In the line of fire: Tom Hurndall

The photographs and journal entries of the young activist Tom Hurndall – who was killed at the age of 21 by a sniper – are a visceral portrait of the conflict in the Middle East, says Robert Fisk


I don't know if I met Tom Hurndall. He was one of a bunch of 'human shields' who turned up in Baghdad just before the Anglo-American invasion in 2003, the kind of folk we professional reporters make fun of. Tree huggers, that kind of thing. Now I wish I had met him because – looking back over the history of that terrible war – Hurndall's journals show a remarkable man of remarkable principle. "I may not be a human shield," he wrote on 17 March from his Amman hotel. "And I may not adhere to the beliefs of those I have travelled with, but the way Britain and America plan to take Iraq is unnecessary and puts soldiers' lives above those of civilians. For that I hope that Bush and Blair stand trial for war crimes."

Hurndall got it about right, didn't he? It wasn't so simple as war/no war, black and white, he wrote. "Things I've heard and seen over the past few weeks prove what I already knew; neither the Iraqi regime, nor the American or British, are clean. Maybe Saddam needs to go but... the air war that's proposed is largely unnecessary and doesn't discriminate between civilians and armed soldiers. Tens of thousands will die, maybe hundreds of thousands, just to save thousands of American soldiers having to fight honestly, hand to hand. It is wrong." Oh, how many of my professional colleagues wrote like this on the eve of war? Not many.

We pooh-poohed the Hurndalls and their friends as groupies, even when they did briefly enter the South Baghdad electricity station and met one engineer, Attiah Bakir, who had been horrifyingly wounded 11 years earlier when an American bomb blew a fragment of metal into his brain. "You can see now where it struck," Hurndall wrote, "caving in the central third of his forehead and removing the bone totally. Above the bridge of his broken nose, there is only a cavity with scarred skin covering the prominent gap..."

Hurndall's picture of Attiah Bakir shows him as a distinguished, brave man who refused to leave his place of work as the next war approached. He was silenced only when one of Hurndall's friends made the mistake of asking what he thought of Saddam's government. I cringed for the poor man. 'Minders' were everywhere in those early days. Talking to any civilian was almost criminally foolish. Iraqis were forbidden from talking to foreigners. Hence all those bloody minders (many of whom, of course, ended up working for Baghdad journalists after Saddam's overthrow).

Hurndall had a dispassionate eye. "Nowhere in the world have I ever seen so many stars as now in the western deserts of Iraq," he wrote on 22 February. "How can somewhere so beautiful be so wrought with terror and war as it is soon to be?" In answer to the questions asked of them by the BBC, ITV, WBO, CNN, Al Jazeera and others, Hurndall had no single reply. "I don't think there could be one, two or 100 responses," he wrote. "To each of us our own, but not one of us wants to die." Prophetic words for Tom to have written.

You can see him smiling selflessly in several of his snapshots. He went to cover the refugee complex at Al-Rweished and moved inexorably towards Gaza where he was confronted by the massive tragedy of the Palestinians. "I woke up at about eight in my bed in Jerusalem and lay in until 9.30," he wrote. "We left at 10... Since then, I have been shot at, gassed, chased by soldiers, had sound grenades thrown within metres of me, been hit by falling debris..."

Hurndall was trying to save Palestinian homes and infrastructure but frequently came under Israeli fire and seemed to have lost his fear of death. "While approaching the area, they (the Israelis) continually fired one- to two-second bursts from what I could see was a Bradley fighting vehicle... It was strange that as we approached and the guns were firing, it sent shivers down my spine, but nothing more than that. We walked down the middle of the street, wearing bright orange, and one of us shouted through a loudspeaker, 'We are international volunteers. Don't shoot!'. That was followed by another volley of fire, though I can't be sure where from..."

Tom Hurndall had stayed in Rafah. He was only 21 when – in his mother's words – he lost his life through a single, selfless, human act.

