AHA Foundation to release report on Freedom of speech November 25th, 2010
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November 8, 2010
We will be releasing a report on November 25th regarding the immense pressure of political Islam on the freedom of expression in the West. The report demonstrates how through means of actual physical violence, threats and intimidation, legal action, and political pressure, political Islamists are targeting freedom of expression. Follow the AHA Foundation's Facebook feed (  ) or the website for more details. | | Ayaan: Proposal that Islam is Tolerant is Fallacious, Dangerous |
October 26, 2010
Though most Muslims are tolerant and peace-loving, Islam itself is not a religion of tolerance, Ayaan Hirsi Ali asserted at the National Press Club on October 25: "Islam is more than a religion, it does have a spiritual dimension, but there is another dimension to Islam--a political dimension."
Though an atheist, Hirsi Ali has advocated for the conversion of Muslims to Christianity. Clarifying her position on Monday, she said she supported "opening up the competition." "Given the fact that this is almost a losing battle because we are not taking them (Muslims) on ... and given the fact that there are very moderate Christians who offer that combination of a spiritual satisfaction with modernity and the respect and sacredness of life, liberty and human rights, I think it would be wrong and neglectful not to involve Christians to go after that demography of 1.57 billion Muslims who today, I think, many of them are seeking a concept of God and are now only getting Allah." Read more here. | | GW University starts female-only swim hours |
October 18, 2010
At George Washington University, the Muslim Students' Association and the University opened up "Sisters' Splash," a female-only hour at the pool.
Every week, GW plans to close the HelWell pool to men and will cover the glass door with a dark tarp, giving female Muslim students the chance to swim at their leisure.
Students such as Saudi Arabian native Zainah Khan are pleased with the gender segregation measure.
The University also hired a female lifeguard to be on duty for each week's event. Aliya Karim, the social chair of the MSA's women's group, said the organization made the effort to coordinate the swimming hour so fellow Muslims would feel comfortable in the pool.
"Personally, I would only want to go when just girls are there," Karim, who is also a [George Washington University newspaper] Hatchet photographer, said. "Religious values always define us," Noor said. "Although I wouldn't really mind, it would be satisfying to me religiously to swim only with girls."
Valdez Williams, the operations manager of the gym, said the University helped the MSA coordinate the weekly swim hour because GW wanted to make the girls feel comfortable. Williams said the University would try to schedule one hour each week for the female students to have private access. | | Certain US based Islamist groups moving from ideology to action |
November 2, 2010
Followers of the outspoken United States-based groups Revolution Muslim and the Islamic Thinkers Society are moving from ideology to violent action, a review of recent terror indictments by the Investigative Project on Terrorism shows.
Read more here. | FBI agent concerned over Islamic fundamentalists in U.S.
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October 23, 2010
FBI officials who arrested a Jordanian man plotting to blow up a Dallas skyscraper offer a different portrayal of the apologetic young man who spoke politely to a judge during his two day sentencing hearing.
FBI officials told the Associated Press that 20-year-old Hosam Smadi believed he was committing an act on the scale of the September 11th attacks and would get away with it.
After the successful prevention of the attack, one question still bothers agents assigned to the case: "How many Hosam Smadis are out there that we don't know about? If a person like that lives in Italy, Texas, where are the others?" asked one agent. Read more here. | Questionable appointments at DHS
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October 21, 2010
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's appointment of "de-radicalization" expert Mohamed Elibiary to the Homeland Security Advisory Council earlier this month has thus far drawn little attention from Congress or the media, despite his record of criticizing successful terrorism prosecutions and praising Islamist ideologue Sayyid Qutb.
Elibiary recommended the writings of Qutb, who is credited with inspiring the Muslim Brotherhood and terrorist groups like al Qaida and Hamas, as offering "the potential for a strong spiritual rebirth that's truly ecumenical allowing all faiths practiced in America to enrich us and motivate us to serve God better by serving our fellow man more". | Grandmother and boyfriend charged with kidnapping for allegedly taking 13-year-old granddaughter to Islamic compound
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October 25, 2010
While her son was at a bachelor party in September, a Coldwater (Michigan) woman and her long-time boyfriend went to the man's Jackson home and took his 13-year-old daughter, Sarah Smith: without permission from Sarah's father, they then headed toward Coldwater, where Annette Smith and Palmore have a trailer in an Islamic compound, Mary Smith testified. Read more here. | | NPR Ends Williams' Contract After Muslim Remarks |
October 21, 2010
NPR News has terminated the contract of longtime news analyst Juan Williams after remarks he made on the Fox News Channel about Muslims. Watch the full debate here. | | Oklahoma voters ban judges from considering Islamic law when deciding cases |
November 2, 2010
Oklahoma voters have approved a measure that would forbid judges from considering international law or Islamic law when deciding cases: State Rep. Rex Duncan, the sponsor of the measure, called it a "pre-emptive strike" designed to close the door on activist judges "legislating from the bench or using international law or Sharia law." Read more here. | | Irish FGM bill due shortly
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November 4, 2010
The text of the new Irish Criminal Justice Female Genital Mutilation Bill is being finalised, the Minister for Health has confirmed.
