Christians attack Mosque

POLICE INVESTIGATING ATTACK ON EAST SIDE MOSQUE AS HATE CRIME - TOP Joe Conger, KENS 5, 5/6/06

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA050506.mosquevandals.KENS.132bb8bc.html A Friday morning attack on a San Antonio Muslim center is being investigated as a hate crime.The vandalism happened in the 1700 block of Hayes Street on the East Side.Worshippers say vandals who broke into the mosque took some cash and appliances, but also took the sense of peace in the sanctuary.The mosque looked like a late-night party that was never cleaned up. Paper towels, ribbons and other pieces of trash were strewn about the building."They just papered the place," said Sadeeq Mateen, a Muslim prayer leader, or Imam. "A lot of it is odd, the aluminum foil wrapped around the base of this pillar and these chairs set up in audience fashion, as if something was going on."In the mas-jid, or place of prostration and prayer, a safe was overturned and money was taken. A donation box was emptied, except for checks written to the Muslim Mission Center that were scattered on the floor. . .A pentagram and gang-style symbols scribbled on one of the walls of the sanctuary have police listing this as a hate crime, a crime not often seen in San Antonio. (MORE)

Cabbie returns money

CABBIE RETURNS $2,085 TO PASSENGER - TOPKron 4, 5/4/06

http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=4859159&nav=5D7l

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. Temptation wasn't a factor for a cab driver in Atlantic City when a passenger left nearly 21-hundred dollars in 100-dollar bills in the back seat.When the cabbie (Abdelmegid Emam) spotted the cash, he alerted his company and the doorman at the Atlantic City Hilton yesterday.It didn't take long for his fares to come running back from the city's Convention Center.Bill Jesse of Dallas, Pennsylvania, handed the cabbie a 100-dollar bill.The cab driver tells The Press of Atlantic City he is a Muslim and his faith forbids him to take something that does not belong to him.The Egyptian native says he has five kids and wants to raise them right.

Muslims assaulted

MUSLIMS WORRIED BY TIRADE AFTER FILM - TOPStephanie Innes, Arizona Daily Star, 5/5/06http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/127787.phpThe verbal abuse of three young Muslim women in Scottsdale by a couple who had just seen "United 93" is stirring concern among the Arizona Islamic community that the film will reignite furor at their faith. "Generally, what we try to do is turn a negative into a positive, so if there's a good initiative to take to educate people to show we're not responsible for violence or terrorism, that's what we will be looking at doing," said Bushra Khan, office manager of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Arizona chapter, based in Phoenix. About 60,000 Muslims live in Arizona ­ about 8,000 of them in the Tucson area. Khan, 24, was one of the three young women who say they were shopping at the Desert Ridge Marketplace in Scottsdale on April 29 ­ all of them wearing burqas, or head scarves ­ when they were approached by a middle-aged couple who asked if they were Muslim. Khan said she always welcomes inquiries about her faith and was happy to tell the couple yes. But what happened next was a shock, she said. According to Khan, the couple said they'd seen the movie "United 93" and then told the women to take off their burqas, swore at them, and told them to get out of the country. The couple quickly left and the women did not file a police report. "United 93," released last week, re-creates the flight of the fourth and final plane hijacked by Islamist terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. "The couple's verbal abuse had obviously been prompted by their associating all Muslims with those who took part in the 9/11 terror attacks," Khan said. "The best way to prevent this type of stereotyping and intolerance is to educate ordinary Americans of all faiths about Islam and Muslims." Khan said the council could reignite campaigns similar to those it sponsored post-9/11, among them "Not in the Name of Islam" public service announcements rejecting terrorism and religious extremism, and the ongoing "Explore the Life of Muhammad" initiative, which offers free DVDs and books on the life and legacy of Islam's prophet and founder. The council also continues to offer free copies of its holy book, the Quran. (MORE)

