In Focus Online June06

CAIR’s 2nd Annual Entertainment Night For Civil RightsBy Nadia Afghani

One thing holds true to any event: If you flyer it, they will come.

But no one--not even the orga-nizers of CAIR’s 2nd Annual Entertainment Night for Civil Rights -- could have predicted the unprecedented attendance at last month’s event at the Anaheim Heritage Forum. With

the expectation of an outstand-ing 600 guests for that Saturday night (150 more people than were in attendance the year before), ropes bordered off rows of seats so as to consolidate the amount of

attendees and not make the enor-mous auditorium look so desolate. Ushers showed families to their seats, filling in gaps and assuring

Vol. 2 Issue No. 5 (Monthly) June 2006 Jumada Al-Awal/Jumada Ath-Thani - 1427H

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[ ]TRAVEL

INDEX

[ ]ARTS/BOOKS[ ]HEALTH/FOOD REVIEW[ ]KIDS CORNER

[ ]INTERNATIONAL[ ]NATIONAL

[ ]LOCAL 3

1011

202123

[ ]MASJID PROFILE

27

[ ]FEATURE 1418

[ ]MONEY/LEGAL 24[ ]ISLAM 25

[ ]NO. CALIFORNIA 8

[ ]PROFILE 13

...Page 5

Forgiveness and Redemption: Reverend Lapsley

...3

...Page 24

Protecting Charities, Mosques & Non-profits

Idris Al-Oboudi: Advocate of Recreation

[ ]EDTIORIAL/LETTERS 30[ ]COMMENTARY 28

Idris Al-Oboudi:

By Afsha Bawany

It’s finals week and as if that’s not enough to keep first-year law stu-dent Baraa Kahf busy studying the basics of civil procedure and constitutional law, Kahf is also

enjoying the early stages of fatherhood with his newborn son Ennes and wife, Sondos.

It is a lot to manage for a 25-year-old, but Kahf is doing this not only for his family and their future, but also for the future of the Islamic com-munity.

“My religion, my community, and the values in my religion encourage justice and equality,” said Kahf, who is

Law: Not Just a Career, An Islamic Calling

SEE MUSLIM LAW * PAGE 16

Nurturing Love and

Racial Harmony...

p. 18

FINDING COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD

SEE ENTERTAINMENT NIGHT * PAGE 3

Barra Kahf, second year law student at UC Davis

SEE QUAKE * PAGE 14

American Muslims Provide Relief Aid

By Aidan Muhammad Qasim

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake on the island of Java in Indonesia has left the death toll at 6,000 people, according to govern-ment officials. The earthquake has come in a long progression of seismic activity in the area, which includes the December 2004 earthquake off the coast of Ache, Indonesia, which triggered a tsunami that killed 170,000 people and left half a million people homeless. With an epicen-ter near the city of Yogyakarta, which lies under the shadow of Mount Merapi, an active volcano

Earthquake Devastates Indonesia

Comedians Preacher Moss (left) and Azhar Usman (right)

The New Muslim TV: Media-Savvy, Modern, and Moderate

House of Reps Passes Bill Isolating Palestinians

By Sarah Hassaine

The Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act (HR 4681) was passed with a 361-37 vote on May 23 further isolating the Palestinian people by restricting U.S. and interna-tional humanitarian aid.

SEE HOUSE BILL * PAGE 10

Forgiveness and Redemption:

Marines Killed Iraqi Family: Murtha

...Page 12

The Da Vinci Code Review ...Page 23

By Ursula Lindsey

Contributor to The Christian Sci-ence Monitor

CAIRO – The Egyptian actress

Sabreen was at the peak of her fame when, in 2001, she underwent a religious “awak-ening,” retired from acting, and donned the veil.Now she’s back on television, hosting a talk show on a new Islamic satellite chan-nel called Al Risala (“The Message”). Sabreen says she chose to make her come-back

on Al Risala because the channel “talks about Islam in an enlight-ened, moderate way ... a very honest and frank way.”

The new Islamic satellite channel called Al Risala (“The Message”).

SEE MUSLIM TV * PAGE 14

2 June 2006 Southern California InFocusADVERTISEMENT

Southern California InFocus June 2006 3LOCAL

STAFF

By Ghalia Mohder

More than 70 people attended a meeting held by the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on Ameri-can-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) on May 25 in Anaheim to discuss options for resolving citizenship and green card delays. The meet-ing was prompted by hundreds of complaints received by CAIR from community members who say they have been made to wait for an excessive period while their citizenship applications are pending review. This despite the current law that places a 120-day limit on the evaluation process once an applicant has been in-terviewed. The event, which was also co-sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), restricted attendance to those who have delayed immigra-tion applications.

“We’ve been hearing reports from all over the country from people who’ve been waiting for years to

be naturalized. This is a totally unfair situation for these immi-grants and their families. Some-thing is obviously broken with the system and we would like to try and fix it,” said Cecillia Wang, Senior Staff Counsel of the ACLU. At the meeting, emo-tions ran high as many individuals shared their plight with the attendees. “I have been waiting to receive my citizenship for more than 12 years. When-ever I inquire about my status, they always give me the same response: we’re waiting on a name check. I wonder if there is ever an end,” said Ammar Imreish, 42.

“Some in the Department of Homeland Security are abusing their power because they know that many of our community

members will be passive about their rights since they come from oppressive countries that do not allow their citizens to challenge the government. But in America, the law is on our side and protects

everyone,” said CAIR Executive Director Hussam Ayloush.

During the event, lawyers from the ACLU and CAIR outlined steps that individuals facing

immigration delays can take to help resolve the matter, which include: asking senators and representatives in Congress to contact the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), filing a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Homeland Security, and if all else fails, pursing legal action in federal court. CAIR and ACLU also explained their plans for a multi-plaintiff class action lawsuit on behalf of delayed ap-plicants against the USCIS in order to get it to comply with the 120-day limit imposed by federal law.

“These citizenship delays are a result of discrimination and bu-reaucratic incompetence. I would recommend that everyone who is in this situation to contact CAIR because the problem will not be solved if people don’t take proac-tive measures,” said Immigration Attorney Todd Gallinger.

CAIR Holds Legal Meeting to Resolve Immigration Delays

(from left to right) Hussam Ayloush, Todd Gall-inger, Ranjana Nataranjan, Cecilia Wang

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everyone a perfect view.

But as the night waged on and the seats were filled, and the

blocked rows were opened, and more seats were filled, and ush-ers found themselves lost within the sea of attendees, it became evident that the 600 expected guests had brought along a friend or two or thousand with them. And before any-one knew it, the hall was packed with ap-proximately 1,600 onlookers just waiting to have their funny bones tickled.

The first half of the Entertain-ment Night for Civil Rights paid tribute to nine Muslim youths who displayed extraordinary ef-forts in civil, social and religious activism. The offices of Con-gresswomen Loretta and Linda

Sanchez also acknowledged each of the awardees with certificates of recognition. Special honor was given to Zeke Hernandez, active President of League of United Latin American Citizens (LU-LAC), for his exceptional work in civil rights.

The end of the first half broke with prayer…but where do you put 1,600 Muslims an-gled towards the ho-liest of holy lands with enough room to prostrate in prayer? Why, the massive stage of course. And, basically, any other

available space: the stage, the steps, the rows, the seats, the walkways. It was like a snapshot of Hajj right here in Anaheim.

But it wasn’t until after prayer that the real “entertainment” began. Preacher Moss, original founder of the Allah Made Me Funny tour, first took the stage. He charmed the audience with

imitations of typical aunti phone chatter that can go on and on simply using variations of the word “yes” and stories of grow-ing up Southern Baptist in a church with a vocal-chord-less choir singer.

He addressed the now well-known Albert Brooks movie, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World. “It’s like we don’t have a sense of humor, like we don’t smile,” Moss said. “That’s like looking

for crime in Harlem, or wine in a liquor store, or stupidity in the White House. It’s right there.”

But the night could not be com-plete without the “Ayatollah of Comedy” himself, Azhar Usman. Quite possibly the most recog-nizable Muslim comedian in the world, Azhar has been dubbed the title “Bin Laughin” after he once said, “I’m not Osama Bin Laden’s evil twin brother; I’m his cousin! You can just call me Bin Laughin.” He even stars in his own iTunes webcast called Tinku’s World.

But that night, he put comedy back into the Muslim world, mak-ing light of heavy situations like racial profiling in airports. “Peo-ple are in shock,” he explained, when other passengers see him board. “I’m just waiting for the real honest passenger at the end of the flight to go, ‘Excuse me sir, but I thought you were go-ing to kill us. Sorry about that. Remember when you got up to go to the bathroom? I was going to stab you.’ Really, if I was a crazy Muslim fundamentalist terrorist, this isn’t the disguise I would choose.”

FROM PAGE 1ENT. NIGHT

(Top row, left to right) Nour Kweider, Nedda Salimian, Ambreen Basria, Genene Salman, Zeke Her-nandez, (bottom row, left to right) Hisham Labanieh, Amina Abid, Ahmad Almutawa, Marya Bangee, Yasmin El-Haj

The Activist of the year be-longed to Zeke Hernandez, the Deputy District Director for League of United Latin Ameri-can Citizens (LULAC) and 9 youths received Congressional recognition from the offices of Congresswomen Loretta and Linda Sanchez

Civic Activism:

1st Place: ($500)- Nour Kweider,2nd Place ($400)- Nedda Salimian3rd Place ($250)- Ambreen Basria

Social Activism:

1st Place: ($500)- Genene Salman2nd Place ($400- Hisham Labanieh3rd Place ($250)- Amina Abid

Religious Activism:

1st Place: ($500)- Ahmad Almutawa

2nd Place ($400)- Marya Bangee

3rd Place ($250)- Yasmin El-Haj

Master of Ceremonies, Shaikh Yasser Fazaga

4 June 2006 Southern California InFocusLOCALWORD ON THE STREET

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By Zabie Mansoory

With the room packed more than capac-ity, the Muslim Student Association at Cal-State University of Northridge (MSA CSUN) hosted a forum entitled, Human Rights and Is-lam. Students in Reli-gious Studies programs questioned Dr. Maher Hathout, senior advisor to the Muslim Public Affairs Council, about issues ranging from hu-man rights in Islam to global politics to how Is-lam is intertwined with current events.

“If any change has to happen, the only group who is qualified to do so is young educated Americans,” said Dr. Hathout.

“They are the only group with no special interest. While politicians, religious and special interest groups will try to bring change, it is not going to happen if their

motivation is one of spe-cial interest.”

“You are among the small minority in the world who have an op-portunity to actually influence polices that affect people around the world,” said Dr. Ha-thout.

“This was a tremendous opportunity for us to educate our fellow stu-

dents about our religion,” said CSUN MSA President Fatima Billoo. “We are looking forward to having similar events in the upcoming semester.”

Human Rights Forum Encourages Youth Influence

By Ghalia Mohder

With our hectic lifestyles, many of us don’t get the chance to express our feelings to-wards our loved ones. With Father’s Day just around the corner, InFocus decided to give our readers the opportunity to dedicate a message to their father.

“My father is no longer with us. I would like to take this chance to say that may Al-lah (SWT) bless his soul and enter him into paradise. He was always there for me when I needed him, and

I really miss his presence.” (Masood Malik, 48, Brea)

“I would like to say that I love you. Your sense of humor always makes me smile. You mean the world to me.” (Dema Sabha, 24, La Palma)

“Thank you for teaching me to believe in myself and to know that I can do any-thing that I set my mind to. Thank you for supporting me 1000% in everything that I do.” (Khadija Lang, 40, Los Angeles)

“I encourage myself and other fathers to continually thank Allah (SWT) for the great privilege of being a father and husband. To my father, I would say I understand now what I hadn’t growing up, namely

that his discipline arose out of genuine love and concern. A learned elder in our community recently said to me: ‘If the youth knew the good their parents wanted for them, they would kiss their feet out of utter respect.” (Sharif Rosen, 26, Los Angeles)

“I would like to thank him for all the won-derful things and accomplishments that

he’s shared with me and my siblings. He has always been there for our family and I’m glad that I’m able to serve him now at the age of 90.” (Mohsen Abbas, 45, Bakersfield)

“I would like to thank him for his support and encour-agement. He always pushed me to reach my potential.” (Mona Hadaya, 24, Los Angeles)

“Padrar jan, May Allah (SWT) bless you for all the love and support you’ve given me and my sisters.” (Wa-heeda Samedy, 24, San Diego)

“I want to thank him for his love, support, encourage-ment and patience. I would not be who I am today with-out him.” (Firas Dakak, 27, Los Angeles)

“Dad, you have always worked hard to give me and Sara the best of ev-erything. I know I can be a troublemaker sometimes, so thanks for putting up with me. You’re the best

father ever. I love you!” (Basheer Khat-ib, 12, Huntington Beach, CA)

Some might argue that Father’s Day is just another commercial holiday for busi-nesses to profit from. Others even go as far as to say that it is haram (forbidden) to celebrate it. While it’s true that Mother’s Day and Father’s Day have no basis in our Islamic history, it does not do harm to take every chance we get to show our apprecia-tion to our loved ones. We can partake in festivities as long as we remember that Islam teaches us to honor and cherish our parents on a daily basis. Father’s Day only serves as a reminder, and a hallmark card can never hurt.

Dr. Maher Hathout, senior advisor to the Muslim Public Affairs Coun-cil addresses students.

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By Sondos Kholoki

In response to government monitoring of mosques, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU/SC) filed a Freedom of Information Act request on May 15. This request was filed on behalf of several Southern California area Mus-lim organizations and their leaders seek-ing answers from the FBI about suspected monitoring of religious institutions.

“In light of the news about the National Secutity Agency (NSA) spying on law-abid-ing American citizens without probable cause, it is our right to expect transpar-ency from our government,” said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Community leaders say that considering the many recent reports of fabricated and

inaccurate statements and evidence pre-sented by FBI paid informants, many in the community want to be reassured that they are not victims of such misinforma-tion. And if any wrong information is being gathered about them, they would like an opportunity to address the inaccuracies.

“We are people of faith and our mosques are peaceful and tolerant places of wor-ship,” said Shakeel Syed, executive di-rector of the Islamic Shura Council, an umbrella organization that represents the 70 mosques in the region.

According to Ranjana Natarajan, staff at-torney for the ACLU/SC, the government has 20 days to respond to this request, which seeks information pertaining to whether area mosques and community leaders are being monitored and if so, why?

Community Leaders Seek Answers about Government Spying on Mosques

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Immigration Protests in Santa Ana


May 1, also known as May Day and Workers Day, is celebrated by millions of people across the world as the day to recognize workers rights. In the US we know and celebrate this day as Labor Day on the first Monday of September. However, this year the May Day protests for immigration rights were historically unprecedented. In Santa Ana, organiz-ers of the protest had a human chain marching around the Federal courthouse building with protesters shouting, “Si Se Puede!” (Yes we can!), and speakers addressed thousands of people in the

Courtyard of the Flags at the Santa Ana Federal building.

“We are here to show that migrant work-ers are humans and that they are proud to be here in the United States,” said Denise Velasco, one of the many organizers of the event and employee of the SEIU Local 1877, a service employees international union.

The local Muslim Stu-dent Associations came out to support the immigrant protests, many saying that it was important to stand up against the same group of individuals who label Islam and Muslims as terrorists

and who are now trying to label migrant workers as “felons.”

Alia Aboul-Nasr, Development & Pro-grams Coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Southern California office, reminded participants “that our own Congress and White House has spent over $400 billion dollars, that’s about $10 billion dollars a month, on the illegal and immoral war in Iraq. Congress should be the last to talk about economic or human hardship (faced by America because of migrant workers).”

“Si Se Puede!”By Ali A. Mohamed

Religious leaders representing Islam, Christianity and Judaism in southern Cal-ifornia have called for closer cooperation between the various faiths as the most effective tool in advancing world peace.

Prominent Muslim leader Dr. Maher Hathout, Executive vice chairman of the Board of Rabbis in Southern California, Rabbi Mark S. Diamond and Los Angeles Bishop J. Jon Bruno all spoke passion-ately about the need to work together to confront the common threats to society. They singled out terrorism as one area the faiths can confront the vices through closer cooperation.

They were speaking at the Costa Mesa Hilton on May 18 during a panel dis-

cussion organized by the World Affairs Council of Orange County. Dr. Hathout expressed frustration with the pervasive stereotype in mainstream America that Islam is linked to terrorism. “I have been on CNN, Larry King Live, Fox News and indeed all major news networks explain-ing that Islam is against taking of lives. We have been screaming the loudest, but unfortunately our voices are not heard,” he said.

The leaders discussed international sup-port to the Hamas-led government in Palestine and added their voice to the raging debate over immigration reform. They agreed that while it was impractical to grant amnesty to all illegal aliens or deport all of them, the reforms must be carried out with fairness and dignity.

Faith Leaders Call For More Cooperartion

Local Muslims protesting for workers rights


Two hundred students, parents and instruc-tors packed the Willard Middle School Cafete-ria in Santa Ana for a night of food, pho-tography and commu-nity, sponsored by the Orange County Human Relations (OCHR) and the Irvine New Hori-zon Islamic School on April 15. The event was the culmination of a yearlong effort to raise awareness be-tween youth from the Muslim and Latino communities.

The program was facilitated over the course of the school year by OCHR orga-

nizer Rigo Martinez. Martinez, who is of Mexican origin, experienced some of the

September 11 backlash directed at Muslims and Arabs because of his skin color and felt that the com-monalities between the Latino community and the Muslim community could be built upon.

