Cleared by airport security 
Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | 23 Safar 1431  
  Gaza Freedom March  
Looking for the human aspect
December 27th, 2009, marked the one-year anniversary since Israel began attacking and invading the Gaza strip. The invasion of Gaza lasted 23 days and killed over 1,400 Palestinians. The Gaza Freedom March, organized by the International Coalition to End the Illegal Siege of Gaza, aimed to mark the anniversary by mobilizing hundreds to enter Gaza from Egypt to end the blockade of Gaza, and was part of a broader strategy to end the illegal Israeli occupation. Over 1,400 activists gathered in Cairo in late December from 43 countries to participate in the peaceful march. However, in mid-December, after 6 months notice from the organizers of their plans, the Egyptian government announced they would not let the GFM proceed. (No comments)
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According to results of a Gallup poll released Thursday, the the strongest predictor of prejudice against Muslims is whether or not a person holds similar feelings about Jews 2 weeks ago

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The US military is taking action after it was discovered that gun sights manufactured by defense contractor Trijicon and used in Iraq and Afghanistan are engraved with Bible verse references 2 weeks ago

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After having been banned from the US in 2004 after having accepted a teaching position at Notre Dame University, European academic Tariq Ramadan was allowed back into the United States per a directive from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 2 weeks ago

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Muslim American relief organizations are contributing to relief efforts after this week's devastating earthquake in Haiti, including Hidaya, ISNA, and Islamic Relief USA, which provided an immediate allocation of $1 million 3 weeks ago

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After ruling that Catholics can use the word "Allah" to refer to God, Malaysia's high court has suspended the ruling in the face of rising tensions between Muslim and Christian Malays 1 month ago

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A legal dispute is brewing in the face of a decision by the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to ban face coverings (including veils) for safety reasons; two Muslim students who would be affected by the ban have agreed to comply 1 month ago

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The Inner City Muslim Action Network will be hosting a special "Community Cafe" event on January 23, 2010 at New York's Apollo Theater, featuring comedian Azhar Usman and actor/musician Mos Def, among others 1 month ago

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Chicago-based imam and writer Abdul Malik Mujahid has been selected to head the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, which just concluded its 2009 meeting in Melbourne, Australia 1 month ago

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According to a new survey from a Southern Baptist-affiliated research group, two thirds of all US Protestant pastors believe Islam is a "dangerous" religion 1 month ago

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A new Pew research poll shows, among other things, that there is very little support for terrorism among Muslim Americans 1 month ago

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Six Americans - five men aged 18-25 and the father of one of them, all based in the Washington, DC area - have been arrested in Pakistan on charges of attempting to join a militant group Thursday, December 10, 2009

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Plans are moving ahead for the establishment of an Islamic cultural, educational and recreational center two blocks from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan Tuesday, December 08, 2009

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The car rental company Hertz is being sued by two former employees, who claim that paid prayer breaks given to Muslim employees aren't also given to their non-Muslim colleagues Friday, December 04, 2009

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A Long Island, NY shopkeeper who offered food and money to a would be robber, prompting him to convert to Islam, has received the money back along with a thank you note six months later Thursday, December 03, 2009

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The most senior Muslim politician in Britain, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi of the Conservative Party, was pelted with eggs in Luton, England on Monday during a conversation with a group of activists who said they did not consider her a "proper Muslim" Wednesday, December 02, 2009

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After months of campaigning, Swiss voters have approved a ban on minarets, reflecting a backlash against that country's growing Muslim population Sunday, November 29, 2009

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Nearly 2.5 million pilgrims have arrived for the hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia despite swine flu fears, slightly diminished crowds, and the most rain in a quarter century Wednesday, November 25, 2009

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In a US marketing first, electronics retailer Best Buy has included Eid al-Adha greetings in its Thanksgiving advertising pamphlets, and is standing by its decision despite scattered online protests Monday, November 23, 2009

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Muslim-American groups from around the country, in coordination with ISNA, have started the Fort Hood Family Fund to support the families of those impacted by last week's shootings at Fort Hood. Over $30,000 has been collected so far. Friday, November 13, 2009

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The US government announced its intent to seize the assets of the Alavi Foundation, a US-based charity accused of laundering money for Iran. The assets include a Manhattan skyscraper and several US mosques Thursday, November 12, 2009

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The murderer of Marwa Sherbini, who stabbed the pregnant mother 16 times in a courtroom where he was being tried for defamation, has been sentenced to life in prison by a German court Thursday, November 12, 2009

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A Muslim immigrant from Pakistan has been elected the mayor of Bellingham, a coastal town just north of Seattle, Washington whose population is nearly 90% white Monday, November 09, 2009

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Preliminary reports from Army investigators reveal no terror ties in last week's Fort Hood murders, which have been condemned by nearly all major US Muslim organizations Sunday, November 08, 2009

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Twelve soldiers have been killed and 31 wounded in a shooting spree at Ford Hood military base in Texas that officials believe was carried out by an Army officer, Major Malik Nadal Hasan Thursday, November 05, 2009

