Making Muslims Part of the Solution
Since 1988
The following are some articles and press coverage of the National Grassroots Campaign to Fight Terrorism, its proponents and mosques/institutions that have implemented the campgain.
Credit Muslims Who Speak Out
By Omar Ricci | Philadelphia Inquirer
On July 28, more than 145 Muslim American organizations did something their fellow Americans had been looking for since 9/11: They issued a fatwa against extremism, terrorism and suicide bombing. What took so long? The answer involves scholarly taboos and tradition, a failure to understand the American psyche, and the culpability of the national media.
New-wave Imams
By Stephen Magagnini, Bee Staff Writer | Sacramento Bee
Story appeared on 'Page A1' of The Bee
There's a new imam in town who criticizes forced arranged marriages, insists Muslim nations need to become democracies and says it's OK to drink an ice-cold martini - if you're dying of thirst in the desert. And he uses the Quran to back him up.
Making Muslims Part of the Solution
By George Melloan | The Wall Street Journal
Arguably, the people with the biggest stake in combating Islamic terrorism are moderate Muslims who want to live normal lives in Western societies. The ravages of al Qaeda and the extremism of Islamic states have subjected them to special scrutiny at border crossings and airports. U.S. authorities have rules against "profiling" but anyone charged with protecting the security of travelers will always make mental judgments.
(Phoenix) Valley Muslims Meet at Anti-terror Event
By Kate Nolan | The Arizona Republic
Muslim Americans from across the Valley met at a workshop in Scottsdale on Saturday to mobilize their community against extremists trying to "hijack" their religion. Eleven mosques are based in the Phoenix area.
Muslim Americans Meet to Address Terrorism Concerns
By Jia-Rui Chong | Los Angeles Times
This article is no longer on the Los Angeles Times' website
Muslim American leaders – calling it a "critical time for our community and country" — met at a Los Angeles mosque Sunday to kick off a national series of town hall meetings intended to provide the Muslim community with tools to fight terrorist activity, as well as a forum for voicing concerns and fears.
Officials from the Muslim Public Affairs Council, a Los Angeles-based Arab American advocacy group, instructed mosque leaders to keep detailed and "transparent" financial records, to scrutinize bags on Fridays when large audiences are present and to be aware of the background of guest speakers and the content of their remarks. Religious leaders also were reminded that most mosques do not have the permits to allow overnight lodging.
The guidelines are part of planned education efforts that include teaching in Muslim and non-Muslim communities that Islam does not condone terrorism. Officials also offered guidelines for better controlling and monitoring activities inside mosques, as well as on how to detect criminal activity.
Muslim Public Affairs Council leaders said they hoped the planned outreach will help make their community a partner in the fight against terrorism, a role they say is key in light of recent warnings by top government officials about heightened danger leading up to the national elections this fall.
Maher Hathout, coordinator of the "mosque to mosque" campaign, said that after Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft held a press conference to announce that an Al Qaeda plot against America in the summer was 90% complete, he believed the average American reacted by thinking, "Oh my God. What are those Muslims going to do to us?"
But Hathout said the majority of Muslim Americans want "to be part of the solution, not part of the problem."
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