Jessica Florez, 12, par-ticipated in the interac-tive learning experience by visiting New Horizon School and the Islamic Center and felt that there was no difference between Muslims and others. “I didn’t know any Muslims,

but I know they aren’t weird or anything, and my partner [Sereena Ahmad, a fifth grader at New Horizon] likes the same stuff as me.”

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FORGIVENESS AND REDEMPTION: Hope and Courage in Dark Times By Samy Chouia

On April 28, 1990, Reverend Mi-chael Lapsley had just come home from a farewell party on a quiet evening in Harare, Zimbabwe. As he started going through the mail, he came across a bulky envelope that purported to contain religious literature. Once he opened it and turned over the first page, BOOM! An explosion sent him flying back-ward, bloody and unconscious. The next day when he woke up in the hospital, his two hands were missing, one of his eardrums was shattered and his right eye was blind. Reverend Lapsley had no doubt about the identity of the sender. “It came from (South Af-rica’s) death Squads,” he recalled painfully. His membership with the African National Congress (ANC) and peaceful opposition to the Apartheid regime almost cost him his life. However, and predictably, the Reverend never

sought revenge. His response was a peaceful one. The incident changed his life and made him more eager to preach forgiveness and brotherly love.

At a recent luncheon at the St. Paul Lutheran Church on May 18 in Los Angeles, Reverend Lapsley told his audience, made up mainly of members of the Interfaith Com-munity United for Peace and Jus-tice, that there were two kinds of memories—a destructive memory and a redemptive one. “Most of the human family is characterized by destructive memory,” the Rev-erend said. “Parents and grand-parents teach their kids never to trust others. Imagine if (former South African president) Nelson Mandela had said, ‘Let’s get the bastards!’” Reverend Lapsley, like Mandela, chose the redemp-tive kind of memory and has been preaching it around the world ever since his tragic incident in 1990.

Reverend Dr. George Regas,

Professor Emeritus from the All Saints church in Pasadena, wore a mix of dignity and remorse on his solemn face. He spoke with the eloquence of a deeply introspective and educated man, “Is forgiveness possible on a national level?” He

asked. “Can a nation stand up in shame before it can stand up in

dignity?” He went through a long list of American past and present war iniquities, beginning with Hi-roshima and Nakasaki and ending with the invasion and occupation of Iraq, which he termed “morally repugnant.”

Reverend Lapsley spoke of Re-storative Justice, an expression he said that could not be spelt in American idiom. “How can you restore relationships damaged by injustice and wrong deeds?” One of the first actions of restorative jus-tice, he said, is for the victimizer to “acknowledge” the wrong. “So often we forget to say we’re sorry!” He cited 9/11 as an example. Whereas the United States gained the sympathy of the whole world following the tragic incident, that sympathy quickly dissipated when the United States invaded Afghanistan and then Iraq, the latter being totally unprovoked and simply wrong. “This,” the Reverend added, “is an example of a victim that turned into a victimizer.” Something he himself avoided at all cost because, as he

explained, “we must release that poison within and not yield to the automatic impulse of revenge.” If retained, pain will turn into aggression, he argued, and ag-gression will inevitably turn the victim into victimizer.

The Reverend spoke with a pas-sion born of a long experience of trying to cope with his own pain and the cruelty of the world, a world he hopes to change word-by-word, lecture-by-lecture and coun-try-by-country. The New Zealand-born Reverend demanded that torture be abolished all over the world, beginning with the United States, which is supposed to be a beacon of justice and liberty.

“How do we react when evil hap-pens to us?” Reverend Lapsley asked. “When the poison is inside, we need to channel it out.” The forgiving Reverend certainly prac-tices what he preaches. The people responsible for maiming him have long been forgiven. His message is simple, “Forgiveness is the only way to redemption.”

Reverend Lapsley speakes about forgiveness after surviving a homicide attempt in Aparthied South Africa

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By Sama Wareh

When flipping the pages of current Eng-lish textbooks, almost every subject is present in the poetry section except for one - a subject that captures the hearts of over 1.5 billion Muslims across the world: Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In order to fill this void, an international poetry contest has been put into place. The first ever Praise the Prophet poetry competition, offering up to $4,000 dollars in prizes, is now accepting entries and comes to a close on August 31.

“English literature is deprived of sufficient material about Prophet Muhammad. As English speaking people, we should be ashamed,” Abdur-Rahman ibnYusuf, a Muslim scholar and author in Santa Barbara, California and originator of Islamicpoetry.org told InFocus.

As clothing recycles old trends, so does poetry to the Muslim World. Poetry was a common trend and key form of entertain-ment in the early 600s, which is why the

Quran was revealed in poetic verses - so that it may relate to the people. Abdur-Rahman also says that Prophet Muham-mad never uttered any poetry himself, but he praised other people’s poetry.

The goal of this competition is to serve as a way for the international community from every region to be informed about Prophet Muhammad, who he was, and how he contributed to the world. Another goal, as Abdur-Rahman Ibn Yusuf says, is a method of encouraging people to do more research. “This poetry contest is open to Muslims and non-Muslims, and when participants go on the website to submit poetry, it kind of forces the participants to get more knowledge about the Prophet.”

Details on rules and prizes are available at Islamicpoetry.org. Besides the compe-tition, Islamic Poetry.org is also taking submissions for poetry that the general au-dience can read. For those not into poetry, look out for the upcoming essay writing competition.

Contributing to Modern Literature- A Competition About the Prophet

By Genene Salman

The Muslim Students Association, along with other campus organizations at Un-versity of California, Irvine, Los Angles and San Diego hosted a week-long series of activities to raise awareness about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The activities, which included lectures, films, a staged apartheid wall, and a mock checkpoint, were intend-ed to make the 58-year-long oppression of the Palestin-ians more visible on college campuses.

Dr. Norman Finkelstein, re-nowned author and Professor at DePaul University, cited powerful evidence that Is-rael had committed numerous atrocities against the Pales-tinians and violated multiple international laws on critical fronts, and that in fact, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is quite simple. “We’re told it’s complicated but it’s not complicated at all,” said Finkelstein.

In his talk, Finkelstein laid out facts that Israel ignored the World Court’s advisory, which stated that West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem were occupied Palestin-ian territories. The vote on the advisory was 14 to 1, with the U.S. judge opposing. Even though the American judge voted against the advisory, he still agreed with the other judges that the settlements, the wall-building and other Israeli offenses are illegal.

Speakers criticized the mainstream me-dia for their inaccurate coverage of the conflict, in which Palestinians are deemed terrorists. Wafa Shami, who worked for the United Nations for eight years, stated boldly that “Palestinians practice nonviolence every single day” in that they must helplessly witness shootings, home demolitions, and other forms of injustices on a daily basis. Amir Abdul Malik, Imam of Masjid Al-Islam in Oakland, told the audience to be wary of the terminology used in the media, giving the example of “disputed” territory, which is an intention-ally misleading term for “occupied.”

In an attempt to counter the distorted view of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict presented in the media, Directors Sufyan and Abdul-lah Omeish premiered their documentary film Occupation 101. The film provides the basic history of the conflict using poignant images and statements from distinguished scholars such as Noam Chomsky. The goal, Sufyan said, was to bring the issue of Palestine closer to home. “In America, we don’t feel their pain,” he said.

Although many of the events were met with some opposition aimed at silencing the Palestinian side, the program on the campuses ran smoothly. Adam El Sayed, Vice President of the Muslim Students Association at UCLA, said that he hoped these events would “encourage the rest of the campus to denounce the oppression and fight for the rights of the oppressed.” Asma Men, a student at UCI and attendee, added that unity and the formation of coalitions

are necessary building blocks for peace. “Peace between the Muslims and Jews is possible, but it requires the participation of everyone,” she said.

Munira Syeda contributed to this story.

1948 RememberedBy Anayat Durrani

It is not often that the American public can hear firsthand the experiences of Palestin-ians, particularly as told by the generation who painfully lived through Al-Nakba. Two Palestinians, one from Beitunia and one from Jerusalem, spoke to a packed audience of about 100 at the Women’s Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), taking their audience back to 1948 Palestine.

The event marked the 58th Anniversary of the Nakba Commemoration. Al-Nakba, an Arabic word that means The Catas-trophe, refers to the mass expulsion and dispossession of the Palestinian people from their own homeland, which began in 1948. More than 450 Palestinian villages were destroyed and about three-quarters of a million Palestinians were forced from their homes and lands by their Zionist occupiers.

Samir Bazlami from Jerusalem was only 7-years-old in 1948. He told the audience he could not sleep the night before his pre-sentation because of all the bad memories that had resurfaced. He said he realized how deeply it had affected him all these years and discussed what losing one’s home and experiencing occupation does to a person. Zahiya Hasan of Beitunia addressed the proliferation of propaganda and lies from the Israelis since 1948.

“You know, they always say Palestine was a nomad’s land, and the Jews made the desert bloom,” said Hasan. “Our house and everyone’s house in Beitunia and the sur-rounding areas had fruit trees and green everywhere. And my family was in Bei-tunia for 500 years, 1000 years. We were there. Who do they think they are fooling, who are they trying to convince?”

The event was sponsored by Al-Awda San Diego, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, in conjunction with the Muslim Student Association at UCSD as part of their Justice in Palestine Week.

By Radia Husain

Aminah Jandali asserts that a Muslim woman activist must have “love for people and the desire to serve them with a spirit of altruism and sacrifice.” Jan-dali, the co-founder and secretary of the Board of Directors of Islamic Networks Group, was one of several speakers at the Third Annual Muslim Women’s Confer-ence entitled, The Strongest Fortress: A Righteous Women. Approximately 100 women attended the day-long event held at California State University, Long Beach on May 20..

Annan Aboul-Nasr, event moderator, ex-plained that the aim of the conference was to “inspire women to become active in the community.” She added that organizers had brought “successful Muslim women leaders” as speakers, including Aminah Assilmi, an Emmy award winning radio show producer and the director of the International Union of Muslim Women, and Ustadha Maha Hamoui, the founder and president of the Islamic Outreach Foundation (IOF) and the director of the IOF Learning Center.

Assilmi conducted a workshop entitled Back to Basics, which touched upon Mus-lim characteristics and self evaluation. She reminded attendees that the “best way to teach is through example,” and to “verify what people tell you by checking the knowledge in Quran and Hadith.”

A few controversial issues about Muslim student protestors were addressed by Jandali, who said that “the way we dress conveys a message and reality, so look-ing merciful and compassionate makes a difference and creates a positive image.” She advised her audience to use wisdom in approach by shying away from wear-ing any stereotypical clothing such as all black ethnic outfits or chanting in Arabic during protests.

Merusha Nasoordeen, a college student, felt that the conference fostered sisterhood bonding and made for an enlightening ex-perience. “If only we knew our capabilities as individuals and how we could contrib-ute to society, our ummah would benefit by our efforts and energy,” she said.

Muslim Women Activists in the Making

Local MSA’s Hold Palestine Awareness Week

A mock wall was erected by the Muslim students at UCI to depecit the Israeli wall built around the West Bank

By Salman Jafri

Project26, Southern California’s first Mus-lim rock group, hosted a night of entertain-

ment and artistic creativity with world renown nasheed artist Dawud Wharnsby Ali on May 28 at the Brea Civic Center. Per-forming in front of a filled Curtis Theater, Project26, consisting of Ali and Omair Qazi, Mudas-sir Ahmed, and Irfan Shoukat, opened for Dawud Wharnsby Ali performing their hit tracks “Iraq,” “Burn,” and many popular Urdu songs as well.

Dawud Wharnsby Ali is viewed by many in the Muslim community as strictly a nasheed artist, but those in attendance got a chance to see him perform some of his other works. This

was Dawud Wharnsby Ali’s first trip to Southern California in many years.

A Night with Project26 and Dawud Wharnsby Ali

(from left to right) Irfan Shoukat, Dawud Wharnsby Ali, Mudassir Ahmed, and Ali Qazi performing “Prophet for Profit.”

Islamic Society of Corona/Norco hosted carnival on Memorial Day weekend on May 29.


Southland Health Professionals Converse By InFocus News Staff

In the spirit of cooperation and collabora-tion, local southern California healthcare affiliated Muslims had an opportunity to attend a networking luncheon on May 21 in the city of Brea at the Amazing Kabob House restaurant hosted by the Asso-ciation of Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP).

About 65 people attended the luncheon that nearly outgrew the capacity of the restaurant. Saba Siddiqui, an organizing committee member, found the meeting to be successful beyond her expectations. “People truly appreciated this opportu-nity,” she said. Dr. Rumi Cader, professor of Internal Medicine at UCLA, was the keynote speaker who gave a motivational talk on volunteerism based on his personal experiences.

AMHP is a national organization that has succeeded in bringing together a diverse group of Muslims from professional back-grounds in health policy, administration, clinical fields, and social work. As a result of this coordinated effort, AMHP members have held dialogue and networking events across the country. Such meetings have sought to address the issues in the area of public health and to propose solutions for existing problems.

Visit www.amhp.us for further informa-tion.

Restoring Hope One Eye at a Time

Al-Shifa Foundation Fundraiser Dinner


Fifty dedicated professionals from South-ern California gathered at the Long Beach Marriot Hotel for the Al Shifa Trust fundraiser on May 13. Raising more than $100,000, the night was filled with entertainment and education where Noor Mohmad Jadmani, the Pakistani General Consul, and retired General Jahandad Khan, the president of Al Shifa Trust discussed the critical need for clinics in Pakistan.

Established in 1985, Al Shifa, an Arabic word that means ‘healing,’ has helped to build three eye clinics in Rawalpindi, Sukkur, and Khohat with plans to build clinics in Quetta and Muzaffarabad, which was recently devastated by the Kashmir Earthquake in 2005.

“Volunteers have traveled to Pakistan and come back to the US with new ways to raise awareness,” says Gen. Khan. “She-lina Kurwa organized an ‘Eye for an Eye’ program asking eye patients in the US for donations to assist patients in Pakistan. It raised only $750, but more importantly, educated people about the condition of health in Pakistan and the dire need to create access to such facilities.”

Guidance Financial Makes Home Ownership a Possibil-itySumair Mahmood Buying a home can be a daunting ex-

perience for anyone, not the least for a resident of Southern California. If you’re a practicing Muslim, chances are that you’ve discussed “renting forever” versus owning more than once with your family and friends. Fortunate for the would-be home buyer is the fact that the last quarter century has witnessed the development of a number of shariah compliant Islamic financial products from Guidance Financial, Ameri-can Finance House LaRiba, Devon Bank, HSBC Amanah, and the Samad Group. These companies have offered a mix of creative financing ideas, which include rent-to-ownership, home stock buy back plans, etc. They make ends meet through rental/utility fees, service charges, and indexes which they apply to monthly payments.

On April 13, Guidance Financial held a private dinner for Islamic leadership in Southern California to introduce their Declining Balance Co-Ownership Program and to announce that Guidance now offers an Islamic product equivalent to the jumbo loan. Because the median price of a single family home in Orange County is upwards of $600,000, this was important news.

The Embassy Suites in Anaheim was packed with noteworthy representatives from all corners of the Southern California Islamic landscape. The meeting was very well attended, with well over two hundred Islamic scholars and leaders in tow. The highlight of the evening was the open forum during which guests asked sensitive questions regarding the company’s model and methodology.

Health Fair at Hawthorne MosqueBy Rumi Abdul Cader

More than 200 Muslims and non-Muslims flocked to the Islamic Center of Hawthorne on May 6 in a unique event hosted by the UMMA Community Clinic to promote health and well-being in the community.

Volunteer physicians and undergraduates from UMMA Community Clinic and UCLA UMMA Volunteer Project (UVP) provided services such as blood pressure checks, dia-betes and cholesterol screenings, obesity screenings, colon cancer education, and skin cancer screenings.

Also, various health care lectures were provided throughout the day on subjects including women’s health, men’s health, diabetes, heart disease, preventive medi-cine, childhood obesity, and smoking cessation.

Kaiser Permanente collected blood from more than 40 donors. Volunteer Health-care Providers included: Dr. Saeed Jaffer, Dr. Khaliq Siddiq, Dr. Rumi Abdul Cader, Dr. Mansur Khan, Dr. Nilofer Kadri, Dr. Rahmi Mowjood; Dr. Altaf Kazi; Dr. Mah-moud Traina, Dr. Basim Abdelkarim, and Dr. Abdallah Itani.

$100,000 Raised for Islamic SchoolBy Angie El Sherif Just five years ago, New Horizon Elemen-tary School in Irvine was nothing but a pile of rubble waiting to be built. But as the

Mayor of Irvine, Beth Krom, said, “We’ve watched the school grow from scratch to turning into something that we can all benefit from.” Krom was one of the speakers at a fund-raising dinner for the school on May 7 at the Irvine Marriot, where $100,000 was raised through auction of items rang-ing from Qur’an lessons, to hand-made paintings and jewelry, to a brand new Mercedes.

Other speakers included former Chair-person of the school Magdy Eletreby, and keynote speaker Edina Lekovic, Commu-nications Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). “Just ten years ago, most Muslims would either be engineers or doctors, and those were the only choices. In the next gen-eration, thanks to New Horizon and such, we’re going to have Muslims in all fields,” Lekovic said. Several awards were also presented to school supporters and helpers including the Circle of Friends Award given to Sa-brina Mowery, avid helper of the school since 2002.

San Diegans Remember Pakistan with Giant Rummage SaleBy Zaid Shakur

Muslim Community Services of San Diego held its second annual Disaster Relief Rummage Sale on May 7 to raise funds for the massive reconstruction effort un-derway in the earthquake ravaged areas of Pakistan. The event was held in associa-tion with the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD) and sponsored by Islamic Relief.

