Father Of Muslim-American War Hero Makes Emotional Case Against Trump (VIDEO)

The The father of a Muslim-American soldier killed fighting for his country brought a powerful message to the Democratic National Committee Thursday night: If Donald Trump had his way, his son, Humayun S. M. Khan, would “never would have been in America.”

“Hillary Clinton was right when she called my son the best of America,” Khizr Khan told delegates. “Donald Trump consistently smears the character Muslims. He disrespects other minorities, women, judges, even his own party leadership.”

 

 

The speech took an emotional turn when Khan addressed the GOP directly.

“Donald Trump, you’re asking Americans to trust you with their future,” he said. “Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy,” he said, pulling out out a pocket sized copy of the Constitution from his jacket to swelling cheers from the crowd. “Look for the word liberty and equal protection of law.”

FULL ARTICLE FROM TPM.COM

US conventions leave Arabs and Muslims unimpressed

PHILADELPHIA, United States – Few Arab or Muslim Americans expected Donald Trump’s coronation at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland to be a joyous affair. After three days in Pennsylvania’s sweltering heat, the Democratic shindig has proven similarly underwhelming.

US television networks have highlighted the lacklustre support grassroots activists from both main parties have afforded their nominees: Trump, a tough-talking New York tycoon, and his Democratic rival, the career politician Hillary Clinton.

But the subtext – that Trump’s bashing of Muslims, Mexicans and other groups is countered by a Democratic “big tent” to shield all minorities, is increasingly being challenged by those attending the Democratic National Convention (DNC) here in Philadelphia.

While the RNC crowd in Cleveland was whiter, and without a niqab in sight, the politics are not so different at the DNC, Raed Jarrar, a policy analyst at the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker group, told Middle East Eye.

“The optics are different between the DNC and the RNC, which was less diverse, but the actual policies between the two parties are, unfortunately, almost identical,” said Jarrar, a Washington-based blogger.

Jarrar and others highlight the Democratic platform, or manifesto, which continues to prioritise the rights of Israelis over Palestinians, despite the efforts of Clinton’s former Democratic rival, Bernie Sanders, to treat both sides in the decades-old conflict equally.

But what really bugged Muslims this week was Bill Clinton, the Democratic nominee’s husband and former president, who started riffing at the tail-end of an impassioned speech about why Americans should send his wife back to the White House.

“If you’re a Muslim and you love America and freedom and you hate terror, stay here and help us win and make a future together, we want you,” Clinton said, naming the various groups with a stake in a Democrat-led America.

Though seemingly harmless, it jarred with many Muslims because it seemingly accepted an assumption that they must work harder to show patriotism than others – a touchy subject in the wake of post-9/11 racial profiling and police raids on mosques.

FULL ARTICLE FROM MIDDLE EAST EYE

President Obama to Muslim Americans: “You’re a Valued Part of the American Family”

President Barack Obama greets guests during the Eid al-Fitr reception in the East Room of the White House, July 21, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

For Muslims all over the world, Eid al-Fitr marks the end of a holy month of fasting and prayer. As President Obama said in his remarks:

“This is a time of spiritual renewal — a time to reaffirm your duty to serve one another, especially the least fortunate among us. And it’s a time to reflect on the values that guide you in your faith — gratitude, compassion and generosity. And it’s a reminder that those values of Islam — which comes from the word salaam, meaning peace — are universal. They bind us all, regardless of our race or religion or creed, in a common purpose, and that is in our shared commitment to the dignity of every human being.”

The President took the opportunity to reflect on the positive role that Muslim Americans have played in American life:

 

“Today is also another reminder that Muslims have always been a part of America. In colonial times, many of the slaves brought over from Africa were Muslim. We insisted on freedom of religion, in Thomas Jefferson’s words, for, “the Jew and Gentile, the Christian and the Mahometan.” For more than two centuries, Muslim Americans of all backgrounds — Arab and Asian, African and Latino, black and white — have helped build America as farmers and merchants, factory workers, architects, teachers and community leaders…

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE WEB SITE

Muslim-American delegates to DNC celebrated at send-off

By Meg Bernhard GLOBE CORRESPONDENT JULY 22, 2016

WORCESTER— More than two dozen Muslims and local politicians gathered Thursday evening to celebrate the state’s three Muslim delegates to the Democratic National Convention and encourage others in their faith to participate in the political process.

