Sen. Jamilah Nasheed has spoken out against the proposed bill calling debates on the subject  ”a waste of time and taxpayer money.”

Bill would stop Sharia Law

by Kevin McDermott (StL.Today)

JEFFERSON CITY • In what has become a regular ritual here, a state Senate committee heard testimony Tuesday on a bill that would prevent Sharia Law from taking over Missouri.

The Senate General Laws committee also discussed a measure that would outlaw any federal attempts to regulate firearms in Missouri.

The committee hasn’t acted on either measure, and both appear unlikely to have much chance at becoming law. But they both touch on some of the hottest ideological issues in the nation right now.

“They should call that the Tea Party Committee,” Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, a committee member, scoffed as she left the hearing.

Both bills are sponsored by Sen. Brian Nieves, R-Washington, who acknowledged that Missouri isn’t in any immediate danger of being overtaken by foreign legal theories. But he said he wants to make sure the state “keeps things the way they are.”

“Missouri’s been pretty fortunate as far as this goes,” Nieves told the committee.

The bill doesn’t specifically mention the Islamist Sharia religious law. But more than 20 states have considered similar measures in the past few years, generally tied to the ongoing debate over alleged Islamist influences in the U.S.

There’s no current mechanism under which a foreign law could apply in Missouri.

The second bill would make it illegal for any government official to attempt to enforce any federal firearms regulation in Missouri.

Nieves said the point of the bill is to “remove some of the confusion about what is or is not enforceable in term of the federal government in the state of Missouri in terms of our Second Amendment rights.”

“I think it’s timely right now,” he said. “Our Second Amendment is one of the main things being threatened.”

Gun-rights advocates have rallied nationally against talk of new federal controls in the wake of the killings of 20 children at six adults by a single gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in December.

No one gave verbal testimony against either bill. Nasheed, the St. Louis Democrat, later predicted that both were dead on arrival.

“You don’t have foreign laws being implemented in the United States . . . (and) the state cannot trump federal law” on gun regulation, she said after the hearing. She called the debates “a waste of time and taxes.”

The foreign laws bill is SB267. The anti-gun-control bill is SB325.

Mosque rally offers unity message

(Joplin Globe)

Hundreds turned out Saturday at Landreth Park in a show of solidarity with area Muslims after their mosque was destroyed in a suspected arson fire on Aug. 6.

Neighbors-Joplin Mosque Rally, as it was called, was organized by Ozark Christian College student Ashley Carter.

“If this was arson, to the person who did this, I pray that the anger that was in your heart will be replaced by the love that Jesus showed you,” Carter told the crowd. She said she also prayed for those who tried to convince her not to organize the rally.

“We send a message to the world that we will not let anger or hate or ignorance or fear win,” she said. “Peace starts when we always respond in love.

“We are not going to let hatred win,” she added. “We are going to spread love with radical acts of kindness.”

Zue Oxford, a member of the Islamic Society of Joplin, who is originally from Singapore, said Carter’s remarks were inspiring, and so was the rally.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said. “What words can I express? This is so moving. You can feel the love. It is just so wonderful.”

Audience member Harry Gardner traveled to Joplin from Granby for the event.

“I’m a great believer in freedom of religion,” Gardner said of his reason for coming. He said he and his wife drove by the ruins of the mosque shortly after it was destroyed. “I couldn’t believe it. I think, ‘Where does it stop? Who’s next?’”

Another audience member, Stacy Cassity, of Joplin, said she was grateful for the event because she had never had an opportunity to meet and talk with Muslims.

Attendee Shafique Chowdhury, a member of the mosque, noted that the word “Love” was printed on the T-shirts of staff members.

“This is a big event,” he said. “It shows the power of love over the power of hatred. We’re amazed by the community support.

Asjad Khan said he felt the same.

“This is a great event,” he said. “We appreciate it a lot. It raises our spirits. This helps to heal.”

Jim West, vice president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the local chapter supports the Muslim community and condemns the burning of the mosque. He said it’s a civil rights issue.

“We’re all in it together,” he said.

A video crew from the BBC was on hand to cover the event.

Another speaker at the rally was Hina Qidwai, a member of the mosque. She said she brought her daughter because she wanted the image of people of different faiths coming together to remain with her.

She said people responded in wonderful ways after the 2011 tornado in Joplin.

“Something miraculous is still happening in Joplin,” she said.

She also said Muslims won’t respond in anger to the mosque burning.

