Ahmed Rehab and Muslim leaders talk about local Imam’s dismissal from Illinois State Police chaplaincy program due to Islamophobic innuendo

Chicago – The Illinois State Police has revoked the appointment of a prominent cleric to become the department’s first Muslim chaplain.

Israel is often dubbed “the Jewish State” by its supporters, so it is not out of left field to question whether its actions should be taken as a reflection of Jewish values. That is a question ultimately for Jews to answer.
Personally, as a Muslim whose own faith values are often undermined by the misdeeds of [...]

Rather than concern ourselves too much with the actions of others, let’s put our own values to action. If someone wishes to offend, let them knock themselves out trying. Let us instead take the higher ground and appreciate the mercy, love, and other teachings our prophet brought us by making a prayer for him on a day when others go out of their way to ridicule him.

Why must a Muslim person’s faith come up the moment that person breaks through the mainstream in any conceivable way – regardless of relevance or context?
And why does it invariably end up linking that person through multiple degrees of separation to terrorism?
The fact that even a Miss USA could not be spared this exercise in [...]

Times Square, New York:
It is clear that this was a terrorist plot,” said US Attorney General Eric Holder of the recent New York Times Square incident in which a young Pakistani-American attempted but failed to detonate a second grade home-made bomb.
Some reports suggest that Faisal Shahzad, a happily married 30-year-old father of two with a [...]

You can go to war against a people or an entity and that is where Al-Qaeda comes in. So President Obama was correct in stating that we are at war with Al Qaeda, and I would add other imitation groups like Al Qaeda.

Islamic rights advocates say there’s been a rise in the number of threats directed at local Muslims. And some of these threats are being delivered right to their doors. CBS 2’s Mike Puccinelli reports.

When Ahmed Rehab walks up to his suburban home these days it’s with a new sense of awareness. That’s because of what he found waiting for him in his mailbox just a few days ago, a postmarked typewritten hate-filled letter complete with a death threat.

“I’m concerned about national security here, not civil liberties per se, and that’s why I oppose racial profiling. Because from a national security prospective it will not work neither logically nor scientifically.

This guy seemed to have left every clue short of raise his hand and proclaim, “arrest me, I am a terrorist!”

2010-01-07-umar_farouk.jpg Can someone explain to me how he managed to purchase a one way ticket, pay for it in cash, board the plane with no luggage, have his own father report him as a radicalized threat to a CIA base in Nigeria, be denied a visa to the UK where he previously lived and worked, and on top of that be on an active US terror watch list for two years, yet still not be flagged by the system as a security threat?

And can someone explain to me how after those six glaring red flags were missed - not to mention the explosive material in his underwear - the debate today is not about why and how they were missed, but about whether he could have been flagged for being of a certain skin color, hair texture, place of birth, faith, or namesake?

The racial profiling argument is lazy and unimaginative; most of all it is irresponsible because it evades the real problem starring us in the face: a fatal breakdown in communication between our intelligence units. Ironically, this is a problem so troubling that an entire new department, the National Homeland Security Department, was created with the sole mission to address it.

The core of the problem is that Muslims are seen as a Monolith by the media and so when one Muslim commits and act of terror or error, all Muslims are brought to bear for that Act.

CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab talks to Shari Elliker about the failures of racial profiling and the outspokenness of American Muslims in condemning acts of terror.

All terrorists that we have come to know of, who have performed or attempted acts of terrorism on a plane, have actually not been engaged in outward Islamic behavior.

“There are so many indicators in every instance of a potential bombing or an actual terror act that we always have knowledge of. The question is do we act upon it? Are we competent enough to be aware of that or not? In the case of the 19 hijackers of 9/11, we had files on every one of the 19. Condoleezza Rica had those files. Those files were not properly scrutinized. Its not for a lack of intelligence its for a lack of acting on that intelligence in a timely manner.”

“To me, the lesson learned from the potential Christmas Day bombing is that we missed clear red flags and we can’t ignore that and start talking about new measures while the existing measures could have work had we actually implemented them,” says Ahmed Rehab.

