FBI are about discrimination against Jews.

Tension grows between Calif. Muslims, FBI after informant infiltrates mosque


In Irvine, California, a sting backfired when the infiltrated FBI informant, Craig Monteilh, himself was turned in by the mosque leaders as a possible jihadist. Muslims were so alarmed by his talk of violent jihad that they obtained a restraining order against him. He had helped build a terrorism-related case against a mosque member, but that also collapsed.




US administration lifts visa ban on Tariq Ramadan

The US administration has lifted a ban on Tariq Ramadan, in a move hailed by a rights group as a victory for civil liberties. Ramadan had been barred from the United States due to alleged terrorism ties, which he denies. He was also a strong critic of the Iraq war.

Ramadan is “delighted” and believes this “brings an end to a dark period in American politics that saw security considerations invoked to block critical debate through a policy of exclusion and baseless allegation.”


Adam Habib, a professor at the University of Johannesburg, is now allowed to visit the US as well.

CAIR celebrates 15 years of Muslim civil liberties defense; Muslims weigh in on effectiveness

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is celebrating 15 years of defending the civil rights of Muslims in the United States. Since 9/11, the organization has been more involved with Congress and law enforcement to advocate Muslim issues and ensure policies and investigations target the right groups while protecting the rights of law abiding Muslims.

To commemorate its success, IslamOnline.net discusses CAIR and its effectiveness with Muslims from an array of backgrounds.

Spooked: How Not to Prevent Violent Extremism

This report discusses Britain’s “Prevent” program, a government anti-terror initiative that allegedly spies on innocent Muslims. In violation of civil liberties, the program allegedly collects data on thoughts, political views, information on mental health, sexual activity and associates, and other sensitive information. All information can be stored until Muslims concerned reach age 100. It has been dubbed Britain’s largest spying program in modern times.

ACLU seeks full Muslim surveillance records from FBI




Muslim coalition to hold briefing on Obama trip, civil liberties concerns

The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), a coalition of major national Islamic organizations, will hold a briefing to discuss President Obama’s visit to Turkey and how his visit relates to the issues of: the rise of Islamophobia in the US, deteriorating relations between the FBI and American Muslims, the dissemination of inaccurate and agenda-driven information by DHS-recognized “fusion centers,” and Muslims’ concerns about new Justice Department guidelines that allow ethnicity and race to be factors in opening an FBI probe. The press conference will take place on Monday, April 6th at noon, in Washington DC.

AMT chairperson Agha Saeed stated that “While it is vitally important for President Obama to reach out to the Muslim world, it is equally important that he address serious concerns American Muslims have about domestic policies that negatively impact civil liberties and seem to reflect the growth of Islamophobic attitudes in our nation.”

UK is best country for Euro-Muslims

Practicing Islam in the United Kingdom has become as easy – if not easier – than in many majority-Muslim states, according to a leading British Muslim cleric. But concerns have been raised over rumors that the British government is preparing anti-terror legislation (known as Contest 2) that would classify British Muslims as extremists if they have refused to condemn the killing of British soldiers in conflict or have described homosexuality as a sin.

Supporting jihad in any form, including in the Palestinian territories, or promoting the institution of Shari’a law or the establishment of a Caliphate (an Islamic state transcending national borders) would also legally fall within the parameters of extremism.

Even so, many British Muslims believe that leading a truly pious Islamic life is facilitated by the benefits of living in a liberal democratic society such as the United Kingdom.

“In some respects, living in the UK can actually make leading a ‘God-centered’ life easier than living in some, or even many Muslim countries,” said Abdur Raheem Green, an imam at the London Central Mosque. “This is partly due to certain freedoms, civil liberties and adherence to a code of human rights that are essential components of liberal democracies.”

A British convert to Islam, Green explained that because of these key features of democratic societies, “one is able to practice all of the essential components of the religion and even many non-essential ones, as well as being able to invite others to accept this truth.”

Islam and Obama: American Muslims overwhelmingly voted Democratic

An article by Newsweek describes and follows the connection between ‘Muslim’ and the 2008 US presidential election, from fabrications concerning president-elect Obama’s religious background to the rise in Muslims working on the campaign and surge in Muslim support for Barack Obama.

In this election, many Muslim Americans changed their party affiliation from Republican to Democratic – a stark change from the strong Muslim support for George Bush in 2000. Today, more than 2/3 of Muslim Americans consider themselves to be Democrats, while just four percent see themselves as Republican.

A major rift and shift occurred as many Muslim Americans became subject to wiretapping, mishandling of civil liberties, religious, ethnic, and racial profiling, in addition to mounting concerns over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. With an estimated 89 percent of Muslim Americans voting for Obama, many cite him as the American every-person, the quintessential American mutt with veins to a pluralistic and diverse background that many in the diverse Muslim American community can relate to.
