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I wish I could have been at the KDOT Operations meeting, I am ready to be back home in Kansas. Last week the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team that I work for held a Ramadan Iftar dinner for 330 Kirkuki dignitaries and 350 body guards, military, and other security staff. During the month of Ramadan Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset which means not eating or drinking all day. At sundown the Imams from each Mosque broadcast the call to prayer and that signals the time everyone can drink and eat. I tried to fast for the first week, because my...

THE HAGUE, 01/10/08 - The Dutch embassy in London has sponsored an Islamic festival. Other countries including the US also did so, Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen says in a letter to parliament. The Party for Freedom (PVV) wanted to know whether it was true that the Dutch embassy in London sponsored the UK Ramadan festival. The minister acknowledges that indeed 15,000 euros has been donated to the festival from the Public Diplomacy Projects budget. Verhagen has no objection to the subsidy. He rejects a PVV call to ensure that such subsidies never occur any more in future. "The request for...

Managing the restive Turkic people is developing into one of China's biggest challenges. Like the Tibetans, the Uighurs have been unwilling to buy into the government's plan: greater economic prosperity instead of greater religious freedom or autonomy. Several local governments have posted lists of warnings on their Web sites, including a detailed one by the township of Yingmaili in Xayar county, near Kuqa. Government employees, teachers and students can't fast during Ramadan. Mosques can't host out-of-town visitors or play video and sound recordings. Proselytizing in public is prohibited. Surveillance of mosques must be increased. Restaurants must stay open during the...

Some City Council members are urging the state to add two Muslim holidays to the school calendar, calling it a matter of religious freedom and fairness. But their efforts appeared headed for failure, as long as Mayor Michael Bloomberg is in control of schools and the state legislature continues to stall a bill that would make the holy days official days off. The debate on the issue continued at a packed meeting of the City Council's Committee on Education today, where several Muslim students testified about their desire to observe their religion without missing valuable classroom instruction. Estimates of the...

forty-year old homeless man almost died when he was beaten up in Brussels by a man and his father, both Muslims, because he was drinking beer during the Ramadan. Rachid, the 19-year old culprit, beat his victim Serge with an iron bar with nails. A few days ago Serge had an appointment with a doctor in a policlinic in Blaes Street. He arrived early and, since he had to wait, Serge opened a can of beer. At that moment an elderly Muslim who lives above the policlinic came downstairs. He objected to Serge drinking a beer in public during Ramadan,...

On September 25, there will be a press conference and a rally outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City at 5:30 p.m. to protest the five Christian organizations that are welcoming Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Those organizations are the World Council of Churches, Religions for Peace, the Americans Friends Service Committee, Mennonite Central Committee and the Quaker United Nations Office; they are hosting a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner (Iftar). Over 50 organizations have now joined the protest, which is being sponsored by Women International; see www.925rally.org for more information. Catholic League president Bill Donohue explains why his organization is...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's president, prime minister and other leaders had planned to dine at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday night, when it was struck by a massive truck bombing, a government official said Monday. The Saturday night suicide truck attack killed 57 people and wounded more than 250, and sparked a fire that left the hotel in ruins. Al-Arabiya TV reported Monday that it received a claim of responsibility for the attack by a previously unknown group called "The Fedayeen of Islam," but noted that it could not authenticate the audio recording or the name of...

11 Palestinians Killed in a Clash between Hamas and the Dughmush Clan Memri Latest Blogs – Eleven Palestinians were killed in Gaza yesterday during clashes between the Dughmush clan, many of whose members belong to the Jaish Al-Islam Salafist organization, and the Hamas police. The conflict erup...

A survey in Arab countries ... shows that 62 per cent of Muslims think that non-Muslims living in Muslim countries should not eat or drink in public during Ramadan...as a mark of respect to Islam.

Many people were trapped in rooms of the burning five-star Marriott Hotel in the Pakistan capital after a suicide bomber detonated a large truck loaded with a ton of explosives at the hotel gate, killing at least 60 people and injuring some 200 more. The Marriott, frequented by foreigner and local VIPs and the hotel of choice for American officials, is danger of collapse. The ceiling of the banqueting hall crashed down on 500 guests at the Ramadan evening meal.