"Tom was shot in the head as he carried a single Palestinian child out of the range of an Israeli army sniper." He was a brave man who stood alone and showed more courage than most of us have dreamed of. Forget tree huggers. Hurndall was one good man and true.
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Irfan Makki feat. Maher Zain - I Believe

Why British Muslim women struggle to find a marriage partner

A few years ago, at the behest of my mother, I attended a Muslim marriage event in Glasgow. These are events where Muslim men and women meet for the purpose of seeking an ideal marriage partner.

At the event, there were around five women to every man. Well-turned-out women sat around dejected, twiddling their thumbs, waiting to speak to the select few.

Sadly, it's not an isolated example. Up and down the country, hundreds of women in their 30s and 40s within the Asian Muslim community are struggling to find a marriage partner.

Nearly all Muslim singles events are female-dominated, unless organisers artificially construct a level playing field by selling equal numbers of male and female tickets.

In the latter case, there's always a stampede for female tickets. December's Canary Wharf Professionals Muslim marriage event saw the female ticket quota sell out three weeks before, whereas the male ticket quota only sold out days before.

Moreover, the average age of women at such events is typically higher than men. Rooful Ali, founder of Emerald Muslim events, believes that the average age of women attending tends to be early 30s, while for men it is late 20s.

Such occurrences are symptomatic of the growing Muslim spinster crisis, which has been brewing for some time and is rooted in cultural, rather than religious, trends.

First, there has always been a tradition for British men originating from the Indian subcontinent to marry women from their country of origin. Families encourage their sons to do so for a host of reasons, including the cultural expectation that girls from "back home" will stay with and look after their in-laws.

The second trend is for Muslim men to marry "women of the book" (Christian or Jewish women), which is permissible in Islam. Men are more likely to work and socialise with British Christian women than their female Muslim counterparts, which leads to a higher chance of such marriages occurring.

Both trends lead to a shortfall of available Muslim men.

For Muslim women, marrying men from their country of origin is rarely considered an option as they tend to want social, economic and intellectual equals or superiors. Men from their country of origin tend to have different mindsets and struggle to find jobs no matter how well qualified they are, thereby leaving women as the main breadwinners. This situation can often create a strenuous dynamic in relationships with men from patriarchal cultures.

Muslim women, unlike men, are restricted as to whom they can marry. Marrying men outside the faith is only considered permissible in most communities if the men convert.

Moreover, in line with national trends, Muslim women academically outperform the men. According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's How Fair is Britain? report, Bangladeshi and Pakistani women are more likely to be employed as professionals than their male counterparts. This means that professional Muslim women have an even smaller pool of intellectual and economic equals to choose from.

This is exacerbated by the fact that Asian men are likely to choose partners of lower economic and intellectual status as they traditionally grow up with working fathers and stay-at-home mothers, and generally choose to replicate this model.

Unfortunately, these imbalances are not widely acknowledged – many label older unmarried women as fussy. The effect on women is crippling. Many become depressed as a huge amount of importance is attached to marriage, and unmarried women are made to feel that they've failed.

Any real solution would require a complete cultural shift in mindset by parents, community leaders and imams. This will need geographically, socially and economically fractured communities to work together to achieve change – no easy feat. Until they do so, many women who want to marry men of the same faith will continue to struggle.
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Dargah at Mahim, Mumbai

Photo I took on recent trip to Mumbai, I'm not encouraging visiting shrines (each to their own), just thought it was a nice picture.

It's Jumuah "Friday" (Raef Cover)

'Imams out of touch with young Muslims'

Young Muslim men are turning away from religion in their droves because of the old-fashion attitudes in Britain’s mosques, according to the Prison Service’s Muslim advisor.

Ahtsham Ali said it was one of the reasons why a growing number of Muslims are turning to crime and finding themselves in prison.

In an interview with The Times, he also blamed family breakdown, problems resulting from arranged marriages, drugs and the absence of male role models.

The cleric was highly critical of UK mosques for failing to understand young Muslims raised in Britain and said a main factor was that most import foreign imams who cannot speak English and focus only on religious rituals.

Mr Ali, who has been the Prison Service’s adviser for eight-and-a-half-years, said: “Most will get imams imported from other countries who can’t speak English. More importantly they can’t relate to second and third-generation youngsters growing up here.