Community members generously donated hundreds of gently used items including furniture, appliances, clothing, toys, and electronics which were then sorted and sold by volunteers.

The ICSD Women’s Committee baked a number of tasty dishes and the Muslim Girl Scout Troop exhibited a hand-made montage of Islamic art and architecture.

Carla Hernandez, one of the more than 600 bargain shoppers who showed up throughout the day commented on the photos of the Pakistani earthquake victims which were provided by Islamic Relief and interspersed throughout the aisles, Hernandez by saying “Anybody who can look at those pictures and not be moved to help isn’t human.”

The sale raised more than $3,800 and the leftover items were gathered and donated to AMVETS charity.

For more information, please visit www.mcssd.org.

International Day at Orange Crescent School By Maureen Dadabhoy

More than 400 students representing almost 20 different countries celebrated their culture at the annual International Day at Orange Crescent School (OCS) on May 19.

The basketball courts were covered with

white tents for the international perfor-mances from each grade level, including traditional Indian Dandiya Dances, songs performed in various languages, and free-ing of the birds of peace. The lawn was host to a number of historical artifacts, and the conference room was converted into an international dining hall with an incred-ible array of international dishes.

The multi-cultural traditions of Muslims from all over the world gave colorful mean-ing to the term “melting pot,” or as Dr. Muzzamil Siddiqi so eloquently stated, “I think I would rather it be a salad, where one can see and taste all the different things that Allah (swt) has created.”

The day was organized by the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and coordi-nated by the 8th grade students.

Women’s Muslim Basketball League Allows Female Athletes to Shine By Ghalia Mohder

More than 80 players of various ages and backgrounds participated in the first an-nual Women’s Muslim Basketball League (WMBL) tournament, which took place on May 7 at the Anaheim Downtown Youth Center. Hosted by the Muslim Sports and Entertainment Foundation, the tourna-ment offered an exclusive female facility that gave Muslim women the opportunity to play basketball without compromising their values.

The games proved to be competitive as each team battled aggressively for the win. Despite some heated disputes that arose over referee calls, all players conducted themselves properly, and sisterhood pre-vailed at the end of the day.

“The tournament was awesome! There were so many girls playing that I had never seen or met before and I was very impressed by the level of basketball skills present. I can’t wait to see what the league has to offer,” said Hina Chowdhry, 15.

“The purpose of the event was to bring sisters together to compete and have fun in a Halal environment,” said Hisham Labanieh, co-founder of WMBL and one of the organizers of the tournament

WMBL will kick off its first season this summer from June 11 to August 13. For more information about WMBL, visit: www.mbleague.com

Orange County Human Rela-tions Awards Maria KhaniBy Aidan Muhammad Qasim

On May 4, Orange County Human Rela-tions (OCHR) rolled out the red carpet for 500 influential Orange County figures at the Grove of Anaheim. The Awards 35, “Building Bridges of Understanding,” is an annual awards ceremony recognizing those individuals and organizations assisting the community and enriching the lives of OC residents.

Maria Khani, a Huntington Beach resident, was one of the individuals recognized. She has been active in educating people about Is-lam through her work in community forums and the Huntington Beach Living Room Dialogues, a project that brings together people from different faiths and ethnicities to facilitate conversation and education about one another.

Her efforts helped to clarify myths about Islam and explain the tenets of her faith. “I am very honored by this recognition, but one person who has stood by me and encouraged me is my daughter,” acknowl-edged Khani in her acceptance speech. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Care “R” Us, an organization providing basic social services to recent immigrant women and families.

LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS

8 June 2006 Southern California InFocusNORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Organizer hopes to show Islam in positive lightBy Jonathan Jones, Inside Bay Area

FREMONT — Muslim snowboarders, gender divisions at mosques, praying etiquette at American restaurants, and a Hajj pilgrimage are some of the themes to be showcased at this year’s Muslim Film Festival, an all-day event that comes to Naz 8 Cinema in Fremont on July 29.

By basing the festival in Fremont, Juveria Aleem, a Concord resident in her early 30s and the main organizer of the festival, said she hopes to reach the local Muslim community and reach out to friends of other faiths.

“We’ve got a lot of great films,” Aleem said. “Now we need large numbers of people to come out.”

Aleem conceived the film festival in 1998, while learning filmmaking at the Univer-sity of California, Berkeley, where she produced a 20-minute documentary on

why Muslim women wear the hijab, the traditional Islamic head scarf.

“I felt I needed to do something that ex-plained my identity,” recalled Aleem, who wore a pink hijab during an interview Sat-

urday at Central Park. “A lot of my friends were wearing the hi-jab, and a lot of the high schools’ (Muslim girls) were starting to wear the hijab. So it was a good time to explore the issue.”After the documentary was ac-cepted at film festivals, broadcast on local cable television stations and discussed at local schools, Aleem said she became convinced a Muslim film festival could help shine more light on the fabric of modern Muslim life.

After holding the first festival at UC Berkeley and at De Anza

College in Cupertino in 2004 — showing 10 films ranging from Islamic hip-hop to spoofs of Muslim stereotypes — Aleem said she saw firsthand the importance of encouraging cultural expression of inde-pendent Muslim filmmakers in a post-9/11 environment.

This year, Aleem hopes the festival “pro-vides an opportunity for non-Muslims to come and actually learn what our culture is about.”

“We have comedies and heart-warming stories,” Aleem said. “It’s not going to be a preachy film festival and just focus on religion or praying or the hijab or Ra-madan. It’s none of that. It’s about basic human stories that everyone can relate to — except that the characters happen to be Muslim.”

Reprinted from Inside Bay Area

Muslim Film Festival Coming to Fremont TheaterBy Ghalia Mohder

When Milpitas Muslims came to attend the morning prayer at Masjid Dar Al-Salaam on May 16, they were shocked to discover that vandals had shattered the $350 front door. Although some believe the mosque was targeted, police say they have no evidence linking it to a hate crime.

Yet, the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Rela-tions (CAIR) “attributes these incidents to existing levels of anti-Muslim bias in American society and war-related senti-ment,’’ the civil rights group wrote in a statement.

Mohammad Nada, a long standing board member of Dar Al-Salaam, told CBS news, “The perpetrator did not leave any evidence, but we don’t know that it wasn’t a hate crime for sure.”

A couple of years ago, a previous incident of vandalism occurred at a mobile home property owned by Masjid Dar Al-Salaam. The property was vandalized with anti-Muslim graffiti. The teenagers involved were apprehended.

The Milpitas Police Department indicated that it’s investigating a string of recent attacks at a Catholic Church with similar vandalism of windows smashed on five different occasions.

“We have taken additional security mea-sures,” said Milpitas Police Detective Peter Prolo. “We’ve increased surveillance and heavy patrol in the area around the mosque.”

No suspects have been identified in any of the vandalism.

Vandals Shatter Front Door of Milpitas Mosque

Southern California InFocus June 2006 9ADVERTISEMENT

10 June 2006 Southern California InFocus

Officially, the bill serves to “promote the development of democratic institutions in areas under the administrative control of the Palestinian Authority (PA), and for other purposes.” The U.S. administration considers Hamas a “foreign terrorist orga-nization” that does not support democracy and peace.

Since the victory of the democratically elected Hamas earlier this year, the White House has closed off direct aid to the Pal-estinian government. Its international boycott of assistance to the PA plunged the Oc-cupied Territories into a financial and humani-tarian crisis.

The provisions will pro-hibit official Palestin-ian diplomacy or rep-resentation in the U.S. and reduce U.S. dues to the United Nations bodies that were specifi-cally created to advocate for Palestinian human rights. HR 4681 also sets forth extensive travel and visa restrictions.

Afif Safieh, PLO Am-bassador to the United States, said in an inter-view with radio show Democracy Now that HR 4681 is “extremely unfortunate.”

“Direct assistance” to the PA will only be made available if the President of the U.S. makes a certification to Congress. That would involve additional bureaucratic delays and procedures before government funds are actually disbursed Safieh said.

According to Nidal M. Ibrahim, the Ex-ecutive Director of the Arab-American Institute (AAI) in Washington D.C., the bill is counterproductive in that “it will simply exacerbate our already grave image problems in the region…” He also said “As a country, we must not view the surrender by starvation of the Palestinian people as a sound strategy in pursuing our goal of a two-state solution.” Arsalan T. Iftikhar, National Legal Direc-

tor of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said that HR 4681 sup-ports “unilateral actions such as settle-ment land grabs, Apartheid-style walls or denial of basic humanitarian needs that block progress toward a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

President Bush and American officials should engage in dialogue with the Pales-tinian people: “If we truly seek to promote democracy in the Muslim world, we should respect the results of elections and not starve those who exercise their democratic rights,” said Iftikhar.

HR 4681 passed by a roll call vote, with 84% in favor and 9% in opposition.

Nine Congress mem-bers spoke out strongly against the bill: Ray LaHood (R-IL), Nick Rahall (D-WV), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Lois Capps (D-CA), John Dingell (D-MI), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Betty McCol-lum (D-MN), and David Price (D-NC).

Congressman Rahall said, “Make no mis-take, a vote cast in fa-vor of HR 4681 is not a vote for peace, it is not a vote for America…”

Congressman LaHood stated that the legislation “hurts the Palestinian people. There is no other way to put it. And I do not know why you are doing this.”

CAIR praised the tremendous grassroots opposition, saying that it prevented the bill’s supporters from rushing it through for a quick vote with no debate. It was also reported that the opposition man-aged to rouse the House floor by igniting an open debate about U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine.

Now that the bill has passed in the House, it will go on to the Senate. Even though a less restrictive measure is being considered in the Senate, it will need to be reconciled by both houses and signed by the President before becoming law.

NATIONAL

Achievement and hard work make for role models

By Donna Gehrke White

She should be one of those red-white-and-blue success stories: An immigrant, she worked her way through med school and now directs the laboratories of two Florida hospitals. She passed her career drive on to her daughters: One just graduated from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing; the other is an investigator for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.

This feminist vision of a successful family, though, has a flaw: Shahida Shakir and her daughters, Sadia and Sofia, are Muslim.

They’re supposed to be downtrodden. Or so that’s what most Americans think.

In a Washington Post/ABC poll last month, nearly half of Americans admitted that they have a negative view of Islam. In a poll conducted for the Council of Ameri-can-Islamic Relations, most people also said that they would feel better about the religion if they thought Islam treated women better.

The evidence is in our own back yard: While researching my book, “The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America,” I found Muslims are among the most achieving women in the United States. They are doc-tors, lawyers, engineers, professors, social workers and artists.

Indeed, we should be exporting the success story to the rest of the world.

I found Muslim women achieving from coast to coast. They are leading worldwide humanitarian groups in Washington, presiding over juvenile court in Baltimore, delivering babies in Los Angeles, teaching in Miami and helping the homeless in Las Vegas.

Just like other Ameri-can women, the Mus-limah -- or Muslim woman -- have made startling progress in the workplace in the last 30 years. In fact, except for the recent refugees, Muslim wom-en are among the most educated in the United States. Most of the 50 women profiled in the book have at least col-lege degrees. And they are far from the stereo-type of the secluded Muslim woman. One ran for county office in northern Virginia while a University of Louisville professor crusades against “honor killings” of Third World women suspected of adultery or pre-marital sex. Another risked her life to help women under the thumb of Afghanistan’s oppressive Taliban.

These women should reassure many Amer-icans in these anxious times. They are intensely achieving -- as well as patriotic. After all, they have as much to lose as any other American if our economic and politi-

cal systems come under attack.

Since 1990, the United States has welcomed more t h a n 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 Muslim refugees fleeing war and persecution. They have come from 77 nations. Unlike the poor North Af-ricans who went to Europe for a better life, our Muslim poor have been given more oppor-tunities to better themselves, and have become part of the American fabric. The Ari-zona Community Refugee Center in

a Phoenix suburb, for example, teaches many women to read and write for the first time. The center also provides programs for their children.

The great majority of these new refugees insist that their children study hard. Ba-tool Shamil is an Iraqi Shiite single mom

working two jobs in Phoenix. She demands A-studded report cards from her teenage son and daughter.

“I am working so hard,” she told me. “My dream is for my children to go to college.”

In Erie, Pa., Senada Alihodzic, a refugee from the Bosnian violence, is just as deter-mined that her two sons and daughter will go to college. “They can have a better life here,” she said.

Meanwhile, more American mosques are making an effort to ensure women are treated equally. In northern Virginia, Cathy Drake, an American-born, home-schooling mom, told me that she would not have converted to Islam had she not felt comfortable.

Does more work need to be done? Yes, judging from several Muslim women who have come up to me while on a recent book tour to complain about their own mosque’s inadequacies. But Ingrid Matt-son, vice president of the Islamic Society of North America, promises that change is coming.

“I believe,” she said, “the struggle is now out in the open and that it will get better soon.”

DONNA GEHRKE-WHITE is the author of “The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordi-nary Lives of Muslim Women in America” (Citadel).

Muslim Women Shatter Stereotypes

California Congresspersons

SPONSORED HR 4628

HR 4681

Baca, Joe (D-43) YesBecerra, Xavier (D-31) NoBerman, Howard (D-28) YesBono, Mary (R-45) YesCalvert, Ken (R-44) YesCampbell, John (R-48) YesCapps, Lois (D-23) NoCardoza, Dennis (D-18) YesCosta, Jim (D-20) YesCunningham, Randall ( R-50) Not in offi ce Not in offi ceDavis, Susan (D-53) YesDoolittle, John (R-04) NVDreier, David (R-26) YesEshoo, Anna (D-14) NoFarr, Sam (D-14) NoFilner, Bob (D-51) YesGallegly, Elton (R-24) YesHarman, Jane (D-36) YesHerger, Walter (R-02) YesHonda, Michael (D-15) YesHunter, Duncan (R-52) NVIssa, Darrell (R-49) NVLantos, Tom (D-12) YesLee, Barbara (D-09) NoLewis, Jerry (R-41) YesLofgren, Zoe (D-16) YesLungren, Daniel (R-03) YesMatsui, Doris (D-05) YesMcKeon, Howard (R-25) YesMillender-McDonald, Juanita (D-37) YesMiller, Gary (R-42) YesMiller, George (D-07) NoNapolitano, Grace (D-38) NVNunes, Devin (R-21) YesPelosi, Nancy (D-08) YesPombo, Richard (R-11) NVRadanovich, George (R-19) YesRochrabacher, Dana (R-46) YesRoybal-Allard, Lucille (D-34) YesRoyce, Edward (R-40) YesSanchez, Linda (D-39) YesSanchez, Loretta (D-47) YesSchiff, Adam (D-29) YesSherman, Brad (D-27) YesSolis, Hilda (D-32) YesStark, Fortney (D-13) NoTauscher, Ellen (D-10) YesThomas, William (R-22) YesThompson, Mike (D-01) YesWaters, Maxine (D-35) YesWatson, Diane (D-33) PresentWaxman, Henry (D-30) YesWoolsey, Lynn (D-06) Yes

California Congresspersons Sponsorship and Vote on HR 4681

Those that did not vote are marked (NV), those who were present are marked (Present).

FROM PAGE 1HOUSE BILL

A Palestinian detained child at an Israeli checkpoint in Hebron.

Southern California InFocus June 2006 11INTERNATIONAL

(IslamOnline.net & News Agencies)

The top United Nations anti-torture body on May 19, told the United States it should close its overseas secret detention facili-ties and the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba, stop transferring detainees to other countries for questioning and rescind cruel

interrogation techniques of detainees.

“The United States should ensure that no one is detained in any secret detention facility under its de facto effective control and investigate and disclose the existence of any such facilities,” The United Nations Committee on Torture said in a report, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

In a report entitled, “Ending Secret Deten-tion,” the American Human Rights Watch said the US has more than 24 world deten-tion camps, at least half of them operate in total secrecy, where the abuse of detainees is “inevitable.”

Eradicate Torture

“The state party (the United States) should take immediate measures to eradicate all forms of torture and ill-treatment of de-tainees by its military or civilian personnel ... and should promptly and thoroughly investigate such acts and prosecute all those responsible...,” it said.

The committee said all detain-ees should be registered and a record kept of the time and place of interrogations, urging Washington to report back in a year.

“State Secrets”

The UN report comes one day after a US federal court dis-missed a lawsuit by a German national, who claimed that he was abducted and tortured in a secret “rendition” operation, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Khaled El-Masri filed a lawsuit against former CIA chief George Tenet for being forcibly seized in a CIA rendi-tion operation in Skopje, Macedonia, on December 31, 2003.

He said he was abducted by the CIA, beaten and transported to a secret prison in Afghanistan, where he was held incom-municado long after his innocence was established. He was flown to Albania in May 2004 and released without being charged.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in December 6 that the US admitted it made a mistake in abducting El-Masri and flying him to a secret prison in Afghanistan for questioning.

US Must Close Secret Prisons, End “Renditions”: UN

Muslim detaines at Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba

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By Alia Aboul-Nasr

As India’s prime minister announced measures aimed at ending 16 year’s of separatist violence in Kashmir, the size of the task was underlined by the death of four tourists in a bomb blast on a bus. According to a local police chief a bomb exploded in a tourist bus on May 25 just minutes after Manmohan Singh ended a meeting in Indian Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar aimed at restoring peace. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Kashmir’s dominant rebel group made it clear that peace talks between politi-cal parties would result in a settlement if the process would include militant

leaders. Political organizations that op-pose Indian rule boycotted the talks and branded them a “futile exercise.” “The successful general strike makes it clear to India that the people of Kashmir want freedom.”

