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Channel: Sojourners By Author: Omar Sacirbey
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Sikhs Launch Mobile App to Report Profiling

Sikh civil rights activists will unveil a mobile phone application next week (April 30) that they say will allow travelers who believe they have been profiled by airport screeners to file complaints...

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Pentagon Orders Review of Military Training on Islam

The Pentagon is investigating whether military officials ignored complaints from senior officers about a course that was found to have inflammatory and inaccurate content about Islam.The chairman of...

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Muslims Sue to Stop NYPD Spying Program

Muslim civil rights activists are headed to court to end a New York City Police Department program that they say violates their constitutional rights by spying on Muslims based only on their...

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Pool of American Imams Too Small to Meet Demand

American-born imams are nearly impossible to find. Ads from mosques seeking imams who are fluent in English are readily found in Muslim-American magazines and newspapers. The North American Imams...

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Ramadan Fast Poses Challenge for Muslim Olympians

This year, more than 3,000 Muslim athletes will compete in the Olympics, but many will not fast, a decision that has been sanctioned by religious authorities. While Muslims are increasingly common on...

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U.S. Muslims and Coptic Christians Petition Egypt Not to Include Shariah

Muslim and Coptic Christian leaders in the U.S. are calling on the Egyptian government to exclude any mentions of Islamic law or language that discriminates against minorities in its draft...

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Muslim Immigrants at Home Key to U.S. Image Abroad

After four years of living in the U.S., Mohamed Jedeh is anxious to return to his native Libya.It irks him that his local mosque in Union City, N.J., won’t broadcast the Muslim call to prayer for fear...

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Muslims Brace For Tense Holiday

Following attacks on seven U.S. mosques in the last two weeks, including three attacks last weekend, many Muslim Americans are approaching the end of Ramadan on Aug. 19 under a cloud of fear as Muslim...

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Are Muslims Allowed to Dance? Depends Who You Ask

The Taliban in Afghanistan shocked the world this week when they beheaded 17 people, allegedly for the crime of dancing at a mixed-gender gathering.Which prompts the question: Does Islam forbid...

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Muslim Delegates at Democratic Convention Quadrupled Since 2004

The number of Muslim delegates attending the Democratic National Convention has quadrupled since 2004, according to a Muslim advocacy group.  The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations...

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U.S. Muslims Worry About Fall-Out from Libya Attacks

Muslim Americans condemned violence in Egypt and Libya that left four Americans dead, but remain concerned that the deaths could rekindle anti-Muslim sentiment just as post-9/11 resentment was starting...

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Can Dog Owners Still Be Good Muslims?

Worshippers at Toronto's Salahuddin mosque were bracing for protests Friday as part of "Walk Your Dog in Front of a Mosque Day."The event is being organized by supporters of a man who claims Muslim...

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U.S. Muslims, Copts Appeal to Rioters: Stop the Violence

Muslim and Coptic Christian leaders in the U.S. are pledging not to let a spate of violent protests in some 20 Islamic countries derail recent efforts to improve the sometimes troubled relations...

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Muslim Parents Wrestle with Passing on Islamic Values

Muslim immigrants to America frequently worry whether their children will be able to maintain their Islamic identity in a country with a reputation for rampant vice and promiscuity. Many respond by...

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Shariah or Not, Muslim Divorces Can Get Tricky

New Jersey lawyer Abed Awad has been involved with more than 100 cases that involved some component of Shariah, or Islamic law, and knows firsthand how complicated things can get.In one of those cases,...

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Shiite Muslims Quietly Establish a Foothold in U.S.

The variation in the proper way to pray is one among several differences that exist between Shiites, who make up about 15 percent of Muslims globally and in America, and the majority of Sunnis. Until...

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Muslims Back Obama, But By Smaller Margin Than 2008

Nearly nine in 10 Muslim American voters pulled the lever for the Democratic candidate in the last two presidential elections, partly because of Republican policies and rhetoric that many considered...