”It is a tragedy. I have seen youngsters, the next generation, just totally switch off from it. This is dangerous. It allows others to take advantage, to take up the vacuum.”

In March 2010, 10,358 of the 85,184 people in prison were Muslim, while there has been a steep rise in the number of Muslims behind bars over the past two decades, according to the National Offender Management Service.

Discussing other reasons why he believed the numbers are on the rise, the cleric added: “There is a lot of family breakdown happening now. The divorce rate is very high. I think there is a struggle for those who have been born and brought up here and their acceptance of arranged marriage.”

Mr Ali urged mosques to become more accessible to the young, for faith leaders to make religion fun and put more emphasis on teaching religious ethics.

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My Crazy Experiences as a Hijabi

Daily Star editor endures Leveson grilling for 'anti-Islam' coverage

The editor of the Daily Star endured a bruising encounter at the Leveson inquiry today, facing sustained questioning over her newspaper's coverage of Muslims.

Counsel Robert Jay repeatedly showed Dawn Neesom front pages of her newspaper and asked if she considered them "ethical". "A journalist might feel the headlines we've been looking at stray way over the line of what's ethical," he said.

Mr Jay showed one front page featuring the headline: "Muslim thugs aged just 12 in knife attack on Brit school boy." He branded the language "tendentious", pointing out that the victim was described as "British", but the perpetrators, who were also British, were described as "Muslim". He also pointed out that the 'attack' actually referred to a comment on Facebook.

"It's not good," Ms Neesom admitted. She promised to pursue the issue "back in the office".

Asked repeatedly to demonstrate examples of positive coverage of Muslims, Ms Neesom could provide only one example – a story about a Muslim man who lost his son during the August riots and called on the community not to take revenge.

Ms Neesom promised to provide the inquiry with other examples of positive coverage. "We'll see what you provide," Mr Jay replied.

Ms Neesom insisted that as an employee of a Jewish-owned company she had never allowed positive coverage of the far-right English Defence League (EDL), despite media experts raising serious questions about the tone and prominence of its coverage of the group.

Asked about any arrangements for journalists to whistle-blow on issues they had with the working culture at the newspaper, Mr Jay suggested her answer was "another example of rather thin and non-existent systems".

Online, former Daily Star journalists ridiculed their old boss as she gave testimony. "It's funny how much Dawn 'isn't aware of' seeing as she stands at the subs [subeditor's] desk verbally writing the P1 [page one] headline on a daily basis," one said. Another wrote: "Someone buy Jay a pint. I've waited to watch Neesom skewered like this for a long, long time."
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Begin with Bismillah - Khalid Latif

My favorite 2011 Good News Stories About Muslims

If you type “Muslims” or “Islam” into any google search, most of what comes up will be something negative. If any Muslim, anywhere, does something criminal, or just stupid, that story will be written about and reposted so that hundreds of articles will come up on that negative story.

These are a few of my favorite stories about Muslims during the past year of 2011 that did not receive nearly as much coverage, but were more important, and also more representative of the Muslim community.


In January, Muslims in Cairo, Egypt attended Coptic Christian Mass at various churches, serving as “human shields” against any extremist attacks ***

In January, Tariq Khanzada of Fremont, California was killed while trying to help a stranger whose car had crashed on the freeway. He parked his car in the shoulder lane and ran across the highway towards the center divide. The driver of the car was attempting to get out of the car when he realized another car was heading straight towards them. So he did what few others would do: Instead of fleeing to safety, he stood there to instruct the injured driver to remain in his vehicle. Within fractions of a second, two cars crashed into him, violently ending his life. But his noble actions that night saved the life of a man whose name he didn’t even know. ***

In January, in an interview with Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., television personality and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University Dr. Mehmet Oz spoke about his Islamic heritage, the varied religious practices of his Turkish parents, and how Sufi Islam informs his life. ***

In January, the Shoulder to Shoulder movement became an official organization with a website. Shoulder-to-Shoulder is an interfaith organization dedicated to ending anti-Muslim sentiment by strengthening the voice of freedom and peace. Founded in November 2010 by over 20 national religious groups, Shoulder-to-Shoulder works not only on a national level, but offers strategies and support to local and regional efforts to address anti-Muslim sentiment and seeks to spread the word abroad. ***