Mohamed Rage, who leads the Omaha Somali-American Community Organization, said 80 workers were thrown out after an altercation late Thursday. He said when they tried to return for their shift Friday, they were fired, along with 70 others. Muslim workers have been asking for accommodations with break times to allow prayer at sunset. The issue led to walkouts this week -- not only from Muslims but from non-Muslims who protested such accommodations as preferential treatment.

OMAHA, Neb. — Officials at a meatpacking plant in Grand Island fired at least 86 workers Friday after they walked off the job amid a dispute over prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the company said. However, a Muslim leader and one of the fired workers disputed the plant's numbers, saying 150 people had lost their jobs at the JBS Swift & Co. facility, which employs about 2,500 people, not including management. About a fifth of them are Muslim. JBS Swift spokeswoman Tamara Smid, who confirmed 86 firings late Friday, said the action was taken against employees who...

GRAND ISLAND — About 50 to 80 Muslims quit at the JBS Swift & Co. meatpacking plant Thursday night. Dan Hoppes, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local No. 22, said the matter stems from the recent debate over break time for the purpose of prayer during the holy month of Ramadan. "There were some Muslim people who wanted to get the rest of the people to back them to moving their (dinner) break to an earlier time, and when that did not happen, the rest of the people went back to work and those people protesting...

Union: Muslim Workers Reach Deal for Prayer Break Wednesday, September 17, 2008 10:58 PM OMAHA, Nebraska — A meatpacking plant has agreed to accommodate Muslim workers' request for prayer time during Ramadan, union officials said Wednesday. Earlier this week 300 Muslim JBS Swift & Co. workers, most of Somali background, walked off the job in protest of the prayer dispute. No one was fired after the protest. Dan Hoppes, president of the local United Food and Commercial Workers Union, said management at the plant has agreed to temporarily change the timing of the second-shift lunch break to accommodate workers wanting...

Swift company has finally let us down and said that they will temporarily change the time of the second shift lunch break for the month of Ramadan to accomiodate Muslims. So once again non-Muslims lives are effected by Islam, as the plant has approximately 2,500 employees and only about 500 of them are Muslim. The good news out of this was that Islam in Action was told by a anonymous source at Swift Plant that the 100 employees who walked off the job and were fired, were not taken back.

Five-hundred Muslim workers walked off the job Monday at a Grand Island meatpacking plant after they say they were denied time to pray during the Muslim observance of Ramadan. More than 100 workers at a Greeley Swift plant were fired last week because the company said they walked away from work before their shifts ended.

GRAND ISLAND — A group of 500 Muslim workers from Grand Island's JBS Swift & Co. plant staged a protest Monday afternoon. Members of the B shift (3 to 11:30 p.m.) and some members of the morning A shift walked off the job after being denied time to pray during what they said is the holiest of times for them -- Ramadan. A group of protesting women said they were kicked by a supervisor when they attempted to pray at work. Asha Abdi said she knelt to pray when the supervisor said, "You can't pray here," kicked her feet and...

At least 130 Muslim workers at the north Greeley JBS Swift & Co. plant were fired Wednesday afternoon, apparently over a dispute involving breaks during Ramadan. At issue is a request by Muslim workers to be able to take their lunch breaks at sunset to end their fast during Ramadan... expressed their dissatisfaction with negotiations by saying, “No prayer, no work.”

BEIJING — Local governments in a Muslim desert region in western China have imposed strict limits on religious practices during the traditional Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began last week, according to the Web sites of four of those governments. The rules include prohibiting women from wearing veils and men from growing beards, as well as barring government officials from observing Ramadan. One town, Yingmaili, requires that local officials check up on mosques at least twice a week during Ramadan. The local governments administer areas in the western part of Xinjiang, a vast autonomous region that is home to...

Sep. 10, 2008 At least 20 killed in attack on Pakistan mosque: official - Yahoo ...At least 20 worshippers were killed and 30 wounded when suspected militants hurled grenades and fired into a mosque in northern Pakistan during Wednesday http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080910/wl_sthasia_afp/pakistanunrestattackstoll

Crossposting from another thread... The Muslim observance of Ramadan started on Sept 2, and lasts until Oct 1. Muslims are bound to fast from both food AND drink during daylight hours. I'm just wondering if Obama is making all of these major-league gaffes lately because he is fatigued from fasting?? The timeline makes sense, since he has been gaffe-crazy since about that date. Has anyone seen Obama eating or drinking in public during daylight hours???

