Good News Stories About/By/For North American Muslims in 2012
compiled by Sheila Musaji
At the end of 2011, I published an article My favorite 2011 Good News Stories About Muslims that has been very well received. My introduction holds true for 2012 also: “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 the stories about Muslims during the past year of 2012 that did not receive nearly as much coverage, but were more important, and also more representative of the Muslim community.”
Most people are not aware that: a Sacramento Christian congregation was invited to hold their Easter services at a mosque auditorium when they lost their building: that an East Bronx Jewish community was invited to hold their services in a mosque when they lost their building; that a Northern Virginia Jewish community invited local Muslims to pray Jumah in the synagogue; that a Virginia mosque held an interfaith Jewish Seder. All of those things and more happened this year. These are the stories that need to be shared widely. The fact that few people within or outside of the Muslim community know about these positive stories has something to do with media focus on the negative, but it also has something to do with our failure as a community to magnify these voices.
We are living in difficult times, and all too often those who get the most attention from the media are those who least deserve any attention at all. I encourage everyone to write notes of encouragement and support to those engaged in these positive efforts. Get involved with ongoing efforts in your area, or begin new ones. Help to magnify the positive voices in any way you can. Tweet them, post on Facebook, share or re-post articles. Include the information in articles, talks, etc.
I would very much appreciate hearing about other stories that I might have missed. The 2013 collection of positive news begins today. Please help by sending me information. You can send these to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
UNITED STATES & CANADA
ANNIVERSARIES
— The Islamic Center of America in Dearborn celebrated its 50 year anniversary. It was founded in 1962. ** and was the first Shia Mosque in the U.S. 2012
— The UMMA Community Clinic celebrated its 16th anniversary. It was the first independent Muslim Free Clinic in America founded in 1996. ** 2012
— The 49th annual Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention was held in Washington, D.C. with the theme “One Nation Under God: Striving for the Common Good.” Attendance was estimated at 40,000.
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION & CIVIL RIGHTS EFFORTS
— MPAC issued a statement applauding the Supreme Court decision to uphold Religious Freedom in the Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), one of the most important religious freedom cases. The Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot tell religious institutions who they can hire and fire, essentially commanding noninterference by the government into faith-based institutions when it comes to matters of employment issues. ** 2012
— 50 Faith-Based Groups including the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) joined a Legal Brief urging the Supreme Court to Overturn Arizona’s Anti-Immigrant Law ** 2012
— Interfaith leaders joined Muslims in opposition to NYPD surveillance tactics in New Jersey ** 2012
— The leader of a New Jersey mosque that was listed in a secret NYPD surveillance report is using the incident to promote a more positive view of Muslims. Imam Mustafa El-Amin, of Masjid Ibrahim in Newark, ran an advertisement in The Star-Ledger newspaper urging people to read the Quran, denouncing terrorism and emphasizing that his mosque has an “open door” policy. Under a bold-letter headline that states: “NYPD Surveillance of Muslim Community,” the ad says there’s no need for the New York Police Department or any other agency to conduct secret surveillance of the mosque, because “We have nothing to hide. Our doors are open.” El-Amin says he came up with the idea after reflecting on a phrase in the Quran — “With every difficulty, there is relief” — and realizing that finding a positive, teachable moment out of a negative experience is a concept deeply rooted in Islam. “We’ve heard a lot about the negative effects, but once you get this level of exposure, one of the best things about it is, if you’re positive, than the positive will win out,” he said. ** 2012
— The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is working with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) to end the practice of solitary confinement in U.S. Prisons ** 2012
— Anti-Sharia bills were defeated or withdrawn in several States including: Missouri - Oklahoma Senate - New Jersey - Florida - Minesotta - Iowa
—The Denver based Federal 10th Circuit Court Of Appeals struck down Oklahoma’s ban on Sharia law, declaring that it violated the United States Constitution. ** 2012
— When the hate groups AFDI/SIOA produced a series of anti-Muslim ads, many American Jewish and Christian groups spoke out loudly, and even ran counter ads expressing tolerance and inclusion. **
— The Associated Press (AP) won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting for documenting the New York Police Department’s widespread spying on Muslims. **
— A Statement was submitted by Muslim Advocates and 27 American Muslim, Arab, Middle Eastern, and South Asian Organizations to U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights for the Hearing on “Racial Profiling In America” **
