Should we fear Islam?

 Washington Post

By Congressman Keith Ellison

At a time when our nation is seeing a rise in intolerant behavior, crossing every cultural line, whether based on race, religion or sexual orientation, we seem simultaneously stuck with a national news media that is preoccupied with conflict and controversy when we desperately need one that weighs facts and reports fairly. A recent national news program reinforced these concerns. Let me explain what I mean.

Imagine a respected TV show or news magazine article with the title, "Should Americans Fear Black People?"

Imagine staccato hip-hop music for the teaser, with clips of black gang members toting guns, hanging around urban scenes, looking scary. Imagine the zoom-in close up of a shoulder tattoo, proclaiming "Thug for Life."

As the host (some household name) opens the show, imagine that the white expert opining about the root causes of urban decay is a nationally recognized racist, like for instance, David Duke. With a straight face, and no sense of irony, the host solicits Duke's views, who proceeds to declare, "when the American people saw the LA riots, they received a peek into their future."

Imagine the television cameras going in search of voices of 'real' black people. Where do they go? The 'hood of course! I mean, where else do black people live?

The intrepid host invites regular Americans to ask the experts to explain black pathology: "Why is their rap music so degrading to women?" Cynthia from Wyoming wonders. "Why are so many blacks at the bottom of the economic and educational ladder?" Chuck from New York State muses.

Is this starting to get a little uncomfortable? Of course, it is. Just ask Don Imus about the wisdom of indulging in racial stereotyping against blacks. Add Jews, Catholics, gays and others as well. Not a good idea.

Now replace black with Muslim, and that's just about how ABC News treated Islam and Muslims this past weekend, on 20/20 and This Week with Christiane Amanpour.

There were the obligatory clips of terrorist training camps, the planes flying into the twin towers, the victims of so-called 'honor killings.' The Muslim experts - looking officially 'Islamic' in their long beards and hats - included one declaring that one day the flag of Islam would fly over the White House. The non-Muslim experts - Robert Spencer (leading anti-Muslim advocate in the Park51 Project controversy), Ayaan Hirsi Ali (prolific anti-Muslim writer), and Franklin Graham (said Islam "is a very evil and wicked religion") - are well known, even famous, for spewing anti-Muslim hate. Of course, these characters emphatically agreed with the caricatures with long beards and white hats, repeating the propaganda that Islam requires its adherents to dominate people. Among the 'normal' Muslims interviewed were a woman in niqab (fewer than 1% of Muslim women in America wear the full face veil and accompanying robes), and Muslims in the Muslim 'hood', cities, like Dearborn, MI, and Patterson, NJ.

Do some Americans fear black people? For sure. But we don't validate those fears by allowing them to be expressed with fake innocence on respected news shows. Why are fears of Muslims validated by television airings? 

Are there criminals in America who are African-American? Yes, again. But they're not presented as representative figures of the community by reputable news programs. Why do such shows go out of their way to find the scariest, most cartoonish Muslims possible and present them as spokespeople for Muslims?

No serious journalist would ask a random black guy with a briefcase on the street to explain the pathology of an African American criminal because of the coincidence of shared skin color. But serious journalists called on ordinary Muslim Americans to explain the behavior of homicidal maniacs and extremists, thereby making the link between the crazies and the mainstream community.

Are there people willing to offer all sorts of racist theories about black crime, from problems in black genes to deficiencies in black culture? Plenty. But the only time they show up on mainstream news shows are as examples of racism, not as experts on race.

We are having a national conversation about belonging. The threatened Qur'an burning in Florida and the controversy over the proposed Islamic Center in lower Manhattan are examples of this national conversation about whether America can stretch her arms wide enough to embrace Muslims too. Irresponsible and sensational depictions of Muslims in the popular media are not the cause of Islamophobia, but they certainly can make it worse. Recent news shows and media reports do nothing to shed light or understanding on this national conversation, which is too bad.

But the conversation must continue. And I hope it continues in our mosques, churches, synagogues and other holy places, with Americans of all faiths talking face to face about differences and about our shared humanity - free of the stereotypes that, lately, are so prominent in our TV shows and magazines.

UN 'ignored Congo rape warnings'

 Guardian

Assistant secretary general to investigate after community leaders say they begged for help before villagers were raped

David Smith and agencies

Pressure grew on the UN over its peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo yesterday after claims that it ignored appeals for protection just days before more than 240 villagers were raped by rebel forces.

