ICNA News Briefs http://www.icna.org/icna Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:41:49 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.icna.org/icna/images/M_images/icnalogo.png http://www.icna.org/icna ICNA News Briefs http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/myanmar-cyclone-disaster-2.html On Saturday a cyclone with winds up to 120 MPH ripped through the country Myanmar (also known as Burma). The Death toll has reached 22,500 with another 41,000 missing. ICNA appeals the Myanmar government to facilitate relief agencies so they can quickly provide aid to those affected. Helping Hand for Relief and Development has started a cyclone relief fund. Please Donate (https://www.helpinghandonline.org/donation/donation.asp) Generously. Wed, 07 May 2008 10:44:17 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/being-american-and-muslim-2.html By Shireen Khan It was evening rush hour in New York City. 42nd St. was packed, and I was hoping I would make the bus. His voice came out of the crowd. Take that rag off! Huh? In my four months of working in New York, that was a first. Actually, that was a first in the seven years since I started wearing a hijab. A lot of people turned to look at me as he shouted those words. I don't know exactly what I was feeling — some mixture of anger and embarrassment — but I knew I wanted to stop... Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:03:58 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/a-true-story-of-a-prince-among-slaves-2.html Prince Among Slaves airs at 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4 on PBS stations nationwide. Check local listings at www.pbs.org (http://www.pbs.org) and visit www.princeamongslaves.tv (http://www.princeamongslaves.tv) Ayesha Ahmad is a freelance writer working with the Unity Productions Foundation In an effort to gain support for his children's freedom from slavery, the newly freed American slave Abdul Rahman once wrote out what was supposed to be the Lord's Prayer in Arabic. Years later, it was discovered that he had actually written out Surah Al-Fatihah, the opening chapter of the Qur'an. After forty years of crushing servitude in a strongly Christian land, this former African prince still remained... Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:53:59 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/associated-press-lapd-shelves-muslim-mapping-plan-2.html By PETER PRENGAMAN, Associated Press Writer A police plan to map out Muslim communities, a proposal that civil rights groups sharply criticized as racial and religious profiling, has been shelved, a police spokeswoman said Wednesday. The LAPD planned to have its counterterrorism bureau identify Muslim enclaves to determine which might be likely to become isolated and susceptible to violent, ideologically based extremism. Several Muslim groups and the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California criticized the plan and sent a letter to Deputy Chief Michael P. Downing expressing their concerns. There was a clear message from the Muslim community that they... Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:16:58 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/the-passing-of-dr.-ilyas-ba-yunus-2.html After a long struggle with his heart condition, Dr. Ilyas Ba-Yunus, a pioneer of Islamic work in North America in the second half of the last century, bid farewell to the earthly existence and joined his Master for an eternal life at the start of Fajr prayer on the blessed day of Friday, Ramadan 23, 1428/ October 5, 2007. When the history of Islamic work in North America is written, the name of Dr. Ilyas Ba-Yunus will be recorded in golden words. He was born in Hyderabad, Daccan, and migrated to Pakistan at an early age. He received his... Fri, 19 Oct 2007 22:00:00 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/u.s.-house-passes-historic-ramadan-resolution-2.html Washington – A resolution recognizing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and expressing the deepest respect to Muslims in the United States and throughout the world was adopted in the U.S. House of Representatives October 2 by a vote of 376-0. The resolution acknowledging the importance of Muslims in America, the first of its kind, was introduced by Texas Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson and co-sponsored by 30 legislators, including Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota. Ellison is the first Muslim to be elected to the U.S. Congress. (See related article (http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english y=2007 m=January x=20070104154843ndyblehs0.6852838).) It’s a sign of respect and recognition. It’s a very American thing to do.... Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:37:19 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/young-muslims-connect-with-bronx-fire-victims.html By EMAN ELKHOLY The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity. (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 589) It was all over the news. Raging fire in Bronx, NY leaves many family members dead. When I was first asked to engage in this Young Muslims (YM) initiative to ease the pain and hardships of the Maggasi family from the Bronx I was caught up in the sensationalism that television often creates. I thought to myself, ‘I will actually meet the family that appeared on TV!’ Glory be to God,... Thu, 26 Apr 2007 02:55:47 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/islamic-new-year-1428-a.h.