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Activists Say Religion Key to Combating Female Genital Mutilation

BOSTON -- The one thing that Afrah Farah will tell you about her genital cutting experience is that it happened. She doesn’t want to say how old she was, where it happened, or who was or wasn't with...

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American Muslims Celebrate Defeat of Congressional Critics

American Muslims are celebrating the ouster of two congressmen known for their anti-Islamic rhetoric, and heralding the outcomes as a sign that Muslim voters, at least in some districts, are a...

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‘Virtual’ Public Schools Draw Interest of Religious Families

Worried about exposure to foul language, immodest dress, peer pressure, and other inappropriate behavior, Susan Brown didn’t want her two daughters attending public schools — even though she’s a...

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Muslims Detail Fear from NYPD Spy Probe

Muslim and civil rights organizations say a New York Police Department program to secretly monitor Islamic communities has created so much fear and suspicion among Muslims that many find it impossible...

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Poll Says Muslim Brotherhood Has Soured Americans on Egypt

The Islamic political party known as the Muslim Brotherhood has soured American attitudes towards Egypt, arguably America’s most important Arab ally, since its candidate Mohamed Morsi won presidential...

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Post-Boston Bombings, Female Converts to Islam Face Growing Scrutiny

When Karen Hunt Ahmed and her Muslim husband divorced four years ago, many friends asked her, “Now you can stop this Islam stuff, right?”Some friends, she thought.“Like it was a hobby I took up when I...

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Poll: U.S. Muslims More Moderate Than Muslims Worldwide

Muslims in America are much less inclined to support suicide bombing than other Muslims abroad, and are more likely to believe that people of other faiths can attain eternal life in heaven, according...

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Anti-Shariah Movement Changes Tactics, Gains Success

When Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly approved a 2010 ballot measure that prohibits state courts from considering Islamic law, or Shariah, the Council of American-Islamic Relations filed a lawsuit within...

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Oklahoma Muslims Aid in Tornado Relief in Bid to Build Bridges

Oklahoma is probably one of the tougher places to be a Muslim in America, but Muslims have stepped in to help with the cleanup of a massive tornado that killed 24 people.“As Oklahomans, we’re part of...

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Citing Risk to Adoptions, Missouri Gov. Vetoes Anti-Shariah Bill

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has vetoed a bill that would have made his state the seventh in the nation to prohibit judges from considering Shariah, or Islamic law, and other “foreign laws” in their...

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For Some Converts, Ramadan is the Loneliest Time of Year

Since converting to Islam more than five years ago, Paul K. DeMelto of Cleveland has done all he could to become a more knowledgeable Muslim, attending a new converts class and hiring Arabic tutors to...

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Lawmakers Ask Obama for Religious Diversity Summit

Nearly 40 members of the U.S. House, among them Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, and Muslims, sent a letter to President Obama on Wednesday urging him to convene a “Religious Diversity Summit” and do more to...

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Shariah 101: What Is It and Why Do States Want to Ban It?

North Carolina lawmakers on Wednesday approved a bill to prohibit judges from considering “foreign laws” in their decisions, but nearly everyone agrees that “foreign laws” really means Shariah, or...

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Muslims Criticize Bloomberg Veto of NYPD Watchdog

Muslim-American civil rights groups are criticizing New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for vetoing a bill on Tuesday that would have created an independent inspector general to oversee the New York...

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N.C. Muslims Hope Gov. Pat McCrory Vetoes Anti-Shariah Bill

North Carolina Muslims hope they can persuade Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, to veto a bill that prohibits state judges from considering “foreign law.”“It’s going to be tough,” said Rose Hamid of...

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Muslims Oppose Possible Raymond Kelly Bid for Homeland Security

Muslim-American groups are mounting a growing campaign to quash the potential nomination of New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly as the next secretary of the Department of Homeland...

