Muslims have only two official religious feasts, Eid Al-Fitr, which comes after the  fasting month of Ramadan, and Eid-Al-Adha, which comes on 10 of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Hijri lunar calendar. This year, Eid Al-Adha occured on October 25. The Eid holiday usually lasts 5 days, starting from 9 Dhu Al-Hijjah to 13 Dhu Al-Hijjah.

The Hirji Lunar calendar is also called the Islamic calendar.  It consists of 12 months and 355 or 354 days and is used by Muslim people to determine the Islamic occasions as feasts, pilgrimage and fasting.

Eid Al-Adha means ‘Feast of the Sacrifice” because every family or household should sacrifice one lamb, goat, sheep or one seventh cow or camel. The cow or camel could be sacrificed by 7 families, according to the Islamic teachings.

The sacrificed animal is called Udhiyyah. The meat of the Udhiyyah should be divided into 3 parts. One third is for the family members while the other parts should be given to the relatives and neighbors; also, it would be better to be given to the most needy among them. Sacrificing must be done after the Eid prayer. It’s preferred to have the Eid day breakfast from Udhiyyah; usually, it is the liver and heart.

The Eid prayer can be done at any time after sun rise but before the noon time. All the prayer attendants should dress up in new clothes or the best clothes they have.

Traditionally, in some Islamic countries such as Palestine, Syria and Turkey, they visit the cemeteries during the Eid days. Also, in most of the countries, usually the parents and the elder relatives and neighbors give their children some extra money. This money is called Eidya.

According to the Islamic resources, on 10 Dhu al-Hijjah about four thousand years ago Allah (The God) instructed the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to give his son Ismael (Ishmael) as a sacrifice to test his faith. After that the prophet Ibrahim decided to follow the command and asked his son about it. The answer from Ismael was to agree for the command without any reservation or objection at all. After starting slaughtering Ismael, the Prophet Ibrahim found a ram replacing his son. So this day became celebrated annually by Muslims to sacrifice during the Eid Al-Adha.

Other Islamic events during Eid days would occur in Mecca, which is Hajj. The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, which is a must to all Muslims if they can do it.

On 9 Dhu Al-Hijjah the pilgrims go to Arfa mount, which is the main pillar of the Hajj. This day is called Day of Arafa. Arafa mount is located 22 km from the Grand mosque in Mecca. It’s recommended for non-pilgrim Muslims to fast this day, while the pilgrims are not allowed to fast.

On the 10 Dhu Al-Hijjah, the pilgrims must stone a wall, referred to as the devil, with seven pebbles as a part of Hajj performance in a place called ‘large Jamara’. Also, they have to sacrifice. In the previous years, they used to sacrifice a goats, sheeps , camels or cow by themselves, while right now they pay the cost of the sacrifice to the Saudi government, who will complete the sacrifice on their behalf for hygienic reasons. In the previous years, the streets used to be ful of blood and dirt after millions of pilgrims sacrificed their animal.

After that, the pilgrims go to cut their hair and to wear regular dresses rather than Ihram cloths. The Ihram clothes consist of 2 un-hemmed sheets. In the following 3 days the pilgrims must stone the devil in 3 different places called Jamarat, each one with 7 pebbles.

The greeting for your Muslims friends and colleagues should be Eid Mubarak or Happy Eid. Mubarak means blessed. And the greeting for pilgrims should be Hajj Mabrour. Mabrous means accepted.

Image Courtesy of  azaphoto / Shutterstock.com

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In the past weeks Muslims around the world have been offended, hurt and upset as a consequence of Westerners feeling the need to stress their freedom of expression — but for what reason?

Except for a few details, the recent incidences have had remarkable similarities with something we have seen before: the short film ‘Submission‘, made in 2004 by Theo van Goghon, a Dutch film director, and Somalia-born Ayaan Hirsi and the Mohammed Cartoons incident by a Danish newspaper in 2005, which caused the Arab world to boycott Danish-produced goods like dairy products. These are just a few of the examples to be mentioned.

Most Muslims in Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world keep their feelings to themselves and their family and friends, or express them in a peaceful way – just like many Westerners fail to comprehend the purpose of publishing that type of material, time and again. However, it seems like a controversy that we, on both sides, are forced to witness again and again which makes it valuable to investigate some potential underlying dynamics for the recent incidents.

According to Politiken.dk, a feeling exists in the Arab world of differential treatment practiced by Western Governments; examples include that Western Governments support free will except in cases where Islamic parties win elections. They fight for human rights except in countries where the oppressor is a dictator who cooperates with the Western world; Western Governments support freedom of religion, except when it concerns Islam.

Additionally, Western politicians continuously make hostile comments about Muslims and Islam. This is reinforced by my research (to be published in Arab-West Report in April 2013) on the migration of Egyptians where Muslims indicate that they feel as second class citizens in their own country next to expats living there. At the same time they feel unwelcome in Western countries such as the U.S.A. and several European countries.

So while Western countries claim they are fighting for equal rights, freedom to be whoever you are, as well as the right to control your own life, it easily comes across as the exact opposite in the countries that are the target for that fight.

Politiken.dk continues that while the mentioned examples by people in the Arab World are perceived as differential treatment and interference, Western Governments understand it as isolated reactions to specific incidents. This could be related to what Charles Clay Lemert, Professor in Sociology, characterizes as ‘colonization’ in his book Sociale Forhold -En indføring i det sociologiske liv (2004), which he defines as the process where people with power and money get the idea that their theories and perspectives of the world gives them the right to take over other countries, their assets and sometimes even the soul of the native people, who rarely are in a position to defend themselves.

And it is all justified by the perception that the invasion will result in a better moral, a better political system, and in general a better way of living. But according to whom?

If the world is believed to be a social construction that only makes sense in relation to the society in which it exists, it makes sense that people around the world have not only different ways of living, but more importantly different perceptions of what ‘the better way of living’ is. No doubts that people in the Arab world are dreaming about a better world, as witnessed during the Arab Spring that last year permeated in several Arab countries. We are still, at the time of writing, witnessing how Syrians fight against the local regime, or how Palestinians continuously experience their rights to land reduced — but is this battle a cry for the Western world to free them from Islam, Islamist or Islamic values?