The Second Congressional District is sending two Muslim-American delegates to next week’s convention in Philadelphia: Noman Khanani, 24, of Worcester and Homaira Naseem, 59, of Boylston — both of whom are Bernie Sanders delegates.

The Fifth Congressional District is sending one delegate, Nazda Alam, of Weston.

“For us it really is a milestone, for our capacity,” said Amjad Bhatti, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester, which hosted the event.

Bhatti emphasized that the society does not endorse any political positions or parties, but that it encourages Muslims to get involved in politics, a field within which he thinks they are under-represented.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE BOSTON GLOBE 

Muslim American Voters Could Swing Battleground States

Aline Barros
July 23, 2016 5:05 PM

At an estimated 3.3 million, Muslim Americans represent a small portion of the American population. But the community could play an important role in so-called swing states during the upcoming presidential elections.

When the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington-based rights organization, launched its 2016 Muslims Vote campaign, the goal was to lead 1 million Muslim constituents to the voting booths.

Robert McCaw, director of government affairs at CAIR, said campaign organizers across the nation would work within communities to make sure Islamic community centers have the tools they need to register voters.

According to the Pew Research Center, Muslims represent just 1 to 2 percent of the country’s population, but they tend to live in strategic places — swing states like Florida, Ohio and Virginia.

FULL ARTICLE FROM VOA NEWS 

Christian woman gives £1000 to Muslim family after attack

A Christian woman has donated £1000 to a Muslim family in the UK after learning that their shop was attacked.

Mohammed Riaz, 58, was attacked in Bradford in July 2016 by three people inside his butcher’s shop, Meat Hut. The three attackers – one of whom was later charged with robbery – damaged Riaz’s shop and left him with injuries on the eve of Eid celebrations.Following the attack however, one woman named ‘Jane’ posted a letter to the family enclosed with a cheque for £1,000.

In the letter the woman said: “Dear Mr Riaz, I was so sorry to read in The Telegraph & Argus of the attack on your shop. I am a Christian, and Jesus Christ taught that when we see someone in trouble we should not walk by without helping.

Kanees Riaz, Mohammed’s wife, says she was astonished by the letter, reports indy100:

“We were astonished – we were in tears because of this woman’s kindness – she doesn’t even live in the area. This shows that in the end race and religion doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter at all.”

Speaking of the trauma, Nafeesa Riaz, Mohammed’s daughter said, “We’re all still traumatised but the community and people from all over have shown huge support which has helped us immensely. We had people from all ages and ethnicities. We can never thank everyone enough for what they have done.”

FULL ARTICLE FROM PAKISTAN TODAY

Donald Trump’s leading Muslim supporter may be an army of one

By the time Sajid Tarar took the stage to deliver the closing benediction at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night, many delegates and members of the press had already begun filing out of Cleveland’s Quicken Loans arena.

Day two of the RNC had been an eventful one, with Donald Trump’s official nomination for the White House followed by speeches from his children and past political rivals like Ben Carson and Chris Christie.

But the arrival of perhaps the most unlikely speaker on the RNC dais, a 56-year-old Pakistani immigrant and Muslim Trump supporter, did not go unnoticed. According toreporters inside the venue, a single delegate was heard shouting “no Islam” as Tarar, clad in a silvery bow tie, addressed the crowd.

“Let’s pray,” Tarar said when he reached the podium. “Pray for a strong America, for a safe America. And let’s ask God to make us strong to fight terrorism all over the world.”

FULL ARTICLE FROM YAHOO NEWS 

Christians, Muslims bridge gaps on faith one year after violent rampage

The Interfaith Community of Chattanooga hosted a 50-minute service at the UTC Student Center this afternoon, highlighted by a speech from Mark Siljander.

