Muslims for America

RAMADAN MIRACLE

mfa — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:42:29 +0000

Our website went down towards the end of July.

Some friends of the website thought it was foul play. I thought it was due to to some misinformation to our web-server. Either way we were not even lost on the Web we were totally missing out of cyber space. Due to the efforts our web master and a lot of hard work we finally are back. For me this is a Ramadan Miracle, For our foes, let this be a message, you can’t stop us from doing our good works. Muslimsforamerica.us has always been on the forefront of American Muslim Public Relations and we remain the ready to that always, regardless of if our website is on or off.

Thanks to all our friends who waited patiently for us to come back.

Since we were off the web so long it gave me time to think. Technology has changed so much since our website started that its time to update.

As we plan our changes please let us know what we can do to make the website more suited to your needs. Send emails and messages as soon as you can.

Thank You

Seeme Hasan –

Times Square Rally Demonstrating Interfaith Solidarity Community Leaders, Local Officials, and Religious Leaders Protest the Targeting of American Muslims and Arabs in Upcoming Congressional Hearings

mfa — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:36:39 +0000

New York – On Sunday March 6, 2011, a broad coalition of over 75 interfaith, nonprofit, governmental, and civil liberties groups will rally in support of equitable civil rights for all Americans.

This coalition has been formed in response to upcoming Congressional hearings led by Peter King (R-LI) which slight the civil rights of Muslim and Arab Americans. Mr. King and his chosen expert witness Zuhdi Jazzer share a history of repeating incorrect and distorted views of the Muslim and Arab communities of the United States, engendering divisions and perpetuating stereotypes. As invested Americans, Coalition members acknowledge the important work of the Congressional Committee on Homeland Security. However, they are concerned that the hearings will send the wrong message and alienate American Muslims instead of partnering with them, potentially putting their lives at risk by inciting fear and enmity against them. Organizers of this rally believe one can be a loyal Muslim as well as a loyal American without conflict, and a great number of our fellow Americans support this view,

On 1 February 2011, various groups joined together to send a letter to House Majority and Minority Leaders John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi, protesting the bias evident in King’s hearings. Hundreds of civil liberties groups have signed letters opposing the hearings as they are currently planned, including a petition circulated by Faith in Public Life.

Many leading religious leaders are alarmed at the demonization of an entire community. Rabbi Burt Visotsky has said the proposed hearings “are of deep concern” and that he would not “like it any more than if Congress were to investigate the Jewish community for dual loyalty with Israel; it’s inappropriate. Terrorism is real, and some terrorists are Muslim and some are not. When he (King) makes it sound like terrorism is a tenet of Islam, that is wrong.” Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU) has suggested that the hearings should be “broadened in such a way that other ethnic communities and faith communities can attest to the tremendous contribution and solidarity that American Muslims have for our country.” In the spirit of such statements, the rally is centered around the slogan “Today, I Am a Muslim, Too” where Muslim and non-Muslim alike will join in solidarity and compassion. Rally-goers will stand together against bigotry caused by anxiety, misinformation, and ignorance, to show Congress a united American community which seeks to strengthen - not dilute - our bonds of friendship and trust.

Scheduled to speak at the rally thus far are: Russell Simmons, Rabbi Marc Schneier (FFEU), Imam Shamsi Ali (Islamic Cultural Center), Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf (Cordoba Initiative), Rev. Bob Chase (Intersections), Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein (Central Synagogue), Katherine Henderson (Auburn Theological Seminary), Rev. Chloe Breyer (Interfaith Center of New York), Bawa Jain (The Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders, United Nations), Rev. Amandus J. Derr (St. Peter’s Church), and many other religious, community, and political leaders. There will also be a performance by Junoon’s UN goodwill ambassador, Salman Ahmad.

Conservative Political Action Conference 2011

mfa — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:23:22 +0000

Dear Fellow Conservative Republicans

Welcome to CPAC.

This year’s annual Conservative Political Action Conference 2011 is scheduled for this week, February 10th - 12th in Washington DC.

As usual we will have a booth in the big hall, right next to the book signing tables. Please try to visit our booth.