In January, The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), an active Steering Committee member of the Interfaith Disability Advocacy Coalition (IDAC), a diverse, nonpartisan coalition of religious and religiously affiliated organizations whose core spiritual values affirm the rights and dignity of people with disabilities called on the American Muslim community to speak out and take action on disability policy issues with Congress, the President and Administration, and society at large. ***

In February, Military Veterans and Muslim students at a California college joined together to organize a blood drive ***

In February, a group of American Muslim Imams and community leaders issued a strong statement condemning anti-Semitism and holocaust denial ***

In February, Bilal Mallick, a Muslim teen from Chicago who was diagnosed with leukemia *** died because a bone marrow donor could not be found. His congregation at the Islamic Foundation of Villa Park began a project that has spawned a movement in mosques across suburban Chicago and the nation. Hundreds of Chicago area Muslims who came to participate in weekly congregational prayers also had the opportunity to swab their cheeks and add their names to the roster of bone marrow donors ready to step up if their DNA is a match. Organizers hope for at least 20,000 participants to register nationwide. A group of students from the MSA organized a bone-marrow registry drive at the ISNA convention ***

In February, Zubiru Jalloh, a Muslim cab driver in New York returned $100,000 worth of cash and jewelry that a passenger had forgotten in his cab ***

In February, the Southern Poverty Law Center designated Robert Spencer & Pamela Geller’s Stop the Islamization of America SIOA group as a hate group *** shining a light on the most prolific distributors of anti-Muslim rhetoric.

In March, a group of Muslim students at Cornell University won the 17th annual James A. Perkins Prize for Interracial Harmony and Understanding. The award was presented March 8 to the Committee for the Advancement of Muslim Culture ***

In March, the Al Salam Mosque in Tulsa, Oklahoma held a Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and invited local officers for lunch at the mosque ***

In March, Political Research Associates released an in-depth report Manufacturing the Muslim Menace documenting anti-Muslim efforts by Islamophobes ***

In March, many Muslim organizations worked to provide relief for victims of the Japanese earthquake. ***

In March, although entirely too many of our elected representatives have either remained silent or participated in Muslim bashing, a number of elected repesentatives spoke out strongly against Rep. Peter King’s hearings. ***

In April, a Saudi scholar, Sheikh Salman Al-Oadah, issued a fatwa saying that Muslims living in non-Muslim countries are obligated to obey the law in the country in which they live. fatwa

In April, the most recent Muslim community supported Free Clinic, the Mercy Care Center opened in Cincinnati, Ohio joining the numerous other such clinics in cities across America. ***. Another Muslim community supported Free Clinic, the Volunteers in Medicine West County Clinic opened in Manchester, Missouri.

In April, of this year, ISNA leadership led sessions and participated in the 8th Annual US Islamic World Forum in Washington, DC. ISNA President Imam Mohamed Magid, who was one of the conveners of the conference, joined Humera Khan of Muflehun, an organization dedicated to countering violent extremism, to write a report based on discussions formed by the religious working group at the Conference. The report focuses on the dynamics of and challenges facing Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority communities around the globe. ***

In May, Muslim boxer Bernard Hopkins became the oldest boxing titlist in any division in any era with a unanimous decision over Jean Pascal in Montreal, Canada. Hopkins won the World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight belt by winning all three cards after 12 rounds, by the scores of 116-112, 115-114, and 115-113. At the ripe old age of 46, no one had won a boxing title at such an advanced age since then 45 year old George Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer in 1994. ***

In June, American Muslims from St. Louis and other cities went to Joplin, Missouri to take needed supplies and help the survivors of a tornado ***

In June, Chicago Muslims donated $26,000 to the Greater Chicago Food Depository ***

In June, Unity Productions Foundation UPF launched the “My Fellow American” program, collecting short films by and about American Muslims ***

In June, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC), alongside the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Interfaith Alliance and other civil liberties organizations signed on to an amicus brief that urges the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals to invalidate Oklahoma’s constitutional amendment passed in 2010, which barred courts in the state from using or citing Shariah law. ***

