Silent Auction Contributions Needed

We are pleased to announce our Fourth Annual Dinner and Fund Raising Banquet, which will be held at the Springfield Country Club in Springfield, PA on Saturday, April 3, 2010.

Prior to the start of our program, there will be a 75-minute reception with complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres to provide guests with the opportunity to socialize, network, visit vendor exhibits and participate in the silent auction.

We hope you can help us to raise funds by contributing an item to the silent auction. Items needed include, but are not limited to:

• Tickets to professional athletic events or Broadway plays
• Spa gift certificates
• Jewelry
• Concert Tickets
• Romantic Travel Packages or cruises
• Family Weekend Getaway Trips
• Electronics
• Designer handbags
• Fur coats
• Handmade Exotic Rugs
• Gift Cards or Certificates
• A Hajj Trip package

If you are contributing an item, kindly send us an e-mail at cairphilly@gmail.com or contact us by phone at 215-592-0509 advising us what you will be providing and the suggested starting price for the auction. You can then bring the item to the event, or preferably send it to our office via US mail.

Sincerely,

Sehr Rana
Executive Committee Member
Silent Auction Chair

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Banquet Ticket Contest

Be one of the first three to correctly answer the following questions and receive half off your banquet ticket:

1. What year was CAIR-PA established?
2. Name one course that CAIR-PA offered this year.
3. What is the mission of CAIR-PA?

Good luck!

Email your answers to rconteh@cair.com. In order to receive your discount, you must pick up your ticket from our Philadelphia office.

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Focus Article

The Natural Law of Compassionate Justice: A Missing Dimension of Religion in the Public Square
Dr. Robert Dickson Crane

The underlying difference among premises in current debates about religion in the public square comes from the conviction that “religion” is inherently self-serving and aggressive and therefore should be dropped in favor of the “Golden Rule”. This conflicts with the conviction that religion at its highest ethical level informed by love of God and neighbor is precisely the most powerful embodiment and expression of the Golden Rule.

A good question is whether there is any possible common ground in the premise of natural law, since it has been gaining ground in recent years in all of the world religions as a new paradigm. Unfortunately, the subject of natural law itself has been a subject of bitter confrontation in America because the Great American Experiment was founded upon it. Unfortunately, both religious extremists and humanistic extremists have railed against it, allegedly as a covert threat from the Vatican, simply because Roman Catholic scholars over the centuries have been the most sophisticated developers in Europe of natural law theory.

Actually the most sophisticated concept of natural law was developed jointly by Islamic, Jewish, and Christian scholars in what is known as Andalus or Muslim Spain during and after the Crusades.

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World Commentary

1. Mullen Wary of Israeli Attack on Iran by Ray McGovern
2. Exit Strategies for Afghanistan and Iraq by Tom Hayden
3. America’s Locust Years by Bob Burnett

Maz Jobrani in Philly
Helium Comedy Club
Thurs., March 11th – Sat., March 13th
Tickets at www.heliumcomedy.com
or by calling 215-496-9001

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Know Your Rights Workshop Presented at Masjid Ar-Rahman in Coatesville, PA

CAIR-PA Civil Rights Director Moein Khawaja and Immigration Attorney John Yahya Vandenberg of the Hogan & Vandenberg Law Firm presented a Know Your Rights workshop to about 60 participants at Masjid ArRahman in Coatesville, PA this past Saturday, February 27, 2010.  (View photos)

Topics covered included: Your rights as an employee, student, traveler, immigrant/non-citizen, encounters with law enforcement, your responsibilities as a Muslim American and much more.

All participants received free literature and were given the opportunity to ask questions. A highlight of the presentation was a short film by Muslim Advocates explaining how to properly handle an FBI visit and invasive searches at an airport, two scenarios many at the workshop had previously experienced. After the workshop, many attendees said they felt better prepared and empowered to assert their rights should they ever face discrimination and the mosque leadership invited CAIR-PA back for future programs.

E-mail Moein Khawaja at mkhawaja@cair.com to request a workshop for your community.

See http://www.hvimmigrationlaw.com/ for information on John Yahya Vandenberg and his law practice or if you are looking for an excellent immigration attorney.

Stay tuned for the next Know Your Rights Workshop which will be held in conjunction with the Arab American Center for Corporate Development at the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society later this month.

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Tomorrow the Pittsburgh City Council will proclaim March 6th as CAIR Pittsburgh Day of Justice, Tolerance, and Service

To download the proclamation that will be read in City Council chambers at 10am this Tuesday, March 2nd, click here. You are invited to come to help represent our diverse Muslim community. The ceremony will be televised on City Channel 13 Comcast. The event can also be watched live at the City Clerk’s web page.

