CAIR: VA 'Towel Head Sniper' Threatens Muslim Women / FBI, CIA Have 'Decentralized Guantan

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 4/27/07

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VERSE OF THE DAY: ALL CREATURES DEPEND ON GOD - TOP

"On Him depend all creatures in the heavens and on earth; (and) every day He manifests Himself in yet another (wondrous) way."

The Holy Quran, 55:29

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VA: FBI ARRESTS MAN FOR ALLEGEDLY SENDING THREATENING E-MAILS - TOP
Man Supposedly Threatens To Become 'New Towelhead Sniper'
NBC4, 4/27/07
http://www.nbc4.com/news/13207419/detail.html

Federal Officials said an Arlington man faces a slew of charges after he allegedly sent e-mails to family members threatening to kill Arab women and Latinos.

The FBI arrested 57-year-old Charles Gerbino Thursday morning in his Arlington home.

The communications were so full of rage that officials said Gerbino's sister contacted the FBI to warn them.

"He's charged with making threats through the interstate commerce by sending an e-mail from his home in Arlington to his sister who lived in Florida," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Melson. "In that e-mail were threats that he would shoot Arab women and Latinos."

In the e-mails, one which was written two days after the Virginia Tech shootings, Gerbino wrote, "I'm real, real, real close to that snapping point."

He also wrote, "I was just going to become the new Towelhead Sniper. . ." (MORE)

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EXCERPTS FROM THREATENING E-MAIL - TOP
(WARNING: Remarks May Be Offensive to Some)
NBC4, 4/27/07
http://www.nbc4.com/news/13207473/detail.html

The following are excerpts from the threat-laden e-mail allegedly sent by Charles Gerbino to his sister:

"I'm real, real, real close to that snapping point."

". . . I was just going to become the new 'towel-head sniper,' and just start picking off all the Arab towel-head women . . ."

"Add all the little cockroach illegal Latino scumbags."

"All I've got to do is just stick the gun out the window and start firing wildly . . ."

"I'm bound to hit a few of them just at random."

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INCITEMENT: 'A PRACTICING MUSLIM . . . BELIEVES HE CAN MURDER HIS WIFE JUST BECAUSE HE WANTS TO' - TOP
Because They Hate, Part II
Larry Elder, Yahoo News, 4/26/07
http://news.yahoo.com/s/uc/20070426/cm_uc_crlelx/op_242580

Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese Christian who lived through jihad as a child, wrote "Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America." This is an edited version of our interview.

Elder: Are there moderate Muslims who condemn the radicals, who don't feel threatened by democracy?

Gabriel: Yes. . . . I call it a practicing Muslim and a non-practicing Muslim. I think it is a better description than "moderate" and "radical." A practicing Muslim goes to mosque, prays five times a day, doesn't drink, believes God gave him women to be his property - to beat, to stone to death. . . . He believes Christians and Jews are apes and pigs because they are cursed by Allah. He believes it is his duty to declare war on the infidels because they are Allah's enemies. That is a practicing Muslim. A non-practicing Muslim no longer goes to mosque or prays five times a day, has an occasional glass of wine and believes that a woman is equal to a man. . . . He believes he cannot murder his wife just because he wants to. He does not believe in taking four wives just for sexual pleasure. . . . He no longer believes that, as a Muslim, it is his duty to kill the apes and pigs that have been cursed by Allah. A non-practicing Muslim is educated, an intellectual who believes the Koran - written in the 7th century - doesn't apply to today's standards, and Islam needs to be reformed. Those Muslims do exist and live in the West. However, they are such a minority - we estimate about 2 percent - they are irrelevant because it is the majority that is causing the problem now. (MORE)

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CAIR: ACT TODAY TO PROTECT CIVIL LIBERTIES, PROMOTE JUSTICE - TOP

(WASHINGTON, DC 4/27/2007) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on American Muslims and all people of conscience to communicate with their elected officials on a range on crucial issues.

In less than ten minutes, you can tell the people who represent you how you feel about the following issues:

1) CITIZENSHIP DELAYS
Federal law provides the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) up to 120 days to accept or reject a particular applicant's request for citizenship after the applicant has provided the required documentation, been fingerprinted and interviewed. However, the backlog on these name checks is leaving some law-abiding applicants in a legal limbo for years.