Without a doubt there is a perception in the Western world that politics and religion should be two separate entities in a modern society, anno 2012 — or is there? Maybe it is more the perception that politics and Islam should be separated? This leads back to the imagination of the world as a social construction: if we acknowledge that different people have different perceptions of ‘the better way of living’, it might again be reasonable to assume that different societies have different ways of structuring a democracy.

Can democratic values not be implemented in a religious society? It is true that according to the construction of democracy that exists in the Western world, it is difficult entities to unite, but Egypt and the rest of the Arab world have a different way of constructing their societies. In this light it might be fair to assume that the construction of a democracy, in these countries, would contain different elements than what we see in Western countries’ understanding of democracy -elements that focus less on freedom of expression and more on mutual respect and the right to practice your religion.

However, as Ahram Online writes in an article on their English website, the challenges may lay in the rapid development of technological tools that connect the world, crossing societies of different social constructions. This means that a film like that of the recent controversy can be made and distributed online in Western countries where legislation is developed in the context of Western social constructions, without repercussions. One such filmmaker, or a cartoonist for that matter, may be perceived as offensive to a group of people but cannot be indicted for a criminal act, because one segment of the world does not perceive it as such.

However, in the same breath it must be stressed that individual action, like the ones discussed here, does not represent perceptions, opinions or acts of neither entire populations nor every politicians. But because of societies based on different social constructions of what is legal and what is not, a Western politician cannot demand the person behind such material brought to trial. But does this mean that Western countries should consider reversing their understanding of democracy and put restrictions on what can be expressed and what cannot?

As one of the focal points for democracies in Western countries it is hard to see that happen. Being a Westerner, brought up in the social constructions of a Scandinavian country, it is believed that having the freedom to speak up against the current government, the practices of the church, or other societal institutions that are disagreed with, is a crucial fundamental right, which should neither be restricted nor jeopardized.

But does this give the people in Western countries the right to offend the values of people in countries where social constructions of societies are different?

With an economic crisis dominating most of the Western world, it might be time to start rethinking what used to be ‘the center of the world’ – to a growing extent, the Western world depends on countries and people around it. It may be worth considering if respecting other cultures’ way of life wouldn’t be more productive than upsetting them purposefully.

Image Courtesy of  arindambanerjee / Shutterstock.com

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Florida, U.S.A. — Historian and author Patrick Roelle lived and worked in Cairo, Egypt for two years, visiting the American Embassy weekly. The Author claims there is no more secure compound on the face of this planet. The Author believes that if it was breached, it was with the approval of the new Egyptian leaders and their military and that Libya is no different. Roelle states, “Today, more American blood saturates the sands of the Muslim World and our embassies are overrun while the military and the new leaders of Egypt and Libyacheer on the sidelines. Is the fact that it took place on the anniversary of 9-11 a coincidence? Emphatically, NO!”

In his book, the Author asks the question: How does Barack Hussein Obama, the leader of the free world, confront leaders of countries who have endorsed the very laws that encourage acts of terrorism and that have condemned him to death?

As an historian and an author, Patrick Roelle makes it clear: it does not matter what you or I believe. What does matter is what the world of Islam believes. Islamic / Muslim law does not allow a person the freedom to choose a religion.  A man has no control over his ancestry, but if his father was a Muslim., that makes him an apostate by definition in the religion of Islam and in the eyes of the Islamic / Muslim world.

The Apostate Theory points out that in Islam, apostasy is ridda , which means turning back, and to all devout Muslims, it is a profound insult to Allah. A person born of a Muslim male parent , who rejects Islam, is a murtad fitri , or natural apostate . In the Islamic societies of Saudi Arabia, Yemen,Iran, Sudan, Mauritania, Qatar, the Comoros, and the tribal regions of Iraq, Libya, Pakistan and,Afghanistan the law is explicit. Apostasy is punishable by death.

Patrick Roelle, who goes by the pen name Mr. Pat, lived and worked within the Islamic societies of the Middle East and has spent the past 24 years studying Islam’s on-going war of Jihad against the People of the Book, Christians, Jews and Pagans.

For more information about The Apostate Theory and Mr. Pat’s other books, please visit www.mrpat.us / www.authorhouse.com

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The Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF) in Dubai has announced a plan to convert a mosque to the first eco-friendly mosque in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to the Khaleej Times newspaper, the project will cost 25 million UAE dirhams or 6.81 million USD.

The eco-friendly mosque is expected to save about 20 percent of water and power consumption. The normal consumption of water in the mosques is about three liters per person a day while the normal consumption of electricity in the mosques is about  250 kilo watts per square meter a year. Adding to eco-friendly conversion, the mosque would extend to about 9,754.82 square meters (105,000 square feet), making it the largest mosque in Dubai.

After the modifications, the mosque would accommodate about 3,500 worshipers at the same time. The roof of the mosque would be gardened to reduce the sun heat; additionally, it will use the solar energy to heat ablution water. The ablution is an Islamic procedure for washing parts of the body by using water to be prepared for prayer. The recycling plant within the mosque facilities will take the used ablution water for gardening and washroom use. The mosque will be constructed by eco-friendly materials to avoid non-biodegradable waste. It will also use an automatic thermostat to keep cool without wasting energy and will use natural light.

According to the Khaleej Times, Mr. Tayeb Abdulrahman Al Rais, Secretary-General of the AMAF, said: “The construction of the mosque is in line with the UAE leadership’s vision towards the conservation of resources, environment protection, and the adoption of green practices. With the global call for energy conservation, it is essential for developers to take responsibility for creating buildings that comply with green standards. The mosque project complies with best practices in corporate governance, while being transparent and gaining the validation of Awqaf, government and private institutions.”

In the neighboring city, Abu Dhabi’s General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments department approved the plan of an eco-friendly mosque to be built within Saadiyat Island. The design was made by Suhail Mohammed Suleiman, a graduate architecture student at Al-Hosn University. This initiative is not the first in the mosque-building field. In 2008, the Islamic community in Manchester opened Masjid-E-Noor, which was the first partially eco-friendly mosque in the world. The mosque was built with wood from renewable sources.  It also possessed solar panels to generate electricity.

In 2010, the Muslim community in Cambridge opened the first fully operated eco-friendly mosque. The mosque was designed by the award-winning architecture company, Marks Barfield, who designed a lot of projects in the UK and in the world, such as London Eye and Kew Treetop Walk.

