U.S. Muslims Make Civil Rights Top Issue

AP | 8/31/03

[kattracks]

CHICAGO, Aug 31, 2003 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Even before the Sept. 11 attacks and the crackdown that followed, American Muslim leaders generally had come to believe they had made a mistake.

In 2000, they made their first unified endorsement in a presidential race, backing George W. Bush. Many thought he would take a harder line against Israel, and, based on statements he made while campaigning, would protect the rights of immigrants facing deportation.

Muslims say they were disappointed on both counts. Now, feeling the additional sting of being scrutinized in the domestic hunt for terrorists, they are mobilizing to express their anger at the polls in 2004.

At their largest convention of the year, which ends Monday, national Muslim leaders announced plans to register 1 million Muslim voters and make civil rights a top issue in any endorsement of a presidential candidate.

"A defining moment of Islam in America is approaching," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group based in Washington. "We cannot surrender our future and our destiny to hate in this country."

Agha Saeed, head of the Muslim American Congress, led the crowd in a chant. "I am an American, I am a Muslim and I vote," he said, joined by thousands gathered for the Islamic Society of North America meeting.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Bush won points with American Muslims by visiting a mosque and declaring Islam a peaceful religion.

But since then, the federal government has detained hundreds of immigrants, shut down U.S. Muslim charities suspected of terrorist ties and gained broad new powers to monitor citizens under the USA Patriot Act.

The Bush administration said these moves have been crucial for U.S. security. American Muslims say they are being scapegoated.

A White House spokesman referred questions about the presidential race to the Bush campaign, whose spokeswoman did not immediately reply to a request for comment Sunday.

It is unclear what effect Muslims can have in the 2004 elections.

Estimates of the number of U.S. Muslims vary dramatically from 2 million to 6 million. But immigrant Muslims generally are highly educated professionals with the means to make significant campaign donations.

Also, their community has matured dramatically in the last four years.

The assault on Islam that followed the suicide hijackings that killed thousands in New York and Washington compelled Muslims around the country to defend their faith.

National Muslim organizations, including Awad's, reported a dramatic increase in donations and membership. Immigrant Muslims who had taken little interest in U.S. government began inviting their mayors, governors and even FBI agents into local mosques to learn about the community.

Muslims see the recent fight over Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes as another sign of their political progress.

Bush nominated Pipes, an outspoken critic of militant Islam, to a federally funded think tank called the U.S. Institute for Peace, angering Muslims who consider him a bigot - a claim Pipes denies.

After an intensive Muslim-led campaign to block the nomination, Bush appointed Pipes in recess on Aug. 22, bypassing the Senate approval process where his confirmation was in jeopardy. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., was among the lawmakers who opposed the nominee.

"For the first time, someone on Capitol Hill was advocating our issues," said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council based in Los Angeles.

By focusing on civil rights in 2004, Muslim leaders acknowledge they could end up endorsing a candidate who would disagree with them on foreign policy, particuarly backing the Israeli government over the Palestinians.

Until recently, the plight of the Palestinians dominated political discussion among American Muslims. But Muslim leaders say they must now be pragmatic as they seek greater influence in government. They are pledging to broaden their alliances by working to improve education, fight crime and protect the environment.

Said Awad: "We are not a one-issue community."

---

[thoughtomator]

Interesting. Given the chance to make their views known, there is not a single statement either condemning violence in the name of Islam, nor any desire expressed to protect the national security of America.

In fact, their list looks like something Osama might draw up:
- anti-deportation of illegal immigrants
- harder line against Israel

Reformation is overdue.

[swarthyguy]

The assault on Islam

Yeah, right.

What about these Muslims?

http://www.paktoday.com/pipes.htm

Bush Nominates Daniel Pipes To Board Of US Institute Of Peace

Moderate Muslims Welcome the Appointment
By: Fatima Sayyed
PHILADELPHIA: American Muslims welcome the nomination of Daniel Pipes, a scholar of militant Islam and director of the Middle East Forum, by President Bush to serve on the board of the US Institute of Peace. They note in particular his care to distinguish between the minority of Islamists and the majority of normal, patriotic Muslims.

Many moderate American Muslims, frustrated by and angry at the extremist policies of militant Islamist organizations in the US and their efforts to portray themselves as the sole voice of Islam, have welcomed the nomination of Daniel Pipes.

Jamal Hasan, a free lance writer and scholar in Washington DC, said that Islamist organizations, in their efforts to recruit more and more innocent Muslims are creating a social atmosphere wherein the mainstream America will look at all Muslims with suspicion. He said that American Muslims must and should distance themselves from such radical and militant Islamist organizations.

Khurshid Ahmad, a student of medicine, added that if Islamists will win American Muslim support for their anti-US agendas, they will alienate Americans and cause American Muslims to suffer.

American Muslims, he says, have been watching with alarm and concern, efforts of Islamists in the US. "Organizations like CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations ) and MPAC (Muslim Public Affairs Council) have deliberately been trying to poison the hearts and minds of American Muslims against America. By subtly suggesting that American policies are controlled by Zionists, they exploit the anti-Semitism that prevails in Islamist - dominated communities," said Dr. Khalid Duran, a renowned scholar and authority on Islamic history.

Tashbih Sayyed, President of Council for Democracy and Tolerance, condemned the policies of militant Islamists and organizations like CAIR and MPAC (Muslim Public Affairs Council) of demonizing American policies. He pointed out that the United States of America has welcomed Muslims with open arms, irrespective of their sect and ethnicity, and it is the duty of all American Muslims to condemn these representatives of Islamist extremism.