ANTI-RADICALIZATION AND EXTREMISM EFFORTS
— Imam Yahya Hendi, President of Clergy Beyond Borders condemned the statement by a Palestinian Authority religious leader encouraging the killing of Jews by Muslims. *** 2012
— Sami Osmakac, a mentally ill individual who had been banned from two mosques in Florida for his extremist views, was arrested in January on charges that he was planning an attack using guns and bombs on multiple locations. As in numerous previous cases, the suspect, Sami Osmakac, was apprehended following a tip from local Muslims. ** 2012
—The Muslim Public Affairs Council MPAC brought together a panel of scholars and human rights advocates to discuss the realities of religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries. ** 2012
— The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Islamic Networks Group (ING), Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and Palestinian groups condemned the barbaric killings in France by Mohammed Merah. ** 2012
— MPAC Released Videos from Leaders Saying No to Hate, No to Violence Messages in Arabic, English, Farsi, Pashtu & Urdu ** 2012
— MPAC and Human Rights First released a statement urging governments to reject national and global blasphemy laws that inevitably violate the human rights of religious minorities and vulnerable segments of societies. **
— MPAC Condemned Violence Against Shia in Pakistan **
— Muslim, Arab, & Interfaith Organizations Condemned Attacks on U.S. Embassies and violence over anti-Muslim film. **
— ISNA President Imam Mohamed Magid and ISNA Director of Community Outreach Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi met with high-ranking religious authorities and scholars in Morocco and Tunisia to discuss the rights of religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries across the globe. Working in consultation with these authorities, they presented the idea of developing Islamic standards and protocols to guarantee equal participation of various religious groups in Muslim-majority countries. ** 2012
— Canadian fatwa in response to Shafia trial condemns ‘honour killings’. The official decree was made in a Mississauga, Ont., mosque and was initiated by Calgary imam Syed Soharwardy, who founded the council. The fatwa condemns honour killings, domestic violence and misogyny as “un-Islamic.” ** 2012
— Philadelphia Muslims offer $20,000 reward for information on criminals wearing burkas ** 2012
— 24 Christian, Jewish and Muslim prominent faith leaders from the United States and Indonesia undertook a peace mission to the Middle East. Rabbi Michael Melchior, the founder of Mosaica: Center for Inter-Religious Cooperation and a former member of the Israeli Cabinet, is working with Dr. Abed al Rahaman, the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Religious Elders in Palestine, to moderate the views of extremist religious leaders. The delegation met leaders of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam. ** 2012
— Shahed Amanullah, Senior Advisor for Technology for the Office of the Special Representative to Muslim Communities at the US Department of State, announced the formation of a new organization for Muslim youth - Generation Change. ** 2012
— Sheik Jawdat Said, Syria’s foremost proponent of nonviolent protest has been on a six-month speaking tour in Canada and the U.S., which included a keynote address at American University in Washington, D.C., on nonviolence and the Arab Spring. ** 2012
— A Boston mosque is developing innovative programs to keep young Somali immigrants off the streets and counter radicalization ** 2012
— The Safe Nation Collaborative, a unique initiative designed to provide strategic cultural competency trainings to law enforcement, foster dialogue and cooperative relationships between American Muslim communities and the national security apparatus, and provide educational outreach to nonprofit organizations has been established, and is based in D.C. ** 2012
— American Muslims And Christians Petition Egypt Not To Include Shariah In Constitution. Signatories of the letter include Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to Congress; Imam Mohamed Magid, president of the Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim organization in America; as well as the Rev. Hegomen Moises Bogdady and the Rev. Michael Sorial, priests with the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. James J. Zogby’s Arab American Institute sponsored the letter. ** 2012
— My Jihad Campaign to counter false narratives - “Taking back Jihad one hashtag at a time from anti-Muslim and Muslim extremists. Taking back Islam.” CAIR-Chicago began running ads on Chicago buses. ** and **
— When some extremist Muslims made exclusionary statements such as Muslims may not greet Christians on Christmas, etc. many Muslim organizations and individuals spoke out and acted to counter their message. **
— American Muslims continued to counter the message of extremists promoting Sunni-Shia sectarianism and bigotry. **
— Claremont Lincoln University, the University of Southern California’s Office of Religious Life, the Islamic Society of North America, and the Center for Global Peacebuilding at Claremont Lincoln University are co-sponsoring a conference on Muslim perspectives on peacebuilding to be held October 12-13, 2012 at Claremont Lincoln University in California.