Additionally, in 2010, eco-friendly mosques were opened in Buyukeceli village, which is in the Mersin province of Turkey. The mosques were opened by the residents of the village to protest having a nuclear plant there. This action was taken to show the government that there are many renewable sources that generate clean energy and are preferable to a nuclear plant.

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Ramadan is the holy month in Islam, which is when all Islam followers must fast for 30 or 29 days. The length of the holy month is decided according to the new crescent moon’s appearance as all the months of the Hijri Lunar calendar begin and end with. The fasting is from dawn to sunset every day.

The fasting duration depends on the geographic location of the country that the Muslim lives in and their home’s distance from the equator. For example, the daily fasting duration in Indonesia would be about 12 hours, while in Scandinavian countries would be about 17 hours.

Fasting Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, which are the Shahada (Islamic creed), the Salah (the 5 daily prayers) ,Zakat (Alms), Sawm (Fasting the month of Ramadan) and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Some Islamic scholars have approved the technological methods of moon observing by modern telescopes, while others say it must be seen with a naked eye. Also, other scholars have approved the pre-calculated calendar based on astronomy science. In most cases the Muslims follow the government declaration on the observing day, or in non-Islamic majority countries they follow the announcement of the official Islamic organizations.

Due to the large area of the Islamic world in different countries from Indonesia on the Far East to Morocco in the West, there is a difference in Ramadan’s starting by a day or two days, as the moon can’t be observed during the daylight.

Before dawn Muslims prefer to eat a predawn meal (Suhoor) before fasting to support the body with energy during the long fasting day. In some cultures this meal is heavy, while in others it is a light meal, while, according to some health websites, it’s advisable to have a light Suhoor similar to the breakfast meal on non-Ramadan days.

Most Muslims prefer to break the fasting (Iftar) at sunset with a few dates followed by a cold drink. Traditionally, in Palestine and the Levant countries the cold drink would be Tamarind or Qamar Eddeen, which is a drink made of a dry apricot. In Indonesia and Asian countries they start the Iftar with the Cendol drink, which is coconut milk with rice, pandan leaves, shaved ice and palm sugar

Every Islamic nation has some traditional dishes, drinks, and desert that are served during Ramadan more than other months around the year. The most popular deserts in Levant and Turkey during Ramadan are Qatayef , Kanafeh and Baklava. The Qatayef  is a sweet dumpling filed with nuts, cheese or cream and Kanafeh is pastry soaked in sweet syrup, while Baklava  is a sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey.

The best greeting for your Muslim friends and colleagues is to say ‘Ramadan Kareem’ which means “Ramadan is generous,” this year the holy month will start either on the 20 or 21 of July.

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Revolution via Social Media is a recently set trend, especially in the Middle East. Inspired by it, women in Saudi Arabia have started the ‘Women to drive’ campaign in 2011. A 35 year old Saudi lady, Manal-al-Sharif, drove around the Eastern province in Dammam and posted the video on YouTube. In the video she highlighted the troubles females in Saudi Arabia face for transportation, and thought it was time to take an initiative and break this ridiculous custom. She was then arrested, and later made to sign a pledge to take no further part in a campaign to persuade the Saudi authorities to allow women to drive.  So were the few other brave ladies, who followed her footsteps in other parts of the country. June 17, 2012 marks the one year anniversary, and Ashwag Alghamdi, a Saudi female now studying in USA, decided to get supporters all over the world to go and honk in front of Saudi Embassies and post the videos on YouTube.

Toonari Post (TP): When did you decide you need to do something to change the law about women driving in Saudi Arabia?

Ashwag Alghamdi (AA): For a long time we didn’t like this unfair ban. Our mothers in 1990 made a protest but they were shocked because the government and the religious clerks made many troubles for them and that affected their lives. I decided to join the Women2Drive campaign last May 2011. I just participated online like the others till they arrested Manal Alsharif and then I decided to make pages in English to spread her story and make the world hear about her till they released her. Then I decided to keep fighting till we get our rights starting with the right to drive.

TP: Despite Saudis being very strict about demonstrations and knowing the punishment may be lashes or imprisonment, how did you dare to take this initiative?

AA: It’s not a protest. We just asked and encouraged women in KSA to go out and drive to work, school and supermarket. It’s not a big issue but they got scared of us this time.

TP: Is Manal-al-sharif your inspiration? If not, how and why are your projects different from hers?

AA: Manal thanked me after they released her because my group and I, back then were one of the reasons behind releasing her in 9 days only. But after that she worked alone and we worked alone. I’m the admin of 3 English pages and my other friends are supervising the Arabic page that is dedicated to Saudi people. We don’t serve people or make idols, we serve the case.

 TP: Have you ever driven around Saudi Arabia? If yes, how has it been? Do you think women can maneuver around such crazy drivers here, given that Saudi drivers are infamous for reckless driving and speeding?

AA: Yes I did. The last time I drove was June 17, 2012 in Jeddah since I’m back to Jeddah for a short family visit, and I posted the video on the wall. I’ve been always driving in Jeddah, in some resorts (Durrat Alarous) where women can drive and wear whatever they want. And I drove with my friend before dressed up as a male and that was very exciting. And about the dangerous roads, I think we’re ready now, since we have cameras at almost everywhere in our big cities, and women in desert communities and villages are used to driving for decades. I think it should be now or never. It’s our chance since we got the world’s attention.

TP: What do you hope to achieve via this new movement?

AA: We get the right of mobility, then we’ll get our other rights and be equal to men in this country.

TP: Recently a lot of revolution has been taking place in the Middle East with the help of Social Media. What are your views on this? Do you think your people will be able to make a change too?

AA: Yes I think so. If you observed KSA after 9/11, you’ll notice many changes and people are changing their minds, if there is any revolutions will happen in KSA, it’ll be a pinky revolution, women are making the change since 2011 and still.

TP: A lot of critics have commented that women driving is not the issue, the real problem arises when women are allowed out without a male guardian. They may undergo harassment and not be able to deal with problems in case a technical issue arises with the car, such as a flat tire or a dead battery. What are your views on this, and how do you think you will tackle such problems?

AA: Well, KSA still has no law against sexual harassment, they should make a law first because we get harassed in malls, streets and everywhere in here because guys are free to do whatever they want, there is no law. And women in the Arab gulf countries are driving in the same situation and nothing happened to them, they’re just scaring us so we’ll keep silent

TP: Recently an article was published stating ‘End of virginity’ if women drive, Saudi cleric warns’ and also including bizarre comments about increase in prostitution and homosexuality. What are your comments on this?