In June, in recognition of June as Torture Awareness Month, ISNA encouraged Muslim communities all over the nation to join in taking a stand against torture. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is a membership organization of religious leaders and entities committed to ending torture that is sponsored or enabled by the United States. To this end, NRCAT hosts campaigns to raise awareness about and mobilize legislative action against the use of torture. ISNA has been a founding member of NRCAT since the organization’s inception in 2006. On June 26, ISNA and NRCAT will recognize the United Nations’ International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. In honor of that day, ISNA encourages Muslim communities to watch a 10-minute film entitled “Repairing the Brokenness,” which can be found online here. ***

In July, Rais Bhuyan, a Muslim who was shot and blinded by a white supremacist days after the 9/11 attacks sued Governor Rick Perry of Texas to attempt to prevent his assailant from being executed. He was not successful, but kept trying right up to the execution. In one interview Bhuyan said “This country has suffered a lot,” Bhuiyan said. “We are living in fear, but if we work together we can break the cycle of hate. It’s not only Islam, but all religions that teach peace and to show mercy.” While fighting to save Stroman he founded World Without Hate, an organization that raises awareness of hate crimes in an effort to prevent them. “I feel more love and compassion for human beings than I ever did before this accident. Sight is gone from one eye, but my vision has never been clearer.” ***

In July ISNA expanded the ongoing mosque/synagogue twinning project to Latin America. ***

In July - MPAC released Building Bridges to Strengthen America: Forging an Effective Counterterrorism Enterprise between Muslim Americans and Law Enforcement. A number of important studies, reports, and polls were released this year. ***

In July, ISNA National Director Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed joined other national leaders of prominent religious organizations and denominations for a prayer vigil directly across from the U.S. Capitol Building to advocate for a fair budget deal that does not place an undue burden on the poor. ***

In July, People for the American Way released a report The Right Wing Playbook on Anti-Muslim Extremism. *** and the Southern Poverly Law Center released The Anti-Muslim Inner Circle *** and Jihad Against Islam *** further documenting both the existence of Islamophobia and the major players.

In August, there were riots in Birmingham, England. Three Muslim men were killed trying to protect their business from looters. Tariq Jahan, the father of one of those killed is credited with stopping the rioting when he came forward and pleaded for calm I lost my son. Blacks, Asians, whites: We all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another? Why are we doing this? Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home, please. ***

In August, the United Arab Emirates gave $500,000 so that students in the Joplin, Missouri public schools destroyed by the terrible tornado could purchase computers for every student. They pledged to match any other donations to the schools up to an additional $500,000. ***

In August, Bassam Tariq and Aman Ali continued their “30 mosques in 30 days” project visiting American mosques across the country during Ramadan photo blog 2010 *** and 2011 ***

In August, a Gallup poll showed that 93 percent of Muslim Americans say they are loyal to America. They have the highest confidence in the integrity of US elections (57 percent), and they are the most hopeful about their lives over the next five years, compared with other groups. ***

In August, the Center for American Progress CAP released a groundbreaking report FEAR INC.: THE ROOTS OF THE ISLAMOPHOBIA NETWORK IN AMERICA documenting the efforts and links between a coordinated anti-Muslim network. ***

In August, Abraham Foxman of the ADL printed an important statement against the anti-Sharia craze. ***

In August, despite the objections of Islamophobes, Gov. Chris Christie stood by his appointee, Sohail Mohammed, and Mohammed was sworn in as a judge in New Jersey. ***

In September, an estimated twelve thousand Muslims and interfaith leaders gathered in London for an event called “Peace for Humanity” sponsored by Minhaj-ul-Quran International (MQI). The event was broadcast live to dozens of countries, and was a rally against extremism and to promote a moderate, inclusive version of Islam. The event in Wembley Arena was led by Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, a respected Pakistan-born Islamic scholar. Dr. Qadri told the crowd “I want to address those who are lost, who have a total misconception of jihad I want to send them a message come back to normal life. Whatever you’re doing is totally against Islam. In spite of statements and memorandum and condemnation of the terror, the voices of the 99% true, peace-loving Muslims have not been heard, they have been drowned out by the clamour and the noise of extremists. “Islam has nothing to do with any act of terrorism. We reject every act of extremism and terrorism unconditionally.” The scholars in attendance issued a Declaration of Global Peace. ***