2) RACIAL PROFILING
The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the right to be safe from unreasonable search and seizure without probable cause. In addition, the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution requires that all citizens be treated equally under the law.

3) OPPOSITION TO HATE CRIMES
"Victimizing a human being simply for because of their race, faith, or other traits is simply unacceptable," said CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor. "America will be a brighter place when such discrimination is a thing of the past."

4) PROTECTING THE INDIVIDUAL'S RIGHT TO CHALLENGE DETENTIONS
Habeas Corpus is a legal term for the action by which detainees may challenge the lawfulness of their detention. This right to challenge one's detention in front of an independent court is among the most cherished of American principles of justice for all people.

5) IRAQ
It is quite apparent to any objective viewer that our current policy in Iraq is an utter failure. It is time for our government to make tough decisions that will enable an orderly withdrawal from Iraq. The Iraqi people will truly experience freedom when they perceive their land to be free from any foreign occupation.

6) DARFUR
Since 2003, some 200,000 human beings have died in the conflict and another 2 million have been displaced. Two-years of African Union led negotiations resulted in a Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006. However today, Darfurians remain vulnerable to displacement, rape and slaughter.

7) PALESTINE
For too long the plight of the Palestinians has been ignored in the halls of Congress. For too long the discussion has been one-sided. Our lawmakers have spoken out in support of Israeli rights and national security, but appear content to leave the Palestinians with neither rights nor security. To the Muslim world, this is perceived a double standard and remains a major source of anti-American hostility.

ACTION REQUESTED

Follow the link below and send your views on these important issues to your elected officials:
http://capwiz.com/cair/home/

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CAIR HOSTS TOWN HALL MEETING ON AIRPORT PROFILING - TOP
The Washington Daybook
April 27, 2007

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) hosts a town hall meeting on airport profiling in the case of the Imams against US Airways.

WHEN: Friday, April 27, 7 p.m.
WHERE: 46903 Sugarland Road, Center Main Hall, Sterling, Va.

CONTACT: 202-742-6409/ 202-488-8787

PARTICIPANTS: Nihad Awad and Khadija Athman of CAIR, and Imam Magid from ADAMS Center

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CAIR-OH: OPENING DOORS, MINDS - TOP
Muslim leaders reach out to Ohio communities, invite dialogue
Meredith Heagney, Columbus Dispatch, 4/27/07
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/dispatch/content/faith_values/stories/2007/04/27/open.html

Highway travelers driving past the hulking mosque on I-75 see the metallic gold dome, the 135-foot-tall minarets and the intricate stained-glass windows. The Islamic Center of Greater Toledo makes some people curious. For others, it conjures up stereotypes fueled by the Sept. 11 terrorist attack and the Iraq War.

Imam Farooq Aboelzahab wishes they all would stop in, ask questions and see the mosque and Muslim ways for themselves.

"We need to talk about Islam and show Islam to others," he said. "We feel responsible to reach out, be with the people and show what we have in common."

Aboelzahab and others at the mosque are part of an enthusiastic outreach program. Its mission is to show outsiders that Muslims are just like them: Americans with families who care about safety and community.

Mosque leaders across the state say they're doing public relations work more than ever. It's necessary to counter all the negative stereotypes of Muslims that have popped up since Sept. 11, they say.

So they open the doors to the mosques, offer traditional Muslim food at community picnics and visit their neighbors who might be leery of them.

Muslim leaders say educating others always has been a part of Islam. But it's increasingly necessary in light of Sept. 11, the subsequent wars and high-profile arrests such as that of Christopher Paul, the North Side man accused of training al-Qaida terrorists. Paul is a convert to Islam.

One Columbus Muslim leader, Adnan Mirza, said Paul's arrest made him think, "Here we go again."

Negative news related to Islam "helps promote dialogue, but you spend a great portion of that dialogue fending off the attacks and fending off a lot of stereotypes about Islam," said Mirza, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Columbus.