Human rights groups said the UN was still failing to safeguard civilians after 11 years in Congo and demanded an urgent review. A British MP said the best solution now lay in seeking military support from Congo's neighbour, Rwanda.

The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has sent his assistant secretary general for peacekeeping, Atul Khare, to investigate the alleged lack of action from the Congo stabilisation mission, Monusco, the world's biggest peacekeeping mission, which costs $1.35bn (£865m) a year.

The attacks took place between 30 July and 4 August, and the number of reported victims is now 242, ranging from a month-old baby boy to a 110-year-old woman. Survivors have accused the FDLR rebel group - which is led by perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide who fled to Congo - along with Congolese Mai-Mai militia.

Charles Masudi Kisa said his Walikale Civil Association sounded the alarm on 25 July, telling local authorities that the withdrawal of soldiers from several outposts was putting people in danger of attacks from rebels. The military had abandoned every post from Luvungi to just outside Walikale for unclear reasons, he said.

On 29 July, acting on information from motorcycle taxis, he warned the UN civil affairs bureau in Walikale, the army and the local administration that rebels were moving in on Luvungi. "We told them these people were in danger," he said.

Lyn Lusi, programme manager of the Heal Africa hospital in Goma, which treated many of the rape victims, said appeals had gone unheeded. "There was a warning it was going to happen," she said. "They took it to the FARDC [Congolese army] and nothing was done."

Lusi said Khare had announced that the UN would clarify its rules of engagement so that peacekeepers could intervene more aggressively. The UN was unable to confirm this.

Monusco insists it was not told of the attacks for more than a week, despite having a base just 20 miles from Luvungi.

Roger Meece, the UN mission chief in Congo, said UN peacekeepers in the area did not learn about the rape and looting spree until 12 August. Two UN officials in Kinshasa told the Associated Press they heard it from media reports, even though the UN's small civil affairs office in Walikale is charged with protecting civilians.

Ellie Kemp, Oxfam policy head in Congo, said she understood there was no community liaison interpreter for the Monusco unit based near Walikale, making it difficult for villagers to convey warnings. She said one had since been assigned.

"There is a whole series of problems that the UN has been aware of for years," Kemp added. "Soldiers on the ground don't know what's needed of them."

She called for the UN to launch a public inquiry into the mission. "It shouldn't take this kind of incident to make the UN listen to its own advice. Why the hell hasn't it happened?"

Others joined the criticism. Sipho Mthathi, the South Africa director of Human Rights Watch, said: "Civilian protection has remained one of the biggest problems in the DRC and has been one of the biggest failures by the UN as well as the Congolese military. The UN lacks capacity to gather enough intelligence to act proactively. They often feel that if they come in they will be outnumbered by the FDLR. If the UN missions and Congolese army are not capable of protecting civilians then there has to be another way."

Erwin van der Borght, the Africa programme director at Amnesty International, said: "[We call] for an immediate review of the failures of the DRC government and the UN to protect civilians during the mass rape and other sexual violence committed in the Walikale region of North Kivu between 30 July and 2 August, specifically in light of media reports that the UN might have received information at an early stage that civilians were at risk of violence by armed groups."

Congo's army and Monusco have been unable to defeat the few thousand rebels responsible for the conflict in eastern Congo, fuelled by the vast mineral reserves. Monusco has been accused of supporting army units responsible for grave atrocities. The Congolese government wants it to withdraw next year.

Eric Joyce MP, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on the Great Lakes Region, said: "Monusco seem completely and utterly impotent," he said. "They do their best under constraints, but they are thinly spread and don't have fighting troops as Rwanda could provide. The international community needs Rwanda to do something about the FDLR."

Algerian rapper delivers sermons in Ramadan

ALGIERS (Ramadan Belamri)

Famous Algerian rap singer Lotfi Double Kanon took his fans by surprise when he started giving religious sermons since the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

Videos of Lotfi Belamri, known as Lotfi Double Kanon, preaching to Algerian youths on his official website and on the video-sharing website You Tube surprised fans and critics alike and raised questions about the singer's intentions to retire.

The near absence of preaching programs in the Algerian dialect is what encouraged Double Kanon to start his own sermons under the title Ramadaneyat.