“Whatever occurred at our mosque, it was not in the spirit and not in the name of Joplin,” she said.

“As-salamu alaykum,” Qidwai said in closing. “Peace be upon you.”

The Aug. 6 fire remains unsolved but is being investigated by local authorities and the FBI. They also are looking into an attempted arson on July 4 at the mosque. Four years earlier, someone also tried to burn the mosque sign.

Imam Lahmuddin holds his hands over his face after a fire destroyed the Islamic Society of Joplin, Mo., mosque, Monday, Aug. 6, 2012, in Joplin, Mo. The fire was the second fire to hit the Islamic center in little more than a month. (AP Photo/The Joplin Globe, T. Rob Brown)

The Islamic Mosque of Joplin has possibly been targeted by arsonists for a second time. There is a Fire investigation going on as we speak. Police previously released video image of the suspect from the first fire (h/t: JSB).

Update: Award is Now Being Offered in Joplin Islamic Mosque Fire

By: Katie Love Updated: August 6, 2012

Update: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever may have caused today’s fire.  The Washington-based Muslim civil rights organization is in touch with the FBI about the case.

The CAIR called for stepped-up police protection at Muslim institutions and other houses of worship nationwide after hearing about the Joplin fire and after yesterday’s deadly shooting at a Sikh temple in Washington.

(JOPLIN, MO)– The Islamic Mosque in Joplin is on fire for the second time this summer.

Firefighters were called to the mosque on Black Cat Rd. around 3:30 Monday morning.

When crews arrived, the west side of the building was on fire, but it quickly spread.

The entire mosque has burned to the ground..

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the fire marshal has already been called in to investigate.

Mosque leaders say they are stunned by the fire, but are planning to continue their religious observances.

Investigators are holding a press conference later today regarding the fire.

Another fire, which was deemed arson, was reported at the same building July 4th.

Authorities released surveillance video of the suspect, but no arrests have been made.

We will update you as more details become available

Security cameras are reviewing what may be a possible arson in Joplin, Missouri:

FBI investigates possible arson at Missouri mosque

JOPLIN, Mo. — A fire early Wednesday at the Islamic Society of Joplin’s mosque is being treated as suspicious, according to police and fire officials.

Capt. Kelly Stephens of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department said the FBI has been called in to join the investigation, and that tapes from security cameras on the property are being reviewed by authorities. Stephens said footage from the tapes is helping direct leads. He would not say what the tapes revealed.

Stephens said the department may release more information about the case today.

Carl Junction fire Chief Bill Dunn said a passer-by noticed the fire at the mosque at 1302 S. Black Cat Road, and his department got the call at 3:37 a.m.

“There was a fire on the edge of the roof,” Dunn said. “It burned some shingles, probably an area there 4 feet by 6 feet.” The fire did not burn through the roof, he said. “If no one had seen it, I am almost certain the fire would have gone ahead and burned,” Dunn said.

Dunn said that after the fire was out, he and others took a look at the roof. “We noticed a bunch of what looked like paper up there,” he said. “Somebody lit them and threw them up there.”

Rob Sterner, with the Missouri Division of Fire Safety, also was called in.

Stephens said investigators had finished processing the scene Wednesday afternoon and that evidence was being sent off for testing.

“All the credit goes to the good Samaritan who called the fire department,” said Asadullah Ahmed, a member of the mosque. “We are very fortunate.”

Iftikhar Ali, president of the Islamic Society of Joplin, said he was at the property until about midnight Tuesday. He said his family and other community members were lighting fireworks. “We were having fun and celebrating Independence Day,” Ali said.

He said he received a phone call around 4 a.m. about the fire, and he arrived shortly afterward to find the building surrounded by police cars and firetrucks.

Although the fire is being treated as suspicious, Ali was not discouraged. “There are good and bad people everywhere,” he said. “There’s still no change in our feelings. Still America. We enjoy life here.”

Ali said the center often holds interfaith services and meetings with churches and synagogues. “Ignorance is the main factor with these incidents,” Ahmed said. “It increases our resolve to educate more people about what we practice, what our belief system is, so hopefully this will bring more awareness to our community.”

This is the second suspicious fire at the mosque since it opened in 2007. In 2008, the FBI took over an investigation into the torching of the sign for the mosque. That crime was never solved.

Joplin Globe, 4 July 2012

Members of a role-play team after their act at a local community event in London, on June 26, 2011. The play explored many problems that young Muslims face (right) and how they can live a better life by following the examples of ancient Islamic leaders (left).