Muslims say too many people believe Islam is a violent religion that fosters terrorism and is oppressive to women. They try to show that neither of these stereotypes is true. (MORE)

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CAIR-KY: UK MEDICAL WORKERS DISCUSS DIVERSITY - TOP
Goal is better understanding of cultural issues
Barbara Isaacs, Lexington Herald Leader, 4/27/07
http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/54348.html

More than 100 University of Kentucky medical workers -- from students to doctors and nurses -- attended a panel discussion yesterday intended to help them better understand patients of various cultural and geographic backgrounds.

"We need to be aware of each other," said Rachelle Lehner, UK's director of staff education. "What I hope the staff learns from it, is at the core level, we are all people and we all want the same things -- respect, dignity and a sense of self worth."

The panelists represented some of the special populations that hospitals treat, including Muslims, Jews, Hispanics, people with disabilities, Asians, people from Appalachia and those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

Beforehand, the panelists were asked to consider what information health care providers should take into account when dealing with their population. Their answers included issues such as visitors, involvement of family in care, beliefs related to care, death and dying customs, dietary regiments and the like.

The panel's Muslim presenter, Abeer Al-Ghananeem, mentioned her religions' requirement that people visit the ill -- including people that they may not know well, which can sometimes mean large numbers of visitors for people of their faith. Al-Ghananeem, an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy, is executive director of the Kentucky branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Islamic civil liberties group.

Al-Ghananeem said that although Muslims prefer to get medical treatment from a doctor of the same gender, that's a preference only. "If that's not available, it's OK," she said. (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: MOSQUE CALLER SAW COMMUNITY EVOLVE - TOP
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 4/27/07
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070427/OBITUARIES/704270375

Harold (Holley) Hasan the prayer caller at the Masjid Wali Muhammad on Linwood, died of liver cancer Tuesday at age 82. Hasan also had operated produce businesses until he retired two years ago.

"He was a role model and an inspiration for the Muslim community," said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council of American Islamic Relations-Michigan. "He experienced joining the Muslim community in the 1950s and seeing its evolution. He was such a valuable resource that even academic researchers spoke to him about his experiences, in their work on the development of Muslim community in Detroit."

Hasan operated a fruit and fish market on Dexter for 10 years. He also owned and operated four fruit carts in downtown Detroit.

After attending Detroit Public Schools, Hasan served four years in the U.S. Army in the 1950s. In 1957, he joined the local mosque. (MORE)

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CAIR: HOST FAMILIES LEARN FROM EXCHANGE STUDENTS - TOP
Anita Clark, Wisconsin State Journal, 4/27/07
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=131288&ntpid=1

Wanted: Wisconsin families willing to share their lives with a teenager from another country, perhaps from a very different culture.

"It's not how we're different that is important. It's when you learn that we're the same," said Dick Schultz of Fort Atkinson, a coordinator for the Aspect Foundation student exchange program.

"People who host are people who are willing to learn more about the world and are interested in the differences," said Holly Dowe of Beaver Dam, a volunteer with the AFS student exchange program.

AFS hopes to place about 90 high-school students with Wisconsin families in this area. Aspect will host about a dozen teens, three of them Muslims. Students will arrive in August for the school year.

If it sounds daunting to welcome a stranger with new dietary requirements and different prayer habits, host mother Cheryl Daniels of Madison can offer reassurance based on hosting five exchange students, plus three children of her own. . .

When the Daniels family hosted a Muslim boy from Indonesia a few years ago, they set aside a prayer area at home and helped him determine the direction toward Mecca. East High School provided a room for noon prayers and he arranged his schedule to go to the Islamic Center of Madison for Friday prayers.

At home, it was easy to add some chicken brats to the menu, Daniels said, and "we just made sure he could observe the dietary part" of his religion.

Exchange programs offer resources, as do organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Non-Muslim families may fear a student will be harassed, Schultz said, but that hasn't been a problem. "What they deal with is a lot of curiosity," he said

The Muslim students arriving through his program are participating in the competitive Youth Exchange and Study Program sponsored by the U.S. State Department. (MORE)

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CA: ECHOES OF TERROR CASE HAUNT CALIFORNIA PAKISTANIS - TOP
Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, 4/27/07
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/27/us/27lodi.html

Khalid Farooq has shunned the low-slung yellow bungalow that serves as the Pakistani community's mosque here for nearly two years, ever since a father and son who worshiped there were arrested on suspicion of being foot soldiers for Al Qaeda.

