The Understanding Campaign

Kansas Legislature Passes Discriminatory Anti-Muslim Bill By Calling It A ‘Women’s Rights’ Issue

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:34:27 +0000

Last week, the Kansas Senate became the latest state to enact a discriminatory measure against Muslims in America by passing a so-called Sharia ban. The bill goes before Gov. Sam Brownback (R-KS), who has not indicated whethere he will sign or veto it.

Oklahoma passed a Sharia ban by ballot in 2010, but that measure has been deemed facially unconstitutional by the courts because it specifically targets Muslims for discrimination. Because of Oklahoma’s experience, state legislatures are moving bills that are more oblique about their discriminatory intent. South Dakota, Louisiana, Arizona, and Tennessee have all passed laws that ban “foreign law in American courts” and don’t mention Muslims or Sharia by name.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/05/13/483278/kansas-legislature-passes-discriminatory-anti-muslim-bill-by-calling-it-a-womens-right-issue/?mobile=nc

Temple University protest versus anti-Muslim bigots

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:33:09 +0000

[on Liberation by Walter Smolarek] On April 23, a collection of racist, anti-Muslim forces intended to hold what they titled an “Islamic Apartheid Conference” hosted by the equally absurdly named Students for Intellectual Freedom at Temple University in Philadelphia. Instead, they were met with a militant counter-protest many times the size of their audience.

http://www.pslweb.org/liberationnews/news/temple-university-protest.html

a new word for sustainable – Halal

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:54:01 +0000

[Inc. Magazine] Most Americans know the term halal-if they are familiar with it at all-as the Muslim system of dietary regulations. Adnan Durrani wants consumers to understand halal in different terms: “Wholesome and pure. Sustainable, fair trade, and just practices in terms of the environment and animal welfare.”

http://www.inc.com/magazine/201205/american-halal-bringing-muslim-tradition-mainstream.html

Arts, Military + Healing

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:30:57 +0000

WORKSHOPS & PUBLIC EVENTS

Veterans are changing the arts in America. The Arts, Military + Healing: A Collaborative Initiative is the first program to bring together the diverse individuals and groups involved in this transformation. A new generation of artists is responding to the traumatic experiences of prolonged war, creating haunting and memorable work. The AMH workshops and programs unite the military communities with veteran and civilian artists, arts organizations, schools, national cultural institutions, philanthropic foundations and military hospitals to raise awareness of the significance of the arts in the healing process.

May 13 – 18, 2012 – Washington, DC

FREE

The Arts and the Military:Transforming War and Trauma Experience through the Arts

art exhibitions/creative writing/dance/film/papermaking/performance/theater

http://www.artsandmilitary.org/pages/pages/index.php

Is It Safe for a Muslim Woman to Wear the Hijab in America? Jacques Berlinerblau

admin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:42:33 +0000

[Huffington Post] Everybody has heard about the tragic Trayvon Martin murder. Far fewer, however, are aware of the brutal killing of Shaima Alawadi, an Iraqi-born American citizen and mother of five, in her home near San Diego. There are conflicting reports about the facts of the crime. In some accounts, a note was found at the scene, reading: “This is my country. Go back to yours, terrorist.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacques-berlinerblau/is-it-safe-for-a-muslim-w_b_1449498.html

Linda Sarsour, “My hijab is my hoodie”

admin — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:48:54 +0000

[CNN] I’ve been among the millions mourning the killing of Trayvon Martin, but I’m also mourning the fact that another recent killing has gotten little national attention.

Last week, a 32-year old Iraqi Muslim mother named Shaima Alawadi was found brutally beaten with a tire iron in her El Cajon, California, home and died three days later. A note reportedly left beside her said, “Go Back to your country, you terrorist.”

As an Arab-American Muslim mother of three, I instantly thought about myself and my family.

More: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/05/my-take-my-hijab-is-my-hoodie/

The Muslim Swing Vote By FARID SENZAI

admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:38:14 +0000

[NY Times Blog] As the 2012 presidential election picks up steam, Republican candidates find it tempting and beneficial to bash Muslims as a way to attract voters. In the wake of the 2010 midterm elections, “Americans are learning what Europeans have known for years: Islam-bashing wins votes,” the journalist Michael Scott Moore wrote that November. At the time, many of the 85 new Republican House members buoyed by the surging Tea Party movement found the political virtues of anti-Muslim rhetoric an easy way to prove their mettle to the surging conservative base.

http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/02/the-muslim-swing-vote/

Muslim Group Leader to NYPD: Thanks For Spying On Us

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:39:34 +0000

In early March, members of a Muslim group gathered for a press conference at Manhattan’s One Police Plaza to send a clear message to the New York City Police Department about its controversial surveillance program targeting Muslim Americans.

That message was: Thanks for spying on us.

“We are not here to criticize the NYPD,” declared Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, founder and president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD), who was joined by House Homeland Security chairman Peter King (R-N.Y.), “but rather to thank them for doing the work that we as Muslims should be doing, which is monitoring extremism, following extremism, and helping counter the ideologies that create radicalization in our communities.”

http://motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/muslim-group-leader-nypd-thanks-spying-us-zuhdi-jasser

Allen Krause dies at 72; rabbi was trailblazer in O.C.’s interfaith movement

admin — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:25:15 +0000

[LA Times] At Mission San Juan Capistrano, founded centuries ago to spread the Christian faith, Rabbi Allen Krause started an annual interfaith conference in 1994 because he felt that Orange County’s religious groups were too insular.

About 600 people attended the first Religious Diversity Faire, with spiritual leaders from more than a dozen faiths holding workshops on their beliefs and practices. The event was staged for 15 more years.

Providing a window into the religious beliefs of others was a recurring theme for Krause, who was recognized as a trailblazer in the county’s interfaith movement.

“I’m sure most of us have never seen a Muslim worship service,” he said at the first conference, where he shared his Jewish customs. “If we could just see into one, we could get to understand one another better, and thereby appreciate each other more.”

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-allen-krause-20120312,0,6689281.story

Al-Mutanabbi Street: Not Turning the Page by Deborah Stambler

admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:50:37 +0000

[Huffington Post] Al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad has been described as the cultural and intellectual center of Iraq. Bookstores, cafes and outdoor book stalls line the street. On March 5, 2007 a bomb exploded on Al-Mutanabbi Street killing 30 and wounding 100. To mark the anniversary of the bombing and the essential role that art plays in our lives, poet Beau Beausoleil and others have organized readings in 10 cities. These readings are part of a much larger project that Beausoleil and a dedicated group of artists and volunteers have worked on since 2007. I interviewed Beausoleil recently to learn more about Al-Mutanabbi Street and his project.

More here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-stambler/al-mutanabbi-street_b_1316997.html