PATERSON - Ramadan this year began with a little thanksgiving. On Saturday, a few dozen area Muslims and public officials gathered in the foyer of the Passaic County Administration Building for the county government's lighting of the Islamic crescent moon. The ceremony, now in its 10th year, marks the start of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of prayer and fasting that began this year on Sept. 2. But while the ceremony was meant to commemorate the 1,400-year-old tradition, the men and women in attendance observed, and praised, a more recent event. On Thursday, a federal immigration judge struck down an...

More than 150 Muslim workers didn't report to their meatpacking plant jobs Monday in the wake of what they called JBS Swift & Co.'s sudden reversal of religious accommodations for Ramadan. The workers, mostly Somalis but many also from several other East African nations, initially planned a two-mile march from downtown Greeley's Lincoln Park to the plant, but a gathering that formed mid-morning never left the park.

Three Jewish teens were attacked by a group of Muslim African immigrants in Paris on Saturday evening, a French police spokeswoman said Sunday. The Jewish teens, ages 17 and 18, who have been identified as Dan Nebet, Kevin Bitan and David Boaziz, are leaders of the Bnei Akiva youth group in Paris' 19th District. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1018853.html

Does the NYPD guard churches during Lent or Advent? Doubtful. Jewish synagogues during Passover or Yom Kippur? Perhaps, but certainly not with anywhere near the show of force it will apparently display around mosques during Ramadan. From the New York Daily News:The NYPD Tuesday announced heightened security for the city's mosques during the upcoming Islamic holy observance of Ramadan.Local precincts will dispatch more officers on foot patrol and in squad cars to patrol the areas surrounding the mosques during the month-long religious observance that begins on Monday."Collaboration with the public is a vital ingredient in our efforts to keep...

The Iranian air force will hold wargames during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began in Iran on Tuesday, a military commander said. The exercises will be held amid ongoing speculation about a possible U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West and Israel say are part of a clandestine bid to build nuclear weapons despite Tehran's denials. "Large wargames of the armed forces' air force will be held in the blessed month of Ramadan," said Iran's armed forces commander-in-chief, Brigadier-General Ataollah Salehi, Fars News Agency reported.

09/02/2008 17:26IRAQFresh violence in Mosul, two Christians kidnapped and killedThe kidnapping of two Christians has ended in tragedy, after the family of one paid a ransom of 20,000 dollars. The community of Mosul hopes that the Muslims will strongly condemn the murders. Mosul (AsiaNews) - The Iraqi Christian community is again in the sights of Islamic fundamentalists in Mosul: today news came of the death of a 65-year-old doctor, Tariq Qattan, kidnapped recently by a terrorist group. AsiaNews sources say that his family had paid a ransom of 20,000 U.S. dollars. But it was not enough money to free Tariq...

Muslim beliefs are barely understood in the United States, if not intentionally distorted. It can also be hard for outsiders to know who speaks for Muslims, a diverse and complex group still finding its footing in America. **snip** Leaders hope that someday they will create a statewide body, a coalition for what may be the largest Muslim population in the nation.

A row has broken out after a Christian group organised a day of prayer in Oxford about Muslims during Ramadan. The Muslim Education Centre of Oxford (Meco) accused Witney-based Open Doors UK of preaching "evangelical propaganda", after the Christian group held a Call to Prayer day in Oxford yesterday. But Open Doors UK, which held the event at St Aldate's Church, insisted it had been taken out of context, although it "regretted" any offence that had been caused. A spokesman denied the meeting targeted Muslims, and said its aim was to reduce fear of Islam. Meco chairman Dr Taj Hargey...

Suspected insurgents shot dead three villagers as the Ramadan fast began in the restive southern border provinces of Yala and Pattani on Monday. A 61-year-old Thai-Muslim village headman was killed by the gunmen while he was driving... a 51-year-old female rubber farmer ...

Muslim council chiefs ban ALL members from 'tea and sandwiches' in meetings which take place during Ramadan By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 1:59 AM on 29th August 2008 Councillors have been ordered not to eat during town hall meetings while Muslim colleagues fast during the holy month of Ramadan. All elected members at Left-wing Tower Hamlets Council in East London have been sent an email asking them to follow strict Islamic fasting during September no matter what their faith. As well as restricting food and drink until after sunset, the authority's leaders have decided to reduce the number...

JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel said Sunday it will allow some, but not all Palestinians to go to the Al Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan that begins Monday. In a statement, the Israeli military said Palestinian men aged 45 to 50 and married could join Friday prayers at the mosque, the third most sacred venue in Islam. Palestinians in the occupied West Bank aged 30 to 45 holding a special permit issued by Israeli military authorities will be able to join them, while men over 50, and women over 45, will enjoy free access to...

All members of Tower Hamlets Council in east London, where 36 per cent of the population follows Islam, were sent an email asking them to abide by the restrictions observed by strict Muslims during the holy month. They have also been told that the town hall's business agenda will be reduced throughout Ramadan to accommodate Muslims, with only seven committee meetings scheduled and special prayer breaks included in the evening events. Tower Hamlets Council has previously insisted that staff call their Christmas meal the "festive lunch" and replaced Bonfire Night celebrations with a show based on a Bengali folk tale.

No music videos on MTV Arabia during Ramadan Middle East News Dubai - MTV Arabia, the Middle East's version of the international MTV entertainment and lifestyle channel, announced Wednesday it will refrain from playing music videos during the holy fasting month of Ramadan. Samer al-Marzouqi, the channel's manager, said they will mark the month by airing cultural news programmes and the latest reality shows only to allow viewers to engage in quiet contemplation. 'Ramadan is a time for introspection and we would like to offer our viewers a break from the ordinary fare. Though part of a global brand, MTV...

Coca-Cola plans to celebrate Ramadan this year by decorating cans with a crescent moon and star – a widely recognized Islamic symbol. Coca-Cola has hired a company named ATTIK to handle packaging, Brand Republic reports. Its Christmas cans are usually decorated with secular-themed images of Santa Claus, but McCartney asked the company whether it planned to introduce Christian symbols as well. "When I learned the symbol of the Islamic faith will appear on Coca-Cola packaging during Ramadan 2008, I found myself wondering whether or not the Atlanta-based soft drink maker will soon include the Christian cross and Jewish star...

Will Cross Adorn Coca-Cola Cans This Christmas? August 18th, 2008 · 11 Comments The crescent moon and star — yes, the same symbol featured on the flags of so many Muslim countries — is an internationally-recognized symbol of the Islamic faith in much the same way as the cross represents Christianity and the star of David Judaism.  When I learned the symbol of the Islamic faith will appear on Coca-Cola packaging during Ramadan 2008, I found myself wondering whether or not the Atlanta-based soft drink maker will soon include the Christian cross and Jewish star of David in future holiday...

Workers at Tyson Foods' poultry processing plant in Shelbyville will no longer have a paid day off on Labor Day, but will instead take the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in the fall. A recent press release from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) stated that a new contract at the Shelbyville facility "implements a new holiday to accommodate the ... Muslim workers at the plant." The RWDSU stated that "the five-year contract creates an additional paid holiday, Iidal Fitil, a Muslim holiday that occurs toward the end of Ramadan." read full article at Times-Gazette

In celebration of Ramadan, Global Publishing Solutions (GPS) is offering a limited edition of the 2009 Mosques in America Wall Calendar. This 12-month calendar is perfect for Muslim outreach efforts, as well as office and event giveaways. The wall calendar features a vibrant photograph or photomontage for each month, displaying the beauty of mosques in America. The upper half of the hanging calendar depicts mosque facades or interiors, and the lower half displays a monthly calendar grid. The 28-page calendar is saddle-stitched and measures 23 x 30 1/2 cm (9 x 12 inches).

Dutch Catholics have re-branded the Lent fast as the "Christian Ramadan" in an attempt to appeal to young people who are more likely to know about Islam than Christianity. The Catholic charity Vastenaktie, which collects for the Third World across the Netherlands during the Lent period, is concerned that the Christian festival has become less important for the Dutch over the last generation. "The image of the Catholic Lent must be polished. The fact that we use a Muslim term is related to the fact that Ramadan is a better-known concept among young people than Lent," said Vastenaktie Director, Martin...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Thursday upheld a government decision to refuse a prominent Swiss Muslim entry into the United States, saying the question of denying visas was best left to the authorities. The United States had revoked the visa of Tariq Ramadan, an academic at Britain's Oxford University and a vocal critic of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and its support of Israel. The State Department initially gave no reason, but later said Ramadan had been barred under a provision of the USA Patriot Act that bars anyone who endorses terrorism. In October the American...

