Dear CAIR-Philadelphia Supporter, We hope you had a blessed Eid celebration and a joyous Ramadan. Now it is time for local Muslims, and all Americans, to put our civic engagement hats on and get ready to participate in the upcoming…
(PHILADELPHIA, PA, 8/29/11) — On Tuesday, August 30 and Wednesday, August 31st, the Muslim community in Philadelphia will celebrate the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan with communal prayers around the region. (Ramadan is the month on the Islamic…
The burn of hunger, giving one's money to others, and performing extra prayers can be painful, and the temptation to go the easy road is always there. But by taking the hard road, I hope to end up with a healthier body, better relationships, and ultimately a satisfied conscience. It takes individual willpower and being different from everyone else for a little while. But these are short-term sacrifices for enduring gains.
Moein Khawaja, executive director of the Philadelphia branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said when teaching religion, schools should cover basic beliefs and history. Talking about the small percentage of Muslims who are extremists is best saved for advanced politics and history classes, he said. He points to the terrorist attacks in Norway executed by Anders Behring Breivik, who identifies himself as a Christian.
"An in-depth discussion of him during a basic lesson on Christianity would be inappropriate," he said. "They should learn about it in the proper context."
On Monday, Aug. 1, the Muslim community in the Delaware Valley and around the world began the month-long fast of Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims abstain from food, drink and other sensual pleasures…
Two very important themes have emerged from the terrorist attack in Norway this past weekend, both of which require analysis and offer some interesting conclusions. One, some media have demonstrated a desire to jump to the conclusion that if an act of terrorism occurs, then there must be some Muslim involvement. Moreover, others have shown a clear double standard after learning the attack was committed by someone who is not a Muslim. Two, the attacker, Anders Behring Breivik, has revealed himself to be a right-wing, extremist Islamophobe. The question then emerges, why did he attack a government building and a youth camp, and not a mosque or Muslim institution?
The tension began to unwind once Katz contacted Moein Khawaja, executive director of the Philly chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "I called him out of the blue," said Katz, who is a vegan. "This would not have happened without him." Khawaja, who named the cow Casper for its white coat, said he appreciated the passion the animal lovers showed but that Madina's owner was only following the rules about the sale of livestock by a slaughterhouse.
Groundbreaking report lists ‘worst’ Islamophobes, ‘best’ of those pushing back against growing anti-Muslim sentiment (WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/23/11) — On Thursday, June 23, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Race and Gender released…
CAIR-Philadelphia would like to congratulate youth of Voorhees Islamic Center for the successful completion of a MYLP workshop last Sunday. Participants were very engaged and asked many questions. One point of discussion was properly dealing with religious bullying and teasing. How should a student go about reporting being bullied because he or she is Muslim?