To view all the images click on the link right below:

The Silence of Others: Exploring Islamophobia Through Images 

By Jared T. Miller

“Osama! Osama!”— yelled a pair of complete strangers, as photographer Bharat Choudhary walked to his apartment from the University of Missouri campus in 2009, where the photographer was pursuing a Master’s degree in photojournalism. Islamophobia is a personal issue for Choudhary, who is an Indian Hindu.

“I had a big beard at that time,” adds Choudhary, who used the incident as inspiration for his current project, which documents Muslim life in the United States and England. Titled The Silence of Others, the series captures similar situations and their effects on the project’s participants, as well as the lives of young Muslims and the communities to which they belong.

Choudhary traces the origins of the idea back to his time as a student in India, where he worked with CARE India in Ahmadabad in 2004. The organization provided rehabilitation to victims of ethnically charged violence, who lost limbs or were paralyzed in the 2002 riots in the Indian state of Gujarat. The images he saw there formed an experience that Choudhary says “will always be there with me.”

He began working on the project in the Midwest, where he documented stories in small towns across Missouri and Illinois, as well as larger cities like Chicago. Choudhary is continuing the second phase of the project in England, broadening the geographic reach of the body of work and expanding it as a platform to help Muslims and non-Muslims understand each other.

Though the growing body of work represents a variety of life stories—a Missouri couple’s efforts to establish the state’s first Mosque, a Caucasian woman’s conversion to Islam and the development of Muslim communities in Chicago, London and elsewhere—Choudhary says he has found similar themes of alienation and ostracism of his “Others” on both sides of the Atlantic. But it’s precisely the challenge of breaking through their silence that captivates Choudhary and pushes him to continue the project.

“It’s finding the right kind of people who would be willing to talk and be photographed—that is one thing that keeps me awake all night,” Choudhary says. “It’s been quite an interesting journey so far.”

Bharat Choudhary is a photographer based in London, England. The Silence of Others is currently supported by a grant from the Alexia Foundation for World Peace and Cultural Understanding. Select images are on display at ”Moving Walls 19,” an exhibition opening at the Soros Foundation in New York on Dec. 1.

Loonwatchers action is required! For some reason “Kamal Saleem” has been invited by Mayor Don Reimal of Independence, MO to speak at his Prayer Breakfast.

An Interfaith group from Independence has called the Mayor out on his selection of Saleem:

An inappropriate speaker for Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast in Independence

Independence, MO —An open letter to Independence Mayor Don Reimal.

The purpose of this letter is to address the selection of Kamal Saleem as the guest speaker for this year’s Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast.

It is the opinion of the Interfaith Progressives of Independence that Mr. Saleem is a poor choice for this community event. Mr. Saleem’s message is one of division and fear. He paints Islam as a religion bent on world domination and violence. We don’t understand how this message is appropriate for our community.

On his own website (Kamalsaleem.com), one can find him stating things such as this: “there are people coming here (USA) who want to convert the stars on the American flag into crescents.” (www.kamalsaleem.com)

Mayor Reimal, we find such sentiments to be inappropriate for the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast. It is important that civic events be welcoming to all people in Independence.

The Interfaith Progressives of Independence believe it is important that all our Muslim, Jewish, atheist and other citizenry are treated with respect. In our opinion, the choice of Mr. Saleem is disrespectful to our non-fundamentalist Christian residents.

Rev. Brian Morse
Mark Matzeder
Michele Yancey Bigler
Terry Flowers
Paul Neidlinger
Michele Spillman
Interfaith Progressives of Independence

Lets show solidarity with the Interfaith organization and contact the Mayor to let him know that Kamal Saleem is a very poor selection for the Prayer Breakfast.

Phone: (816) 325-7027
Home Phone: (816) 461-6044
Fax: (816) 325-7012
E-mail: dreimal@indepmo.org

Here is some info to share with him on Kamal Saleem:

The Three Stooges Coming to a Campus Near You!

Kamal Saleem Still Selling His Fake Ex-Muslim Story

Fake Ex-Terrorist Kamal Saleem Trying to Swindle Michiganians

Kamal Saleem: Fake “Ex-Terrorist” Wants Sharia’ Banned in Missouri

Update:

The Mayor as of now is sticking by his choice of Saleem:

Despite several pleas to Mayor Don Reimal’s office to reconsider the choice for the Independence Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast keynote speaker in two weeks, the selection committee’s unanimous choice for a presenter remains in place.