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What Imams Talk About During Eid

In their holiday Eid al-Fitr khutbas, or sermons, on Thursday many imams across the country noted a growing climate of acceptance in America but urged Muslims not to forget the problems facing their...

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N.C. Governor Allows Anti-Shariah Bill to Become Law

North Carolina became the seventh state to prohibit its judges from considering Islamic law after Gov. Pat McCrory allowed the bill to become law without formally signing it.McCory, a Republican,...

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Muslim Mother Seeks Justice for the Son She Lost on 9/11

It’s been five years now that Talat Hamdani has been able to talk about her son without crying, but she still prefers mostly not to tell his story.“It’s all over the Internet,” she said.She’s stopped...

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Muslim Clerk Wins Hijab Fight Against Abercrombie and Fitch

A federal judge ruled Monday that the Abercrombie and Fitch clothing chain violated federal anti-employment discrimination guidelines when it fired a Muslim employee in 2010 for not removing her...

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New Comedic Documentary Explores Muslims in the U.S.

Muslim stand-up comedy is nothing new. But what makes “The Muslims Are Coming” different is that it portrays what happens when a troupe of comedians performs before red state Americans in such places...

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Denim Burqa Ad: Bold or Insulting?

Islamophobic or empowering? Those are among the reactions to a new Diesel jeans ad featuring a heavily tattooed, topless white woman wearing a redesigned, denim burqa.The slogan next to her: “I Am Not...

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Abercrombie & Fitch to Change ‘Look Policy,’ Allow Hijabs

Abercrombie & Fitch will change its “look policy” and allow employees to wear hijabs after a three-year legal battle with two Muslim women was settled out of court.The settlement requires...

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Assault on Professor Part of Wave of Attacks on Sikhs, Muslims, Others

Shortly after teenagers beat up a Columbia University physician Saturday, a Muslim woman was attacked a few blocks away.It is not clear whether the attacks on Dr. Prabhjot Singh and the Muslim woman,...

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Middle Eastern Virus May Mar Hajj Pilgrimage

The annual pilgrimage to Mecca, known as the hajj, presents a gantlet of health challenges. This year’s pilgrimage, which falls Oct. 13-18, is no different.Of particular concern is the Middle East...

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Religious, Civil Rights Groups Demand Investigation of NYPD Spying

A coalition of 125 religious, civil rights, and community-based organizations sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice Thursday urging a civil rights investigation into a New York City Police...

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Muslim Christmas celebrations gain a toehold

A generation or two ago, when America’s Muslims were new immigrants who made up an even smaller minority of Americans than they do today, they viewed the lights, trees, carols, gifts, and festive...

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Women Photographers Shatter Middle Eastern Stereotypes

An Iraqi woman dons a black hijab but bares her thighs. A Lebanese woman wearing a sheer blouse curls up on a bed, both innocent and seductive. An attractive young Iranian couple shares breakfast at a...

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Best Buy Commercial Points Way to Greater Muslim Acceptance

Viewers watching the American Football Conference championship game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots earlier this month may have seen a Best Buy commercial for a Sharp 60-inch...

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'Salaam, Love' Counters Stereotypes of Muslim Men

Oppressive. Boorish. Misogynist: Those are the popular images of Muslim men and how they treat women.But there’s more to it than that, thought Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi, the editors of Love,...

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Is New Katy Perry Video Blasphemous? Some Think So

Nearly 60,000 people have signed a Change.org petition demanding that YouTube take down a Katy Perry video they say is blasphemous and offensive to Muslims.About 75 seconds into the video for the song...

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Muslims Welcome Shuttering of NYPD Spying Unit

Muslim and civil rights groups welcomed the news that the New York City Police Department’s Demographics Unit will disband but said they still fear they may be targets of warrantless...

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Report: Internet Hate Speech Can Lead to Acts of Violence

Anti-Muslim hate speech on the Internet is commonplace and can motivate some people to commit acts of violence against Muslims, according to a report released Tuesday by Muslim Advocates, a legal and...

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