AA: That was the most absurd thing I’ve ever read. Believe me, many people in KSA laughed when they read it. He means that we’ll go out more than before and we’ll be free to date or whatever and I can tell you and tell him if any girl wanted to do so, she can do it with driving or without.

TP: Have any proof that you are not going against Shahriah?

AA: Women were riding camels and horses in the prophet’s time, it’s about transportation, if there was cars during the prophet’s time, he would allow women to drive, because he wouldn’t take it sexually like these people did.

TP: Do you have anything to say the numerous women who dream of driving freely in Saudi Arabia one day? And something for the critics of this dream?

AA: I just want to tell them, we will drive sooner or later, just get behind the wheels and buckle up and drive. And I feel it’s very soon, not because of his majesty, because we decided to get this right by force and I’m very proud of that.

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New York, U.S.A. – The first worldwide counter-jihad initiative will begin August 4 with the First Annual Global Counter Jihad rally in Stockholm, Sweden. Representatives from Stop Islamization of Nations (SION), Stop Islamization of America (SIOA), Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE), the English Defense League (EDL), and allied groups will speak.

The Global Counter Jihad rally will feature the president of SION and executive director of SIOA, Pamela Geller, as well as SION Vice President and SIOA associate director Robert Spencer. Also speaking will be the EDL’s Tommy Robinson, SIOE’s Anders Gravers, and other worldwide leaders from official Stop Islamization and Defence League groups.

“The conference,” said Geller in a statement, “heralds the launch of a worldwide counter jihad alliance. Freedom fighters from Europe and America, as well as India, Israel, and other areas threatened by jihad, will at last be working together and forming a common defense of freedom and human rights.”

Stockholm was chosen for the Global Counter Jihad rally because of the actions of an Iraqi-born Swedish citizen, Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, who traveled to central Stockholm on December 11, 2010 in order to commit mass murder in revenge for Sweden’s “silence” over cartoons of Islam’s founder and the presence of Swedish troops in Afghanistan. Al-Abdaly succeeded only in killing himself, but his jihad plot is particularly noteworthy because he turned to jihad violence and hatred in England, at the Luton Islamic Centre.

EDL leader Tommy Robinson explained in a statement: “We are ashamed that the people of Stockholm had to suffer the horror of a terrorist attack in their city because we as a country have been unable to even truly acknowledge the extent of the threat posed by Islamic extremism, let alone combat it. We have a responsibility to ensure that our country can never again be the birthplace for terrorism. We owe that much to the people of Stockholm, to our friends in Europe and across the world, and to our children. This is why the English Defense League will be attending the First Annual Global Counter Jihad rally in Stockholm on August 4, along with Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, and Anders Gravers.”

Robinson added: “We must also look at the other forms of extremism commonly associated with Islam, including but not limited to the oppression of Muslim women, the predominance of Muslim men in child grooming cases, and the seditious ideology of Sharia Law. Of course, we must always be careful to distinguish fair-minded criticism from simple prejudice. But that does not mean that we should equate disdain for Islam as an ideology (both political and theological) with hatred of individual Muslims. It is certainly true that there many decent Muslims – no one is questioning that. But that does not mean that the problems that give root to Islamic extremists can be understood in isolation from mainstream Islamic thought or practice.”

Security will be high, so as to prevent what has happened at previous free speech demonstrations inEurope: at one, the display of an innocuous cartoon of Muhammad resulted in devout Muslims rioting, attacking and stabbing police. “It is time to stand against this encroaching tyranny and defend free speech and free people,” stated Geller.

The First Annual Global Counter Jihad rally claims that they stand for several things. The freedom of speech – as opposed to Islamic prohibitions of “blasphemy” and “slander,” which are used effectively to quash honest discussion of jihad and Islamic supremacy. The freedom of conscience – as opposed to the Islamic death penalty for apostasy. They also claim to stand for the equality of rights of all people before the law – as opposed to Sharia’s institutionalized discrimination against women and non-Muslims.

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The worldwide Head and Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, has condemned comments recently attributed to Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, in which he declared that it was necessary to destroy all Churches in Saudi Arabia and surrounding Arab countries.

Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“I was shocked and very saddened to learn that Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti has called for all Churches in the region to be destroyed. What he has said is completely against the teachings of Islam and must be condemned absolutely.

The Holy Qur’an has clearly said that there should be no compulsion in matters of religion. This means that every person should be free to practice his or her religion and have the right to worship. Based on these unequivocal teachings, how could a so-called authority on Islam ever advocate that even one church, let alone all churches, be destroyed?

The life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad is filled with examples of how he always advocated freedom of religion and worship. To give just one example, when a delegation of Christians from the city of Najran came to visit Medina, the Holy Prophet Muhammad happily gave them permission to worship in his own Mosque.

We find that the Holy Prophet Muhammad spent his entire life preaching peace, tolerance and justice. Thus there can be no other conclusion than to say that what the Grand Mufti has said is completely wrong and displays a complete lack of understanding of Islam on his part.

We, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, follow the true teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and thus we desire and indeed constantly strive for a world filled with peace and freedom of worship for all people.

In 2010, a very famous American newspaper sought my opinion on whether the proposed Ground Zero Mosque in New York ought to be built. In response, I said that if permission were granted, then the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat would want a Church, a Synagogue, a Temple and the places of worship of all other religions to be built alongside it, because that would show true unity in society, and my answer was based on the actual and real teachings of Islam.”

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Concealed in a nondescript building in a quiet upper middle-class Chicago suburb, lies a center devoted to one of the most prolific religions in the history of mankind. The movement does not proselytize or advertise, and many residents of Burr Ridge, Illinois may never know that the Zoroastrian Association of Chicago exists in their community.

Toonaripost was invited by prominent member of the ZAC, Rohinton Rivetna, to witness and participate in a ritual gathering. Rivetna is the founder of FEZANA, an organization dedicated to uniting the international Zoroastrian diaspora together; collaborating with organizations in India, Iran, and the U.K.

The ZAC affords its members a traditional forum to practice their beliefs and also functions as a community center. In an effort to cater toward the younger generation of Zoroastrian followers, (not to mention a great way for members to mingle and associate,) a Nintendo Wii was set up for tournament style play.