Sermons at mosques only

" Sermons given in mosques are also in classical Arabic which makes them inaccessible for a considerable number of young Algerians "

Lotfi Double Kanon"I was more encouraged when I realized that the majority of my fans are irreligious youths who do not have the proper guidance," he told Al Arabiya.

According to Lotfi Double Kanon, the activities of preachers in Algeria are almost confined to mosques, so youths who do not frequent mosques regularly do not get the chance to learn the teachings of Islam.

"Sermons given in mosques are also in classical Arabic which makes them inaccessible for a considerable number of young Algerians."

The new project, Double Kanon pointed out, is not only for his compatriots inside Algeria but also abroad since many of them are not familiar with their religion.

"They need to learn about the true Islam which is different from the image the Western media tries to convey."

Double Kanon argued that the idea of preaching is in line with his singing career as many claim since both carry a message.

"Since the beginning of my career, I have said that I have a message. Preaching is a continuation of this message."

Before starting his project, Double Kanon posted a poll on his website, which thousands of fans visit everyday, asking his fans if they like the idea.

"When they voted for it, I found myself setting up a room in my house and recording sermons about Islam with a special focus on Ramadan and the meaning of fasting."

Double Kanon added that he wanted to teach youths about the essence of fasting and how it is not only about abstention from eating and drinking but from committing all kinds of sins whether during fasting or after breaking the fast.

Public and official reactions

" I have no intention to retire because I absolutely believe in what I'm doing "

Double KanonRegarding the reaction of Algerian people to his project and their reservations about having a singer preach, Double Kanon said there is no contradiction between preaching and singing.

"What I preach is already in religious books. The difference is the language that is easier for youths to understand."

Double Kanon added that he hasn't so far seen any young Algerian preacher who took a similar initiative and targeted youths who do not go to mosques.

Despite accusation that his project is sheer propaganda and claims that a singer cannot be a preacher, Double Kanon was pleasantly to see the increasing number of people who visit his website to see the videos of the sermons.

"I have until now gotten more than 200,000 visitors from different parts of the world."

He also received a call for an official at the Ministry of Religious Affairs to thank him for his initiative to raise religious awareness among Algerian youths.

Double Kanon's project raised questions among critics as to whether preaching is a step towards retirement like what several singers did.

"I have no intention to retire because I absolutely believe in what I'm doing."

Double Kanon, who currently lives in Paris, is involved in several charity projects. He is taking part in an initiative to distribute 10,000 copybooks among school children at the start of the new academic year.

He also took part in a previous initiative to give away lambs on the Greater Bairam to the poor residents of his hometown Annaba.

(Translated from the Arabic by Sonia Farid)Al- Arabiya

Ethiopians build First Hijrah mosque in America

 Al-Arabiya

WASHINGTON (Ahmed al-Shiti)

After being denied official construction permission back home, Muslim Ethiopians in the United States built the First Hijrah mosque and community center to commemorate the first immigration in the history of Islam and counter discriminatory practices by the Ethiopian government.

The First Hijrah mosque, literally meaning the mosque of the first immigration, is located in Washington, D.C., almost two miles from the White House.

" It is extremely ironic that in Washington we are granted our rights while this is not the case in our homeland "

Mosque muzzein Moftah Saeid The name of the mosque refers to the immigration in year 615 of a group of the prophet's followers, the first to enter Islam, to the northern Ethiopian city of Axum, seeking refuge from the persecution of the Quraish tribe in Mecca.

They lived there under the protection of the Christian Emperor Ashama ibn Abjar, also called al-Najashi, who denied Quraish's request to hand the refugees.

To commemorate the first immigration in the history of Islam, Muslims in the city of Axum tried to build their own mosque and were denied permission by the Ethiopian authorities.

Only when Christians are allowed to build a church in Mecca would Muslims in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian government is reported to have stated.

Muslim Ethiopians finally got the chance to realize their dream in the United States where they built the First Hijrah mosque.

The mosque serves 20,000 Muslims who live the neighborhood, said Sheikh Naguib Mohamed, 57, head of the Ethiopian community in Washington.

"We used to pay rent for that mosque then we bought it," he told Al Arabiya.


Muslims in Ethiopia

The mosque commemorates the first immigration in IslamMohamed complained of discriminatory practices against Muslims in Ethiopia in general and Axum in particular.