Usama Ismail, left, said his cousin Hamid Hayat "is locked up because of what he said, not because of what he did." Umer Hayat, Mr. Hayat's father, now lives with his family in a garage behind their old house. More Photos "

If he runs an errand at someplace like Wal-Mart, away from the neat, tree-lined streets that constitute the heart of Lodi's Pakistani neighborhood, Mr. Farooq trades his traditional baggy clothes for standard American attire, he said, as often as four times in one day.

"Something has changed in the air; it's a scary time," said Mr. Farooq, who first arrived to work in the flat, black fields that surround this town 25 years ago. "We don't want to talk; we're all afraid."

The tide of fear rolled in and has never quite receded after an informant incriminated two Lodi men, Umer Hayat, an ice cream truck driver, and his son Hamid, who were arrested in June 2005. Their trial ended a year ago with the younger Mr. Hayat, 24, convicted of providing material support for terrorism by attending a training camp in Pakistan. His lawyers recently began seeking a new trial based on arguments that the jury was tainted.

Members of the Pakistani community here distrust one another almost as much as they do outsiders. Even now, residents with evidence of sudden wealth, like a new car, are immediately rumored to be on the F.B.I.'s payroll. Anything connected to the government is inherently suspect.

Some people have stopped home visits by social service agencies; others have balked at writing their Social Security numbers on government documents. Some residents returning from Pakistan avoid including their Lodi addresses on their United States customs forms. (MORE)

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ISRAELI FORCES DEMOLISH ISLAMIC BUILDING - TOP
Mohammed Mar'i, Arab News, 4/27/07
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=95511&d=27&m=4&y=2007

Israeli bulldozers have started demolishing parts of the Supreme Islamic Council building near Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The Al-Aqsa Foundation has reported that the Israelis began bulldozing parts of the southern and western facade and several internal rooms of the building, located dozens of meters from the Al-Buraq wall near Jaffa Gate in the Old City of East Jerusalem.

Adjacent to the building the Israelis are constructing apartments in the "modern Western style, with architectural features in disharmony with the Arab-Islamic architecture," the foundation said.

During its monitoring of the process, the foundation found that in addition to external damage, most of the inside the Supreme Islamic Council building had been destroyed, with interior walls knocked down.

With regard to Islamic heritage in the Old City, the Al-Aqsa Foundation says, "They fall under the ferocious war perpetrated by the Israeli institutions in the frantic pursuit to Judaize Jerusalem and obliterate all Arab and Islamic features, ignoring history and the Arab and Islamic civilization."

The Israelis seized the Palestinian building under its own "absentee (Palestinian refugees) property" law since 59 years. As part of the project to engulf the western area of Jerusalem's Old City overlooking Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Israelis sold the building to an American Jew to convert it into luxury apartments. (MORE)

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ETHIOPIA FINDS ITSELF ENSNARED IN SOMALIA - TOP
Some Observers See Similarities to U.S. in Iraq
Stephanie McCrummen, Washington Post, 4/27/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/26/AR2007042602715.html

Four months after Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi declared his own "war on terror" against an Islamic movement in Somalia, Ethiopia remains entangled in a situation that analysts and critics are comparing to the U.S. experience in Iraq.

Though Meles proclaimed his military mission accomplished in January, thousands of Ethiopian troops remain in the Somali capital, where they have used attack helicopters, tanks and other heavy weapons in a bloody campaign against insurgents that in recent weeks has killed more than 1,000 people, mostly civilians, and forced half of the city's population to flee.

On Thursday, the Ethiopian-backed Somali prime minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, declared that three weeks of heavy fighting was over, a statement tempered by the mortar blasts that continued to boom in the distance, witnesses said. . .

More than 200 FBI and CIA agents have set up camp in the Sheraton Hotel here in Ethiopia's capital and have been interrogating dozens of detainees -- including a U.S. citizen -- picked up in Somalia and held without charge and without attorneys in a secret prison somewhere in this city, according to Ethiopian and U.S. officials who say the interrogations are lawful. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info [at] cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

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