“The problem is if you try to hone in on those who look Muslim and I don’t even know what that means in the first place but lets assume were somehow able to figure that out — you are really honing in on 1.4 billion people around the world,” says Ahmed.

Nestle. The United Nations. Rolex. Secure Banking. Toblerone. Yodeling. William Tell. Cowbells. Neutrality. Rousseau. Alpine Skiing. Heidi.

These are a few of the things — mostly pretty — that come to mind when you say “Switzerland.”

But now thanks to a recent popular vote on a controversial referendum, things like “intolerance,” “paranoia,” and “limitations on freedom of religion” have joined the merry list.

Hate crimes are their own class of crime for a very good reason: The enhanced classification and punishment deters people from criminally acting out on their bigotry. It is the government’s obligation to its citizens to take a no-tolerance position on such crimes.

Amal Abusumayah, a 28-year-old American mother of four young girls, was going about her usual shopping when she was randomly treated to a dose of derogatory comments about her faith and ethnic heritage; the offending woman, later identified as 54-year-old Valerie Kenney, referenced Fort Hood. Amal tried to ignore the comments and proceeded to check out at the counter when she felt a sharp pull on her hijab — or headscarf.

Amal Abusumayah was shopping when another customer made hateful comments against Muslims and attempted to pull off Abusumayah’s headscarf.

CAIR-Chicago’s Executive Director, Ahmed Rehab, talks to Al Jazeera’s Riz Khan about how the tragedy of Fort Hood will impact Muslim communities in the US. (Part 1)

CAIR-Chicago’s Executive Director, Ahmed Rehab, talks to Al Jazeera’s Riz Khan about how the tragedy of Fort Hood will impact Muslim communities in the US. (Part 2)

I would love the opportunity to talk about my faith proactively when there isn’t something terrible happening. And everyday, good things are going on, but the one day that something bad happens, that’s when people become interested in our faith and that is troublesome.

Are we doing Islam justice by merely engaging in rituals while failing to allow them to transform our characters and our outlook on life? Can we go on placing emphasis on reading and memorizing the Quran while failing to place the same emphasis on understanding it and allowing its teachings to permeate us and elevate us to a higher standard of humanity? Can we continue to engage in the same petty conflicts and egotistical exploits of those who seek personal gain, evoking Islam and Allah only so far as that seems to validate and legitimize our unholy pursuits? Yes, there certainly is a problem out there, and we Muslims need to be the first to acknowledge it. The solution rests on our shoulders: a humble rediscovery of Islam and a re-prioritization of our approach to our faith.

Pundits often portray Islam as a crazy, murderous cult. Because they rely on the public’s ignorance of Islamic history, culture and contemporary affairs, they do not have to be bothered about their simpleton views being irreconcilable with 1,400 years of solid civilization by Muslims from China to Spain, or with the fact that 7 million American Muslims live among their neighbors in this country as proud, upright citizens.

Ahmed Rehab, clarifies that Hizb ut Tahrir is a marginal organization not representative of the mainstream Muslim community and explains that the vast majority of Muslims value capitalism, citizenship, and civic engagement.

It is no secret that Islam and Muslims remain largely misunderstood in the West, including the United States. This is baffling considering that one study after another reveals that American Muslims are largely integrated on a number of levels in American life. There remain two virgin areas that are crucial to our full integration and in which we are still largely viewed as foreign objects.

Ahmed Rehab debates conservative radio host, John Gibson, on French president’s Sarkozy’s decision to ban the burqa and its implications.

Islam is not a set of empty rituals; Islam teaches us to think outside the box to rediscover ourselves and to realize an immutable path to contentment. The Qur’an is indeed the ultimate psychology handbook. In enjoining us to reflect inwards vis-à-vis the concept of wealth – “if you try to count the blessings of God, you will not be able to calculate them” – the Qur’an revolutionizes the very process of how we assess our wealth portfolios. Since God’s blessings are infinite, everyone is wealthy if they only knew it.

President Obama has so far exhibited unprecedented ambition on the part of a sitting US president to recalibrate the precepts of America’s relationship with Muslims around the world. My hope is that this means venturing beyond oil, conflict resolution and counter terrorism initiatives and into beginning to understand the genuine challenges and aspirations of most citizens in Muslim-majority countries.