This advanced technological display was in complete contrast to the scene in the next room. Worshipers are asked to remove their shoes and place a small hat (topi) on their head before proceeding. What is witnessed next is a tradition that has been practiced for thousands of years. The priest, Ervad Jamshed Ravji stands before a flame, his face covered with white cloth.

He chants in ancient Iranian tongue known as, Avestan; the virtues of prophet Zoroaster and the blessings of the only god, Ahura Mazda. Others congregate in a semicircle and quietly observe or pray along from a small book written in Sanskrit. Donations can be made. In return, one receives a small wooden stick that can be placed in the flames.

At the end of the event, the priest goes around, offering ashes to one’s forehead, a tradition shared by the Catholic church. Rivetna is uncertain if there is a link between both theologies on this tradition, and does not know how that custom originated. This is a practice followed by the Parsi Indians only, and not from Iranian devotees.

After the ritual (which is optional to attend) members re-convene in the main hall to watch the Wii tournament be played out. Children run around while the elders chat. Many members are prominent professionals in the community, doctors, lawyers, etc. Several Zoroastrians brought a dish to be shared for lunch, the room filling up with exotic aromas.

Both Persian and Parsi practitioners of Zoroastrianism (also known as Zarathushti) now worship once again and side-by-side in Chicagoland. The Zoroastrian Association of Chicago has been operating for over thirty years and has a membership of over 700 who come together to worship Ahura Mazda.

This is the only congregation in the midwest, one of 27 total in North America. Most are both Parsi and Persian. Some sects in L.A. are exclusively of Iranian dialect (Farsi) so Parsi members might feel uncomfortable, unable to understand the ceremonial chanting.

The movement flourished for over 3,000 years before the Islamic conquests dominated the ancient Persian homeland. Some sects fled into Northern India, where they would be known as The Parsi, and continued to practice the teachings of Zoroaster in peace along their Hindu neighbors. A monotheistic faith, Zoroastrianism had a great impact on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Perhaps the most identifiable trait of the practice is the devotion and reverence of fire. Fire temples used to exist all throughout the middle-east, but most have been either destroyed, or converted into Mosques.
Zoroastrianism can be broken down by the six core attributes (Amesha Spentas) of Ahura Mazda (God)

1. Asha Vahishta – The highest (best) truth and righteousness.
2. Vohu Manah – The good mind. Understanding the nature of our world.
3. Spenta Armaiti – Holy Devotion. The attitude of piety and devotion toward truth and the attitude of benevolence.
4. Kshathra Vairya – Divine strength and power. The ideal social and political structure of the world, an ideal society.
5. Haurvatat – The state of complete well being, physical and spiritual integrity.
6. Ameretat – The state of immortal bliss.

Some components of the theology are no longer practiced; such as leaving bodies of the dead in vast open sarcophagus’ known as “Towers of Silence,” where vultures would swoop down and pick the bodies clean. The Zoroastrians did not want to poison the earth with cadavers. This was known as, “ritual exposure,” and may be the most foreign aspect of an otherwise approachable spirituality.

Zoroastrianism still survives in modern Iran, yet the numbers pale in comparison to the Muslim majority, and the amount of followers has continue to decline since the Islamic revolution of 1979. Bombay, India, remains the capital of Zarathustis, with an estimated 110,000 devotees. The most well known Parsi was former rock-singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury.

According to Rivetna, linguistic evidence estimates that 2012 marks the 3,750 anniversary of Zoroaster’s initial preachings, hailing from somewhere between the Caspian and Aral Seas, perhaps in modern day Uzbekistan.
His teachings gained movement around 550 BC, when Cyrus the Great made it popular under his Achaemenid dynasty. The likeness of Cyrus is celebrated for his bringing of peoples together and being the first true multicultural society.

Many books were destroyed between the conquests of Alexander the Great (known as the Cursed to the Persians) and the invasion of Arabs-Islam , but core-elements continued to this day due to an indomitable oral tradition.

More recently, The Shah of Iran absolved tax on Zoroastrians, restoring equal rights in their homeland and many would return until the 1979 Islamic revolution when persecution resumed.

Today, Zoroastrians are denied government jobs in Iran, and have trouble being accepted into Universities. Only in cities far from their cultural birthplace can the few remaining followers of the prophet Zoroastor find solace.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.zac-chicago.org/

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Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) announced  a national Shariah education campaign to promote religious freedom and combat Islamophobia. ICNA’s campaign, Defending Religious Freedom, Understanding Shariah, will include a 25 city education tour to introduce the Islamic faith to the American public.

ICNA is also promoting awareness through a public service announcement campaign, billboards across the country, college campus seminars, radio ads and a national hotline dedicated to addressing questions about Shariah and the Islamic faith.

Outreach has already started, including a seminar in Pittsburgh, billboards and radio ads in Kansas Cityand public service announcements in San Francisco. The next scheduled event will be in Miami on March 10th, followed by Washington, D.C. on March 27th and Los Angeles on April 17th. More dates will be announced shortly.

The campaign will include these elements:

• Shariah education and interfaith events, town hall forums and activities in 25 cities including New York City, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Kansas City, Detroit and Hartford
• Billboards in 15-20 cities nationwide including Kansas City, New Jersey, New York (near the Lincoln Tunnel, seen by 120,000 people each day), Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Detroit, Miami
• 40 national ICNA chapters mobilized, including thousands of volunteers
• National hotline dedicated to answering questions about Shariah and the Islamic faith. The toll-free number is: 1-855-SHARIAH
• A public service announcement campaign distributed and aired in 20 cities nationally
• Seminars on 20 college campuses including George Washington University, Bradley University,George Mason, and University of Delaware in March and April
• Radio ads aired in approximately 20 cities nationally
• Local media outreach by trained spokespeople and leaders from 30-35 ICNA chapters across the country
• ICNA annual convention in Hartford, CT, during Memorial Day weekend, attracting over fifteen thousand people as it did last year

“The First Amendment guarantees religious freedom for every citizen. Muslim Americans are asking for the same fundamental rights to observe Shariah, a component of the Islamic faith, in our personal, familial and religious affairs within the boundaries of the United States Constitution and all local, state and federal laws.” says Dr. Zahid H Bukhari, President, Islamic Circle of North America.

