Inside Islam Film Screening & Interfaith Dialogue
CAIR-Philadelphia along with the Interfaith Walk for Peace and Reconciliation sponsored a screening and interfaith dialogue of the documentary film, Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think last week. About 45 people of different faiths came together to have a real conversation on Islamophobia, American Muslims and the war on terror. Inside Islam debunks common stereotypes of Islam and Muslims based on hard facts. Research experts featured in the film discuss controversial issues highlighted by a world-wide Muslim public opinion poll conducted by the Gallup organization. Muslims in more than 35 Muslim majority countries and American Muslims reveal personal thoughts on terrorism, democracy and women’s rights.
“Comments and things that people say,” warned Rugiato Conteh, Outreach Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Philadelphia, “they increase Islamaphobia. They increase hatred against Muslims. They increase hate crimes.” “I did not plan the terrorist attacks on 9/11,” said Conteh, “so why are people associating me with the people who did?” 
On Oct. 7, her first day of work, a district manager visited the Dover store and ordered her to remove the scarf or work in the store's stockroom. She told the manager that she wore the scarf for religious reasons. He told her the chain did not allow anyone to display their religion and then dismissed her in front of the other workers, said Moein Khawaja, executive director for the Pennsylvania chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.