We have seen the local Muslim population hold open houses and news conferences when the Islam faith is put under the microscope. Wednesday is the fourth annual "Sharing Ramadan"
We have seen the local Muslim population hold open houses and news conferences when the Islam faith is put under the microscope. Wednesday is the fourth annual "Sharing Ramadan"
CAIR-Missouri was invited by ING to speak on a webinar about engaging interfaith work during the blessed month of Ramadan.
Facilitated by ING Interfaith Coordinator Kate Chance, this webinar explored the various ways that mosques, Muslims, and their allies can engage in interfaith work during Ramadan, with a particular focus on inviting other faiths to participate in Ramadan events. We heard from Ameena Jandali of Islamic Networks Group – ING , Faizan Syed from CAIR-St. Louis, Jeff Eagan from Se7enfast, and Tim Brauhn from ING (representing Shoulder-to-Shoulder ).
To read the full story click here: https://ing.org/how-to-engage-in-interfaith-work-during-ramadan-know-your-neighbor-webinar/
Webinar speakers include CAIR-Missouri Executive Director Faizan Syed, CAIR-Georgia Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, and CAIR National Chapter Director Lori Saroya.
The webinar will offer advice on forming a "Fast Forward" committee, a template for an iftar media advisory, advice on reaching out to local media, a sample advertisement for the event, text for a "Welcome to Our Ramadan Fast Forward Interfaith Iftar" brochure, frequently-asked questions about Ramadan, and a sample event program.
Ramadan is the month on the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims abstain from food, drink and other sensual pleasures from break of dawn to sunset. The fast is performed to learn discipline, self-restraint and generosity, while obeying God's commandments. Fasting (along with the declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity, and pilgrimage to Mecca) is one of the "five pillars" of Islam.
Faizan Syed is the executive director of the Missouri Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a grassroots civil rights and advocacy group that works to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America. Mr. Sayed joins us on the line from his office in St. Louis;
Robert West is CAIR-Missouri's Civil Rights Staff Attorney; and
Frederick Lawrence is a lawyer, civil liberties scholar and CEO of The Phi Beta Kappa Society, a Washington, DC-based honor society that promotes excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. He is the author of Punishing Hate: Bias Crimes Under American Law. In the 1980s, Lawrence served as the Chief of the Civil Rights Unit in the Office of the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, working under then-US Attorney Rudolph Giuliani. Mr. Lawrence has also served as dean of the George Washington University law school, and as President of Brandeis University. He is currently a Senior Research Scholar and Visiting Professor of Law at the Yale Law School...
Read Full Interview: http://wypr.org/post/hate-crime-soars-can-our-laws-ensure-justice
Almost exactly one year later, nine Muslim-Americans, all St. Louisans, show up at CAIR Missouri's main office in Chesterfield. The time for donuts is over. With Trump elected, and Muslim-majority countries targeted in a series of immigration crackdowns, CAIR and its staff are convinced they need to up the ante. Instead of just earning positive media coverage, they're seeking a way to truly engage with the people who distrust them. They're not looking for converts. They just need a truce.
The group assembled at CAIR's St. Louis headquarters this Thursday have come in response to a call for auditions to join the organization's team of "Muslim speakers," a role that will have them speaking not only to classrooms or interfaith conferences, but potentially before crowds with little exposure to Islam outside of Fox News. Both secular and religious Muslims are among those auditioning, including a veiled elementary school teacher and a retired engineer who identifies as Muslim but who was also baptized, decades ago, as a college student.
Read Full Article: http://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/st-louis-muslims-are-seeking-open-minds-or-even-just-a-truce/Content?oid=5000841