-begins.html Photo by MICHAEL DOHERTY / Observer-Dispatch Shahid Farooqui, his wife, Razia, and their children Hana, 4, left and Rida, 7, celebrate Muharram, the start of the Islamic Year by praying Monday in their Utica home. Razia and her daughters each wear a scarf and Shahid wears a kufi on his head. Each prays on their own musala, or prayer rug. Shahid Farooqui, a Sunni Muslim, fasted Monday to mark the ninth day of the month of Muharram. The fast is not obligatory. It is recommended, Farooqui said. We get extra rewards. Sunnis believe Prophet Mohamed was close to Moses. Since... Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:15:22 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/ny-times-memorizing-the-way-to-heaven-verse-by-verse.html The carpeted room is full of children in skullcaps crouched on prayer mats, reciting verses from a holy text. Some mumble the words under their breath; others sing them out. They rock back and forth as they chant, their disparate voices blending into an ethereal melody. The children, ages 7 to 14, are full-time students, in class 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, even in the summer. But they are not studying math, science or English. Instead, they are memorizing all 6,200 verses in the Koran, a task that usually takes two to three years. It would hardly be an... Wed, 16 Aug 2006 12:08:40 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/indonesia-quake-kills-more-than-3-000.html http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/05/28/indonesia.quake0550/index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/05/28/indonesia.quake0550/index.html) Thu, 01 Jun 2006 15:36:13 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/muhammad-ali-crowned-r.s.-united-sweeps-with-record-high-voter-tu.html By Joshua Errett Ryersonian Staff Last Updated: Feb.16, 2006. 1:00 a.m. It was a clean sweep for the R.S. United team on Wednesday night, with each of their four executive candidates winning with comfortable margins in the Ryerson Students’ Union elections. In what was a record turnout, students elected Muhammad Ali Jabbar as President, Nora Loreto as vice-president of education, Chris Drew as vice-president of finance and Alam Ashraful as vice-president of student life. The results were announced close to 1 a.m. this morning at the Ram in the Rye pub. Jabbar won the tightest contest, beating Elect Connect candidate Sarah Turnbull by... Mon, 01 May 2006 17:39:24 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/ny-muslims-hold-cartoon-protest-at-danish-un-mission.html A New York Muslim group has staged a prayer protest outside the Danish mission to the United Nations over the cartoons affair. While protests in other parts of the world have been often marked by violence, the New York demonstration was a model of calm.New York City Muslims hold a peaceful demonstration near the U.N. headquarters Friday against the cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.The demonstration was aimed at the Danish mission and organized by a group calling itself the Islamic Circle of North America. The Imams of local mosques led their congregations to assemble for prayer at the protest... Sat, 18 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/ny-times-more-than-1-000-protest-cartoon-depiction-of-pr.html More than 1,000 Muslims gathered yesterday for a rally and prayer session across the street from the Danish Consulate in Manhattan, protesting cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that have set off a series of violent demonstrations around the world since their first publication in Denmark.The rally, billed by the organizers as a stand against the vilification of Muslims, was considerably larger than another one this month, drawing South Asian, Arab, African-American and other Muslims to a plaza a block from the United Nations as the sun peeked out after a morning of rain.In a program that lasted several hours, the... Sat, 18 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/ncc-calls-for-dialogue-of-civilizations-over-cartoon-contro.html The National Council of Churches USA is praising the restraint of some Islamic groups over the Muhammad cartoon controversy while calling for a ‘‘dialogue of civilizations.’’ The NCC on Monday said it stood in solidarity with North American Islamic organizations that “exercised disciplined restraint and advocated diplomacy and education” in response to the caricatures of the Muslim prophet Muhammad.The NCC, which is composed of 35 Orthodox, Protestant, Episcopalian, historic African American and peace church traditions, listed the following North American Islamic organizations as those which have “exercised disciplined restraint and advocated diplomacy and education:” Islamic Society of North America,... Mon, 13 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/washington-post-u.s.-muslim-groups-cleared.html The Senate Finance Committee has wrapped up a high-profile investigation into U.S. Muslim organizations and terrorism financing, saying it discovered nothing alarming enough to warrant new laws or other measures, officials said. Read entire article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/18/AR2005111802651.html Sat, 19 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.icna.org/icna/news-briefs/us-latinas-seek-answers-in-islam.html It surprises many of their friends and family, but some young US Latinas say Islam offers women more respect. By Christine Armario | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor UNION CITY, N.J. – Jasmine Pinet sits on the steps outside a mosque here, tucking in strands of her burgundy hair beneath a white head scarf, and explaining why she, a young Latina, feels that she has found greater respect as a woman by converting to Islam. They're not gonna say, 'Hey mami, how are you?' Ms. Pinet says of Muslim men. Usually they say, 'Hello,... Tue, 07 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0100