Unfortunately this year I won’t be able to attend because I had surgery, but we will have some wonderful people there representing Muslims for America. They will be happy to answer any questions.

Visit our CPAC Webpage

Feel free to leave comments about CPAC and leave us any questions that are on your mind and we will answer them as soon as we can.

I look forward to meeting you next year. Have a great weekend and have a safe journey home.

Best Wishes.

Mrs Seeme Hasan

Chairman and Co Founder of Muslims For America.

WHERE DO I START?

mfa — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:16:59 +0000

The holy month of Ramadan is supposed to be for fasting, praying and contemplating your past life mistakes and you future life resolves. This Ramadan I was not able to do anything, cause I spent the entire month listening to news, raising my blood pressure and eating my comfort food Hagan Daz Chocolate Ice Cream.

Sure I put on weight. Of course I visited my physician complaining of stress. Most of all I spent the month miserable.

The month started with news of floods in Pakistan. The story got worst by the day. It has been almost two months and people are still hungry, thirsty, sick and slowly dying. Over one million homes have been lost and almost twenty million people have been displaced. How does a struggling Country feed twenty million people on a daily basis and build them homes and roads and bridges, in a matter of months? People in Pakistan feel God was sending them a message. These floods they feel were biblical in nature.

The Koran burning I did not care about as much. Of course it hurt, but my attitude was go ahead and burn the Koran. After all it’s just pages. The real Koran lives in the hearts of Muslims and some even know it by memory. The paper is not important, its the message which we all know. I did write an op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor, saying the result of this IL-conceived action would be to put our soldiers in harms way and cause problems for Christians who live in Muslim Counties.

The Minister was so ignorant; he did not even know his own Bible. He kept saying the Bible tells me Koran is bad. The only problem is the Koran came 700 years after the Bible, so how could the Bible have mentioned Koran being bad. As we Muslims are a minority here in America, Christian’s are a minority in the Muslim world. They live in constant fear. Something like Koran burning would have led to church burning.

The Islamic Center, which has been mislabeled as the Mosque at Ground Zero I did care about. Anyone who opposed the Mosque/Islamic Center was clearly being a bigot. These people have not cared for the last 9 years what was happening at Ground Zero. They don’t care that the area has been economically depressed. Stores are closed. The center would bring in much needed revenues, jobs and prosperity.

The best thing was to let the local zoning boards and city planners decide what to develop in that area and what not to develop.

My issue is that the moment we accept moving the center then we are accepting that Islam had something to do with 9/11. The religion of Islam had nothing to do with 9/11. As far as I am concerned, people say the hijackers were Muslim but I don’t believe that. Anyone who was drinking, womanizing, sitting in clubs and planning to kill innocent Human beings had stopped being a Muslim. They were terrorist and animals at that point they had no religion will never allow those people to be connected to me.

Let’s not forget another Ramadan news special. Majority of Republicans think President Obama is a Muslim. No matter how many times we say 9/11 hijackers were not Muslim’s cause they were not practicing the religion but no one listens. Poor President Obama, no matter how many times he says he is not a Muslim no one cares or at least majority of Republicans don’t care. So it was obvious certain people would rather believe ugly website’s like jihad.com, who spew hate and tell total lies, rather then believe their own President. He did place his hand on a Bible and took and Oath. Never mind that is just a side issue he truly is a MUZLUM.

Of course the Ramadan month ended with stories of Mosques were being burned, and Muslims were being asked to dig graves and take their dead out. Could it get any worse? I hope not.

I am headed to talk to the President. Maybe he should do the President George Bush thing. Go to the Washington, DC Mosque. Take of his shoes. Stand in his stocking feet and say, “We are not at War with Islam”.

We are all at War with ourselves. Maybe we should put our time and efforts into making America prosperous again and not worry about the Faiths and Beliefs of People. After all this is America and we have Freedom of Religion.