While female genital mutilation is not thought to be widely practised in Ireland, it has been estimated from the 2006 Census that more than 2,500 migrant women living here have been subjected to it, according to AkiDwA, the African and migrant women's network. The group says that legislation would send out an important signal internationally against the practice. | | Religious demands rise in French state schools: study |
November 5, 2010
Muslim school students and parents in France are increasingly making religious demands on the state school system that teachers should rebuff by explaining the country's secular principles, according to an official report created by the High Council for Integration.
"It is becoming difficult for teachers to resist religious pressures," said the report.
Teachers often faced objections when they taught courses about world religions, the Holocaust or France's war in Algeria, or discussed events related to Israel and the Palestinians or American military actions in Muslim countries. "Teachers regularly find that Muslim parents refuse to have their children learn about Christianity," according to the report, as "some think it amounts to evangelization"; and "Anti-Semitism surfaces during courses about the Holocaust, such as inappropriate jokes and refusals to watch films" about Nazi concentration camps, the report said, with "tensions often [coming] from pupils who identify themselves as Muslims." Read more here. | | Informal "Honor Police" Use Taxis as Patrol Cars in Norway
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November 1, 2010
In Norway, informal "Honor Police" use taxis as patrol cars: "Our experience is that many of the girls are afraid to take a taxi," says Gunnar Svensson of the Oslo Police. | | German government to criminalise forced marriages |
October 27, 2010
The German government agreed Wednesday to make forced marriages a specific, punishable criminal offense, punishable by up to five years in prison.
Under current legislation, a forced marriage can only be prosecuted under the technicality of coercion; each year, around 1,000 female victims of forced marriages approach outreach centres in Germany, according to advocacy group Terre des Femmes. Read more here. | Survey reveals Muslim attitudes to polygamy |
October 26, 2010
SingleMuslim dot com, an online interactive community of more than 500,000 members seeking potential marriage partners, recently polled its members to find out what they think about polygamy: the results revealed Tuesday show that 26 per cent of people who completed the survey believe that polygamy is legal with Islam and that all Muslims have the right to practise polygamy if they choose to (73 per cent of respondents to this question were male, with just 27 per cent of female respondents selecting this view). Read more here. | Woman dies after becoming human fireball in street in Bradford (UK)
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October 16, 2010
A young Pakistani woman in Bradford (UK) who was believed to have been pregnant burnt to death after she was set alight in a quiet cul-de-sac.
Neighbours say the victim was four or five months pregnant arrived in the country earlier this year and was rarely seen outside her home. | | Edinburg's hidden numbers of forced marriage victims |
October 13, 2010
Dozens of women in Edinburgh could be secret victims of forced marriages every year, it emerged today; the warning comes with the release of the first report by the Direct Approach network, a partnership between police and organisations representing ethnic minority women. | | British charity is planning a campaign to help professionals to spot people at risk |
October 25, 2010
A charity supporting victims of forced marriage and "honour-related" violence is planning a campaign in Bradford to help professionals to spot signs of risk: the initiative, aimed at teachers, police officers, health officials and those working in social services, youth work and housing, is organised by Karma Nirvana which runs a helpline. Read more here. | | Ontario (Canada) Court says niqabs at trial to be decided case by case |
October 14, 2010
Ontario's highest court has set out a framework allowing judges to decide on a case-by-case basis if women can wear religious head coverings that obscure their faces while testifying.
The Ontario Court of Appeal also lays down the bottom line on the issue: "If, in the specific circumstances, the accused's fair trial right can be honoured only by requiring the witness to remove the niqab, the niqab must be removed if the witness is to testify." | | Geert Wilders trial faces restart after judges dismissed |
October 22, 2010
The trial of Geert Wilders on charges of inciting racial hatred against Muslims will have begin all over again after the controversial Dutch anti-Islam politician won an appeal to have his judges sacked for bias: the trial took a new twist after allegations emerged that a judge may have tried to pressure one of the defence witnesses, retired Professor of Arabic studies Hans Jansen, at a dinner party. | | German university launches training for imams |
October 13, 2010
A pilot program at the University of Osnabrueck (Germany) started in early October to train imams--not only in the German language but also to steer them to preach about Islam in a way consistent with Germany's democratic values and religious tolerance.