— The Arab American Institute (AAI) released a statement co-endorsed by leaders of the American Muslim and Coptic Christian communities urging writers of Egyptian Constitution to support equal rights for all citizens. **
— American Muslim organizations condemned the barbaric anti-Semitic murders in France by al-Qaeda attacker. **
— American Muslim Organizations’ Issue Statements condemning Pakistani Blasphemy Arrest **
AWARDS AND HONORS
— A book listing the 500 most influential Muslims in the world has been published since 2009 by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman and Georgetown University’s Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. In December of 2012, the information for 2012 was published.
— Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for 2012 includes a number of Muslims including an American, among them: Samira Ibrahim, womens rights activist of Egypt. Iftikhar Choudary ,lawyer and civil rights activist of Pakistan. Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, peacemaker of Qatar. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, filmaker of Pakistan. Ali Babacan and Ahmet Davutoglu, economist and foreign policy analyst of Turkey. Asghar Farhadi, filmaker of Iran. Rached Ghannouchi, politician of Tunisia. Manal al Sharif women’s rights activist of Saudi Arabia. Salman Khan, educator of the U.S.
— Veteran Toronto Star columnist Haroon Siddiqui has been named as one of the first recipients of Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, created to honour the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne. ** 2012
— Clergy Beyond Borders CBB President Imam Yahya Hendi received the Agus-Shehan Interfaith Leadership Award Central Maryland Ecumenical Council ** 2912
— Sisters in Islam (SIS) received the Casa Asia Award in recognition of its efforts in promoting women’s and human rights within Islam. ** 2012
— Dr. Malika Haque was named a finalist in the annual Jefferson Awards for community service in Dublin, Ohio. A longtime Nationwide Children’s Hospital doctor, Haque helped open the Noor Community Free Clinic to serve the uninsured in central Ohio. ** 2012
— Sarwat Husain, Vice-Chair of the National Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), received the Texas Pax Christi Peacemaker of the Year Award from Karen Ball, President of Pax Christi San Antonio. ** 2012
— The Islamic Center of Southern California (ICSC) honored Omar Hamoui, the Founder of AdMob, and Dr. Osman Shinaishin of the National Science Foundation at its 20th Annual American Muslim Achievement Awards which honors Muslim Americans who have made outstanding contributions to their work and to society at large ** 2012
— S Amjad Hussain, has been inducted into the Medical Mission Hall of Fame in Toledo, Ohio. He is one of 34 individuals from around the world who are now members of the Medical Mission Hall of Fame. The MMHOF was created in 2004 to honor those individuals and organisations who have made significant and substantial contributions to advancing the medical well-being of people throughout the world. ** 2012
— Loonwatch anounced the Anti-Loons of the Year 2011: Profiles in Courage Awards. Those honored included: Glenn Greenwald, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Wajahat Ali, Sheila Musaji, Sheriff Lee Baca, Ahmed Rehab, Reza Aslan, Sarah Posner, Haroon Mughal, Richard Silverstein, Cenk Uygur, Aasif Mandvi, Russel Simmons, and Rep. Keith Ellison. ** 2012
— The MLK Community Service Awards honors work for a just world, recognizing the work of organizations who exemplify the civil rights leader’s legacy. They paid tribute to 10 Atlanta nonprofits that strive daily to create a world that is more socially, economically and politically just, particularly for the most vulnerable members of the community including the Atlanta Islamic Speakers Bureau. ** 2012
— Dr. Jaya Shah was inducted into The Cleveland International Hall of Fame. Dr. Shah, a retired pediatrician, volunteers at the Painesville Free Clinic and helps Greater Cleveland’s Indian community with a variety of issues, including education, immigration and health care. She regularly organizes volunteer teams of physicians and other medical workers to help people in rural villages in India. Shah has helped more than 100,000 rural villagers in the last seven years. ** 2012