A Plea for Pakistan Flood Victims

mfa — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 20:39:57 +0000

The Floods in Pakistan are overwhelming. Day after day I have watched right here in Colorado the various Pakistani Television Channels. Not only is there water everywhere but also it is pushing hard with real force. How does a Country deal with millions of people becoming homeless? When I say homeless, it means they have lost everything including future earnings.

Right now the government says they need tents. After that they will need water, medicines, clothes and a promise of future help to rebuild their homes and their lives.

Today Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will make another plea to the people of United States to give more contributions to the people of Pakistan just by using your cell phone. Angelina Jolie, bless her heart, has already given a hundred thousand dollars. My daughter used her cell phone and gave ten dollars. I am planning on doing the same.

What has made me very comfortable is the announcement that Imran Khan and Mir Khalil Ur Rehman Foundation have formed a fund to receive funds and then to organize help and goods to send to all affected areas? This is a big challenge but if anyone can do it Imran Khan can. I am actually trying to get in touch with him to offer my services here in United States to help the fund. Also wire transferring my larger contribution to the fund.

I request our members and friends in this Ramadan give generously to help the flood ravaged people of Pakistan.

Imran launches drive for flood affectees

ISLAMABAD – Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, has announced launching of Imran Khan Flood Relief drive to provide immediate relief to flood affectees and ensure their complete rehabilitation. Imran announced this while speaking to the media persons here at National Press Club. He emphasised that this drive of unprecedented proportions spanning domestic and international fund-raising would provide relief and ensure complete rehabilitation of the affectees. READ FULL ARTICLE >>

Ramadan Kareem Mubarik!

mfa — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 16:59:32 +0000

Dear American Muslims - Ramadan Kareem Mubarik! Last night our family got together and opened our IFTAR with a wonderful meal and conversations. It was exciting to know that at the same time American Muslims all around America were sitting down with their loved ones to share their Iftar Dinner. We would like to wish all our friends and members a blessed month of Ramadan and may all your Prayers come true and may God accept your sacrifices this month.

Please read the wonderful statement from President Obama on this auspicious occasion. In continuing President George W Bush’s tradition of recognizing Ramadan and wishing Muslims, all around the World, a great month of Ramadan, President Obama has added another tradition of his own - having the first Iftar dinner at the White house with American Muslims and Muslims in the White House Staff.

watch video

Remarks of President Barack Obama

Ramadan Message

Washington, DC

On behalf of the American people – including Muslim communities in all fifty states – I want to extend best wishes to Muslims in America and around the world. Ramadan Kareem.

Ramadan is the month in which Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, beginning with a simple word – iqra. It is therefore a time when Muslims reflect upon the wisdom and guidance that comes with faith, and the responsibility that human beings have to one another, and to God.

Like many people of different faiths who have known Ramadan through our communities and families, I know this to be a festive time – a time when families gather, friends host iftars, and meals are shared. But I also know that Ramadan is a time of intense devotion and reflection – a time when Muslims fast during the day and perform tarawih prayers at night, reciting and listening to the entire Koran over the course of the month. These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings.

For instance, fasting is a concept shared by many faiths – including my own Christian faith – as a way to bring people closer to God, and to those among us who cannot take their next meal for granted. And the support that Muslims provide to others recalls our responsibility to advance opportunity and prosperity for people everywhere. For all of us must remember that the world we want to build – and the changes that we want to make – must begin in our own hearts, and our own communities.

This summer, people across America have served in their communities – educating children, caring for the sick, and extending a hand to those who have fallen on hard times. Faith-based organizations, including many Islamic organizations, have been at the forefront in participating in this summer of service. And in these challenging times, this is a spirit of responsibility that we must sustain in the months and years to come.

Beyond America’s borders, we are also committed to keeping our responsibility to build a world that is more peaceful and secure. That is why we are responsibly ending the war in Iraq. That is why we are isolating violent extremists while empowering the people in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. That is why we are unyielding in our support for a two-state solution that recognizes the rights of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. And that is why America will always stand for the universal rights of all people to speak their mind, practice their religion, contribute fully to society and have confidence in the rule of law. All of these efforts are a part of America’s commitment to engage Muslims and Muslim-majority nations on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect. And at this time of renewal, I want to reiterate my commitment to a new beginning between America and Muslims around the world.

