Free Republic

It is time for the United States to stop treating every American Muslim as somehow suspect, leaders of the faith said at their largest annual convention, which ended here on Monday. Six years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Americans should distinguish between mainstream Muslims and the radical fringe, the leaders said. “Muslim Americans feel an increasing level of tension and scrutiny in contemporary society,” said Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim organization in the United States and the convention organizer. The image problems were among the topics most discussed by many of the...

The executive director of the Sacramento chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said he believes a death threat against him was fueled by Senator Barbara Boxer’s actions. Boxer had commended Basim Elkarra’s chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for the group’s efforts to improve relations between Christians, Jews, minority groups and the FBI. Her officer later rescinded the award after investigating an on-line report that accused Elkarra’s group of terrorist sympathies. While investigating the accusations, Boxer learned two former CAIR members were sentenced to prison for crimes related to terrorist groups, according to her communications director, Natalie Ravaitz....

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American- Islamic Relations (CAIR) today welcomed an announcement by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) that it has provided special training about Islamic traditions related to the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, to some 45,000 airport security officers. The TSA cultural sensitivity training includes details about the timing of Hajj travel, about items pilgrims may be carrying and about Islamic prayers that may be observed by security personnel. SEE: http://usinfo.state.gov/ Search using the term "Hajj." Earlier this month, CAIR advised those going on Hajj to be aware of their civil and...

Here we go. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, has yet to take office, and already the ugliness begins. Mr. Ellison plans to bring his Koran with him on Jan. 4 when he takes the oath of office. The Koran is the Muslim holy book. If Christians and Jews can bring their Bibles, why shouldn’t Mr. Ellison be able to bring his Koran? The answer given this week by Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode was simple enough: Because Mr. Goode doesn’t believe in the Koran, Mr. Ellison doesn’t have any right to either. I kid you not. What could...

DETROIT — Speaking in Dearborn, Mich., late Sunday night, the first Muslim elected to Congress told a cheering crowd of Muslims they should remain steadfast in their faith and push for justice. "You can't back down, you can't chicken out, you can't be afraid, you got to have faith in Allah, and you got to stand up and be a real Muslim," Detroit native Keith Ellison said to loud applause. "Allahu akbar" — God is great — was the reply of many in the crowd.

KUWAIT CITY — Is it religiously acceptable for Muslims to wish their Christian colleagues or acquaintances a Merry Christmas? In Kuwait, it depends on who you ask. Days before the holiday that is not officially celebrated in this small oil-rich state, fundamentalists like Mohammed al-Kandari began urging fellow Muslims not to extend the greeting to Christians they know. Al-Kandari, who heads the Society of Sharia, or Islamic law, told Al-Watan daily the celebration contradicted with Islam because Christians believe Jesus was the son of God. The decline in tolerance of other faiths comes as political Islam is sharply increasing its...

BERLIN (Reuters) - German officials are drawing up lists of hundreds of Islamic militants to be deported from the country under a new law making expulsions easier, the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel said on Saturday. Der Spiegel said authorities were already using their powers under an immigration law introduced this month in conducting an operation dubbed "Aktion Kehraus" ("Action Sweep Out"). The Interior Ministry declined to comment on the report beyond saying that deportations were a matter for Germany's 16 federal states. Under new rules, potential deportees will not be able to use normal legal channels to challenge an...