Sign said his country was committed to living in harmony with neighboring rival Pakistan and to resolving the issue of Kashmir. A two-day protest strike called by the separatists to oppose the talks has closed shops and offices in Srinagar and left the streets largely deserted. India says it will only negotiate with militants if they give up arms. More than 44,000 people have died in Kashmir since the insurgency erupted in 1989.

Kashmir Talks End Amid Fresh Violence

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12 June 2006 Southern California InFocusINTERNATIONAL

(IslamOnline.net & News Agencies)

Yusuf Islam, previously British pop star Cat Stevens, is returning with a new al-bum to bridge the widening gap between Islam and the West.

“It is important for me to be able to help bridge the cultur-al gaps others are sometimes frightened to cross,” Islam, who left the world of the music business in 1979, told a press conference on Wednesday, May 17, reported Reuters.

“Much has changed, but today I am in a unique position as a looking glass through which Muslims can see the West and the West can see Islam.”

The new album is due for release this autumn.

The former pop star reverted to Islam in 1977 and has since become a prominent member of Britain’s Muslim community.

His UN-registered charity, Small Kind-ness, provides humanitarian relief, through direct aid as well as social and educational programs, to orphans and

families in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and other regions of the world.

Comeback

Following a 17-year hiatus from the music business, he returned in 1995 and has since released three albums of Islam-related songs, The Life of the Last Prophet (1995), Prayers of the Last Prophet (1999) and a record for children, A Is for Allah (2000).

“There were one hundred reasons for leaving the music industry back in 1979, not least because I had found what I was looking for spiritually,” he said.

“Today there are perhaps one hundred and one good reasons why I feel right making music and singing about life in this fragile world again.”

Yusuf Islam Sings to Bridge Islam-West Divide

(Islam-Online.net)

By Ahmed Al-Matboli, IOL Correspon-dent

BERLIN– With right-wing groups charg-ing batteries to provoke Muslim teams taking part in the FIFA World Cup, to kick off on June 9, Muslim fans are urged not to fall into the trap and to serve as an example.

A German Muslim web-site has exhorted Muslim football supporters to take into their strides provoca-tions by right-wingers.

“Muslim fans should give an example of Muslim behavior and enjoy the contests no matter what the results are,” wrote the “muslimmarkt” website.

The website urged Mus-lim fans to report any law violations to the police.

“The far right-wingers are out to provoke the fans to cause riots, particularly during the matches of the Iranian team.”

T-shirts emblazoned with anti-Muslim slurs are already been circulated by far rightists. One of these T-shirts reads “Is-lamophobic And Proud Of It.”

The football gala runs from June 9 through July 9 with 32 teams competing for the prestigious trophy.

Anti-Iran

Days before the world event, German right-wing groups have already mobilized to harass Muslim teams in the Mondial.

The Iranians are the main focus of the campaign. Right-wing groups are en-couraging supporters to flock to Iran’s matches and use Israeli flags in support-ing any team playing against the Islamic republic.

Anti-Racism Day

Meanwhile, FIFA has set plans to stage an anti-racism day dur-ing the World Cup to demonstrate opposition to racism and discrimi-nation.

Television ads and a huge round banner draped over the center circle at each of the 12 World Cup stadiums are also planned as part of the anti-racism cam-

paign.

Bearing the World Cup motto “A Time to Make Friends,” the World Cup logo “Germany 2006” and the slogan “Say No to Racism,” the banners will be displayed at each of the 64 matches until shortly before kick-off.

“The aim is to send a clear message to the world against racism,” the organizing committee said.

World Cup Muslim Fans Urged to “Give Example”

Marines Killed Iraqi Family in Cold Blood: Murtha

(Al Jazeera.net)

Tunisian police beat activists trying to at-tend a planned meeting by the country’s only independent human rights body, witnesses say. Dozens of plainclothes policemen blocked roads leading to the headquarters of the Tunis ian Human Rights League and allowed no one to ap-proach the site, the witnesses said on Sat-urday.

The incident was the latest in a series of what rights activists say are government abuses, including beating lawyers, jail-ing opponents and stifling the press.

Accusations

Mokhtar Trifi, the president of the group, said: “It is shameful that those invited to support human rights in Tunisia cannot gain access to the headquarters of the hu-man rights league.” They accuse the league’s leadership of cronyism, physical and verbal violence

against militants and sidelining members who disagree with them.

As a result of their complaints, a court ruled that the meeting would be illegal pending further judicial hearings next month.

Hunger strike

Meanwhi le , A l -jazeera reports that members of the Tu-nisian National Or-ganization for Law-yers have begun a hunger strike in protest against the law of the Supreme Bar Institute which was endorsed by the Tunisian parlia-ment.

The lawyers ac-cused the ministry of justice of seeking to control the lawyers syndicate.

Rights activists say Western governments tend to focus on Tunisia’s strong economic performance and the government’s suc-cess in tackling Muslim extremists while turning a blind eye to what they say is often heavy-handed tactics to suppress dissent.

Tunisia Police Beat Rights Activists

Moukhtar Tifri (right) described the situation as shameful

(www.Islam-Online.net)

US forces allegedly killed an entire un-armed Iraqi family of 15 near Haditha last November, including seven women and three children. The troops retaliated after their patrol was attacked.

“There was no firefight that led to the shoot-ings at close range,” stressed Pennsylva-nia congressman John Murtha. “There were no (roadside bombs) that killed these in-nocent people.”

At least three Marine officers are under offi-cial investigation, and no official report has been released, accord-ing to Wednesday’s Army Times.

Murtha, a Vietnam veteran, blamed in-adequate planning, training and troop numbers for such killings of innocents. He said that the death toll could be “twice as high.”

One third of U.S. troops returning from Iraq needed at least one mental health consultation and one fifth were diagnosed with combat-induced psychological prob-lems, according to a recent U.S. study.

Troops returning from Iraq have the highest rate of mental health consultation and psycho-logical problems among their peers deployed in other countries.

A British soldier, Ben Griffin, quit the army in disgust of the “illegal and immoral” practices of the US-led forces in Iraq. “As far as the Ameri-cans were concerned, the Iraqi people were sub-human.”

Murtha, a critic of the Iraq war, introduced a resolution in Congress six months ago to with-draw US troops from Iraq. Since then, 370 Americans have died,

nine billion dollars are spent monthly, (attacks) have increased from 550 to 900 a week, and 1,000 Iraqis died in the last month,” he said.

Congressman John Murtha

Southern California InFocus June 2006 13PROFILE

By Angie El Sherif

Parks and recreation are an important part of every community. Here in South-ern California we take pride in the beauty and abundance of parks. But who can we thank for this? Plenty of men and women give their time and effort in managing our parks. Among them is Mr. Idris Al-Oboudi. This Iraqi born Arab-American profes-sional was awarded the 2005 California Parks and Recreation Society (CPRS) Citation Award. This award recognizes outstanding contributions to CPRS and the parks, recreation, and human services profession on a regional, sectional, state, or national level according to their website http://www.cprs.org/about-awards.htm. The Awards Program honors individuals who “embrace the core values of the profes-sion…show environmental stewardship… move the agency towards a stronger posi-tion or role within the community.”

Currently, Al-Oboudi is a Recreation Ser-vices Manager for the City of Manhattan Beach where he manages the Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation, and par-ticipates in numerous community improve-ment programs. Al-Oboudi believes in “life, learning, loving, and leaving a legacy.” Al-Oboudi believes that this is what he wants

to accomplish in his livelihood

I F : T e l l u s s o m e t h i n g about your childhood and you r i n f l u -ences growing up.

Idris Al-Oboudi: I was born in Iraq back in 1960. I grew up in Baghdad. I came to the United States when I was nineteen. I am one of seven boys and one girl in my family. I was very, very fortunate as a child to be selected to go to a very special school

that the Iraqis and the Russians estab-lished for talented children in music and theatre. I had a scholarship to go study theatre in the Soviet Union, but instead I came to America. As far as my university education, that was all completed in the United States. I studied at Western Michigan University where I took my Bachelors of Science and Recreation. When I came to California in 1985, I went for my Masters in Science and Recreation at Cal State Long Beach, but I didn‘t complete my thesis due to family problems like my father passing away.

IF: What initially got you interested in Recreation, and what motivated you to choose this career?

IA: I believe that all of us as children love to play. I was going to follow my father’s footsteps in theatre, but when I came to the United States, I was very strong physi-cally because of all the training from Russian schools. So I took some physical education and recreation classes and that is when I fell in love with it. I found recreation to be a very interesting tool not only to bring joy, happiness, health, and wellness to the individual but also to the community. It was more than a pro-fession–it was like a calling to me. I felt that this is what I lived to do. I followed it, excelled in it, and loved doing it.

IF: How long have you worked in this field of work?

IA: Going on 25 years actually.

IF: What exactly is it that you do at your current job?

IA: I create community and quality parks and programs. I’m a manager of parks and recreation here in Manhattan Beach.

However, I started as a contract employee. Under my belt is facility operation and that is anything that deals with reser-vations. We staff it and make sure that everything is safe, clean, and green. I have a playground program on four sites and two senior citizen clubs, a teen center, twenty tennis courts, and a whole bunch of parks that we maintain. We have numer-ous community events that we conduct like family camp outs, sand castle design contests, etc. Then we have a whole vari-ety of recreation classes and camps for a variety of ages from the very exciting rock climbing, ski school and snowboarding to classes for cooking.

IF: Does being Arab and Muslim influ-ence your work?

IA: It definitely does. I really feel that we are ambassadors of our own person and also ambassadors of our culture. All of us have a duty to represent ourselves in the best light as possible. One of the things I always use is you don’t get a sec-ond chance at a first impression. That’s very important. The reason is that in this hurried time that we live in, a lot of people don’t have the time to try to get to know you. I try to make people understand that our culture is a contributor to the human civilization by our actions, not just by our words. If we are Arabs and Muslims and enlightened people, we try to enlighten others, that is our duty. I’m definitely very proud of being an Arab, but that’s not enough. You have to show why you are proud by your actions.

IF: What benefits do you get from working to help your community, and what is the most satisfying part of your job?

IA: One of the things I talk about a lot is that all of us as human beings want to feel that our existence mattered and made a difference, whether big or small. I believe in leaving a legacy. In recreation, you get to do that. By serving others, we serve ourselves.

IF: Do you recall witnessing any unruly behavior like graffiti, for ex-ample, while managing your parks? What do you feel should be done to preserve California parks?

IA: Any abuse is acted out by human be-ings; I have never seen a can of paint get up and spray itself on a wall. People act this way for different reasons. One thing that is said that is incorrect about recre-ation is that it is a diversion. Imagine that you are a kid and after school you have no where to go. There is a lot of pent up energy that is sometimes negative. So people damage things in the park and do things like graffiti. What is recreation? Recreation is constructive engagement. It changes you as a person. What I recom-mend to combat these things is engaging youth in positive alternative activities that have positive results. For those kids who want to get noticed, we can do murals or calligraphy contests. That way they are getting their kicks in a positive way, It is a primary tool to fight anti-social behavior.

IF: The California Park and Recre-ation Society has recently created a Youth Sports and Fitness Task Force that focuses on enhancing organized sports. What motivated you to chair this task?

IA: The biggest motiva-tor is the condition of our youth right now in Califor-nia. There is a nationwide issue of the importance of engaging kids in posi-tive recreational activities. To walk into a park and feel safe psychologically and physically is the goal. Kids need to get out there and have fun. I want to change the youth sports culture. They should have

fun, enjoy themselves while they build up their health and wellness and compete with honor.

IF: How has receiving the 2005 CPRS Citation Award affected you?

IA: I always feel that with awards and recognition come responsibility. In the word responsibility, there are two words: respond and ability…the ability to re-spond. I want to respond by continuing to communicate the vision that we are responsible for the next generation. We have to change to get different results. Now that people know your work, you have to be more responsible and create modal-ity for people. I am up to that challenge. I am interested in making sure to use this publicity to better the community by means of recreation. Receiving the award was a great honor.

IF: What are your other hobbies and interests?

IA: I’m a sportsman myself. I play soccer, I run; I am a diver and a snorkler. I travel a lot. I like long hikes and visiting national parks. I was at Joshua Tree just to see the beautiful flowers that come out in the spring. I like to be out there in nature. I also enjoy reading and teaching.

IF: What are your future plans in work and life?

IA: My next goal is to have the next con-ference in Sacramento to rally in the state capital about youth sports. I am also con-tinuing work with the Vision Insight Plan and that is to continue to instruct people about the benefits of parks and recreation. I am also working with the Islamic Centers of Hawthorne and Vermont by creating a Vision Insight Plan based on Islam. The goal is to win back our kids. That our Islamic Centers are not only houses of worship but are houses of learning, com-munity, and joy. They should be of service to the greater community to strengthen the Islamic community image. I am also working with producers from Al Jazeera on concepts for children’s programs that encourage health and wellness recreation activities. We are of service to Allah by being of service to humanity. That is why we exist.

“What is recreation? Recreation is constructive engagement. It changes you as a person. What I recommend to combat these things is engaging youth in positive alternative activities that

have positive results”

I believe that all of us as children love

ation is that it is a diversion. Imagine that you are a kid and after school you have no where to go. There is a lot of pent up energy that is sometimes negative. So people damage things in the park and do things like graffiti. What is recreation? Recreation is constructive engagement. It changes you as a person. What I recom-mend to combat these things is engaging youth in positive alternative activities that have positive results. For those kids who want to get noticed, we can do murals or calligraphy contests. That way they are getting their kicks in a positive way, It is a primary tool to fight anti-social behavior.

IF: The California Park and Recre-ation Society has recently created a Youth Sports and Fitness Task Force that focuses on enhancing organized

Idris Al-Oboudi: Advocate of Recreation


Mr. Abu Haiba, the station’s Cairo bureau manager, says the station espouses the values of tolerance, peace, and progress, while being critical of some modern de-velopments. Abu Haiba rails against cell phones and fast food, and says people should “be honest, be punctual, and not raise their voices.” According to Abu Haiba, Al Risala is just the latest step in a “new Islamic media” revolution. This movement includes everything from Islamic “televangelists,” who strut the stage in business suits, calling on the audience to tell personal stories, to Islamic pop stars, who sell catchy tunes about the Prophet Muham-mad. According to Al Risala’s executives, that media can be both secular shows that undermine family values and religious programs that foment extremism. “Islam has been changed throughout time,” says Al Risala’s general manager, Shaikh Tarek Swidan. “If we go back to the roots

then we see Islam being very peaceful, very open. Respect of all humans, respect of all religions, respect of all races - that is the original message of Islam.” Swidan hosts a program called “The Mak-ing of a Leader,” in which the shaikh puts aspiring young businessmen through various tests. The station also airs music videos, although it eschews the hits of

scantily clad Lebanese pop stars in favor of songs about religion and family. There is even a reality TV show, in which three young men travel through Jordan, Syria , and Lebanon , following the path of early

Islam’s expansion.“In our understanding, Islamic media is any clean media,” he says. “So any pro-gram that is clean and has a message to improve a human being - improve them religiously, ethically, socially, push them towards being productive and effective, having ambitions.” The Kuwait-based channel started broad-casting at the beginning of March on two satellite carri-ers that reach millions across the Middle East and in Eu-rope .Al Risala executives say data isn’t available yet on the size of the station’s audience. But they note that viewers are sending thousands of daily messages of support from their mobile phones. Yet some viewers say they’ve been put off by what they see as Al Risala’s “commer-cialism.” Amir El Meligi is a 21-year-old Web designer. He says Al Risala is “Iqraa TV with a Rotana flavor”- referring on the one hand to a well-known conserva-tive religious channel and on the other to a popular music video station. Al Risalah “has a new way of introducing stuff,” says

al Meligi, but “it’s very showy, not very spiritual.” Others are more enthusiastic. Al Risala “is really good,” says Radwa Atia, a 20-year-old art student. “It discusses a lot of things in a more free way. It discusses real life issues.” The only fault Atia finds with the station is its cast of celebrity presenters. “All the

announcers are famous actors,” she says. “That annoyed me. When talking about re-ligious matters, you should have someone who has done religious studies, someone with experience. Not just anybody.”

This article was reprinted from The Chris-tian Science Monitor

FEATURE

Al Risala’s general manager, Shaikh Tarek Swidan

“In our understanding, Islamic media is any clean media,” he says. “So any pro-gram that is clean and has a message to improve a human being - improve them

religiously, ethically, socially, push them towards being productive and effective,

having ambitions.”

How you can help!Islamic Reliefhttp://www.irw.org

Helping Hand USA www.helpinghandonline.org

International Red Cross/Crescenthttp://www.ifrc.org/

International Rescue Committeehttp://www.theirc.org/

FROM PAGE 1MUSLIM TV

that has been spewing lava and smoke for the past month, an estimated 200,000 people are now left homeless and in need of immediate aid.

In response to the powerful earthquake, Islamic Relief, an international relief and development organization, has pledged $928,000 for initial emergency projects and is appealing for a further $3.7 million for the victims of the Java disaster. Islamic Relief has begun distributing blankets, clean water, and food and hygiene kits to the earthquake victims.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints provided an airlift valued at $1.6 million in emergency medical and hygiene supplies and sent in a 747 cargo plane from Salt Lake City on May 30. Islamic Relief staff on the ground in Indonesia will distribute those goods, which were requested by the government of Indonesia in the affected areas.

The Los Angeles-based news talk radio station, KFI AM 640, rated number one in the nation, has also extended the use of prime airtime in all day parts and is car-rying a prominent display on its website, www.kfiam640.com for the efforts to raise urgently needed funds for the victims.