Mr. Sayyed said that Daniel Pipes is a true American, and as an American it is his holy obligation to warn the nation of terror and threat posed by militant Islamists and their representative organizations to destroy American peace and solidarity. He said, "President Bush won my heart that he is serious about fighting terror - and fostering a more peaceful world - when he nominated Daniel Pipes to the board of directors at the U.S. Institute of Peace."

Tashbih Sayyed said that Pipes scares the Islamists because he

[mrsmith]

December 18, 1998
"Fifty protest near Wamp's office on Republicans' push to impeach
by Rachel Zoll
Associated Press
CHATTANOOGA-- Vengeance and partisanship motivate U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp and other Republicans in their push to impeach President Clinton, protesters say."

So fair and balanced that AP promoted her to the religion desk LOL!

[forty_years]

CAIR is a bunch of terrorism apologists:

• "CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad is a declared supporter of both the PLO and Hamas, two entities on the U.S. terrorist list."
• "CAIR's director of community relations, Bassem Khafagi, was arrested by the FBI in January in connection with a terror- financing front group he helped found that is allegedly tied to both Iraq and al Qaeda."
• "Another CAIR advisory board member, Siraj Wahhaj, is an unindicted co-coconspirator in the 1990 World Trade Center case."
• Randall Todd Royer, former CAIR employee, 'was indicted and arrested for his association with terrorism, specifically his having joined the Pakistani group Lashkar-e-Taiba, traveled to Pakistan, done propaganda work for it, and "fired at Indian positions in Kashmir." In addition, the indictment also states that Royer "possessed in his automobile an AK-47-style rifle and 219 rounds of ammunition" in September 2001. The grand jury charges that Royer "did unlawfully and knowingly begin, provide for, prepare a means for, and take part in a military expedition and enterprise to be carried on from the United States against the territory and dominion of India, a foreign state with whom the United States was at peace."'
• 'As reported by the San Ramon Valley Herald, CAIR Chairman Omar M. Ahmad told a crowd of California Muslims in July 1998, "Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran . . . should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on earth."'

[Right_in_Virginia]

Agha Saeed, head of the Muslim American Congress, led the crowd in a chant. "I am an American, I am a Muslim and I vote," he said

Good for you.

However, this American is still waiting to hear who exactly you are rooting for in this war on Islamic terrorists.

How about a couple of "chants" to let your fellow citizens know where you stand?

[freeangel]

"many thought he would take a harder line against Israel"

He(Bush) as been instrumental in holding back Israel time after time while the Palis murdered and maimed a lot of innocents. I guess what they REALLY wanted was the Presidents' help in pushing the Jews into the sea. Again, a cult of murderers and thieves threatening crap unless we bend to their will.

[Caipirabob]

Agha Saeed, head of the Muslim American Congress, led the crowd in a chant. "I am an American, I am a Muslim and I vote," he said...

And we are still compelled to subdue all enemies of this nation, foreign, domestic or registered Democrat. Expect no special treatment.

[blam]

"A defining moment of Islam in America is approaching," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group based in Washington. "We cannot surrender our future and our destiny to hate in this country."

CAIR is a hot bed for terrorism. Leave my country you low-life POS!

[nightdriver]

"A defining moment of Islam in America is approaching," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group based in Washington. "We cannot surrender our future and our destiny to hate in this country."

Sounds like a threat.

Islam was declared illegal in the United States over 100 years ago by judicial interperetation of the U.S. Constitution.

Even a cursory reading of history shows the devastation that islam brings to a country. It's way past time we either took the law of our land seriously.

There is no historical precedence for living peacefully with moslems in our midst.

[Cobra64]

"We cannot surrender our future and our destiny to hate in this country."

I'd round 'em up and put 'em on a few dozen C5As (probably a 1,000 sorties) and drop 'em back to Mecca for better butt-sniffing opportunities.

[Rummyfan]

Agreed!

[lilylangtree]

US muslims is another way of saying the black community--the one that Jesse "Shakedown" Jackson, Al Sharpton and the other blowheart that heads the Nation of Islam, all 3 of these jerks say they speak for black America.

[DonQ]

I am SO glad that these Moslems are keen on civil rights. Let's send them back to their Moslem homelands so they can promote civil rights there.

[abclily]

Exactly. Send them to Arab countries, and they can enjoy the civil rights that are available there.

[eclectic]

Well, they do what they can to help the global jihad...

[observer5]

Here are the numbers:

Muslims:
5% - actively engaged in terrorism
20% - actively support terrorism
50% - silently support terrorism
20% - support terrorism by not speaking out against terrorism
5% - opposed to terrorism

[bereanway]

No kidding. Isn't Muslim and civil rights a little oxymoronic. These people are nothing if not duplicitous. their growing influence here and around the world is an ill wind which brings no good.

[montag813]

Now, feeling the additional sting of being scrutinized in the domestic hunt for terrorists, they are mobilizing to express their anger at the polls in 2004.

Go ahead! who gives a crap? Bush made TWO visits to Michigan's Muslims and still lost the state. The CAIR number of Muslims in the U.S. is inflated by up to 300%. Muslims have ZERO effect on Presidential elections in this country. And let them vote Democrat...when word gets out there will be an offsetting Jewish vote for every one of them. I already predict a large JEwish shift towards Bush in 2004...it will surprise and shock the Hollyweird left.

[Reactionary]

"A defining moment of Islam in America is approaching," said Nihad Awad.."

Yes, Mr. Wad. Your "defining moment" happened on 9/11.