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Focus Article: Rashad Hussain, a Muslim and new U.S. envoy, is bridge between two worlds
by Scott Wilson
Washington Post

Rashad Hussain, President Obama’s new special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, was an avid high school debater in Plano, Tex., where he grew up.

His debate partner and best friend was a classmate named Josh Goldberg, meaning that at the end of many tournaments, the judge would announce “Goldberg-Hussain” as the cultural odd couple who had won the argument. “People got a kick out of it,” Hussain said in a recent interview. “We joked that one day we would have the solution to the peace process.” The two remain close friends.

In his new position, Hussain, who is both a Koran scholar and an ardent North Carolina Tar Heels basketball fan, will be responsible for helping to bridge another cultural divide — the one in U.S. relations with Muslims inside and outside the nation’s borders.

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World Commentary

1. America, the Fragile Empire by Niall Ferguson
2. Cultural, Economic and Workforce Structures Help Reinforce U.S. Militarism by Lauri E. Kallio
3. Ralph Nader Was Right About Barack Obama by Chris Hedges

Civil Rights Corner

Attend one of two Know Your Rights workshops this weekend
With more and more negative news, an increase in law enforcement encounters and an increasingly hostile environment for Muslim Americans at the workplace, school, airports, and in public accommodation, it is crucial for us to know what our rights are as citizens of this country. It is also important to know that with those rights, we have the responsibility to claim equal citizenship and treatment, and the responsibility to teach others.

Join CAIR-PA for any two of the following workshops this weekend. You will be given the knowledge and tools (including literature) to stand up for yourself and others should any act of discrimination occur, including with law enforcement.

These workshops are led in-part by John Yahya Vandenberg, one of the best immigration and general practice attorneys in the Delaware Valley. This is a great opportunity for attendees to ask questions. See John’s Bio.

Attend a Know Your Rights workshop near you:

• February 26, 2010, Friday, at Arab American Center for Corporate Development (Part of the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society main building located at 1501 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA) at 2:00 pm.
• February 27, 2010, Saturday, at Masjid Ar-Rahman (723 Merchant Street, Coatesville, PA) at 11:00 am.

Moein M. Khawaja
Civil Rights Director

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Youth Corner

April 10th & 11th – Muslim Youth Leadership Program (MYLP)
Community and Interfaith Relations
Houston Hall, University of Pennsylvania

CAIR-Philadelphia is accepting applications for the Spring MYLP, Community and Interfaith Relations. After the completion of this conference, high school students are expected to understand the history of Muslims in the Delaware Valley and learn how to interact with people of different religions while maintaining their faith. They will also be equipped to answer questions pertaining to Islam and Muslims. It will be held on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus.

What is the Muslim Youth Leadership Program?

A free 2-day conference combining classroom instruction, practical application workshops, career exploration and community service opportunities in a specific field of advocacy.

Targeted Age Group:
14-18 (High School)

Application Process:
Please download the Application online http://pa.cair.com/activism/mylp/, e-mail it to rconteh@cair.com or mail to our office, 1218 Chestnut Street Suite 510, Philadelphia, PA 19126.

Want More Information?
Contact: Rugiatu Conteh, 215-592-0509 or e-mail, rconteh@cair.com

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March 27th and 28th-Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (MIST)
Hosted by the Muslim Student Association (MSA): University of Pennsylvania

The Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (MIST) is a national competition for high school students to compete in various areas, such as Humanities, Sciences, Athletics, Arts, and Islamic Knowledge.

MIST Philadelphia will be starting this year as a regional tournament as a qualifier for the nationals. Students will form a team from their high school or register individually to meet and compete with kids from all over the region and local college students.

Contact Aya at saed.aya@gmail.com for more information or visit http://www.getmistified.com/philadelphia/.

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Focus Article: Another Red Scare?

by Sahar Aziz
AltMuslim

The recent discovery of attempted terrorist plots by Muslims in America has prompted overreaching accusations of radicalization of an entire religious group. As a consequence, pressure is mounting on American Muslim leaders to actively engage in elusively defined counter radicalization. But rather than spend limited resources on programs that assume collective guilt, efforts are better spent tapping existing grievances and redirecting them towards the exercise of constitutionally protected dissent.

Focusing on counter radicalization is misguided for two reasons. First, the current discourse on radicalization comes dangerously close to repeating past mistakes of confusing legal political dissent with illicit activity. Second, there is insufficient evidence of systemic unlawful radicalization of American Muslims. Read more…

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World Commentary

1. Yoo Called Civilian Slaughter OK by Jason Leopold
2. NYT ‘Mystery’ Op-Ed Calls for More Afghan Civilian Deaths by Robert Naiman
3. New Grist for Hype on Iran by Ray McGovern