“KFI is pleased to join with Islamic Relief’s efforts to raise money on behalf of the victims of the recent earthquake in Indo-

nesia… KFI is urging its huge listener base to reach out to those in need and donate to Islamic Relief,” said KFI’s Program Direc-tor, Robin Bertolucci.

With twenty-two countries already de-livering aid, many survivors spent a week without shelter or supplies, with uncertainty on the situation in remote surrounding villages, many of which have been completely destroyed. Because of the extent of the destruction, the challenge is in distributing aid and providing medical assistance to the injured. In the upcoming days, aid workers are focusing on provid-ing medical aid, water and sanitation, and emergency shelter.

The Indonesian government has pledged an initial 6 pounds of rice per family, and

200,000 rupiah ($21) for each survivor to cover clothing and household goods, and compensation for damaged houses, which for many is not enough in the current situation.

FROM PAGE 1QUAKE


FROM PAGE 1

MUSLIM LAWFEATURE

attending the University of California, Da-vis School of Law. Kahf was the youngest person to join a Council on American- Is-lamic Relations (CAIR) board of executives by joining CAIR Southern California’s Executive Committee at age 20 and served until 2005 when he left to pursue his law studies.

Kahf is among a growing number of young American-Muslims who are entering the legal profession and finding help along the way.

Though the exact number of American-Muslim lawyers is not available, Farhana Khera, executive director for the National Association of Muslim Lawyers (NAML), said NAML has 500 members made up of lawyers and law students. Moreover,

the growth of Muslim Law Students As-sociations (MLSAs) and chapters in law schools around the country are further proof that more American-Muslims are choosing law.

According to NAML’s web site, 24 MLSAs are located at several universi-ties across the country, as well as five Muslim bar associations. At NAML’s Washington D.C. conference in April, 40 percent of attendees were students and 60 percent were lawyers, according to Khera.

“There was no such thing as a Muslim Law Students Association (when I was a student),” said Khera, who graduated from New York’s Cornell University Law School in 1994. “There weren’t enough Muslim students to create a chapter.”

The events of September 11th were a wake-up call for the Islamic community to start considering other careers, she said.

“I do hear anecdotally that 9-11 and the civil rights crisis that has been gripping our nation since then has spurred young Muslims to pursue law school. The increase in numbers is due in part because of 9-11, but also in part of the national evolution of our community,” Khera said.

Most Muslim immigrants who came to the U.S. worked in engineering and sci-ence-related professions. Now, the chil-dren of these immigrants are entering a variety of professions from law to jour-nalism, Khera added. This generation also has the advantage of understanding the American culture and language bet-ter than their parents.

Muslim law students at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles set up the Mus-lim Law Students Association during the beginning of the 2005 school year to create unity among Muslims on campus by providing iftars (fast breaking meals) during Ramadan and creating a space for students to pray during the day. They later found their mission to be much greater.

“More than ever before, we needed a presence on campus,” wrote Firasat Tar, the association’s vice president in an e-mail message. “There is a lot of misplaced anger and prejudice against Muslims and moreover, Islam has been in the limelight so much recently that even if not (for the) negative attention… I think we should use the attention overall to be as beneficial as we can. I think we should welcome and encourage inquiries about Islam. So as a Muslim group on campus we are hoping to educate and promote unity, awareness and understanding among Muslims and non-Muslims.”

Tar, who is a second-year law student, will become president of the group next year. He estimates there are about 20 Muslim law students in the group.

Both Tar, 24, and Kahf said they entered law school to help resolve issues facing not only the Islamic community, but also the American community.

“This isn’t just about Muslim rights. This is about minority rights in general,” Kahf said. “Even if, let’s say within the next 50

years Muslims’ civil rights become a non-issue, there is always a constant circle of people being oppressed. It’s an Islamic value to help your oppressed brothers – to

stand with the oppressed. We’re supposed to help fight injustice.”

Kahf was among the 200 people who at-tended NAML’s convention and plans to

enter intellectual property law, or patent litigation. Kahf said he was inspired by the convention and realized the impact a Muslim has in the legal world, no matter what kind of law he or she practices.

“We believe that lawyers are needed in all areas of the law and whatever specialty or background people have can be very use-ful,” said Khera, who spent six years as a former counsel to U.S. Senator Russell Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, before she accepted the NAML position in June 2005.

Khera is the association’s only full-time employee and recently moved to San Fran-cisco, where she is setting up a local branch of the office. The 36-year old also serves as executive director for Muslim Advocates, an expansion of NAML that provides educational resources. NAML began as an e-mail discussion list in 1996 and was

known as MuslimJD. It was registered as a non-profit group in 2000.

Working on Capitol Hill, Khera’s work focused on the U.S. Patriot Act, racial and religious profiling, and other civil liberties issues. She joined NAML because her Wash-ington D.C. experience helped her recognize the Islamic community is go-ing to grow. Khera feels that in order to become stronger, more Muslim lawyers will be needed to understand the legal and political system.

Among NAML’s prior-ities, Khera said, is to provide legal advice for Muslims, educate non-Muslims about Islam, protect charitable giving,

and help Muslim charitable institutions improve their legal management. Khera is also working on fund-raising efforts and increasing membership.

While the Patriot Act has been reau-thorized, NAML’s web site provides information on Muslim workplace rights, civil rights, and employment discrimination.

“The mission broadly speaking is to pro-mote freedom and justice for all and that includes protecting the rights of Muslim Americans and the founding values of our country,” Khera said.

Paraphrasing former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, Khera said, “She was quoted as saying some-thing to the effect of, ‘statues and con-stitutions don’t protect independence, people do.’”

A Muslim lawyer can play an instru-mental role in educating others about Islam, whether providing facts to law enforcement officials, to judges and to fellow co-workers, Khera said.

Owais Qazi, an immigration lawyer, echoed Khera’s sentiments.

He opened his own practice in Riverside a year ago with a few associates working with him. About half of his clients are Muslim. Qazi believes Muslim clients are comfortable with Muslim lawyers because there is a religious and cultural under-standing between the two groups.

Qazi, 27, added that he understands the plight of the immigrant community since his family immigrated from Saudi Arabia many years ago, giving him a deeper knowledge and sensitivity to his client’s needs.

Knowing he has helped someone’s dream come true or brought families together, Qazi said, “This is the one field in which I can go home happy.”

For more information, visit www.namlnet.org or www.muslimadvocates.org.

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By Abdussalam Chouia

Victoria Caldwell knew that her Christian faith was right. She was as certain as the sky was blue. She attended Church regu-larly and prayed with her congregation with fervor and devotion. But then, her strong sentiments suddenly encountered resistance when she met a certain Muslim on her college campus while she was still a sophomore. “We started talking about Je-sus,” she said. More precisely, their discus-sions centered on the divinity of Jesus, a contentious issue that had always troubled

her. “That was the one thing I could not reconcile in my faith,” she recalls, “but I really never wanted to leave it.”

Hootan Afzali was born in Iran but spent most of his childhood traveling around the world with his father who was a diplomat. He lived with his family in Europe, Russia and the Middle East, sometimes having to pack only six months after unpacking. His parents were Muslim but non-practicing. Hootan grew up deprived of any knowledge of God or a meaning to his existence. By age 13, he and his family immigrated to the United States where Hootan started asking the questions. “I knew there was more to life than eating and having fun,” he remembered. “A meaning-ful existence was something I always aspired to.”

That lingering question had to have an answer. A friend of Hootan’s told him one day that the Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley was having a summer camp and that it would be fun to go. With some free time on his hands, Hootan agreed. The experience at the camp turned out to be a life-changing one. “I knew immediately this is what I was looking for,” Hootan recalls.

Victoria was not so sure though. Her ques-tions lead her to do extensive research on the Internet and read many books includ-ing Muslim/Christian dialogue. “I was searching for something and didn’t know what it was but I knew I wanted to find it,” she said. “Some people know that there is more to life than what they have but are not in a hurry to find it.” But that was not the case for Victoria. She was looking for it and wanted to find it sooner rather than later even if that meant betraying a faith that she believed in deeply. “I fought the feeling for as long as I could. I didn’t necessarily want to be Muslim. But at the same time I wanted to do what was right.” Victoria said that she resisted Islam because it was going to revolution-ize her belief system and would demand a lot more from her. All the tenets of her Christian faith were suddenly held hostage to this new ideology, which, although not a stretch from her own beliefs, was new to her nevertheless. Seven months into her new journey, Victoria’s quest came to a fateful and undeniably obvious end.

Habib Mohamedy moved to the San Ga-briel Valley in the late seventies from India, his home country. He came to find work and prosperity. However, his spiri-tual life had to be nurtured as well. “We needed a place to pray Jumu’ah [Friday prayer],” he recalls. “There were a few Muslims in the area and we agreed that it must be held somewhere.” One of the Muslims offered his garage as a temporary solution. The Friday of that same week, 15 people huddled together and offered their weekly congregational prayer in a carport. Mohamedy, who also serves as a member

on the board of trustees of the Islamic center, added that two years later the community grew to 200 and the need for a bigger place was only predictable. “We found a small shop at a strip mall,” recalls Ashraf Jakvani, a very active middle-aged com-munity member. “There we were able to hold the five daily prayers.” Then, in 1983, a der-elict Catholic Church on Walnut Drive was put up for sale. The struc-ture was on the market for the modest sum of 125,000. “Within weeks, we were able to raise a

down payment,” said Jakvani, “and then paid the full amount within months.”

As the community grew to about 60 fami-lies, it inevitably turned its eyes to educa-tion. “We were worried about our children growing up in this culture,” recalls Moham-edy, “So we started a Sunday school.” The volunteer-run school went on for close to 15 years. It was not until September 2005 that the community was finally able to open a full-time school. However, the tuition fees

have kept a lot of people at bay. “We only have about fifteen students for now,” said Michelle Dumay, the school’s principal. Dumay, herself a mother, substi-tutes as a teacher as well. “We wanted a curriculum that incorporated values that were also important to us as Muslims,” she added. Dumay is an Afri-can American who holds a graduate degree in chem-istry and is as polished and articulate as a Har-vard professor. Most of the school’s teachers are also women. In fact, the

majority of Islamic schools across the na-tion are made up mainly of female teach-ers and principals. Many Muslim parents balk at the idea of putting their children in Islamic schools for reasons other than the financial burden. They seem to doubt the capability and experience of an Islamic staff that operates in some cases out of a sub-standard school structure. Dumay has a message to allay the parents’ fears. “Look at the curriculum and ask yourself: Is it on par with what is being offered in the public school?” She quickly followed with the answer, “We are exactly on if not above par with the curriculum offered by the state.”

The Islamic school organizes a carnival twice a year. Parents, teachers and com-munity members mingle freely in the park-ing lot of the center that gets turned tem-porarily into carnival ground with giant inflatable water slides, food and clothing stalls. Emran Khan is the school’s admin-istrator and the organizer of the festivities. “This is a chance for community members to meet and have a good time,” she said. Khan is a mother of four children and grandmother of a one-year old boy. “My children practically grew up in the masjid,” she said. “This is our sanctuary. I cannot imagine my life without this Islamic cen-

ter.” Khurram Qidwai, 24, a law student, started his life’s journey as an eight-year old at the center. “I grew up around this masjid,” he said. “It is great because, one,

it is nice to be around Muslims, and two, it kind of structures your thinking,” he said. “You realize who you are growing up. This environment supplements everything else and it gives you a sense of who you are,” Qidwai added.

Hootan concurs with that feeling whole-heartedly. The young man has made this masjid a focus of his spiritual life. He commutes from his home in Irvine at least twice every week. His attachment to the center seems to run in his bloodstream. Almost five years ago, Hootan wanted to do what every male wants out of life: Get married and raise a family. “My parents tried to fix me up with some Persian girls, but once I met them I realized right away

they were not my type,” he recalls. “I wanted to marry a good Muslim woman, someone who put Islam as the focal point of her life.” His search was getting nowhere because, Hootan believes, his nationality and a certain prejudice against someone from his assumed Shia background was

working to his disadvantage. Finally, he decided to join the 21st century matchmak-ing lifestyle and do it the online way.

In a small town in South Carolina, Vic-toria Caldwell visited a matrimonial site as a matter of curiosity and decided to post a profile. Within a few days, she was flooded with hundreds of responses. “I was overwhelmed,” she recalls. “I had no idea it was going to be this huge.” One of

the responses came from California, from none other than Hootan. “One thing that drew me to his response was his sincerity.” Victoria said. “He expressed himself very

well and told me everything about himself.”

Today, Victoria works with the Islamic center as a youth counselor. She had already had a great im-pact on many young teen-age girls. Among them is Fatima Salman, 15. “She always helps us with our problems,” the teen said. “One day I had this problem with my mom. I told Victo-ria about it and she told me what to do and it worked,” Salman recalls with a smile. Many other teenage Muslim girls nod their heads when asked about the impact of Victoria’s presence in their

midst. “She allows us to be open, we can tell her anything without fear,” they all said almost in unison.

Teenage boys feel the same way about Hootan, who is also very active in the youth program. On carnival day he brought an arm-wrestling table and organized a com-petition for the youth. Everyone seemed to admire and respect him. “He is so much fun to be around,” said Ahmesh Shabud-din, who had just finished arm-wrestling a much older Mubashir Ali who turned a certain defeat into a victory. Not far from them, a sign on a door read “Clinic.” Jakvani explained that every Sunday a volunteer doctor would treat community members for free. The clinic even hands

out free medication.

Within weeks after they met, Victoria and Hootan started talking on the phone. A few months later, they met in person and realized that the chemistry was right and their inten-tions were in line with their destiny. Fate brought them together in spite of the odds and they knew they were meant to be together. Hootan then pulled a cre-ative and romantic stunt. He built a website, ar-ranged flowers to be deliv-ered to Victoria then called her from outside the house and asked her to check a specific website. When she

did, she found the following typed in bold letters: “Would you marry me?” There was a “yes” and “no” option. Victoria was blown away and could not resist directing the cur-sor to “yes.” Exactly five months from the day they met, Victoria and Hootan were wed in South Carolina.

To their surprise, their families were very accepting. Hootan’s parents came to terms with the fact that their son was a practicing Muslim and serious about his beliefs. Victoria’s parents also came to terms with the fact that their daughter embraced Islam out of conviction and was now married to a Muslim man originally from Iran. “My parents did not object to my wife being African American,” Hootan said. “As long as I was happy, my parents were happy too,” added Victoria. It was faith that brought two people together from opposite ends of the physical, lingual and racial spectrum. And everything would not have been possible without the Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley. Its presence not only pioneered a faith community, but it also brought about racial harmony.

Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley is located on 19164 E. Walnut Dr. North, Rowland Heights, CA 91748 - (626) 964-3596 - www.icsgv.com

Meriam Abbas, 11 getting her face painted-

FEATUREISLAMIC CENTER OF SAN GABRIEL VALLEY:

Nurturing Love and Racial Harmony

Imam Said Saddek, Mubashir Ali abotu to wrestle while Hootan Afzali referees

Victoria Caldwell and Hootan Afzali

Neoofer Mohamad, Victoria Caldwell, Fatima Salman

20 June 2006 Southern California InFocusKIDS CORNER

W h a t w a s h i s f a t h e r ’ s n a m e ?

True or false: His father died before he was born.

What was his mother’s name?

In what city was he born?

How old was he when his mother died?

Who was Haleemah?

What was his paternal grandfather ’s name?

He was born in the year of _________.

How old was he when his paternal grandfa-ther died?

What was the name of the paternal uncle who cared for him?

Quiz on the Early Life of Prophet

Muhammad (PBUH)

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“Who’s gonna eat all this food? I don’t have that much space in my stomach!” Majid told his aunt.

His aunt was sitting on the floor with two large pots of cooked rice and curry. In her lap was a pile of plastic bags.

“It’s not for us, silly! It’s a spe-cial delivery,” answered Zainab Aunty. “Come help me.”

Majid was staying with his Aunt Zainab for his summer vacation visit to Pakistan. Majid sat down on the kitchen floor with his aunt, and together, they made packets of food. When they were all done, they loaded the car and were on their way.

Majid looked out the window as they drove past the houses on his aunt’s street. The sky was clear and the sun was shining. Children were playing on the street in their clean and pressed brand-name clothes. Some were playing cricket and others were riding their BMX bikes.

He looked at the humongous two story houses on the street. They had large front lawns and several of them had security guards sit-ting outside. He saw trees and grass everywhere, and the roads were paved.

Majid wondered who the food was for. Who would Zainab Aunty spend so much time on? He thought.

They made a few turns on roads he had not been on in the past,

and before he knew it, they were on an unpaved, dusty road. Majid shook with the car on the bumpy road. Dirt flew up as they drove past people’s homes. They were shacks made of cardboard; oth-ers were made of fabric, and still others were made of tin. Here, too, children ran on the street, but their clothes were dirty, if they had any, and their hair was

unmade and bleached from the sun. They looked at Majid, smil-ing genuinely.

What’re we doing here? Thought Majid. Weren’t we supposed to deliver food to someone?

“Let’s stop here,” said Zainab Aunty, as they pulled up near the children who ran to the car, crowding around the windows.

“Assalamu alaikum!” said Zainab Aunty to the kids, smiling. “Fati-ma, where is your sister? Did she have her eye surgery?”

“Yes, Zainab Aunty,” answered a little girl.

“That’s good. Now take this to your parents. Make sure they get it,” she said as she handed her a bag of food.

“Umar, did your dad start work-ing at Mr. Mukaty’s yet?” she looked at another little boy.

“Yes, Zainab Aunty. He really likes it there,” answered a little boy.