"Not only are we not allowed to build a mosque in the first land that championed the cause of Islam, but we also don't have a cemetery. When Muslims die we have to walk 15 kilometers outside the city to bury them."

The mosque's muzzein, caller for prayers, Moftah Saeid said that he and his fellow Ethiopian Muslims perform their rituals freely unlike in Axum.

"It is extremely ironic that in Washington we are granted our rights while this is not the case in our homeland," he told Al Arabiya.

Belal al-Habashi, 13, is another member of the Muslim Ethiopian community. He learnt the Quran by heart within one year in the Virginia Islamic Center.

"Based on what I hear about the situation of Muslims there, I don't think I could have learnt the Quran had I lived in Axum," he told Al Arabiya.

The First Hijrah mosque consists of two floors, the first for men and the second for women. During the holy month of Ramadan, the mosque organizes banquets so that members of the community can break their fast together and also organizes courses that teach the Quran and the rules of Islam.

The mosque coordinates with several Islamic organizations like the Badr Islamic Association and has a website on the social network Paltalk where it holds cultural and religious dialogues.

It is noteworthy that members of the Ethiopian Muslim speak fluent Arabic. Their recitation of the Quran and call for prayers are not, in fact, different from those in Arab countries.

(Translated from the Arabic by Sonia Farid)

How Muslims cope in touchy-feely Cuba

 CNN

By Shasta Darlington

Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Every Friday, Pedro Lazo Torres, clears the furniture out of his second-storey apartment in a potholed Havana suburb and lines the floors and balcony with carpets.

For Havana's Muslims, he is Imam Yahya, and the home that he shares with his wife and two adult children, is their place of worship.

"You can be a Chinese, Cuban or Russian Muslim and the laws are the same for everyone," Yahya told CNN. "The cultures can be different, but someone who embraces Islam must accept what Allah orders, it's that simple."

There are about 1,500 Muslims in Cuba, but no mosques. That's why, at the end of each week, Yahya, dressed in an immaculate white cap and tunic, welcomes people for Friday prayer. Women head inside, sitting on the living room floor, while men tend to kneel on the shady balcony.

Gallery: Being Muslim in Havana Most Muslims in Cuba are international college students from countries like Pakistan and Indonesia. Three medical students from Guyana were among those gathered at Yahya's house for Friday prayer.

Cuba is traditionally Catholic, but many don't actively practice the religion and others adhere to Afro-Caribbean beliefs like Santeria.

Yahya was introduced to Islam by exchange students and converted more than a decade ago.

Cubans are generally very tolerant of religions, Yahya told CNN. But Muslims do sometimes encounter some of the same prejudices found in other countries.

"Sometimes even friends say things jokingly, like 'terrorist,'" Yahya said.

Muslims in Cuba also face some unique challenges. Pork, for example, is the most popular meat here. "Pork has the problem that it's very attractive," Yahya said. "Just like all things that are bad."

The faithful say they have to be flexible. Before Friday prayer, they perform ablutions, or cleansing of the body, in Yahya's small bathroom. But the water supply is often turned off in Havana and adherents have to scoop water out of buckets filled in the shower for these kinds of emergencies.

Noalia Gladys Carmen Perez, who wears a headscarf, told CNN she and other adults have encountered some resistance to their faith.

"I've had good reactions, people who greet with you respect, and people who don't like it," she told CNN. "They'll say, 'It must be so hot,' [and] comments like that as a form of criticism."

Headscarves have never been an issue in schools, in part because Islam is relatively new in the country. However, few can pray at work, either because their schedules or social norms won't allow it.

Many also find it hard to adopt certain Muslim customs here in the touchy-feely tropics. In Cuba, men and women usually greet each other with a kiss.

Ibrahim Kinsan, a physical therapist, says most of his co-workers are women. "Now I've converted to Islam, but I can't just turn into an alien," he told CNN. "Most of them greet me with a kiss and that tradition isn't going to disappear."

Many Muslim countries have offered to donate the money for a mosque, but Yahya wants the gesture to come from Cuba. The country inaugurated its first Russian Orthodox Church in 2008.

"I think we could see something similar for Muslims in the near future," he said.

Somalia tops 'failed states index'

 Al-Jazeera

Somalia tops the list of so-called failed states, based on factors including its economy, human rights record and security, a new survey says.

The Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy Magazine released their 2010 "Failed States Index", on Monday, ranking 177 countries to determine those most at risk of failure.