As I said in Cairo, this new beginning must be borne out in a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek common ground. I believe an important part of this is listening, and in the last two months, American embassies around the world have reached out not just to governments, but directly to people in Muslim-majority countries. From around the world, we have received an outpouring of feedback about how America can be a partner on behalf of peoples’ aspirations.

We have listened. We have heard you. And like you, we are focused on pursuing concrete actions that will make a difference over time – both in terms of the political and security issues that I have discussed, and in the areas that you have told us will make the most difference in peoples’ lives. These consultations are helping us implement the partnerships that I called for in Cairo – to expand education exchange programs; to foster entrepreneurship and create jobs; and to increase collaboration on science and technology, while supporting literacy and vocational learning. We are also moving forward in partnering with the OIC and OIC member states to eradicate polio, while working closely with the international community to confront common health challenges like H1N1 – which I know is of particular to concern to many Muslims preparing for the upcoming hajj.

All of these efforts are aimed at advancing our common aspirations – to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God. It will take time and patient effort. We cannot change things over night, but we can honestly resolve to do what must be done, while setting off in a new direction – toward the destination that we seek for ourselves, and for our children. That is the journey that we must travel together.

I look forward to continuing this critically important dialogue and turning it into action. And today, I want to join with the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world – and your families and friends – in welcoming the beginning of Ramadan, and wishing you a blessed month. May God’s peace be upon you.

Condemn Car Bomb Attempt in Times Square

mfa — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:34:23 +0000

We at Muslims For America are relived that this Car Bomb failed. Just like tourists from all over the World, Times Square is our favorite place to visit. A trip to Manhattan is not complete without visiting the Time Square area. We Thank God that People’s lives were saved and infra structure was not destroyed. Kudos to New York Police and New York Fire and Bomb Squad. We thank them for their hard work.

We also condemn this attempt to hurt people and destroy lives and families and buildings and cities. These people are terrorists. These people are not people of Faith. They are deranged individuals who are supported financially by hateful characters. These people do hate our freedoms but also hate our success. They hate our courage. They hate our Spirit’s and Strength’s. They will never succeed. They will ultimately fail as did their bomb.

We also condemn what is happening to Muslims World Wide by these people. Everyday these people conduct suicide bombings and kill Muslims by the dozens in various countries especially Pakistan. We just heard the latest number is over nine thousand Pakistanis have died since these suicide attacks started.

We need to annihilate these people and I am positive that we will. Our great Armed Forces and our Law Enforcement can and will do the job.

We stand with those who watch over us and protect us on a daily basis. We thank all our Law Enforcement and All our Armed Forces. May God Bless them. May God Bless US. May God keep the entire Nation Safe and Sound. Thank You.

Our three faiths are much closer than we realize.

mfa — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:03:31 +0000

The famous New York Times journalist Maureen Dowd recently visited Saudi Arabia. You can read her columns on the New York Times website. The one column that truly got my attention was headlined,”Inshallah”, Arabic meaning “God Willing”. Here are the last few sentences of the column.

“When I got home, I went to the Imax theater at the Smithsonian and bought a ticket to “Journey to Mecca.” I was surprised when the movie said that the Kaaba was built by “Abraham, the father of the Jews” — a reminder that the faiths have a lot to learn from each other. We can’t afford to be too closed even in our most sacred spaces.”

read full article > Pilgrim Non Grata in Mecca

Wow I could not believe that Maureen Dowd did not know that the Kaaba was built by Abraham. If Maureen who is a world traveler and educated does not know this fact, then why would we American Muslims expect everyone else in America to know about this.

Maureen Dowd is correct that the faiths have a lot to learn from each other. As a Muslim, I not only try but all I have to do is read my Holy Book The Koran and can read about Moses and The Jews. I can also in the Koran read about Jesus and the Christians. I feel very close to the two religions and I respect the two religions because my religion asks me to.

I wish the Jews and Christians would try to learn a little about my religion. After all, my religion was in a way started by Abraham’s first son Ishameel.