Zainab Aunty knew every child, and she asked about others who were not present. She knew their families, how old they were, and what was going on with their lives. Majid was stunned. It seems like Zainab Aunty has known these people forever.

When all the bags were distrib-uted, Zainab Aunty greeted the children, asking them to convey her regards to their parents, and they drove back home.

On the way, Majid asked, “Zainab Aunty, how do you know these people so well?”

“Sweetie, everything we have is from Allah, and He commanded us to give of what we have and be kind to others who do not have as much. I have been coming to these people for a long time now, so I know their families very well. I consider them good friends of mine.”

“I’m going to start making special deliveries, too,” Majid decided, smiling.

Special Delivery

Abdullah Ibn Adul-Muttalib; True; Amina bint-u-Wahab; Quraish; 6 years; nurse; Abdul Muttalib; elephant (570 AD); 8 years; Abu Talib

Southern California InFocus June 2006 21FOOD REVIEW/ HEALTH

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By Khaliq Siddiq MD, MPH

It can be sudden and devastating, but knowing the warning signs of a stroke can save your life. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the US. It can lead to severe long-term disability including in-ability to walk, impaired speech, difficulty eating, memory loss, and loss of aware-ness of one’s surroundings.

What is a stroke?

A stroke results from a sudden decrease in supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain. As a result, brain cells begin to die. The death of brain tissue is irreversible. There are two major causes of stroke. In the first type, called an ischemic stroke, blood flow to the brain is temporarily or permanently blocked. In the second type of stroke, a blood vessel in the brain breaks and bleeds into the brain. This is known as a hemorrhagic stroke. About 80% of strokes are ischemic and 20% are hemorrhagic.

Another term to be familiar with is TIA, or transient ischemic attack. TIAs may have some or all the symp-toms of a stroke, but before cells begin to die, the blood flow is restored and the symptoms resolve without permanent damage. TIAs should not be ignored, as more than one-third of people who experi-ence TIAs will eventually go on to have an actual stroke.

The following may represent initial warn-ing signs or onset of a stroke or TIA:• Sudden, severe headache• Difficulty with speech, swallowing• Trouble walking, dizziness, loss of coordination, nausea/vomiting• Sudden changes in vision (seeing double, loss of vision)• Sudden inability to move a part of the body (paralysis)• Sudden numbness or weakness if the

face, arm, or leg

What should you do?

With stroke, time is of the essence! Vic-tims have the best chance if symptoms are recognized early and treatment is sought quickly. The immediate response should be to call 9-1-1 for immediate transport to an emergency room. A drug that dissolves blood clots (tPA) can only be administered to those who have been evaluated and diagnosed within 3 hours, if they are having an ischemic type of stroke. Time is brain tissue.

What can you do to prevent a stroke?

As with other dis-eases such as diabe-tes and high blood pressure, lifestyle changes can decrease your chances of hav-ing a stroke. High blood pressure, heart disease, smoking, di-abetes and high cho-lesterol increase the risk of stroke. High blood pressure alone increases the risk by 4 to 6 times.

If you smoke, quit now! Look for smok-ing cessation resources in your commu-nity (call 1-800-NOBUTTS). If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, see your doctor regularly to make sure they are controlled. Keeping them under control will greatly reduce your chances of hav-ing a stroke. Exercise on a regular basis. Also, adopt healthy eating habits by low-ering the fat in your diet (yes, cut back on that biryani) and eating more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Dr. Siddiq is an internal medicine physi-cian practicing in Orange County. He co-founded the UMMA Clinic as a student at UCLA, and currently serves on its Ad-visory Board.

Stroke!Am I the only American-born Muslim who has always wanted to order a Ham & Cheese sandwich just to be able to say that I have ordered one? I had the chance to do just that – without compro-mising my zabihah-conscious appetite – at Sub Hero Sub Zero, adjacent to Ontario Mills.

I have to admit, I used to have to make a conscious effort to not say the name of the place with the accent of a Bollywood actor. (Take a m o m e n t a n d imag ine Am-itabh Bachan welcoming you to “Sub Hero Sub Zero.”) Upon vis-iting however, I realize what a clever name o w n e r A r s h i Bharucha came up with. The neat and clean eatery serves hot and cold sub-style sandwiches on one side, while serving a number of flavors of ice cream, shakes, and smoothies on the other.

During my outing to Sub Hero Sub Zero, I was treated well by Arshi’s sister, Neha, who was taking care of the store that particular day. She explained to me that everything on the menu is available

in zabihah except for the Meatball Sub. All employees are aware of the difference between zabihah and non-zabihah, but if you do not appear obvious as Muslim, you should specify that you want zabihah. All zabihah sandwiches are served on white bread only because Neha discov-ered that all others contain gelatin.

There is a great selection of cold cut sand-wiches, including Roast Beef, Salami, and Almond Chicken. Hot subs include Pastrami, Barbeque Beef, and Barbeque Chicken.

I mentioned my opportunity to order a Ham & Cheese sub, which is actually made with turkey ham. But after star-

ing at the words on the menu for a few minutes, I couldn’t convince myself to do it. It just felt strange to me. So in-stead, I went with the Roast Beef, cold cut style. The thinly sliced meat was flavorful, while the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and Provolone made it out of this world!

I learned that Pastrami is actually corned beef that has been smoked. That is what gives it such a distinct flavor.

Some would say it is an acquired taste, and if you have it, I would suggest going out on a limb to try the Pastrami Sauer-kraut Sandwich. Slices of hot pastra-mi, melted Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing, and sauerkraut all on toasted white

bread produced an aroma that is un-matched. If you want to play it safe, the Barbeque Beef or Barbeque Chicken sandwiches will suffice. Often times, barbeque sauce on a sandwich becomes overwhelming. That’s not the case here, where the barbeque sauce is dominant, but not overpowering.

Sandwiches are available in six, nine, or 12 inches and are made to order, just

like at other well-known sandwich shops. The combo deal includes a six-inch sub, chips, and a drink for a very reasonable $5.99. If you want soup with your sandwich, there is a different soup each day as well. There is also a nice salad menu, consisting of the stan-dard Garden Salad, Chicken Caesar Salad, and Chef Salad or the eye-catching Oriental Chicken Salad – shred-ded lettuce and carrots,

roasted chicken, red cabbage, red onions, Italian parsley, chow mein noodles, and sesame seeds – all tossed with Oriental dressing! Yummy!

For the kids who don’t know better, parents have the comfort of ordering every child’s favorite Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich in a three-inch size with a drink and ice cream for $3.99.

I intend to go back to Sub Hero Sub Zero to convince myself to at least try the Ham & Cheese, and I vow to go back as many times as it takes to do so. Meantime, the Roast Beef is my plan B.

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Ontario, CA 91764(909) 484-7244

Mon. - Thur: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.Friday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.

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Southern California InFocus June 2006 23ARTS AND BOOKS

Don’t Worry; Be HappyTHE DA VINCI CODE: Or How Controversy Translates

Into Dollars Signs!

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By Genene Salman

Don’t Be Sad (La Tahzan) by ‘Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni is an easy-read dedi-cated to instilling optimism. It is a self-help book, drawing from Qur’anic verses, Prophetic sayings, and Islamic stories, along with sayings from many non-Muslim thinkers and philosophers. The book is aimed at inspiring us to be optimists in a time when wars are raging and mental ill-nesses such as depression and anxiety are common in this country.

From the outset, we are reminded of the countless blessings that Allah has bestowed upon us, such as a peaceful night’s rest, a breath of fresh air, or the view of the sunset. It encourages us to “live in the moment” and make the most of our time. Call-ing idleness the cause of sadness, the book states, “To isolate yourself to the confines of your own room, while passing the hours away with lethal idleness, is a certain path to self-destruc-tion.”

The book covers a variety of topics includ-ing “Do not Become a Mimicker,” “Patience is Most Fitting,” and “The Art of Happi-ness.” The book connects firmness in faith in Allah with the alleviation of sadness, calling it “the greatest remedy.” Follow-ing the Islamic concept of pre-ordainment, the true believer can accept the past and is ready to courageously tackle the chal-lenges that lie ahead. In addition, the strong believer considers the endurance of hardships as “expiation for his sins” and as a means of drawing closer to Allah.

Practical solutions are given to uplift our spirits, which are also encouraged by our faith, such as reading books and giving gifts. It is interesting to realize

that “Read in the name of Allah” was the first revelation delivered to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and this “pastime” has so many benefits that we may not realize at first glance. Also, the book describes the contagious nature of the act of a charity as analogous to “perfume” in that “it benefits the user, the seller, and the buyer.”

One minor but interesting detail of the book is the section en-titled “The Blessing of Pain.” It is called a blessing, for one, be-cause pain may moti-vate us to pray and sup-plicate to Allah. Also, a thought-provoking point the book makes is that it is through the experience of pain and suffering that a poet or preacher is able to touch the hearts of his audi-ence. “This is because he himself feels pain in his heart, in his nerves, and in his blood, and

as a result, he is able to infuse the same emotions, via his work, into the hearts of others.”

One of the flaws of the books is its lack of organization. Topics do not seem to follow any certain order and are rather scattered. Also, similar topics are re-peated throughout. Further, the examples given of courageous individuals who have overcome obstacles, such as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his great Companions are covered superfi-cially. Perhaps reading the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) alone is sufficient to instill optimism, but this is still a great book to lighten up our days.

Recommended Reading: Change Your Reality: Change Your LifeBy Robin McKnight, LPC

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By Salaam Abdul Khaliq

Okay, by now, every human on the planet has either read the book or seen the film (or at least heard about it). If you are among the dozen people or so who have not, there is good news: you have not missed much. The Da Vinci Code movie has proved it is critics’ proof. In spite of scathing reviews, the film has so far raked in over $230 million in worldwide box office glory. This is yet another tell-tale about critics. Someone ought to tell these literary peddlers that maybe it is time to get a real day job like the rest of us.

The film, just like the book, is a thrill ride from start to finish, a little like getting on a roller coaster and seeing the world zip by in a flash. But just like being on a roller coaster, you don’t get to think much about the fun you are having. Con-trary to what some critics alleged, the film is anything but boring. Almost two and a half hours fly by like a lightening bolt.

Also, from the open-ing scene the film does not make any pretensions that it is anything but a work of fiction. Everything is a pastiche of reality. The characters come across as mere animated wooden stiffs with little or no life of their own. The reason is that The Da Vinci Code is primarily plot-driven. It is not a character study by any stretch of the imagination. Once the viewer realizes this fact, the film becomes fun to watch. It does have seri-ous flaws nonetheless. The filmmakers did a decent job punching up the script, improving on the novel and covering major plot holes, but in the process cre-ated other plot holes large enough to drive a flock of gas-guzzling hummers through.

The controversy surrounding The Da Vinci Code is what really whetted the public’s appetite for the film and made it such a huge success. Some of the alle-gations made in the book have incensed the Catholic Church and offended many faithful followers.

A secret society called The Priory of Scion has been protecting a deadly secret that, if revealed, would redefine Christianity. Both the divinity and

celibacy of Jesus Christ are put into question. One of the characters in the book claims that Christian dogma as it is known today was concocted by pagan Emperor Constantine and a group of clergy at the council of Nicea in 325 A.D. Constantine injected a dose of his own Roman-inspired paganism into Christi-

anity, coining the trinity and the concept of three gods in one. At the time, there were other gospels, which included the gospel of Mary Magdalene. The latter contradicted the four canonical gospels in regards to the divin-ity of Jesus. The Church decreed that all gospels that did not agree with the newborn theology ad-opted by the council must be burned. Anyone who believed anything other than the new doctrine was persecuted and killed.

Controversial? Definitely. Is it re-ally news? At least not to Muslims. The divinity of Jesus has never been a

contentious issue in Islam. Although a much-revered prophet, Jesus is as human as any other prophet. The fact that he may or may not have married is really not relevant to his divinely-inspired

message. The Priory of Scion, the keep-ers of the not-so-secret secret, might as well have taken their secret straight from the Quran. What should matter about Jesus is not so much his person as much as his teachings. That is the core message of The Da Vinci Code. It asks the questions: What IF Jesus was mortal? What IF he fathered a daugh-ter? Humanizing the Son of God and thwarting people from worshipping him would of course upset the hierarchy of the power-driven Catholic Church and ruffle the feathers of millions of faithful whose entire faith revolves around the divinity of Christ.

Ironically, The Da Vinci Code book came out in April 2004, almost two months after The Passion of the Christ film was released. Coincidence? Maybe not. Hollywood has its own way of creating controversy, then reaping the benefits at the box office. If there is any wisdom to be learned from The Da Vinci Code (book and film) hullabaloo it is that all things in our modern world boil down to one thing: the bottom line, the true pseudo religion of our time.

“What should matter about Jesus is not so

much his person as much as his teachings. That is the core message of The

Da Vinci Code.”

24 June 2006 Southern California InFocusMONEY/LEGAL

B y S a g h i r Aslam

W h e n y o u r children were young, your primary con-cern may have been how to

provide for them in the event you and your spouse died. Even though they may now be grown up, your children are probably still the center of your estate plan. Just because they are adults doesn’t mean that you have to leave their entire inheri-tance to them outright. Consider these factors first:

Do You Want To Distribute Your Estate Gradually?

If substantial assets are in-volved, you may want to set up trusts to distribute your assets gradually, such as the thirds when each child reaches age 25, 30, and 35. You can always give the trustee power to make early distributions for items such as paying for college, start-ing a business, or purchasing a home.

Have You Selected A Trustee Carefully?

If trusts are involved, you want a trustee who is impartial and who will deal fairly with all your children. Think twice before naming one of your children as trustee. With one sibling in a position to decide what happens to another sibling’s inheritance, this can cause disagreements between siblings.

Have You Thought About The Consequences Of A Child Divorcing?

You probably don’t want some of your assets distributed to an ex-daughter-in-law or ex-son-in-law, so special provisions may need to be added to trusts.

Have You Considered How Assets Will Be Distributed Among Children?

Perhaps one child is better off financially then the other chil-dren. Do you divide your estate equally or give less to the finan-cially well-off child? Children often feel a right to an equal share of their parents’ estate, even if they have a substantial estate of their own. If you decide to make unequal distributions, be sure to explain why.

Do You Need To Make Spe-cial Distributions To Even Out Inheritance?

Perhaps you have paid all college costs for some children, while other children have not yet at-tended college. You may want to ensure that all children receive a college education and then distribute the rest of your estate equally among your children.

Should You Coordinate Your Estate Plan With Your Chil-dren’s Estate Plans?

If your children have substantial estates of their own, it may not make sense to leave additional assets to them. They may prefer those assets go directly to their children, helping to minimize family estate taxes.

Another Way To Work On Your Estate Planning Is Gifts. You may give a gift of $11,000 to each one of your children or grandchildren; between you and your spouse, you can give gift up to $22,000. If you follow this sys-tem every single year, you can slowly transfer the assets to your children and grandchildren.

Distributing Assets To Adult Children

By Todd Gallinger

One of the favorite parts of my job as an attorney is helping non-profit organizations and masjids with their work in the American Muslim community. Most of these groups are formed as 501(c)(3)s, named after the section of the tax code that gives tax-exempt status. In addition to the organization itself being tax-exempt, donations to these groups are tax deductible to the donor. I always receive questions from these groups about the legal restrictions they face in exchange for this tax-exempt status. One of the most com-mon inquiries is into the type of activities that they can en-gage in to raise money.

501(c)(3)s are actually not re-stricted in the ways they can raise money. Charities and other groups can engage in activities that make a “profit,” meaning gener-ate income for the group. Ex-amples of this could be selling advertisements in a newsletter, holding a bake sale, or leasing a building the group owns. But regardless of where the income of a nonprofit comes from, it has to be used for the purposes stated in the group’s formation documents, whether it is religious, educa-tional, or charitable. Also, none of the profit can ordinarily go to any individual, except as a reasonable salary properly approved by the leaders of the non-profit.

The fact that a non-profit group can engage in business activi-ties does not necessarily mean that they should do so directly. If the business activity is easily segregable from the nonprofit activities, like leasing out a build-ing or running a book or grocery store,the business should prob-ably be held by a separate orga-nization. The other organization could be a for-profit corporation which the nonprofit owns stock in, a foundation, a trust, or another charity. This separate organiza-tion, which holds the business asset, is called a subsidiary.

Structuring the business activi-ties this way could ensure that the non-profit is able to use the

income from the business for its religious, educational, or charita-ble purposes and also protect the organization from any liability generated by the business inter-est. For example, if a non-profit leases out part of a business it owns directly and someone sues them, whether for breaking a lease or from any accident in the building, the rest of the non-prof-its assets will be at risk. Properly forming a subsidiary to hold the real estate or other business asset will generally limit the potential liability only to the assets held by the subsidiary and protect the other property of the non-profit.

In order to ob-tain this protec-tion, however, the non-profit must make sure that it adheres to all corporate f o r m a l i t i e s . These formali-ties must be respected in terms of the non-profit and the subsidiary.

Both groups must have filed all proper documents with the state and federal authorities. They must also have separate man-agement, hopefully with some managers not in common. The managers must meet regularly and properly authorize the activi-ties of the group, including any monetary transfers from the sub-sidiary to the parent non-profit. Making sure that all these rules are followed is also important to the managers and leaders of a non-profit, because it can protect them from personal liability.

This is only a brief description of some of the steps that charities, masjids, and other non-profits can engage in to protect their assets and ensure that they are able to carry out their mission. This article is not intended to be legal advice and does not cre-ate any sort of attorney-client relationship. Any non-profit, other group, or individual is encouraged to contact a licensed attorney for more information or advice regarding the content of this article.