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Two Muslims of Bangladeshi origin were elected to the city council of Hamtramck, Michigan on Tuesday, joining one other Muslim on the 6-member council and giving the city the highest Muslim representation of any city in North America Thursday, November 05, 2009

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An Italian judge has convicted 23 Americans - all but one of them CIA agents - of kidnapping a Muslim cleric (Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, also known as Abu Omar) on Italian soil in 2003 in Milan, later sending him to Egypt where he was allegedly tortured Thursday, November 05, 2009

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Hollywood producer Barrie Osborne ("The Matrix," "Lord of the Rings") is working on a $150 million Hollywood biopic on the Prophet Muhammad's life and teachings "aimed at bridging cultures" and educating people "about the true meaning of Islam." Tuesday, November 03, 2009

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Noor Almaleki, an 20 year-old Arizona woman whose Iraqi immigrant father drove his Jeep Cherokee over her two weeks ago, died today as a result of her injuries Monday, November 02, 2009

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Over 1,000 mourners saw Imam Luqman Abdullah laid to rest in Canton, Michigan as they defended his character and pleaded for justice following his killing in an FBI raid on Wednesday Sunday, November 01, 2009

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Authorities in Malaysia have seized more than 20,000 Bibles in recent months because they refer to God as "Allah," which the government says is exclusive to Islam Friday, October 30, 2009

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A planned march in London on October 31st by Al Muhajiroun activists has been moved to an undisclosed location after Muslim and anti-Muslim counterprotestors planned to show up en masse Friday, October 30, 2009

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Swine flu fears prompt Saudi Arabia to consider requiring all pilgrims for the hajj next month to prove they are vaccinated against the disease before they are allowed into the country Hajj pilgrims to Mecca ‘required to prove vaccinated’ Friday, October 30, 2009

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Former Serbian leader Radovan Karadic, on trial for war crimes in The Hague, was shown transcripts of phone taps where he threatens that Sarajevo will be "a black cauldron where 300,000 Muslims will die.” Friday, October 30, 2009

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Ali Eteraz, a contributing writer to altmuslim, discusses his new book "Children of Dust" with Terry Gross on NPR's "Fresh Air" Friday, October 30, 2009

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While in Pakistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chastises the government, saying she finds it "hard to believe" that nobody there knows where Osama bin Laden and others are "and couldn't get them if they really wanted to." Thursday, October 29, 2009

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An FBI raid against a Detroit mosque alleged to be involved in criminal activity resulted in a firefight that killed its imam, while eight others were arrested on charges of theft, fraud, and illegal possession of firearms Wednesday, October 28, 2009

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A car bomb killed 90 people in a crowded Peshawar market as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives for talks with the Pakistani government Wednesday, October 28, 2009

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The trial of Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb president who sparked the ethnic cleansing of Bosnia in the 1990s, began this week at the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Tuesday, October 27, 2009

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As former Al Muhajiroun activists plan a demonstration in London calling for sharia law in the UK, a group calling itself British Muslims for Secular Democracy is planning a counter protest promoted with a parody video Tuesday, October 27, 2009

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Islam Siddiqui, a former Department of Agriculture undersecretary in the Clinton administration and recent Obama nominee to be the US' chief agricultural negotiator, is coming under fire from environmentalists for his connections to the pesticide industry Monday, October 26, 2009

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The Obama administration is opposing efforts by the Organization of the Islamic Conference to push for a UN condemnation on the defamation of religion Monday, October 26, 2009

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Details emerge on detained terror suspect Tarek Mehanna, including his personal blog, a Facebook support group set up by his brother, and the first three pages of an FBI affidavit on him Sunday, October 25, 2009

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Tufts professor Vali Nasr argues in the latest edition of Newsweek that growing the Muslim middle class is the most effective way to halt extremism Sunday, October 25, 2009

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The American Muslim Consumers conference, which aims to highlight the growing market size of the US Muslim community, will be held October 31st on the Rutgers campus in New Jersey Sunday, October 25, 2009

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The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of 13 Uighur Muslims at Guantanamo Bay that may result in their resettlement in the US Sunday, October 25, 2009

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87 members of Congress sign on to a statement denouncing four of their GOP colleagues who called for an investigation of Muslim interns on the hill Saturday, October 24, 2009

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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
altmuslim this week - february 1, 2010 - This week, a controversial autopsy report on the killing of Imam Luqman Abdullah raises questions, the trial conviction this week of Aafia Siddiqui in New York raises even more questions, and a report in Harper's alleges that suicides at Guantanamo were cover-ups and raises yet more questions. Enough questions. Who has answers?
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editor's blog
Win tickets to see “Journey to Mecca” in London - Voting for the Brass Crescent Awards has begun and for our British participants, we're offering five pairs of tickets to see a special IMAX screening of "Journey to Mecca," a documentary that tells the story of Ibn Battuta and the hajj (November 16, 2009)

Treachery at Fort Hood - American Muslims, particularly those serving in the US Armed Forces, should consider the killing of soldiers at Fort Hood an act of betrayal and treachery, regardless of the political sphere surrounding America's wars overseas. (November 5, 2009)

CONTRIBUTORS

PODCASTS
altmuslim review 032 - Muslim writers everywhere! We speak about the new wave of Western Muslim literature and interview two authors with recently released books. Our own Irfan Yusuf talks about his memoir, Once Were Radicals and Reza Aslan tells us more about his second book, How to Win a Cosmic War (June 11, 2009)

altmuslim review 031 - Oh, Bama! What does the election of Barack Obama mean for American Muslims, who were both courted and shunned during a long campaign? We speak with American Muslim Democratic activists who were gathered in Washington for the historic inauguration. (March 5, 2009)

ELSEWHERE
Al-Awlaki, a new public enemy, Zahed Amanullah, The Guardian, Comment is Free, December 30, 2009.

