Rashad Hussain is bridge between two worlds

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 info@philadelphia.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