Todd Gallinger is an attorney who often works with charities, masjids, and other non-profit groups. He has offices based in Irvine and can be reached at (949) 341-0207.

Protecting Charities, Masjids, or Other Non-Profits

Gulf News

By Arif Sharif

Dubai -- American Express, the world’s biggest charge card issuer, is evaluating the pos-sibility of launching an Islamic credit card and sees cash as its biggest competitor in the Middle East, a top company official said yesterday.

Trevor Stokes, Chief Executive of American Express’ Travel Related Services for the Middle East and North Africa told Gulf News the Islamic card was one of several products the bank was evaluating to better serve local consumers.

“Our charge card is virtually a Sharia-compliant credit card and we could easily adapt that to fit the needs of a Sharia-compli-ant card,” said Stokes in Dubai, where he attended a credit card industry event.

Stokes said the biggest challenge for the credit card industry was to lure an increasing number of con-sumers to use credit cards instead of cash although a low user base meant there was potential for rapid growth in the future.

“The future of the credit card industry is indeed rosy because cash is really historic. If you look at the US now, some 40 percent of consumer transactions are settled by credit cards and it won’t be long when there would be a charge on cash payments. In the Middle East, though there is a discount on cash payments, this is not a great help for the card industry.”

American Express’ credit card business in the Middle East, which spans some 18 countries, is expected to treble at the end of 2006 from three years ago while the number of its card users is poised to double.

Growth prospects

Growth will be helped by the fact that the average person spends on American Express cards is nearly three or four times that of a Visa or a Master Card. Be-sides, some 20,000 new merchant establishments have signed up in the past three years to accept American Express cards.

Stokes said there were some 71 million American Express cards in circulation globally but declined to say how many it had issued in the Middle East. Over-all, the number of card users in the Middle East was growing at about 30 percent a year, though from a small base, he said.

Amex Mulls Islamic Credit Card in Middle East

Southern California InFocus June 2006 25ISLAMWhat Drew Me to Islam

If you are new to Islam, send us your thoughts on what attracted you to Islam in 500 words. Please submit it via email to [email protected], with the subject “What Drew Me to Islam.” Include your name and when and where you took the shahadah. PROPHETIC WISDOM

AYAH TO PONDER

Points of Benefit - From al-Fawaa`id of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Finding Paradise

Ian Zacher took his Shahdah during Ramadan in 2002, at the Islamic Center of Irvine with Shaikh Sadullah Khan.

Shaykh Abdul-Azzeez Aal Shaykh(Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia)Shaykh Abdullaah Al-Ghudyaan (Member of Council of Senior Scholars)Shaykh Saalih Al-Fawzaan (Member of Council of Senior Schoars)Shaykh Saalih Muhammed Al-Luhaydaan (Chief Justices of Higher Judiciary Council)

Shaykh Muhammed As-Subayyal (Imaam and Khateeb of Masjid Al-Haraam)Shaykh Abdur-Rehmaan As-Sudays (Imaam and Khateeb of Masjid Al-Haraam)Shaykh Ali Al-Huthayfi (Imaam and Khateeb of Prophets Masjid)..and many more!

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Q u r ’ a n

By Ian Zacher In my childhood I was raised by two parents who would be considered Hip-pies. Religion was not a thing that I was exposed to while growing up. My father was raised in a predominately Christian household and my mother was raised as and is a baptized Mormon. Neither one of them actually practiced their religion once they left the household. My parents never talked about faith or spirituality, but never harbored any ill feelings to-wards any particular faith. It just never came up as a topic of discussion. I think it was this upbringing that allowed me to objectively look into all forms of faith and have an unbiased understanding of each religion.

My first exposure to any religion was go-ing to Catholic school. I did not go there for the religion but for the discipline and the education. While I was there, I had to study the Bible two hours a day five days a week for three years. In my stud-ies with the book, I automatically found the inherent flaw: how is this explaining God’s existence? If I had to go by this book for understanding God, then there is no way there could be a God. I started asking tough questions to the priests and nuns but none of their answers were ever satisfying for me in reference to God’s existence.

When I got into high school, I started studying science havily and this seemed to make more sense to me than religion. Stuff I can feel, touch, quantify and see I thought was it. I became a materialist. The material world is all that is here, what is before me is it. When I die, I just become good fertilizer. I held on to this belief for quite some time.

At this time, I was still studying differ-ent religions but none seemed to make any sense. I read about Judaism and found out that I had to be born into this. I thought, how strange this God is, show-

ing favoritism to one people? I studied Buddhism and came to the conclusion that there are way too many rituals to remember, too many motions to act on, too much superstition--it did not feel right to me.

Then a tragic thing happened to me--my closest friend passed away violently. This sent me into a curse mode. I cursed the very existence of God. About a year later, I started to think, why do I act upon this anger towards something that I don’t think exists? Then I got this feeling of shock that there is a Creator, but what is this and how do I get to understand what it is we are here for? I looked towards the sky and asked this question. The answer came to me not long afterwards.

I

went to the library by my house and just looked into the religion section. Here was this book that had writing I have never seen before. I opened it and for the first time I was being exposed to Allah. I read lots of books after that. I studied the beliefs and practices of this new religion called Islam. Then 9/11 happened. I be-came involved with the Peace movement and I met a brother named Mike Clark, who helped me better understand certain things like fasting, praying, etc. I was hit by the feeling of truth. I continued to study Islam for another year. I then went to a park and did the Shahada by myself. The Prophet (pbuh) said that when look-ing for knowledge you need to search for it even if it takes you all around the earth, then once it has been attained you need to hold onto it and run with it. That is exactly what I did. Allah had me looking all over, and then once he opened up and showed me the real truth of His Oneness, I took it and ran with it. A year later, I took Shahada at ICOI with Shaikh Sadul-lah Khan. In my whole life, I was never more welcomed by a community who had no idea who I was. Shaikh Sadullah asked me the reason why I entered Islam, and I said, because of the peace it brings me.

Then I got this feeling of shock that there is a Creator, but what is this and how do I get to

understand what it is we are here for?

By Yasmin Mogahed

Where is paradise? It’s a question we all ask. But few of us know where to find it. Many of us go through our entire lives searching for that contentment, and if ever

there was a pursuit that all humans share, it would be that pursuit of happiness.

And in that pursuit, we search in all differ-ent places. Some of us search in wealth, status or worldly possessions. Some believe that if only they could attain the

job or the salary they’ve always wanted, they would find that ever-coveted bliss. For others, happiness is sought in living this life as if it were the end. For them, the most important goal is the maximization of worldly pleasure.

What is most sad about this pursuit is how deceptive it can be. Like a mirage in a desert, often we chase things only to find they were nothing but illusions. After spending our entire lives seeking these things, we find that once we achieve them, we are still just as empty as we started.

What many people do not understand is that such emptiness can only be filled in one way. Allah says in the Quran: “Those who believe, and whose hearts find sat-isfaction in the remembrance of Allah. For without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction” (Quran 13:28).

This satisfaction, referred to in the Quran as ‘itmi’naan’ is what Shaykh ul Islam Ibn Taymmiyah was speaking of when he said,

“In this world there is a paradise to be entered; he who does not enter it, will not enter the paradise of the world to come…. What can my enemies possibly do to me? My paradise is in my heart; wherever I go it goes with me, insepa¬rable from me.”

Paradise does indeed exist. There is a paradise of this life--and a paradise of the next. But what is that paradise of this life? The prophet, peace be upon him, has said, “There are a people who leave this earth without ever tasting its sweetness.” When he was asked what that sweetness was, he replied, “Knowing God.”

In the absence of that knowledge of God, one can never know true bliss in this life-

-or the next. Allah says: “Whosoever turns away from My remembrance, verily for him is a miser-able life, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment” (Quran 20:124).

This blindness on the Day of Judgment is only a con-tinuation of the spiritual blindness of those who turn away from God’s remem-brance in this life. That remembrance, which one can develop by studying the signs of God, is an essential

component of spiritual and emotional health. The overwhelming contentment that comes from pouring one’s heart into prayer, standing in the middle of the night, or watching the greatness of God in the sunrise, is something that no amount of money could ever buy.

Yet people continue to search for it in every other place. But the truth is, while we’re all searching for the very same thing, only those who can look beyond the mirage will ever truly find it.

The prophet, peace be upon him, has said, “There are a people who leave this earth without ever

tasting its sweetness.” When he was asked what that sweetness was, he replied, “Knowing God.”

“And Allah has brought you out from the wombs of your monthers while you know nothing. And he gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks to (to Allah).” (Quran 16:78)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The good deeds of any per-son will not make him enter Paradise (i.e., no one enters paradise only through his good deeds).” The Prophet’s companions asked: “Not even you?” The Prophet replied: “Not even myself, unless God bestows his favor and mercy on me. So be moderate in your religious deeds and do what is within your ability. None of you should wish for death, for if he is a doer of good, he may increase his good deeds, and if he is an evil doer, he may repent to God.”

Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Hadith 577

“How can anyone who has common sense trade Paradise and what is in it for the pleasure of one hour?”

Southern California InFocus June 2006 27TRAVELLearning Life Lessons in Egypt

By Daniel Witter

The light of day began to fade over Cairo, Egypt as I stared up at the Great Pyramids and Sphinx on the desert plateau above me.

As I contemplated the magnificent work of the Egyptian people, the voice of a man chanting echoed off the walls and across the rooftops from somewhere behind me.

I turned to listen. Within mo-ments, the sky was filled with chants from a half dozen other mosques within a half-mile calling Muslims to evening prayers.

The sound filtered through the surrounding conversations and drowned them out. At that point, I lost interest in everything else and wanted to absorb the mo-ment – the setting, the chanting and that I was sitting right there to hear it. I have never heard anything so unique in my life and I found it to be a beautiful few moments.

This experience was a long time in coming. I remember watch-ing TV documentaries about the pyramids and the temple ruins as a child and thinking it would be a great place to explore because it was so different from my home-town of Center City, Minnesota. As an adult in California, I wanted to break out of my comfort zone and visit a place vastly different, see another culture and learn a little bit more about the world I live in.

What I found in Egypt fulfilled both my childhood visions and adult wishes.

Yes, Egypt has the pyramids, the deserts, and camels. But for a Caucasian American like myself, there is so much more to the country of 70 million people, and two weeks was not enough time to absorb it all.

One of the things that immedi-ately struck me was the extent of poverty. All along the Nile River, in villages great and small, stood buildings made of mud brick. Most homes had no electricity. Farmers harvested their crops by hand and moved them by carts and mules, while women washed laundry in the river as the chil-dren played in the water.

I was shocked to see such extreme poverty. But then I took a closer look and soon found myself hum-bled by the Egyptian people. They didn’t appear unhappy, starving, or angry. On the contrary, most seemed relatively content and happy.

I began to feel a bit guilty as I stood on my ship deck, wondering

what these people must think of foreigners like myself passing by on these hotel ships. I thought they might harbor resentment toward us because of this display of wealth, even though I am not wealthy.

Surprisingly, I was wrong. Many

seemed excited to see us. Children stopped what they were doing to wave and call out hellos to us from the shore many yards away.

The scene was a far cry from the city of Dabah, where terrorists in April set off three bombs in a marketplace, killing mostly Egyp-tians. I was in Aswan – several hundred miles away from Dabah – when the bombings occurred. Naturally, I became concerned for my safety. But then I was relieved to learn I was never in danger.

The bombings didn’t seem to dis-turb life in Aswan at all. Scores of Egyptian vacationers and resi-dents continued on with their vacations, their picnics, and their daily lives.

It appeared to me that some of the Egyptians were embarrassed by the bombings because they made an extra effort to welcome us. On several occasions following the bombings, people warmly and sincerely said,“Welcome to Egypt.” It was im-portant to me to thank them and let them know that I appreciated

their kindness. I wanted them to know that I didn’t let the bomb-ings stain my perception of the Egyptian people, who I thought were quite friendly. I hope that message got across to them.

There is much to learn from the Egyptian people. I found my-self envying their perseverance. Despite the passing ages, the invaders, catastrophes and the rise and fall of empires, Egypt continues on.

Today, Egyptians remain every bit as faithful to their beliefs as they did when they built the Pyramids. Today they worship Allah instead

of a pantheon of gods and god-desses, and they build mosques instead ofpyramids and temples.

But really, the Egyptian people aren’t all that different from us. They have similar dreams of hav-ing a better life for themselves and their children. Maybe many

of them will continue to be farmers or housewives in small villages. Maybe they will become doctors and lawyers in the big cities. But they all carry the same hope for the future that we have.

As I climbed aboard the plane to come home, I couldn’t help but look at the world a little different-ly. Good trips do that to a person. I felt I changed a little.

I saw things I’ve never seen before, felt humbled by them and left with a little better grasp that there is much we can learn from them. All we have to do is look and listen.

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Where the Cross Meets the CrescentReflections on Muslim and Christian Spirituality in the Southland

By Rev. Connie Regener

“I wouldn’t want to be there—all of you would be fighting.”

With those words, a fellow con-feree shot down my idea of creat-ing some sacred space, such as a Wisdom Pavilion, at the Irvine Great Park.

But I wasn’t about to be put down that easily. There were others at the Irvine Multicultural Associa-tion Brain Rain (brainstorming) meeting that championed my cause. One person pointed out that we needed a neutral place where we can come together to experience each other’s holiday celebrations and significant rights of passage. Others spoke of a safe, public place where we could feel comfort-

able learning ancient traditions new to us.

I guess that implies I can learn something from other ancient traditions. Perhaps you are not familiar with Christians who

display such an open attitude of learning from

others. As a Christian, I believe the Bible is true, but I also believe

that not all truth is in the Bible.

Are you aware there is an ancient story that sug-gests there is knowledge of God and truth outside the Hebrew and Christian traditions? The central figure is Melchizedek, the king of Salem.

His interesting story is told in Genesis 14, the first book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Old Testament. Melchizedek is a Canaan-ite priest-king who s e e m s t o h a v e knowledge of the true God apart from our father Abraham’s rev-elation. Abraham gave a tithe (tenth) of goods to Melchizedek, declaring that they worshipped the same God, the Maker of heaven and earth. Certainly, Melchize-dek held some Canaanite beliefs that differed from Abraham’s beliefs, but they were able to establish a common ground for relationship.

A common ground for relation-ship—that’s what I am asking

for in the Irvine Great Park. A place for the Melchizedeks and the Abrahams to mingle. What would that look like in today’s Orange County? Let’s encour-

age the Corporation to put some acreage to our com-mon ground vision. Send your ideas to InFocus at

[email protected]. Title your message “Great Park Sacred Space,” and we’ll pass them on to the Corporation.

One of the items on my wish list is a spiritually-themed wedding pavilion near ethnic restaurants that would be an attractive al-ternative to the secular Las Vegas wedding chapels and ca-sino buffets (so-called destination weddings). Let’s make Orange County a sacred and dignified wedding destination, accessible

by many forms of transportation. What is on your wish list?

The Wisdom Pavilion. Yes! I would want to be there. I’d want to bask in the peace sculpture gar-den, walk the labyrinth, pause to honor the symbols of my wisdom tradition, enjoy a quiet moment of meditation, connect to the an-cient and the everlasting. How about you?

The Wisdom Pavilion: that’s where I find that the cross meets the crescent…and the Star of David, and the lotus blossom, and the kirpan (Sikh sword).

Rev. Connie Regener, a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, is a religious com-mentator in the Southland.

By Alexander Gainem

Freelance Journalist – Canada

When John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Ste-phen Walt of Harvard published a report highlighting the efficacy of the Israeli lobby in molding US domestic and foreign policy, charges of malpractice and aca-demic dishonesty were leveled at the authors.However, in the vitriol exchanged by supporters and detractors of the paper, an illuminating section is overlooked.Mearsheimer and Walt, in com-paring the existence of the Israeli lobby to the likelihood of the exis-tence of a similar Muslim or Arab grouping, say “pro-Arab interest groups, in so far as they exist at all, are weak, which makes the Israeli lobby’s task even easier.”Although there is no national consensus data on the number of Muslims in the United States, estimates put the figure between six and seven million, equal to the number of Jews in the country. Each religious group accounts for two percent of the US popula-tion. While the global population of Jews is some 15 million, there are nearly 1.2 billion Muslims in the world.

If the logic of strength in numbers is applied, why then is there no Muslim lobby to balance the strong influence of other lobby groups?

As’ad AbuKhalil, professor of po-litical science at California State University at Stanislaus, says Arabs and Muslims in the United States are far from being united and are in a state of disagreement over many issues.

“Arab and Muslim governments often conspire against one an-other, and their rivalries, espe-cially in the 1970s and 1980s, were mirrored in the competition and rivalries between Arab and Muslim organizations in the United States,” he adds.

The deep divisions in the Arab world (along sectarian and ethnic lines) only impair the effectiveness of those groups. “In the case of the Arab and Mus-lim lobbies, there is a plethora of often competing groups and organizations, which do not seem to adhere to the same agenda,” AbuKhalil remarks.

Mearsheimer and Walt’s paper points to the Jewish Americans’ skillfulness in setting up an im-pressive array of influential organizations, of which the American-Israel Public Af-fairs Committee (AIPAC) is the most powerful and best known.

AIPAC operates in near uni-son with several think tanks, such as the Washington Institute, the Heritage Foun-dation, Project for a New American Century (PNAC), and others who share a com-mon denominator: pro-Israel policies.They produce monthly reports culled from “experts” in Israel as well as journalists on the ground. These are then used in a unified assault on the US Congress to influence policy to tilt in favor of Israel.