The annual reportuses 12 metrics including security threats, economic implosion, human rights violations and refugee flows.

Since the index was published for the first time in 2005, the top 10 slots have rotated among just 15 countries, and Foreign Policy said it seems that state failure "is a chronic condition".

Africa has seven of the top 10 spots, and half of the 60 weakest states.

Somalia, which has held the worst position for three years in a row, has not had an effective government since 1991. It is wracked by bloody fighting between anti-government groups and the army in large parts of the country and pirates are operating off the coast.

Also listed is Zimbabwe, which moved down two ratings from last year, to number four, after a power sharing agreement was reached between the party of Robert Mugabe, the president, and Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader who was named prime minister.

Some increased stability

Asia is home to 30 per cent of the top 60 weakest states and the Middle East has just over 10 per cent.

FAILED STATE INDEX

The least and most stable countries in the world:

1. Somalia
2. Chad
3. Sudan
4. Zimbabwe
5. DR Congo

173. Ireland
174. Switzerland
175. Sweden
176. Finland
177. Norway

Afghanistan and Iraq, both with tens of thousands of US-led deployed troops, come in places six and seven respectively.

Yemen, meanwhile, saw increased instability in the last year while Sri Lanka received a better ranking this year.

Cynthia Pegrigh, the director of Policy at Conciliation Resources in London, told Al Jazeera that the index provides very informative analyses.

"However, the problem with these kind of rankings, is that it draws attention to the top 10 failed states, as they are called," she said.

"If you take the example of Yemen, for decades, it has not been on the top 10 on these lists and media interest.

"Now, because of last year's event, everybody is looking at the situation in Yemen," she said, referring to the failed Christmas Day bombing of a jet en route to Detroit, where the alleged culprit apparently had ties to al-Qaeda in Yemen.

"What we say is that you should look at the complexities of all these countries in the long-term, not only when a crisis arises."

Three Nordic nations - Norway, Finland and Sweden - are ranked as the most stable countries.

Egypt's Mubarak appoints new al-Azhar head

News Watch


CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's president has appointed Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb as the head of al-Azhar, Egypt's most prestigious seat of Islamic learning, the state news agency said on Friday, nine days after the former head died in Saudi Arabia. President Hosni Mubarak, 81, is in Germany, recovering from gall bladder surgery he had two weeks ago, and has handed presidential power to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.



Officials from Al-Azhar were not immediately available for comment.



Al-Azhar, which runs schools, universities and other educational institutions across Egypt and sends scholars to teach in countries across the Muslim world, receives most of its funding from the state.



Reuters

Islamic cleric warns against meddling in Nigeria's affairs

AFP



KANO, Nigeria (AFP) - Nigeria's top Islamic cleric warned foreigners against meddling in the nation affairs on Sunday, days after Libya's leader suggested the country be broken up into Muslim and Christian areas.



"External commentators on the Nigerian situation should ... be told in no uncertain terms that Nigeria, despite its difficulties, has come a long way and that it should not be taken for granted or viewed as a simplistic conglomeration of ethnic or religious groups," said the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Saad Abubakar.





Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, until recently the chairman of the African Union, suggested last week that Nigeria follow the partition model of Pakistan as a way of ending repeated bouts of inter-religious violence.



Pakistan was formed in 1947 after the Muslim minority of predominantly Hindu India founded their own homeland.



Without making direct reference to Kadhafi, the sultan told a meeting of the supreme Islamic body the Jama'atu Nasril Islam (JNI) in northern Nigeria's political capital Kaduna, that Nigeria was capable of fixing its own problems.



Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has over 200 different ethnic groups, but its 150 million people are almost equally divided between Muslims and Christians.



"The bonds that keep us together are much stronger than those that divide us," said Abubakar, according to a copy of his speech seen by AFP.



Kadhafi's comments came as new sectarian killings claimed hundreds of lives in the central Plateau State.



The state, with Jos as its capital, is the de facto buffer between the predominantly Muslim north and the largely Christian and animist south.



Kadhafi suggested that a Christian homeland in the south could have Lagos as its capital while a Muslim homeland in the north would have Abuja as its principal city, while the two communities should peacefully agree to share Nigeria's huge oil and mineral wealth.



His comments drew the ire of the Nigerian government which recalled its ambassador from Tripoli.