In each city visited on the “Defending Religious Freedom, Understanding Shariah” education tour, ICNA plans to hold town hall events that foster positive discourse about religious freedom and the state of Islamophobia in our country. The plan is to clear up common misconceptions about Shariah and the Islamic faith and present the facts through open dialogue with Americans of all faiths.

“ICNA is making an honest attempt to reach out and connect to our fellow Americans and introduce them to our Islamic faith,” says Naeem Baig, Vice President of ICNA Public Affairs. ”We see it as our responsibility to clarify misconceptions about American Muslims.”

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Britain is among the safest places for people to worship freely and in peace, an Islamic leader has said at the opening of a new GBP900,000 mosque in Feltham, west London.

His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Caliph of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, made the remarks before MPs, councillors and worshippers at the new Baitul Wahid Mosque. His comments were broadcast around the world via the community’s own satellite channel.

In the wake of attacks on mosques and other places of worship by hardline fanatics in a number of countries including Pakistan and Indonesia, he spoke about his admiration for British values of justice and equality.

Speaking about how planning permission for the mosque was granted upon appeal, His Holiness said:

“Ultimately we were granted permission to build this mosque and this was because, as I have said many times, that here in the UK the system of governance is just and one which affords citizens their due rights. We, who are Ahmadi Muslims, always pray that God Almighty enables just and fair governments to be established throughout the world.”

The Caliph highlighted how acts of revenge following burnings of the Holy Quran were sheer acts of criminality that ran counter to the very teachings of the book that zealots claimed to ‘defend’. His Holiness said:

“The Qur’an calls for the establishment of peace. It calls on Muslims to act compassionately towards all of mankind.”

And he highlighted the fact that the establishment of places of worship augmented peace in the community:

“This Mosque has been built only for the worship of God, and as a means to develop love, affection and peace. We have no other purpose, and we never will. Any true Muslim can never desire injustices or suffering for any other person because that would run entirely contrary to what the Qur’an and the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) have taught.”

The National President of the UK branch of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mr Rafiq Hayat, said:

“We welcome this ringing endorsement of the purpose of mosques, which is to instil inner peace and to spread a message of peace.

“That is why the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is active in cities across Britain to raise funds for charities and to hold interfaith activities, blood donation drives and to serve our neighbours. We are also in the midst of a nationwide peace campaign to counter Islamophobia and highlight Islam’s message of Love for All, Hatred for None.”

Mary Macleod, MP for Brentford & Isleworth, offered her support for the wide ranging work being undertaken by Ahmadi Muslims and praised the community’s role towards building a peaceful society. Seema Malhotra, MP for Feltham & Heston, highlighted the interfaith work of the community and said that the community’s values were an example for others.

The Mayor of Hounslow, Councillor Amrit Mann, called the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Hounslow ‘a model community’. He praised the community’s motto of ‘Love for All, Hatred for None’ and its commitment to humanitarian efforts. Mr Jagdish Sharma, MBE, Leader of Hounslow Borough Council, said Ahmadi Muslims had the distinction of being ‘law abiding and tolerant’.

The mosque was funded entirely from donations for the community itself with some members donating tens of thousands of pounds.

Contact:

Basharat Nazir media@ahmadiyya.org.uk Tel +44-7703-483-384

Mr Zaheer Khan +44-7768-336-873

http://www.loveforallhatredfornone.org

http://www.alislam.org

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The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on the New York Post to apologize for publishing a political cartoon that the Muslim civil rights group says “evokes anti-Semitic themes” through its depiction of hook-nosed terrorists objecting to the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) widespread campaign of spying on Muslims without warrants or evidence of wrongdoing.

View the cartoon:
http://tinyurl.com/7s6llpm

CAIR is also asking American Muslims and other people of conscience to contact the newspaper and to politely ask that they apologize for the offensive cartoon. E-Mail: letters@nypost.com, Copy to:info@cair.com

The cartoon by Sean Delonas was published Friday in the Post and shows the turban-wearing, hook-nosed terrorists preparing bombs and weapons in an apartment, with an NYPD vehicle in the street. One of the terrorists is depicted on the phone with The Associated Press news agency, and says: “Hello, AP Press?. . .I’d like to register a complaint against the N.Y.P.D. for spying on us.”

The cartoonist’s reference is to a series of Associated Press investigative articles exposing the NYPD’s spying on Muslim individuals, students, businesses, and religious institutions –- a campaign that has been condemned as unconstitutional by American Muslim and civil liberties groups.

Video: NJ Muslims Condemn NYPD Spying (CAIR)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2ioUX1-h5Y

CAIR-NJ: Muslims Denounce ‘Complete Betrayal’ of NYPD Surveillance
http://tinyurl.com/6msj2z3

NYPD Spying Program Aimed at Muslims
http://tinyurl.com/6sf8myz

“This offensive and inaccurate political cartoon evokes anti-Semitic themes that would be recognized by any historian of pre-war Nazi Germany,” said Zead Ramadan, board president of CAIR’s New York chapter. “The cartoon is not only offensive in its portrayal of a religious minority; it is also inaccurate in its depiction of those targeted by the NYPD spy campaign in that there is no evidence that those monitored were suspected of wrongdoing of any kind.”

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational

Subscribe to CAIR’s E-Mail List
http://tinyurl.com/cairsubscribe

Subscribe to CAIR’s Twitter Feed
http://twitter.com/cairnational

Subscribe to CAIR’s YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/cairtv 

Image Courtesy of     http://www.flickr.com/photos/icpja2/

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The producers of The Third Jihad: Radical Islam’s Vision for America have a direct response to media outlets that have referred to the critically-acclaimed documentary as an “anti-Islam” or “hateful” film.

“Claims that The Third Jihad is an anti-Islam film are ignorant and misinformed,” says Raphael Shore, Producer of The Third Jihad. “These claims are meant simply to defame the filmmakers and prevent the public from judging the film for themselves.”

The film opens with the following frame in bold letters for all viewers to read: “This is not a film about Islam. It is about the threat of radical Islam. Only a small percentage of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims are radical.” The film’s message urges the Muslim community to look within itself to root out the indoctrination that affects a minority of Muslims.

Narrator Dr. Zuhdi Jasser

“The New York Times and other media outlets are conveniently choosing to overlook the fact that the film isolates a small sector of the Muslim community, and more importantly that the film is narrated by Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, the founder and president of the American-Islamic Forum for Democracy [http://www.aifdemocracy.org ],” Shore added.