Say what you will about the recently exposed Bronx Terror Plot, but please, do not go about weaving fantasy scenarios of how Islam is somehow to blame for criminalizing the terror suspects who were already career criminals long before their conversions — and who displayed only a rudimentary understanding of Islam thereafter.

Ahmed Rehab on The Alan Colmes’ Liberaland radio show, a nationally-syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Fox News Radio, to discuss the Bronx case.

What have the Al Zawahiris of the world who claim to fight in defense of Islam actually done for Muslims or Islam? What have they done to educate the illiterate, feed the hungry, heal the diseased, or boost the quality of life anywhere in the Muslim world?

Instead of guilt-tripping, an alternative approach, one that I would argue is truer to the spirit of Islam, is conscience-building. This necessitates a return to intellectual stimulation, a cornerstone of the bygone golden ages that seems to have virtually vanished from Islamic early education the world over, only to be replaced by a cacophony of anxious teachers and parents dishing blind - if well-intended - orders and admonishments.

Islam is culturally neutral in that it is compatible to any culture on the planet. It is a global faith, not a regional faith. It is ill-advised to marry Islam to the Middle-East while divorcing it from the West, Japan, the Caribbean islands, or anywhere else in the world. Islam in its pure form is foreign to none, and native to all.

Have you ever wondered why some countries are modern and prosperous while others remain poor and stagnant? There are obviously many factors to consider; but what is the defining pattern, the tipping point? In other words, what are the ingredients that are present without exception in developed nations, and missing without exception in developing nations?

Ahmed Rehab discusses the recent forwarding of an anti-Muslim email by a public official in Frankfort, Illinois. The email, sent around by Frankfort Township Assessor Paul Ruff, is said to have made comments that chastised immigrants for “diluting sovereignty and our national identity,” and suggested that residents who don’t agree with the Christian motto “In God We Trust” should leave the country. [Video]

I am not drawn to Obama for any other reason but his political outlook, one that brings me hope that we can move beyond divisiveness and polarization and toward a new unity for the common good. So it is not that I am offended as a Muslim that Obama would not want to be one; I couldn’t care less. I am casting a vote for the next president of the United States, not the next imam of my mosque.

CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab debates Glenn Beck and Zhudi Jasser on allowing the accommodation of Ramadan for Muslim students along with Christmas for Christian students in an Oak Lawn, Illinois public school. [Video]

Ahmed Rehab joins Academics, Government Officials and other experts to discuss what is left to be done in response to 9/11.The idea of more security and less freedom has left the nation divided. [Video]

Ahmed Rehab and others comment on Islam five years after 9/11.

Rehab joins other Experts to express concern with the spike in subtle and severe hate crimes towards American Muslims after 9/11. Several Muslim Americans share what Chicago area Muslims are faced with everyday. Part Three.

Differing views are presented as Rehab joins a panel of experts to discuss the causes, effects and effective ways to counter terrorism. [Video]

Rehab joins a panel of experts to discuss the fifth year anniversary of 9/11 and how its event has changed us as a nation over the years.

Rehab reacts to pope Benedict as he seeks to build bridges with the Muslim World after his controversial statements concerning Islam and Prophet Muhammad.

Ahmed Rehab responds to Imams being evicted from US Airways flight

Ahmed Rehab was invited by the University of Chicago to review the first Chapter of Prof. Michael Sells’ Jihad and Crusade: Religion and Violence after the Cold War

Ahmed Rehab’s appearance on the BBC World’s HARDtalk. HARDtalk, hosted by the BBC’s Stephen Sackur, is a fast-paced and confrontational current affairs program that reaches hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. It is recorded live in the BBC studios in London. [Video]

Ahmed Rehab and the Chicago Tribune’s Eric Zorn debate the Danish Cartoons, Terrorism, Islam & the West and much more.

Muslims would do well to consider empty expressions of rage as a personal insult to the Prophet, whose emphasis on contemplation and positive solutions catapulted his community from the margins of civilization to a resplendent center of innovation and achievement. We Muslims have to reassess our commitment to our faith and values, realizing that these values take priority over symbolic gestures, as important as they may be.