— Muhammad Ali received National Constitution Center’s 2012 Liberty Medal as a Champion of Freedom. Ali has long served as an icon of constitutional ideals and the realization of the American dream – all the while challenging and expanding the very definition of “We the People.” The Olympic gold medalist and boxing legend has been an outspoken fighter for religious and civil rights; a conscientious objector who took his battle to the Supreme Court and won; an ambassador for peace and justice worldwide; and a tireless humanitarian and philanthropist. Even as he celebrated his 70th birthday this year, Ali has continued to break new ground as an advocate for those suffering from Parkinson’s disease, a disease he has battled since 1982. ** and **
— Muslim Women Make History at London Olympics **
— Soumaya Khalifa, founder and executive director of the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta (ISB). received the Director’s Community Leadership Award from the Atlanta FBI. **
— Leila Ahmed, Harvard Divinity School Muslim Scholar, Wins Prestigious Grawemeyer Religion Award for her 2011 book, “A Quiet Revolution: The Veil’s Resurgence, from the Middle East to America.” The book explores why a growing number of Muslim women are wearing religious headscarves. **
— Dr. Bashir Ahmed of Dallas was presented with the prestigious Peace Maker Award by the Dallas Peace Center **
— Al Jazeera-English was among the winners of George Polk Awards in Journalism, announced by Long Island University. A Polk Award for Television Documentary marks another substantial achievement for Al-Jazeera English, the burgeoning network that had its biggest year to date in 2011. AJE expanded its global reach to 250 million homes, penetrated major U.S. markets such as Chicago and New York, and continues to receive awards for its coverage of the Arab Spring. AJE, which celebrated its fifth anniversary in November, took home its first DuPont award in December and won this prize for its documentary on Bahrain, titled “Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark.” **
— There are more Muslims from America than any other country listed on this year’s “The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims”. America’s roughly 2.6 million Muslims are a tiny fraction of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims, but they took 41 spots on the 500 list. **
CIVIC PARTICIPATION
— Halim Dhanidina became the first Muslim judge to be appointed in the state of California to the superior court. ** 2012
— Mayor of Paris, Texas, Arjumand Hashmi, a Pakistani-born cardiologist has become one of the United States’ most improbable politicians. ** 2012
— Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress won his re-election bid to serve a second term. **
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM
— The Inner City Muslim Action League on the Southside of Chicago has as its goal to inspire people to connect with others of different ethnicities and faiths. Their free medical clinic is celebrating 15-years of service to the community.
— Ameena Matthews is one of the “interrupters” who work with Chicago-based anti-violence group CeaseFire, an innovative organization that aims to decrease the brutal violence that continues to disproportionately impact the city’s poor, urban neighborhoods through a peer-based public health-oriented approach. CeaseFire’s model, pioneered by epidemiologist Gary Slutkin, has been replicated in a number of other cities around the world who also struggling with street violence, most recently in Philadelphia, Baltimore and London. She was interviewed on the Stephen Colbert program in February. ** 2012
— A Chicago-based organisation, Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN). IMAN is located in Chicago’s south side and was founded by young Muslim Americans. IMAN is unabashedly targeting “food and liquor” stores (including ones owned by Muslims) in inner-city black neighbourhoods, challenging them to take responsibility for the food options they offer. IMAN recently sponsored a forum entitled “Food For Life, A Human Right: Food Justice, Corner Stores & Race Relations in the ‘Hood”. ** 2012
— Imam Mohamed Magid, President of the Islamic Society of North America ISNA, joined other national religious leaders at the Washington National Cathedral to call for an end to gun violence. ** 2012
COMMUNITY SERVICE
— Christians, Jews and Muslims built a Habitat for Humanity home in Clearwater, Florida ** — Another interfaith group built a home in Altamonte Springs, Florida ** 2012
— Muslim students from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for residents in south Parkesburg in West Virginia over Spring Break.