Dr. Jasser is a devout Muslim and a full-time physician and has served the United States of America admirably as medical officer in the US Navy and as an attending physician to the US Congress.

The documentary is founded on credible evidence presented by the FBI of a ‘Manifesto’ published by radicals calling for the implementation of extremist ideology-both violent and politicized-within the United States.

Yet the media are blasting the film’s usage by the New York Police Department in their counterterrorism training.

“There is a very good reason the NYPD selected to show The Third Jihad to nearly 1,500 police officers, and other law enforcement agencies have done the same,” Shore said. “The film deals with the very real process of radicalization and indoctrination of anti-American ideology taking place in some sectors of the Muslim community today.”

While many media outlets are presently taking a noticeably negative stance – before even watching the film – the film has been spotlighted in over 100 interviews since its release in 2009.

The film’s narrator, Zuhdi Jasser, has consistently appeared in mainstream media outlets including MSNBC, CNN and Fox News, and has published Op-Eds in numerous mainstream publications including the Wall Street Journal to point out concerning trends within the Muslim community.

Experts

Jasser is not the only credible expert to appear in The Third Jihad, nor is NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

The film’s producers conducted exclusive interviews with:

-Former Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge,

- Former Director of Central Intelligence R. James Woolsey

- Former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani

- Former Associate Director of the FBI

- Former FBI Asst. Dir. of Public Affairs John Miller

- Senator Joseph Lieberman

- Professor Bernard Lewis

- New York Times Best-selling Author Ayaan Hirsi Ali

- Former CIA Officer Clare Lopez

- Former CIA Officer Wayne Simmons

- New York Times Best-selling Author Mark Steyn

- And more (http://tinyurl.com/about3J)

Screenings

Since its release in 2009, The Third Jihad has screened and continues to be screened at several hundred locations across the United States including at the Library of Congress, Museum of Tolerance, Directors’ Screen Guild, and the National Press Club.

The film previously aired on cable television’s AmericanLife TV Network, and is currently available on Netflix and Amazon OnDemand.

Praise

The film has also received notable praise from some of the nation’s leading policy makers.

“It is imperative that The Third Jihad reaches a mass audience in the U.S. so that the urgency of this threat becomes clear to the American public,” declared US Rep. Ros-Lehtinen (FL), Chairwoman of the House Foreign Relations Committee.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (AZ) said, “The Third Jihad alerts Americans to the dangers of Islamic radicalization in our own communities. Zuhdi Jasser is sounding the alarm before it is too late.”

Rudy Giuliani called the film, “a wake up call for America.”

“Those that have blasted the film are attempting to stifle an important debate about the internal state of the Muslim community in America, and whether politicized Islam and indoctrination pose tangible security threats,” Shore added.

“We hope that the general public will consider the sensitive content in the film, and will not simply accept the baseless innuendos being made in the media. We invite the general public to watch and judge the documentary for themselves.”

The Third Jihad is now available for free viewing online at http://www.thethirdjihad.com.

Image Courtesy of  https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Third-Jihad-Movie/55200400800

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The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called on Mayor Richard Meehan of Ocean City, Md., to reconsider his speaking invitation to retired Lieutenant General William G. “Jerry” Boykin, who believes that “[Islam] should not be protected under the First Amendment” and that there should be “no mosques in America.” Boykin is scheduled to speak at the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on January 26.

In a letter he emailed to Mayor Meehan, CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper wrote in part:

“We question the appropriateness of this choice for an official event, given Boykin’s long, shameful history of extreme and bigoted views. . . It will be a discredit to your office and a disservice to the citizens of Ocean City if such a man is allowed to spread his divisive falsehoods and prejudiced ideas at a government-sponsored function.

“We respectfully ask whether any taxpayer funds are being spent on this year’s Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, and how your office plans to address the appearance of an official endorsement of Boykin’s extremist views. We ask that you reconsider inviting him, given that the biased ideas he espouses — though protected by the First Amendment — should be repudiated, not given a legitimizing platform.”

Boykin’s views came under scrutiny in 2003 when media reports revealed that in a public discussion of his efforts to capture a Muslim Somali warlord, Boykin said: “I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol.” Speaking in uniform, the general said America’s “spiritual enemy. . .will only be defeated if we come against them in the name of Jesus.”

Since then, Boykin has continued to openly attack Islam and portray Muslims as a “threat,” even stating that there can be no interfaith dialogue or cooperation between Muslims and Christians. In September 2011, Boykin declared on the radio show Focal Point that there should be “no mosques in America.”

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The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s leading Muslim civil liberties organization, has condemned “inaccurate and offensive” remarks by GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, who said that the concept of equality “doesn’t come from Islam” or “Eastern religions.” He claimed equality comes from “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

In a statement, CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said:

“The Quran, Islam’s revealed text, is the best refutation of Mr. Santorum’s inaccurate and offensive remarks, which are unbecoming of anyone who hopes to hold our nation’s highest office. Christians, Jews and Muslims all worship the same God and share religious traditions that promote justice and equality.

“God states in the Quran: ‘Say ye: ‘We believe in God and the revelation given to us and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and it is unto Him that we surrender ourselves.’ (The Holy Quran, 2:136)

“The Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stress racial and gender equality. The Prophet said: ‘All people are equal as the teeth of a comb.’

“As the Prophet said in his last sermon: ‘All humankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab. Also, a white person has no superiority over a black person, nor does someone who is black have any superiority over someone who is white — except by piety and good action.’

“The Prophet once told a companion: ‘You are not better than people (of other races) unless you excel them in piety.’ (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1361)

“Islam’s holy text also promotes gender equality when it states: ‘So their Lord answers their prayers, saying: ‘I will never let the (good) work of any of you, whether male or female, be wasted. You are members one of another.’ (The Holy Quran, 3:195) The Quran also states: ‘The believers, men and women, are protectors, one of another.’ (Quran 9:71)

“The Prophet Muhammad said: ‘Whoever has a daughter and does not bury her alive (a pre-Islamic practice forbidden by Islam), does not insult her, and does not favor his son over her, God will enter him into Paradise.’

“We suggest that Mr. Santorum educate himself about Islam and the American Muslim community by reading the Quran that we will send to his campaign headquarters next week.”

[NOTE: CAIR has an initiative designed to send free copies of the Quran to the nation's opinion leaders and policy-makers. The Qurans are sponsored and distributed through CAIR's ongoing "Explore the Quran" campaign.