Christian preacher spews hate

ROBERTSON LABELED ISLAM A "BLOODY, BRUTAL TYPE OF RELIGION" - TOPMedia Matters, 5/2/06
http://mediamatters.org/items/200605010007
Summary: On the Christian Broadcasting Corp.'s 700 Club, host Pat Robertson expressed concern that Americans, "especially the American left," need to "wake up" to the "danger" that Islam presents. Robertson continued: "Who ever heard of such a bloody, bloody, brutal type of religion? But that's what it is. It is not a religion of peace."On the April 28 edition of the Christian Broadcasting Corp.'s (CBN) 700 Club, host Pat Robertson referred to Islam as a "bloody, brutal type of religion." Following a report suggesting that those who convert from Islam could face hardships and even death sentences in some Middle Eastern countries, Robertson expressed concern that Americans, "especially the American left," need to "wake up" to the "danger" that Islam presents. He said that, in the past, Muslim invaders would kill "an unbeliever" if they would not convert to Islam and that today, "if somebody wants to leave Islam, they're going to kill them." Robertson continued: "Whoever heard of such a bloody, bloody, brutal type of religion? But that's what it is. It is not a religion of peace."Robertson has frequently asserted that "Islam is not a religion of peace," as he did in the April 28 broadcast. For instance, as Media Matters for America previously noted, Robertson made similar comments on April 24 when he warned his viewers that "we are not listening" to what Islam "says," just as we did not listen to "what Adolf Hitler said in Mein Kampf." (MORE)

Christian couple Accost Muslim Girls

MUSLIMS ACCOSTED BY 'UNITED 93' VIEWERS - TOP
Muslim Women told: 'Take off your f***ing burqas and get the f*** out of this country'
(PHOENIX, AZ, 5/2/06) - The Arizona office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ) reported today that several young Muslim women were verbally abused by two people who said they recently saw the movie "United 93" about one of the planes hijacked on 9/11.The three Muslim women say a white middle-aged Christian couple approached them on April 29 at the Desert Ridge Marketplace in Scottsdale, Ariz., and asked whether they were Muslim. After learning that the women were in fact Muslims, the Christian couple indicated they had seen "United 93" and then said: "Take off your f***ing burqas and get the f*** out of this country. We don't want you in this country. Go home." [Note: Two of the three women are American-born citizens.]"The Christian couple's verbal abuse had obviously been prompted by their associating all Muslims with those who took part in the 9/11 terror attacks," said CAIR-AZ Office Manager Bushra Khan, who was one of those accosted by the couple. "The best way to prevent this type of stereotyping and intolerance is to educate ordinary Americans of all faiths about Islam and Muslims."Khan said CAIR launched several post-9/11 educational campaigns to promote mutual understanding. CAIR's campaigns included a "Not in the Name of Islam" public service announcement rejecting terrorism and religious extremism, the "Explore the Quran" campaign offering free copies of Islam's revealed text to Americans of all faiths, the"Explore the Life of Muhammad" initiative, which offers free DVDs and books about the life and legacy of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, and the recently concluded "Explore Islamic Civilization and Culture" campaign that distributed materials about Islam to more than 8,000 public libraries nationwide.A recent CAIR survey showed that just two percent of Americans said they were "very knowledgeable" about Islam. Some 60 percent of respondents said they "are not very knowledgeable" or "not at all knowledgeable" about Islam.SEE: CAIR: American Public Opinion About Islam and MuslimsSummary:http://www.cair.com/cairsurveyanalysis.pdfDetailed Results:http://www.cair.com/CAIRSurveyReport.pdfA similar poll by the Washington Post and ABC News found that one in four Americans "admitted to harboring prejudice toward Muslims." That survey indicated that 46 percent of Americans have a negative view of Islam. The Post's report on the poll findings quoted experts who say negative attitudes about Islam are "fueled in part by political statements and media reports that focus almost solely on the actions of Muslim extremists."CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 32 regional offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.