Church lecture series explores Muslim culture and faith

Many American Christians recognize the importance of learning about Muslim faith and culture; but that recognition is not as widespread as it should be. Iftekhar Hussain, a Muslim U.S. citizen and business consultant born in Bangladesh, and Chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Pennsylvania, has worked for 15 years to expand awareness among willing learners. Also a member of the Philadelphia CAIR’s executive committee, he teaches in churches, synagogues, mosques, schools and other settings throughout our region, always offering his knowledge and insight at no cost.

CAIR-Philadelphia Issues Travel Alert To Pennsylvania Muslims After Supreme Court Reinstates Parts of President Trump’s Muslim Ban

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Jacob Bender, Executive Director of CAIR-Philadelphia, said: “As a civil rights organization, CAIR has great respect for the judicial system of the United States, and notes with approval that three lower courts suspended President Trump’s ‘Muslim Travel Ban’ and questioned its constitutionality. And without assigning any racial or religious animus to the SCOTUS judges themselves, we believe that the Supreme Court overlooked the broader atmosphere of anti-Muslim bigotry in the nation and the failed to consider, as did the lower courts, the President’s contribution to the current Islamophobic climate.”

Updated Travel Advisory

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Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States allowed parts of President Trump's Muslim Ban to take effect on a temporary basis, while blocking other parts of the Ban. The Supreme Court plans to make a final decision about the case later this year. In the meantime, here's what you need to know about how this development may impact you, your family, your education or your business in regard to the six targeted countries: Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Iran, Libya, and Yemen.

In U.S., are Muslims the new Jews?

Other immigrants, such as those from Germany, Italy, and Asia, often got the cold shoulder, too, but it was not as severe. The U.S. always has been a little bipolar on immigration — elated at the idea of a Land of Immigrants, but some of us not so keen when the new arrivals don’t look like us.

Muslims are the latest to arrive in numbers, and they carry the additional burden of being associated with terrorism. “Bad luck,” as with Japanese immigrants in California at the outbreak of World War II, observes Jacob Bender, executive director of the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. For Muslims, 9/11 created “a level of suspicion that was heretofore unknown to their community.” Bender happens to be Jewish.

CAIR-Philadelphia Condemns Murders of Muslims in Virginia and England

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The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia) today condemned the murder of 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen in Fairfax, Virginia, and the carnage caused by a motorist running down Muslim worshippers in North London, England.

CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Jacob Bender said: "No matter the motivation of the murderers in these two heinous crimes, these attacks come in the midst of an unprecedented anti-Muslim climate in the U.S. and Europe, spurred on by Islamophobic statements by irresponsible voices in the media and the American government."

Help Secure the Muslim-American Community This Ramadan

Once again, the nights and days are filled with an aura of sacredness and spirituality. We welcome both the challenge of the fast and the joy of the nightly iftar (the meal that breaks the daytime fast) with awe and wonder.

Observing Ramadan is a journey of the spirit, and fasting is the map that brings us ever closer to the presence of the Divine in our lives, as well as focusing our consciousness on our relationship and responsibility to our fellow human being.

World Environment Day: Greening our Ramadan

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Last week, President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord put the United States at odds with facts, scientific consensus, moral responsibility, and nearly every country in the world implementing the Paris Accord to limit global devastation already being caused by climate change before it's too late.

Today, CAIR-Philadelphia commemorates World Environment Day, with a call to action, reaffirming the Muslim-American commitment to local solutions that protect our earth and help the community, reflecting the Islamic principle of stewardship.