“You say you want a revolution, well you know, We all want to change the world...” – The Beatles, Revolution Ironic, if one reads all of the lyrics to The Beatles Revolution: Despite being left-leaners for their time, the tune almost sounds like something a conservative music artist might write today. Snapshot of America: For the moment, we are still “allowed” to believe and say what we wish. I am not saying this to underscore my right to say what follows, but to acknowledge the right of those with whom I vehemently disagree to believe and say what we wish....

Only weeks after voting for a resolution that "recognizes the Islamic faith as one of the great religions of the world," nine Democrats in the U.S. House refused to vote for a Christmas resolution that condemns the worldwide persecution of Christians.

Only weeks after voting for a resolution that "recognizes the Islamic faith as one of the great religions of the world," nine Democrats in the U.S. House refused to vote for a Christmas resolution that condemns the worldwide persecution of Christians.

Muslim prisoners sue for millions after they were offered ham sandwiches for RamadanLast updated at 12:37pm on 26th October 2007  Muslim inmates who were allegedly offered ham sandwiches during the holy season of Ramadan are suing for compensation.  The incident is purported to have taken place at maximum security Leeds prison, where more than 200 Muslims are being held. The mix-up was said to have happened after prisoners were given their special nightly menus and they saw that one of the options was a 'boiled ham sandwich'. Any variant of pork is strictly forbidden according to Muslim teachings. Scroll...

Muslims throughout the world celebrate Eid Al-Fitr today marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Ramadan is not only abstaining from food and drink; it is a time of intense spiritual renewal for those who observe it in a truly Islamic way. The same spirit should inform and illuminate our celebration of Eid too. This means we should spend the day and those following it in enhanced piety and with a sense of fellowship, brotherhood and unity. True, we should make our friends and relatives happy, but without forgetting those who are less fortunate. Eid should be celebrated...

What Ramadan Is Really About: Atonement and Renewal By M. Zuhdi Jasser In honor of our Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Muslim lunar calendar, the U.S. Congress passed H.R. 635 on October 2, 2007. The bill was introduced by Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and co-sponsored by thirty other House Democrats including Keith Ellison, Gregory Meeks and Dennis Kucinich. The legislation passed unanimously with a vote of 376-0. The legislation was met with effusive congratulatory remarks from CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), MPAC (Muslim Public Affairs Council), and the State Department. CAIR has been working on...

Musician Dawud Wharnsby believes everyone has their own way of making a difference in the world. "Some people are able to donate their money to good causes; some people are able to donate their time," he said. "For me, music and expression through song has always been the tool that I use." The French Canadian singer-songwriter, who converted to Islam in 1993, on Thursday brought his musical message of peace to the cafetorium at Columbus Manor Elementary School in Oak Lawn, performing guitar and percussion-based songs for the schoolchildren. "Music has been a crucial part of who I am and...

Capt. Marcus Melton, of Atlanta, commander of “Palehorse” Troop P, 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, hands off a heater to a girl to take into a mosque during Eid gift giving in Baghdad’s Karkh District, Oct. 14. Photo by Spc. Robert Yde, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — To mark the end of Ramadan, Soldiers from throughout the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, took part in the traditional Eid celebration by handing out meals and gifts to residents in central Baghdad, Oct. 14. Eid is a traditional Muslim holiday observed at the...

Iraq bombs and shootings kill at least 32 [October 15, 2007] BAGHDAD (AFP) — A wave of violence across Iraq, including the bombing of a minibus filled with Shiite worshippers and a suicide truck bomb attack on a police station, has killed 32 people, officials said Sunday. Dozens of people were wounded in the attacks, which came as Muslims were celebrating the Eid al-Fitr festival that ends the holy fasting month of Ramadan, the officials said. Ten people, including three women and two children, were killed on Sunday when a car bomb exploded next to their minibus as they were...

Pentagon and Islam By Bill Gertz Washington Times Defense officials involved in waging the global war against Islamist extremism are increasingly frustrated by the apparent failure of senior military and civilian officials to distinguish between the good guys and the bad guys. They are concerned that community outreach efforts have helped legitimize some U.S. Islamic groups with covert or overt ties to extremists, a problem that also is occurring at the FBI and Justice Department. Officials said the Pentagon's problem was highlighted by a recent Marine Corps ceremony marking Ramadan. The little-noticed "iftar," or fast-breaking, was held Sept. 26 at...