Hooper noted that CAIR recently called on Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and other GOP representatives to reaffirm their support of an American republic that treats citizens of all faiths as equals after Gingrich told a South Carolina town hall that he would only support a Muslim for the presidency if that person would "commit in public to give up Sharia [Islamic principles].”

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/

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The Council on American-Islamic Relations and United Firm of Carolina Law announced the filing of a lawsuit against Delta Air Lines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines for removing two Islamic religious leaders, or imams, from a flight to a conference on Islamophobia in Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier this year after the pilot refused to fly with them on board.

CAIR and UFC Law attorneys announced the lawsuit at a news conference earlier today at Memphis International Airport in Tennessee. Interfaith leaders also took part in the news conference.

The lawsuit states in part:

“Despite having been cleared twice by TSA agents, Defendants’ pilot took the matter into his own hands when he chose to eject Plaintiffs from the flight based on arbitrary and capricious reasons, including his personal preconceived notions of race, religion, and national origin.”

According to the lawsuit, the defendants violated both a federal law preventing an air carrier from subjecting a passenger to “discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or ancestry” and a Tennessee law that prohibits denying an individual the “full and equal enjoyment of the… advantages and accommodations of a place of public accommodation… on the grounds of race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin.”

The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction that would prohibit the defendants from “singling out passengers for mistreatment based on their perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, alienage, ancestry, and/or national origin” and order them to “take all affirmative steps necessary to remedy the effects of the illegal, discriminatory conduct described herein and to prevent similar occurrences in the future.” It also seeks attorneys’ fees and compensatory and punitive damages against Delta and Atlantic Southeast Airlines “in an amount to be determined at trial.”

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The September 11 terrorist attacks brought more than the loss of American lives, they brought considerable impact on internal affairs of the United States. The CIA’s involvement with the NYPD is considered, by many, another stain on the Agency’s long history of scandals.

The CIA has been accused of infiltrating the police department and using its resources to conduct spying operations on a domestic level, mainly targeting the Muslim community in New York City. After a thorough investigation, the Associated Press has published an article revealing the relationship between the Agency and the NYPD in the past ten years.

Work have been done on two main levels. First, a veteran CIA officer was assigned to be in charge of training a police officer who would put into practice new espionage techniques inside the police units. This action allowed the CIA to influence and reorient NYPD towards serving intelligence instead of fulfilling its normal duty as a law enforcement institution.

Secondly, a senior CIA officer was sent to work as a clandestine operative inside the police headquarters, with the main goal of supervising and watching the progression of the project. Bookstores, cafes, bars and nightclubs are some of the public places targeted by the program which consisted of citizens’ surveillance, also referred to in the AP report as “human mapping.”

The same reports said that the NYPD has sent “rakers” into minority neighborhoods to spy and gather data. Police have also used informants, referred to as “mosque crawlers,” to report on religious sermons or gatherings in mosques, even in the absence of suspicious activity.

In his comments on the issue, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, admitted that NYPD is working with the CIA, but defended its practices saying, “If there are threats or leads to follow, then the NYPD’s job is to do it. The law is pretty clear about what’s the requirement and I think they follow the law. We don’t stop to think about the religion. We stop to think about the threats and focus our efforts there.”

In a response to the report, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights organization, asked the Justice Department for an investigation into the case. CAIR attorney, Gadeir Abbas, believes that “the first amendment protects our right to associate freely with one another.”

“An investigation of a community [rather than of a crime or a particular person] unlawfully chills the rights of persons within that community. Furthermore, the Establishment Clause requires NYPD to maintain neutrality between all religions. Their intelligence unit appears to be failing to maintain that neutrality by institutionalizing suspicion of all things Islamic,” Abbas said.

Police involvement in CIA activities has blurred the lines of domestic and foreign affairs as well as the limits between local and federal jurisdiction.

Some say that the CIA’s dependence on the help of the NYPD is because of the the agency’s inexperience dealing with a domestic environment. The lack of diversity among the CIA’s personnel may also play into its inability to conduct operations independent of the police department. The NYPD has both features; a direct contact with citizens, as well as a culturally and linguistically diverse staff that more easily blends into the community.

Others are questioning why the CIA doesn’t try collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) instead of NYPD. Whatever the reason, the issues surrounding privacy and freedom is not only found in the U.S. Many Arabs are currently fighting against regimes, where spying on citizens is routine. Meanwhile, many New Yorkers are unaware of the spying efforts of the CIA and police department.

Glynnis Jones / Shutterstock.com

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Do you remember Herman Cain? He is one of the many fringe Republican candidates who are pretending to run for the GOP presidential nomination. The former Godfather Pizza CEO is known for his controversial statements. He is not going to stop making outlandish claims just because he is running for president.

Last week, Cain criticized the planned mosque in Tennessee. “This is just another way to try to gradually sneak Sharia law into our laws, and I absolutely object to that,” Cain told reporters. “This isn’t an innocent mosque,” Cain said.

On Sunday, Cain was asked by Chris Wallace about that comment. He elaborated and stated he believes that Americans should be able to ban Muslims from building mosques in their communities. And I really think he was serious.

“Our Constitution guarantees the separation of church and state,” Cain said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday.” “Islam combines church and state. They’re using the church part of our First Amendment to infuse their morals in that community, and the people of that community do not like it. They disagree with it.”

“Let’s go back to the fundamental issue,” Cain said. “Islam is both a religion and a set of laws — Sharia laws. That’s the difference between any one of our traditional religions where it’s just about religious purposes.”

“So, you’re saying that any community, if they want to ban a mosque…” Wallace began.

“Yes, they have the right to do that,” Cain said.

On Sunday, Cain defended his past comments about not allowing Muslims to serve in his administration, telling Wallace that it’s not discrimination.

“Aren’t you willing to restrict people because of their religion?” Wallace asked.

“I’m willing to take a harder look at people who might be terrorists, that’s what I’m saying,” Cain replied. “Look, I know that there’s a peaceful group of Muslims in this country. God bless them and they’re free to worship. If you look at my career I have never discriminated against anybody, because of their religion, sex or origin or anything like that.”

“I’m simply saying I owe it to the American people to be cautious because terrorists are trying to kill us,” Cain said, “so yes I’m going to err on the side of caution rather than on the side of carelessness.”

Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com

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