It comes at a time of growing concern about some young German Muslims becoming radicalized in extremist mosques and turning to terrorism. | | Brothers arrested over string of recent 'honor killings' in Lod (Israel) |
October 21, 2010
Two brothers from Ramle, Ramadan and Khaled Musrati, were arrested yesterday on suspicion of involvement in four recent murders in the city of Lod (Israel).
Police suspect the two were hired hit men in a string of so-called 'honor killings,' offering their services to locals who wanted to attack their family members. | Is Islam a religion of peace?
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October 6, 2010
Ayaan Hirsi Ali argues against the argument that Islam is a religion of peace in a debate organized by Intelligence Squared. With Douglas Murray, Ayaan debated Zeba Khan and Maajid Nawaz. Watch the lively debate here. | Author Salman Rushdie comments on appearance of Cat Stevens at large DC Rally
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October 31, 2010
Author Salman Rushdie has commented on Yusuf Islam's cameo at the Stewart rally in Washington. Read more here. | Non-Western news of interest
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| | Agony for girls as culture of silence fuels FGM in Kenya |
November 2, 2010
A conspiracy of silence and traditional beliefs continue to fuel the circumcision of girls - some of them nursery school children - in Tana River County in Kenya. There, uncircumcised girls are perceived as children, and therefore unmarriageable, which has propelled women to the fore in ensuring their daughters undergo the rite, despite the practice being outlawed.
Read more here.
| | Saudi school girls warned against wearing 'tight clothes' |
October 25, 2010
Saudi Arabia has warned its school girls against wearing tight clothes on the grounds they are against school rules and Islamic tenets.
In a statement published in local newspapers on Monday, The Ministry of Education said it had noticed some female students at schools across the Gulf Kingdom were wearing tight dresses "that showed most body details". "The schoolgirl's dress must be in line with Islamic tenets, it must not be transparent or sticking to the body in a way that will highlight her organs, there should not be any resemblance to the boy's dress as our prophet (peace be upon him) had cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men". Read more here. | Sharia: VC bans hugging of female students in Niger
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October 27, 2010
In line with the provision of the Islamic legal code, the Vice Chancellor of the Niger State government-owned Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Professor Ibrahim Adamu Kolo, has outlawed hugging of female students in the university.
Kolo said that anyone caught "embracing or hugging" any female students would be severely dealt with. Read more here. | How you can support the AHA Foundation
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The AHA Foundation is committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of women in the West against militant Islam.
The three main activities of the Foundation are to:
1) Investigate 2) Inform 3) Influence
Through research, the dissemination of knowledge and outreach, the Foundation aims to combat several types of crimes against women, including the abridgement of the education of girls, female genital mutilation, forced marriages, honor violence, and honor killings.
As part of its mission, the AHA Foundation aims to persuade politicians and policy-makers to make it a priority to enforce existing laws that protect women's rights and, where necessary, to create special legislation to protect the rights and freedoms of women in the West against militant Islam.
The Foundation is opposed to the adoption of dual legal systems to adjudicate family disputes in religious families and supports the separation of all religions and the State.
The AHA Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 organization and all donations are tax-deductible.
If you are interested in supporting the work and mission of the AHA Foundation, you may do so here. We thank you for your support. You may also follow the Foundation on Facebook () and Twitter ( )
| AHA Foundation report on circumstances affecting Muslim girls and women in the United States
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In December 2009, the AHA Foundation has released a report titled " What do we know? Facts and Figures on the circumstances affecting Muslim girls and women in the United States". According to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, founding member of the AHA Foundation, "This report shows that honor-based violence in the name of fundamentalist Islam is a phenomenon not limited to Western European countries, but also occurs in the United States. We must take a very strong stand against it." Following almost a year of information collection and analysis, the AHA Foundation has found that forced marriages, female genital mutilation, and acts of honor violence and honor killings take place in the United States more often and with a greater degree of severity than is commonly assumed. Acts of violence are often dismissed as isolated, unfortunate events even when they fit into a broader pattern of abuses of women's rights in the name of fundamentalist Islam and tribal customs. You may view the report (PDF format) by clicking on this link: http://www.theahafoundation.org/system/include/resources/files/AHA2009WhatDoWeKnow.pdf | |
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The AHA Foundation is committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of women in the West against militant Islam. For more information, please visit www.theAHAfoundation.org
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