Siljander, a former U.S. representative and United Nations ambassador, shared his story of coming to learn about the Muslim faith. He said he began his political career as an outspoken proponent of Christianity while at the same time loathing the teachings of Islam.

However, Siljander said, he did not actually know much about the faith until he studied it for himself. He learned that his religion and that of Muslims was not that different, and he hoped to build bridges between the two communities.

He said an earnest attempt to narrow the gap between the two faiths helped solve problems among foreign nations during his political career.
He urged those in attendance to use the July 16 shooting last year to form a closer bond between local Christians and Muslims.

“We want to change the world by changing our own lives first,” he said.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE TIMES FREE PRESS 

Preaching hatred of Islam does not help Christians

Last week, a coalition of mostly far-right Christian organisations hosted a conference in Washington that claimed to be defending persecuted minorities in the Middle East. Given the very real threat facing vulnerable ancient religious communities at the hands of barbarous groups such as ISIL, one might be inclined to commend the organisers. However, an examination of the groups involved and the list of invited speakers shows that the conference’s purposes appear to be dangerously provocative.

Among the featured speakers are a handful of notorious Islamophobes and a strange collection of individuals who claim to have been “radical Muslims” of one stripe or another, all of whom say they have now converted to Christianity and have come forward to tell their conversion stories.

One of the listed headliners was Frank Gaffney who heads an organisation that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) identifies as an “anti-Muslim hate group”. Mr Gaffney is one of the main propagators of the notion that president Barack Obama “may be a Muslim” and that a Hillary Clinton aide, Huma Abedin, is a secret operative of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Another speaker representing an SPLC-listed hate group is retired general William Boykin, a Bush-era Pentagon official who gained notoriety when it was revealed that he had repeatedly compared the Iraq war to the Crusades, boasting that the US/Christian side was bound to win because “our God is bigger than theirs”. Gen Boykin has also said that “Islam is evil” and should not be protected by the First Amendment.

Among the others scheduled to address the event were a number of evangelical preachers, Donald Trump supporters, and Christian missionaries devoted to converting Muslims.

The organisers invited some converts to share their stories. One of them, Tass Saada, claims to have been a PLO sniper until he saw the light and converted to Christianity. He founded the Hope for Ishmael group to encourage other Muslims to convert. Another speaker, Daniel Shayesteh, is an Iranian American who claims to have been an Islamic extremist at the age of 9. He became a Christian and founded the group Exodus from Darkness.

It was especially troubling that a number of conservative Republican Members of Congress and State Department officials were scheduled.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE NATIONAL 

Republicans, Democrats sharply divided over Muslims in America: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Muslim men attend Eid al-Fitr prayers to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in the Queens borough of New York, U.S., July 6, 2016. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Many Americans view Islam unfavorably, and supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump are more than twice as likely to view the religion negatively as those backing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, according to a Reuters/Ipsos online poll of more than 7,000 Americans.

It shows that 37 percent of American adults have a “somewhat unfavorable” or “very unfavorable” view of Islam. This includes 58 percent of Trump supporters and 24 percent of Clinton supporters, a contrast largely mirrored by the breakdown between Republicans and Democrats.

By comparison, respondents overall had an equally unfavorable view of atheism at 38 percent, compared with 21 percent for Hinduism, 16 percent for Judaism and 8 percent for Christianity.

Spokespeople for Trump and Clinton declined to comment.

The poll took place before an attacker on Thursday drove his truck into a holiday crowd in Nice, France, killing more than 80 people in what President Francois Hollande called a terrorist act. Police sources said the driver, while linked to common crimes, was not on a watch list of intelligence services and no Islamist militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The race for the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election has put a spotlight on Americans’ views of Muslims with Trump proposing a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. He repeated the proposal after Omar Mateen, a New York-born Muslim armed with an assault rifle, killed 49 people in an attack on a Florida gay nightclub last month.

FULL ARTICLE FROM REUTERS