Our three faiths are much closer than we realize.

A friend of mine said to me, I am comfortable with people of other faiths because they believe their Freedoms come from God and not a man or a government. That is a start. We all need to come together because there is a great deal of common ground in out three faiths.

Seeme Hasan

What’s on Muslims’ Minds around the world

mfa — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:06:11 +0000

Whenever I want to check what is on the minds of Muslims around the world, I like to visit www.islamonline.net

I have always thought they were doing a great job of informing us on important issues. I always like to read two sources to confirm something is true or close to true. I have always wondered about this site and then I read a blog today that shed more light on this website.

Nabil Echchaibi who lives in Boulder, Colorado and is an Assistant Professor in the school of Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder also writes a blog. In his latest blog he talks about the website. You are welcome to read his exact words below.

I agree with him, we should encourage more Muslim media so there can be more discussion by Muslims about their religion.

There are some organizations and people in United States whose mission is to discredit anything Muslim. My message to those people and organizations is - Tolerance is better than Hate. Instead of lecturing to Muslims, let them debate amongst themselves their issues and their problems. This is a better way of letting people come to much needed conclusions. Happy Spring everyone.

IslamOnline Journalists Risk Mass Firing March 17, 2010

If you visited IslamOnline recently, you may have found dead links to many articles and fatwa answers. That’s because hundreds of workers in the site’s editorial office in Cairo have been staging walkouts and sit-ins accusing their managers in Qatar of plotting to replace them with a team of religious hardliners. The managers are allegedly unhappy about a recent trend at the site to run more articles and advice columns about social issues, art, and youth-related topics. IslamOnline has become over the years an important reference stop for thousands of Muslims who are looking for pragmatic answers to practical questions ranging from relationships and homosexuality to banking and parenting. In the last few months, the site has loosened its range of topics even more by including reviews of films, articles on Valentine’s Day and sexuality, and giving reformist Muslims a larger space. This is apparently not what the managers had signed up for, prompting them to adopt cheap censorship measures like shutting down the site’s servers and changing the passwords so the editors in Cairo can’t update the content.

This is precisely why I’m a big supporter of Muslim media because a growing audience forces content producers to explore and accommodate alternative views, ultimately enriching the discussion about what constitutes Islam today. The more Islam is discussed, the more likely its boundaries (often set by rigid interpretations of the texts) will be relaxed. This of course is not always a sure bet, but as the evolution of IslamOnline shows, you can objectify the dogmas and start asking tougher questions. The despicable censoring tactics of the site’s managers are so 20th century. The Web is full of reformist Muslims (the journalists at IslamOnline are actually the least progressive of the bunch), and the interpretation wars of Islam are already underway online. There is nothing these conservative managers can do to stop that.

Sounds Of Faith.

mfa — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:12:53 +0000

Happy Easter to everyone.

On Sunday Night PBS will show a one hour film of a concert celebrating the interconnection and diversity of Sacred Sounds in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

While world events often divide communities, members of the Abrahamic faiths in Chicago have drawn together to explore the common ground of sacred sound. Sounds of Faith - Chicago documents a remarkable event which took place in November 2009 at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, on the campus of the University of Chicago. Against the architectural and acoustic backdrop of a space designed for inter-religious inquiry and introduced by journalist Bill Kurtis, 250 leading practitioners and artists shared joyful and meditative sounds ranging from shofar and tar to sacred recitation and chant and the swelling calls of choir, organ, and bells.

Conceived by Dr. Shakeela Hassan — professor emeritus of anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Chicago — as a means for sharing ideas of sound, rhythm and movement to build mutual respect between the interfaith communities of Jews, Christians and Muslims, Sounds of Faith.

Shakeela is my friend and someone I look up to for her dedication to the cause of Multi Faith. I thank her for her time and dedication to this cause. Shakeela is also showing through her activities every day how moderate American Muslims are trying to show the true image of the religion of Islam.

I would ask everyone to try to take the time to see this show.

Thank you.

Sunday, April 4, 2010, at 6:00 pm Central Time on WTTW 11 (PBS Chicago)