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Executive Editor: Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Chronology of Islam in America (2017)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
June 2017 - Page Three
Lawmaker tries to stop sale of Shenango property to Islamic company
June 27: A Pennsylvania Senator is combating the sale of a Lawrence County property by sending a resolution to Senate. Senator Elder Vogel Jr.'s resolution to stop the sale of the Youth Development Center to an Islamic-based educational company is being viewed in Senate today. The YDC has been sitting vacant for over four years. Hira Educational Services of America bid $400 thousand for the YDC building in the beginning of June. This was the highest bid the state of Pennsylvania received, and they accepted it. However, Vogel and many of Shenango Township's community members are not pleased that Hira is purchasing YDC. Meetings have been held in New Castle to discuss concerns held by those in Shenango Township. While the sale is not completely final, it is on its way to the state to be approved.[www.wfmj.com]
White powder found at Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati was not hazardous
June 27: Hazardous material crews determined a white substance that was delivered to the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati today was non-hazardous. A package with white powder and a threat inside was reported at 11:25 a.m., according to officials. A staff member opened the letter and found the threat and powdery substance inside. A youth basketball camp with at least a dozen teenagers had been going on at the time. The building was not evacuated during the scare. Everyone inside was isolated in one area. Members of the Islamic Center called the threat disturbing and said their biggest concern is to protect the children as best they can.The Islamic Center has been threatened before. Police investigate d a bomb threat that was called in and left as a voicemail in March. The Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati opened in 1995.The center has served the local Muslim community by providing a place to worship and learn, as well as serving as a gathering place for families and the community. It also hosts tours for the community and local school groups.[wcpo.com]
White House forgoes Eid al-Fitr event
June 27: President Donald Trump decided against celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan, at the White House this year, the first time in two decades that the White House did not commemorate the Islamic holy month of fasting with an iftar dinner. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also broke with tradition and declined a request fr om the State Department's Office of Religion and Global Affairs to host a reception for the holiday. So where does this leave the intersection of religion and politics under the Trump administration? Is it perhaps a new step in the direction of separation of church and state, or does it signify something more concerning: a departure in the White House tradition of accepting all faiths? Deputy White House press secretary Lindsay Walters said neither is the case, pointing to actions that she said show equal respect for all faiths. "The White House hosted a Passover dinner and put out a Ramadan statement in support of it," Walters said. "The President has been a strong advocate and supporter of religious liberty for all religions and all Americans." But religious scholars question the precedent the decision could set and wonder how it will be received by the Muslim community. Thomas Jefferson is recognized as hosting an iftar at the White House in 1805,. according to the Washington Post. President Bill Clinton then started the modern-day tradition of hosting a White House iftar in 1996, and Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama followed suit."To now cancel the iftar with no explanation is to reinforce in the minds of many, not just Muslims, a concern that these proceed from bias and an anti-Islam or Muslim position," said John Esposito, a Georgetown University professor of religion and international affairs and of Islamic studies. [CNN]
Major American Muslim civil advocacy group receives extermination threat
June 28: The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) said today it received a letter threatening extermination, torture, and rape just hours before receiving an award from the New York City Council for the civil rights organization’s work helping hate crime victims, mobilizing against President Trump’s ‘Muslim Bans,’ and fighting for social justice. CAIR-NY says the NYPD is investigating the threatening letter as a potential hate crime. The New York City Council award was presented to CAIR-NY at a celebration of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. "We are humbled by the recognition of the New York City Council for our civil rights work, and simultaneously determined to forge ahead despite the deplorable threat we received," said CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher. "This threat will not intimidate us or detract from our unshakeable resolve to ensure American Muslims and all targeted communities can practice their faith freely as ensured by our laws." “We’re outraged to see our staff targeted, but we know we’re just one of many other Muslim institutions that have been threatened or attacked in recent months,” said CAIR-NY Legal Director Albert Fox Cahn. “This threat and the threats against other Muslim New Yorkers, show why recognition from the City Council is so vital to our mission. As long as our Muslim brothers and sisters are being attack, all New Yorkers must come together to vocally support their right to practice their faith. Despite this threat, we remain committed to the proposition that no New Yorker should have to choose between their religion and their safety, and we’re honored to have the City Council recognize the importance of our work to make that a reality.” It appears that the threatening letter originated in the United Kingdom, and it bore similarities to recent threats against New York's Masjid Manhattan. According to police, the letter received last week by Masjid Manhattan threatened a massacre “on a scale never seen before.” The NYPD is currently investigating the threat. [AMP Report]
White supremacists emboldened under Trump: Barbara Lee
June 28: The former Congresswoman, Barbara Lee, said in an email message today one thing is certain: hate is on the rise and it’s being fueled by a resurging tide of white supremacy in America. This should surprise no one. Donald Trump rode racism and fear all the way to the White House, and since his inauguration he has doubled down on his bigoted rhetoric. He's given members of the alt-right a seat at the table by appointing Steve Bannon as chief strategist and Jeff Sessions to head the Justice Department. It's only been a few months since Trump assumed office, and it's already clear that white supremacists are emboldened by his presidency. A few weeks ago a noose was found in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. And just this week, someone vandalized a civil rights landmark in Mississippi that commemorates the death of Emmett Till. Every chilling incident is a reminder that the forces of bigotry are alive and well in the United States. [Via email]
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