In September, Tariq Ramadan re-issued his call for a stand against capital punishment. He said In the United Stated, in Saudi Arabia, in Iran or anywhere else, capital punishment should be abandoned. Our judicial systems are too imperfect, too influenced by politics and money, and far too exposed to procedural mistakes. The accused should enjoy the benefit of the doubt ; our societies should remain dignified. In 2005, I launched a call for a moratorium on the death penalty, corporal punishments and stoning. I emphasized that in the very name of Islam, Muslim majority societies should stop treating people in such a way, that so often targets women and the poor. It is in the very name of our common values that we need to take a stand today against capital punishment. Troy Davis is dead ; so is Mark Stroman : the former was surely innocent and was hoping for us to be forgiven, the latter was guilty, and begged for our forgiveness. As we look at ourselves in a mirror let us hope that, with or without compassion, we may at least show some dignity. If we remain silent, the shame is ours. ***

In September, Muslims for Life organized a 9/11 anniversary blood drive nationally. This first year they collected a total of 11,803 pints of blood for the Red Cross *** Islamic Relief USA held a National Day of Service to honor the memory of the victims of 9/11 ***

In September, The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), in partnership with Hartford Seminary and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), presented the second workshop on “Judaism and Islam in America.” The event, entitled “The Interpretation of Law and Scripture,” took place at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut. ***

In September, four Muslim comedians (Negin Farsad, Dean Obeidallah, Maysoon Zayid, Omar Elba) performed in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. Billed as ‘The Muslims are Coming!’ comedy tour, they also set up a “Name that Religion” game in Birmingham, Ala. and an “Ask a Muslim” booth in Lawrenceville, Ga. as a counter to Islamophobia. They are also working on a documentary feature of this routine.

In September, Nader Hasan (a cousin of the infamous Fort Hood shooter) started the Nawal Foundation with the motto “no violence in the name of Islam, ever”. The foundation lists three main goals: •Opposition to any violence in the name of Islam; •Patriotic commitment to the protection of America; and
•Exploring our common humanity and amplifying the true majority voice of the Muslim-American community. ***

In September, despite threats, courtroom allegations and even legislation aimed at their faith, the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro still had reason to celebrate in 2011. The congregation launched construction in late September on building the first 12,000 square feet of their new mosque and community center. ***

In September, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley made an historic decision on September 28, 2011, appointing a Muslim, Judge Hassan Ali El-Amin, to Maryland’s highest court. ***

On September 11, thousands of Americans joined together for the 9/11 Unity Walk http://911unitywalk.org/ , which took place along Embassy Row in Washington, DC. ISNA co-sponsored the Walk, which brought together people of all ages, backgrounds and faiths to learn to respect each other through a framework of experiential education, compassionate leadership, and intentional service. ***

In September, Rasha Abulohom worked with the MAS Youth Give program to arrange a special Eid party for Muslim children with specian needs. This may have been the first such event, and hopefully not the last. ***

In October, Muslim Student Associations MSA’s at universities across the country held their 10th annual Fast-A-Thon during Ramadan, to raise money for local charities and food banks. The University of Texas is only one example *** among hundreds.

In October, the WISE Muslim Women’s Conference was held in Istanbul attended by 180 Muslim women from 45 countries. One of the outcomes of this conference was that one participant, Jamila Afghani, from Afghanistan who heard about a program on the success of training gender-sensitive imams and religious leaders, thought that this was what Afghanistan needed. And so she went back to her country, contacted WISE (a program of the American Society for Muslim Advancement), and asked for help to start an imam gender-sensitive training program at the Noor Educational Center (NEC) in Kabul, where she had dedicated her life to empowering women in Afghanistan. She helped set a program to educate imams on women’s rights through Friday khutbahs and media appearances. The program has been in effect for a few years, with appointed monitors who sit in and listen to the sermons to make sure the training has been effective. According to Afghani, the program has reached 9.5 million people in Afghanistan. Although this story wasn’t exclusive to 2011 nor widely covered by the world media, the presentation of this program at the 2011 WISE conference in Istanbul was a turning point for the women leaders, activists, humanitarians, and journalists who had gathered to learn from each other’s work. Imam Mawlana Ehsan Saiqal, who had traveled with Afghani to the conference to talk about the program, told a story of one of his congregants who came to him after a Friday khutbah in tears, saying that he never knew Islam actually advocated for women’s inheritance, marital and property rights, adding that he regretted the decisions he had made for his daughters. ***