— ISNA Joined Team to Train Habitat for Humanity Affiliates in Interfaith Pilot Project. ISNA is working to promote affordable housing and support independent and sustainable communities through the interfaith coalition Fighting Poverty with Faith ** and ****[/url] photo 2012
——ISNA continues its work as part of the Faithful Budget Campaign to call on the federal government to protect programs serving the poor and vulnerable. **
— Salman Khan and his Khan Online Academy After 60 minutes did a story about Khan, and with the backing of Bill Gates and Google, Khan Academy and its free online educational videos are now moving into the classroom and across the world. ** 2012
— Catholics and Muslims in New York City and Beyond Work Together to Help the Neediest. The relationship between Catholic Charities and Muslim Women’s Institute has evolved over two years, as part of a social service partnership program run by the Interfaith Center of New York and funded by the GHR Foundation. The initiative involves collaborations between pantries in the Bronx, mosques and parishes in Harlem and youth programs in Staten Island. Last year, the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood in Harlem conducted a community food collection among congregants and donated the proceeds to a pantry at All Saints Church. Teens from the Staten Island Catholic Youth Organization and Miraj Islamic School conducted a joint food drive and together served food at a local soup kitchen. ** 2012
— Catholics and Muslims in London, Ontario, Canada to help the St. Vincent DePaul Society gather enough food to help nourish more than 100 families this season. ** 2012
— Marshall University’s Muslim Student Association partnered with the Muslim Association of Huntington to host an event to feed the homeless. ** 2012
— Muslims Without Borders, the first student based relief organization, worked on a new project to get all the Project Downtown chapters from around the nation to combine their efforts, and feed their respective homeless communities during the weekend of April 13-15.
— Muslim and Jewish Students at USC participated in a Skid Row food distribution and clean-up, Mosque and Synagogue visits, and lunch at Pershing Square. This event is part of the “twinning” initiative to bring Muslim and Jewish students together in dialogue and service. Sponsored by Ansar Service Partnership and USC Hillel. ** 2012
—Weekend of twinning was also held on the UMD Campus by the Jewish Muslim Alliance. **
— Prior to Thanksgiving, Muslim & Jewish participants across the U.S. worked together during the weekend of twinning and fed thousands across North America. **
— Muslim Alliance of Indiana launches a Hunger Initiative to aid local community ** 2012
— Local Muslims from Tampa city, Florida held their annual charity festival on Sunday, April 15 to help fellow citizens in need **
— Muslim Lakhani, a DC-based entrepreneur and philanthropist of Pakistani origin, and Major Stephen Morris, commander of the National Capital Area Division of The Salvation Army are working together in an interfaith collaboration to help the needy. ** 2012
— Muslims offer community service on “Day of Dignity” in Atlanta, Georgia. The “Day of Dignity” is now in its ninth year and serves thousands of people nationwide. So far this year, Islamic Relief has helped the homeless in Houston, Detroit and Flint, Mich., and will soon serve people in Dallas, Phoenix and the Bronx, Ismail said. The Atlanta event planned to feed more than 2,500 people. ** 2012
— Sabeel Food Pantry and American Muslims for Activism and Learning (AMAL): 10th Annual Turkey Drive. They delivered 750 turkeys to needy families this Thanksgiving. **
— Can-Paign 2012 - National M