Islamophonic: Review of the year, Riazat Butt, Zahed Amanullah and David Shariatmadari, Cif Belief (The Guardian), December 18, 2009.

Fort Hood has enough victims already, Wajahat Ali, Comment is Free (The Guardian), November 6, 2009

The pitfalls of filming Muhammad, Shahed Amanullah, The Guardian, Comment is Free, November 4, 2009.

Children of Dust (published by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins), the first book by longtime altmuslim.com contributor Ali Eteraz, is released in the US, Canada, and the UK on October 13, 2009.

Shahed will be attending the m100 Sansoucci Colloquium in Potsdam, Germany, September 14-16, 2009. He will be moderating a panel discussion on the Danish cartoon crisis with Denis MacShane MP, Jasim Al-Azzawi (Al Jazeera English), and Flemming Rose (Jyllands Posten).

Associate Editor Wajahat Ali's play "The Domestic Crusaders" is having its premiere at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City, NY, September 11, 2009. The play will continue through Sunday, October 11, 2009.

Shahed will be moderating or participating in three panel discussions at the Islamic Society of North America's annual convention, including Muslim Journalists: The View from the Inside, Supporting Social Entrepreneurs and Civic Leaders, and Blogistan: Muslim Americans on the Web in Washington, DC, July 3-6, 2009.

State-sponsored Sufism, Ali Eteraz, Foreign Policy, June 10, 2009.

Pushing the Envelope Without Breaking It, Shahed Amanullah, The Mosque in Morgantown, June 2, 2009.

Obama in Egypt: Let the unsaid be said, Zahed Amanullah, Patheos.com, May 28, 2009.

Zahed will be a panelist at Divan 2.0, a debate on the future of the Muslim internet sponsored by the Radical Middle Way at the London School of Economics in London, England, May 22, 2009.

Once Were Radicals (published by Allen and Unwin), the first book by Associate Editor Irfan Yusuf, is released in Australia, May 4, 2009.

Shahed and Wajahat will be speaking at the 3rd Annual Leadership Summit presented by the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals in Princeton, NJ, May 2, 2009.

Shahed will be leading a workshop on Media Strategies & Techniques at the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow conference in New York, NY, April 24-25, 2009.

Bringing it all back home, Wajahat Ali, The Guardian, Comment is Free, April 9, 2009.

Zahed will be conducting a two day workshop on Blogging and New Media for Italian students at the United States Embassy, Rome, Italy, April 8-9, 2009.

Crusading for Modern Islamic Art, Shahed Amanullah, Beliefnet, March 26, 2009.

Wajahat will be speaking at the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow conference in Doha, Qatar (January 16-19, 2009)

Finding the middle ground, Hesham Hassaballa, Philadelphia Inquirer, January 8, 2009.

IN THE NEWS
Muslims say new security rules unfair, ineffective - ''Muslims are doing their duty. Muslim parents are being attentive. It's the TSA that's not being attentive. It's the TSA that's not doing its duty," said Shahed Amanullah, an editor at the Web site altmuslim.com. "There's nothing more that Muslims can do than turn in their own families." (January 7, 2010)

US Muslims & media… Lost love - "We have a big problem; it’s that other people are shaping the story about us," Shahed Amanullah, editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com, told IslamOnline.net. (December 16, 2009)

Moves to Seize Mosques Spark Outrage - "I'm extremely skeptical that the link between these mosques and this organization is so strong as to merit the seizing of a considerable amount of assets that do a lot of good for the Muslim community," says Shahed Amanullah, a prominent Muslim blogger based in Austin. "The government better be prepared to make a very good case, because this is unprecedented." (November 17, 2009)

Muslim Prayer Day Illustrates Dynamics of Free Speech in U.S. - "Some popular commentators and bloggers, such as Zahed Amanullah of the Web site altmuslim and Aziz Poonawalla of the blog City of Brass, were critical of its timing, coming so close to the end of Ramadan and Eid celebrations." (October 23, 2009)

O’s Fall Reading Guide - Children of Dust - "Ali Eteraz's memoir, Children of Dust, describes this ardent young Muslim's picaresque journey from a brutal Pakistani madrassa (oddly reminiscent of a British boys' school) to America's Bible Belt ("Allahbama," in his devout but increasingly modern eyes), where he braved the sexual fantasyland of AOL and zealously warded off temptation in miniskirts... his adventures are a heavenly read." (October 14, 2009)

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