In October, Muslims joined others in taking a Food Stamp Challenge to raise awareness about how difficult it is for more than 21 million American families living in poverty, and attempting to feed a family on $31.50 a week per person. ***

In November, the Fiqh Council of North America issued a Resolution: On Being Faithful Muslims and Loyal Americans ... ***

In November, 75 Jews and Muslims gathered together in Northern Virginia for a session on sharia and halacha (Jewish law). This was one of more than 130 events involving thousands of Jews and Muslims in 13 countries that took place as part of theWeekend of Twinning, an annual global event bringing together Muslims and Jews to build ties of communication and cooperation. ***

In November, a N.J. Muslim food bank prepared a Thanksgiving feast for the needy ***. Jewish and Muslim students at Rutgers joined to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the needy ***

In December, the Nobel Peace Prize was won jointly by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the president of Liberia, Leymah Gbowee, the Liberian peace activist, and Yemeni pro-democracy campaigner Tawakkol Karman (a Muslim from Yemen). They won the Nobel Peace Prize “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work”

In December, Jewish and Muslim volunteers in Detroit, St. Louis, and other cities across the country joined together to take the place of Christians at food pantries and other social service and charitable institutions so that Christian volunteers could be home with their families for Christmas ***

In December, Muslim New Yorkers donated 1,000 pounds of meat to local food pantries. ***

In December, a genocidal internet site Bare Naked Islam was investigated after complaints by CAIR and other Muslim organizations and individuals, and ultimately the site provider told them they were removing the site. ***

In December, MPAC the Muslim Public Affairs Council today expresses its support for the passage of a historic UN resolution to combat ideologies of religious hatred through free expression instead of silencing expression through a global blasphemy law. They also released a position paper “No Compulsion in Religion: A Faith-Based Critique of the ‘Defamation of Religions’ Concept.” opposing the misguided Defamation of Religions concept *** continuing the strong stand American Muslims have taken in favor of freedom of speech ***

In December, the Florida Family Association’s anti-Muslim campaign against the TLC reality series “All-American Muslim” resulted in many positive outcomes for the American Muslim community including strengthening interfaith relations, mobilizing the American Muslim and Arab communities across ethnic and sectarian lines, focusing awareness on Islamophobia and bigotry, and initiating the formation of a strong grassroots coalition of Muslims against bigotry. ***

In December, a group of Imams and Islamic organizations in Canada issued a “Call to action to end domestic violence” ***

In December, Time magazine named Ameena Matthews as #5 in the top 10 movie performances of the year for the documentary The Interrupters *** which is about her work with the anti-gang group Ceasefire in Chicago. Ameena Matthews is a reformed woman from a checkered past; her father is Jeff Fort, a notorious Chicago gang leader and she herself was involved with a drug ring. After finding love, children, and faith in her Muslim family, Ameena joined the Chicago group of gang violence “interrupters,” CeaseFire, in taking violence protection to the streets—literally. ***

In December, Linda Sarsour was honored by the White House as one of 10 American “Champions of Change” ***

In December, on a flight from Atlanta to Kansas City, a man foaming at the mouth lunged for the airliner’s cabin door, attempting to open it as flight attendants struggled to hold him at bay. Jabir Hazziez Jr. a Muslim passenger who is also a Kansas City firefighter, reserve Jackson County deputy and member of the U.S. Naval Reserve came forward, restrained the man who had become more violent and held him until the plane could be diverted. It turned out the man had had an adverse reaction to a vaccine. ***
by Sheila Musaji
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