“References to Arab or Muslim lobbies occur only in the Arab and Muslim press, or in the pro-paganda of pro-Israeli groups,” says Abukhalil.

Worldnetdaily.com, a website that has featured commentary by writer Joseph Farah urging the killing of 100 non-combat-ant Palestinian adults for every slain Israeli, regularly uses the

term Islamic or Muslim lobby to refer to advocacy groups trying to combat Islamophobia through education and awareness cam-paigns.

One such advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), has been suf-

ficiently targeted by journalists and pro-Israel groups.

When CAIR contacted FOX net-work to raise the issue of negative stereotyping of Muslims on the

popular TV thriller “24,” jour-nalist Cliff Kincaid accused it of being a “lobby” attempting to intimidate the media.

CAIR says its mission is to en-hance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mu-tual understanding. It does not lobby senators and congress-men to affect pro-Muslim tilt in US foreign policy.

Compare that to AIPAC’s mis-sion statement as follows:Through more than 2,000 meet-ings with members of Congress at home and in Washington AIPAC activists help pass more than

100 pro-Israel legisla-tive initiatives a year. From procuring nearly $3 billion in aid critical to Israel’s security, to funding joint US-Is-raeli efforts to build a defense against un-conventional weapons, AIPAC members are involved in the most crucial issues facing Israel.

Consequently, labeling CAIR and other advo-

cacy groups as “lobbies” is an exercise in journalistic inequity and willful disinformation.

While no real unified Arab or Muslim lobbying platform can be considered to be functional in the United States, the need remains

for such a group to be formed.

In late October 2001, former US ambassador to Egypt and Israel Edward Walker urged Arab gov-ernments to set up measures to counter Israel’s influence in America’s policy-making.

“But you, the Arabs, can no longer afford to just ignore Washington. Arab governments and institu-tions should start considering how to affect public opinion in the US,” he told a political discussion forum hosted by the University of Jordan.

“One can say that there never was a serious attempt to create an Arab or Muslim lobby, and that whatever organizations that exist today under that umbrella of a name have only succeeded in effectively representing the interests of ruling Arab dynas-ties,” AbuKhalil says of Saudi Arabian initiatives to influence US foreign policy regarding the Kingdom.

“But those dynasties don’t even rely on those loyal groups and organizations when they wish to advance a particular issue: Instead, they hire ‘purely’ Ameri-can public relations and lobbying firms in order not to allow the Arab or Muslim stigma to hurt their lobbying efforts.”

With individual Middle Eastern nations opting to choose public relations firms to represent their interests in Washington, the prospect of a Muslim lobby ever consolidating its efforts in the future remains murky.

Alexander Gainem is a freelance journalist who has written exten-sively on Middle East issues.

Is There a Muslim Lobby in the U.S.?

“While the global population of Jews is some 15 million, there are nearly 1.2 billion

Muslims in the world. If the logic of strength in numbers is applied, why then is there no Muslim lobby to balance the strong influence of other

lobby groups?”

To All Muslims brothers and sisters Sinbad Ranch Market is under new Muslim ownership!

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Southern California InFocus June 2006 29COMMENTARY

By Hussam Ayloush

Q: How should peo-ple of faith respond to the growth in the number of peo-ple without ad-equate health-care

coverage?

A: Spiraling medical costs and a growing uninsured population require that reli-gious leaders join the health-care debate and offer a solution.

Faced with ever-rising costs, more and more companies are dropping their health insurance plans, depriving many families, children and the elderly of much-needed medical care. Today, an astounding 46mil-lion Americans lack health insurance.

Islam teaches that God intends for us, human beings, to strive for our societies to set rights and obligations for all people, protect the public interest and promote justice and compassion.

Many of our laws are being drafted by in-terest groups and are increasingly devoid of ethical and moral values. They tend to serve the interests of some people and victimize others, usually the economically and politically weak.

“Verily, God enjoins the doing of justice and compassion to others.” (Quran, 16:90)

Every person deserves medical care be-cause God has decreed that every life is sacred and every person has dignity.

In another verse, God says: “...anyone who saves a life, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all humankind.” (Quran, 5:32)

Life, more importantly, a good quality of life, is a fundamental human right of all, not just the privileged few. If one fails to attain medical care because of low income or a debilitating disability, it becomes the responsibility of society and government to carry that burden.

As a society, we are as strong as our weak-est members. If America, the most power-ful economy and most advanced in medical technology, will not take care of its sick, poor, the elderly and children, then who will? A country that can spend so many billions on warfare can certainly find the necessary money to save lives at home.

“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brethren (fellow human being) what he loves for himself,” and “The most beloved of people to God is the one who is most helpful and beneficial to people,” are two sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.

Similar teachings are at the core of most religions. Therefore, people of all faiths must work together to present and lobby for a comprehensive and national health-care solution.

This article is reprinted from the OC Register

Health Care Not Only for Privileged

A Sensible Way To Describe TerroristsBy Parvez Ahmed

The European Union (EU) will soon distribute new guidelines to its 25-member nations that recommend using “non-emotive lexicon for dis-cussing radicalization.”

EU officials say that the guidelines, which are not legally binding, will ask European governments to shun the phrase “Islamic terrorism” in favor of “terrorists who abusively invoke Islam.” Other terms being considered by the review include “Islamist,” “fundamentalist” and “jihad.”

This first of its kind effort to separate terrorism from its perceived roots is laud-able. Associating the criminal enterprise of terrorism with the faith of 1.4 billion Muslims, 99.99 percent of whom will never come near any act of terrorism, much less use Islam as a justification for their crimes, is just plain wrong.

Unfortunately, all too often “Islam” and “terrorism” are juxtaposed in news reports and editorials. A word search on news stories published in major newspapers over the past decade shows that reporters are hundred times more likely to associate Islam with terrorism or militancy than all other faiths combined. Such lopsided portrayal is indicative of deep-seated misunderstandings about Islam, and sometimes just plain prejudice. Surely all terrorists are not Muslim, neither are all Muslims terrorists.

The 9-11 attacks brought home the horrors of a new form of suicidal terrorism. In order to eradicate terrorism, it is important to explore its root causes.

More and more scholarly writings are delving deeper into this issue offering us new insights. Robert Pape’s book “Dying to Win” uses over two decades of data to show the paucity of connection between suicide terrorism and any of the world religions. The pioneering instigators and the largest purveyors of suicide terror-

ism are the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, a Marxist-Leninist group whose members are overwhelmingly Hindu.

Diego Gambetta in “Making Sense of Sui-cide Missions” calls suicide missions “the high-precision artillery of the militarily challenged” yet they all have a strategic objective.

Pape writes, “From Lebanon to Israel to Sri Lanka to Kashmir to Chechnya, the spon-sors of every campaign have been terrorist groups trying to establish or maintain political self determination by compelling a democratic power to withdraw from a territory they claim.”

Occupation is the primary motivator and religion, at best, is an “aggravating” factor. Considering this, the Iraq war has only amplified the problem.

Today we all live in fear of terrorism. Equating terrorism with Islam makes the mainstream Muslim community doubly vulnerable to both the random acts of ter-ror and the ensuing backlash. Muslims worldwide are the primary victims of terror.

Governments in Muslim-majority na-tions, religious establishments and the lay community have a vested interest in fighting back to isolate and marginalize the terrorists.

Hidden from our headlines are on-going efforts to do just that.

Fatwas (Islamic edicts) condemning ter-rorism and dissociating Islam from such barbarism have been issued worldwide, including in America.

One of the more successful efforts was con-ducted by Turkey against PKK (a secular group) suicide campaigns, which were part of Kurdish aspirations for an independent homeland.

Falsely associating Islam with terrorism weakens the efficacy of these efforts by creating the impression that the global

war on terror is merely a euphemism for a war on Islam.

Terrorism is stateless and yet transnation-al. It will always require a stern response. However, it will never be defeated through force alone. It will have to be fought ideo-logically by attempting to win the hearts and minds of those vulnerable to terrorist manipulations.

A recent policy brief by the Stanley Foun-dation states that Western powers “should not focus on the religious and cultural divisions between East and West when approaching this issue (of terrorism), as this plays into the existing grievances of Arab and Muslim populations and creates a sense of clash between civilizations, all of which hinder the resolution of differ-ences.”

An attempt to institutionally dissociate

Islam from terrorism is imperative.

The EU seems to understand this crucial point. Will others follow their lead or will they choose to remain entrapped in their simplistic and counterproductive labels, which unfortunately spawn even more bizarre terms such as ‘Islamo-fascism,’ or ‘militant jihadism’?

Every religion has its own fair share of extremists who commit heinous acts in the name of their faith. Why is Islam being unfairly singled out?

Parvez Ahmed, Ph.D., is board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Rela-tions (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. He may be contacted at: [email protected].

By Lawrence Swaim

Religious liberty is one of the most precious gifts bequeathed to us by the American Revo-lution. We are indeed lucky, then, that the

Islamic Society of Boston (ISB)—located in the city that gave birth to the Revolu-tion—is vigorously defending that same precious liberty in court by advocating the right of a faith community to build a house of worship for their own spiritual and communal advancement.

It’s no secret that the Islamic Society of Boston has for years been building a Mosque and Cultural Center in the neighborhood of Roxbury—and many Bostonians believe the complex can only benefit this often-disadvantaged area. But in early 2003, the ISB became the target of a series of sensational articles in the Boston Herald and on Fox TV Channel 25. In 2004, a resident of a nearby neighborhood filed a lawsuit alleging that the ISB had received city lands at rates unlawfully favorable to them. (Actually, the price paid by the So-ciety will far exceed the land’s assessed value of $480,000.)

It turned out that the David Project, an extreme rightwing group espousing a particularly unattractive form of Jew-ish nationalism, had arranged for the lawsuit against the ISB and coordinated the negative media campaign. Also in-volved was discredited Islamophobe Steven Emerson, who supplied much of the misinformation used by media outlets—a mistake that will cost them dearly, since the ISB is suing them for defamation.

Supporting the right of the Muslims to build their community facilities is a growing coalition of progressive Chris-tians and Jews, the driving force of the latter being the new Boston chapter of A Jewish Voice for Peace. “We’d like to a have a dinner or some other sit-down event in solidarity with the Islamic So-ciety of Boston,” Hilda Silverman of the JVP told InFocus. “Of course we’d like music and poetry, including both Arabic and Sephardic songs. And personally, I’d like to have both Jewish and Muslim comedians. You just have to laugh at politics these days.”

Salma Kazmi, Assistant Director of the ISB, serves with Ms. Silverman on the Cambridge Peace Commission. “A Jewish Voice for Peace is an extremely important ally for us,” she told InFocus. “We’re all learning a lot.” The ISB is also receiving support from Christians in the Cambridge/Somerville area, re-portedly including the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church. Sources report that Temple Beth Shalom, a synagogue in Cambridge, has a regular discussion group with ISB members, co-facilitated by Ms. Kazmi.

Clearly, the David Project has no interest in protecting Boston from terrorism—if they had any real proof of illegal activity, they’d simply turn it over to law enforce-ment. What they really want, sadly, is to stop the construction of a house of wor-ship for Muslims. That is a fundamental violation of the religious liberty of a com-munity, not just of Boston’s Muslims in 2006 but of future generations as well. This attempt to interfere with the spiri-tual and institutional growth of a faith community can and must be defeated.

What really bothers the David Project is that the organized Muslim community

refuses to be intimidated by them and by other groups in the pro-Israel Lobby. Instead, Muslims and their progressive allies (including A Jewish Voice for Peace) often offer a politically savvy, morally-grounded defense of the Pales-tinian right to self-determination. That is the real reason, I believe, why righ-twing groups hate the growing power and credibility of Muslims in modern America. And it’s one more reason why religious liberty for all the Children of the Book necessarily depends on the right of Americans to debate the Middle East without defamation, covert attacks, and reckless campaigns that divide our communities.

Lawrence Swaim is the Executive Direc-tor of the Interfaith Freedom Foundation. He taught for eight years at Pacific Union College, and his academic specialties are American Studies and American literature. His column addresses current affairs from an American Christian and Interfaith perspective.

AN INTERFAITH VIEW

“The Battle of Boston”

“Supporting the right of the Muslims to build their community facilities is a growing coali-tion of progressive Christians and Jews, the driving force of the latter being the new Bos-

ton chapter of A Jewish Voice for Peace.”

30 June 2006 Southern California InFocusEDITORIAL/LETTERS

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Come Forward and Support your InFocus

Immigration, an Im-portant IssueYour feature on illegal immigra-tion was very informative and balanced. The feature analyzed the current legislation in place on this issue, the reasons why people choose to cross the border, the so-cietal burden illegal immigration creates, our moral obligation, and the ultimate solution to this issue. It was also interesting hearing what Muslims had to say about this matter. It’s important that we stay informed about all issues, not just ones we think affect us directly. Fortunately, InFocus is making sure we do just that.

N e s s r e n e A s s a r , San Diego, CA

Avoid Labeling each Other!Yasmin Mogahed’s article on dropping the prefix and just being Muslim is very resonant in the United States’ current foreign policy. RAND’s suggestion of “divide and label” has been imple-mented in Iraq today. When read-ing any article on Iraq, the press

always labels the insurgents as either a “Sunni” Arab or “Shia” Arab. By labeling each other the media hopes to increase the ten-sion and animosity between the two sides. By doing this, Iraqis and as well as Muslims around the world will be caught up in the Sunni vs. Shia power struggle, creating the chaos the US needs in order to carry out its plans to “democratize and liberate” the Middle East.

Nedda SalimianWestminster, CA

Re: Remembering the Oct. 8 EarthquakeIndeed it appears as though we have forgotten the earthquake, but the fundraiser was a great reminder for all of us. It was very mov-ing to listen to all of the guest speakers, especially those who had just come from Pakistan and had witnessed the tur-moil first hand. The initial recovery from the catastrophe is without a doubt diffi-

cult and the process of rebuilding communities from rubble may appear to be unimaginable. It is a process that will take a lot of time and tremendous effort, but with the help of Allah (swt), the continuous involvement of orga-nizations, such as Islamic Relief, and the generous contributions of the Muslim community, it can be accomplished. As Afghani says, “let’s not forget again” and al-ways remember what the prophet (pbuh) had said, “Allah (swt) is in the aid of his worshiper, as long as his worshiper is in the aid of his brother.”

Nora QartoumYorba Linda, CA

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We began publishing InFocus 16 months ago for free distribution to the community in Southern California. The monthly has since come a long way overcoming its take-off jitters and maturing in its coverage of ‘glocal’ (simul-taneously local and global) events and issues that concern Islam/Muslims and yet are of interest to most Americans.

Now, InFocus has become the largest circulated local newspa-per that provides a window to understanding glocal affairs from a perspective that is largely miss-ing in the mainstream or ethnic American press.

InFocus has gone beyond negative and reactive news coverage that characterizes the mainstream press. InFocus has covered a wide range of events and issues, from cases of fun and inspiration to ones of pain and agony, from domestic violence to international bloodshed, from local interfaith dialogues to international peace efforts, from group terrorism to state terrorism, and from Is-lamophobia or anti-Islamism to anti-Americanism. In an effort to provide a holistic view of the complexity of the community, we have presented cover stories on Islamic centers, profiled different faith groups like the Mormons and Orthodox Jews, and featured the lives of scholars and other personalities who serve as voices and role mod-els for the community. We have also highlighted cases of the com-munity members who have been victimized by the post-911 racial profiling, witch-hunt, incarcera-tion, and deportation orders. Our commentaries have analyzed the burning issues of our time, which include the Qur’an des-ecration at Guantanamo, the Freedom House report targeting mosques, tortures of prisoners in Guantanamo and Iraq, and the Patriot Act’s infringement on civil liberties.

Indeed, InFocus has become an eye, an ear, a voice, and an edu-cator of and for the community. Most importantly, InFocus has become a virtual training ground for a new generation of bud-ding journalists who are honing their skills while writing for the monthly.

Briefly, in retrospect, we find that in 16 months we have come a long way in reaching out, covering and serving the community; but

when we look forward, we see an infinite path lying ahead.

We dream of a day when our InFo-cus will be available for all Ameri-cans who want to know about Islam and Muslims, when its model will be replicated through-out the nation. We dream of a day InFocus will be available for pick up at every store or stalls alongside the LA Times or other major newspapers. Before that moment can come, however, we need to establish the model cor-rectly, expanding its outreach and improving its quality and range of coverage.

It is not enough to have dreams as they vanish unless translated into concrete plans, and it is not enough to have plans unless they are put into action. We want to move beyond our dreaming and planning to make InFocus available for free pick up at every major bookstore, public library, university, community center, and every newsstand in the Southland. This is how we want to pursue practical action to reach out to and educate greater public about who we are and what worldviews and cultures are all about.

But we are facing financial hur-dles in our way forward. InFocus is a non-profit endeavor. So far we have been able to raise funds for its production and free distribution through donations, subscriptions and advertise-ments. Currently, we are almost breaking even for a circulation of 25,000 copies. But to move to the next stage of making it available for the larger community, we need more and more funds.

W. H. Auden said, “History to the defeated/ May say alas/ But can-not help or pardon.” We believe our community has overcome the defeatist mentality and will not let us down in this noble endeavor.

We have organized a fundraising banquet in support of InFocus. The eminent Muslim journal-ist Michael Wolf will give the keynote speech at the banquet on June 25 in Anaheim at the Embassy Suites. We urge you all to attend and get out the word about this unique event to pro-mote California’s largest Muslim newspaper.

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In Focus Online June06

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Transcript of In Focus Online June06