…

A chaplain in the Missouri National Guard also emailed Reimal and said he would no longer attend the breakfast because of the speaker choice. That person, Reimal said, represents the only cancellation – to his knowledge – based solely on the selection of a speaker.

Kamal Saleem looks scared

The last time we visited the “Grand Wazir” Kamal Saleem it was for our “Three Stooges” piece about the profound loonieness of the “ex-terrorist” racket which consists of a bunch of middle aged men whose only claim to fame is that they speak Arabic. Their personal bios are all uncorroborated and in many instances have been shown to be outright false, filled with logical inconsistencies, blatantly based in Evangelical polemics, horrendously racist, hysterical and genocidal.

Now a days Kamal is trying to pass himself off as an expert to the Missouri legislature, unfortunately in the following piece “St.Louis Today” takes Saleem’s story at face value without questioning it or corroborating it,

Former terrorist urges legislators to ban Sharia law in courts

(STL.Today)

A former terrorist, Kalam Saleem, phoned in to a House committee today, urging legislators to ban Sharia law in state courts.

Saleem was formerly associated with the Palestinian Liberation Organization and later with Saddam Hussein, according to the biography he offered by phone to members of the House Judiciary Committee.

During the call, he offered support for a bill sponsored by Rep. Don Wells, R-Cabool, which proposes changing the state constitution to block courts from making decisions based on foreign laws – specifically Sharia law, the religious code of Islam.

Saleem, who now practices Christianity, said that Sharia law should not be allowed in state courts because it is restrictive and oppressive, and that it discriminates against women and homosexuals.

Wells took a similar stance, if a less subtle one: That Islamic law is a dangerous influence on secular judicial proceedings.

“This is to protect the people of America,” Wells said of his bill.

He went on to compare Sharia law to a disease, like polio. Rep. Jason Kander, D-Kansas City, stopped him to confirm.

“Sharia law is like polio?” Kander asked.

“Absolutely, as far as I’m concerned in this country,” Wells responded.

Kander, who spent time in Afghanistan gathering intelligence for the military, said he found that “offensive.”

Wells’ bill is one of two measures currently under consideration by the Judiciary Committee that would ban foreign laws in Missouri courts.

The reality about Kamal Saleem is that he doesn’t know much about Islam and most likely is involved in fraud, as we wrote then,

Kamal Saleem claim’s to be the descendant of someone called the “The Grand Wazir of Islam,” which  Hedges points out is ”a title and a position that do not exist in the Arab world.” It can be further noted that the religion of Islam has no clerical hierarchy similar to the Catholic Church with defined positions such as the Pope, Bishops, Priests, etc. Kamal’s blooper in his bio is either a result of an ignorance of Islam and its structure or an attempt to manipulate the ignorance of his audience.

I can see Kamal’s claim to fame running out soon, kinda like the disgraced pastor Ergun Caner. A website by the name www.muslimwatch.com, a project of CAIR-Michigan has more analysis on Kamal’s story and why it doesn’t add up (hat tip: Daveed):

Saleem claims to be from a Lebanese Sunni Muslim family, which is a descendant of the “Grand Wazir of Islam,” and that he was a terrorist with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).Furthermore, Saleem states that his terrorism affiliation with the PLO inspired by Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood ended after receiving the “Holy Ghost” and accepting Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him) in his life. Saleem’s story like his other wannabe “ex-terrorist” comrades, however, just does not add up.

For starters as author Chris Hedges points out, there is no such title as the “Grand Wazir of Islam.”Saleem’s “Grand Wazir” lineage claim is also bizarre due to the fact that the adjective “grand” would not be used in front of the term wazir (advisor) to begin with. Even the title “Grand Wazir” was not bestowed upon Aaron (Peace Be Upon Him), who was a prophet and the wazir of Moses (Peace Be Upon Him) according to the Qur’an!

It’s also very interesting that Saleem claims to have been a terrorist inspired by Islam as a member of the secular, Marxist influenced PLO, whose long time executive committee member and long time spokeswoman, Hanan Ashrawi, was a Christian. Saleem wants us to believe that Ashrawi, George Habash and the countless others from Christian backgrounds in the secular PLO were also inspired by Islam as he claims was his “terrorist” motive in dealing with the pesky problem of illegal Israeli occupation.

Furthermore the Muslim Brotherhood, who Saleem claims he had dual affiliation with, was averse to the secular, Marxist leaning PLO during the time that he claimed to have been a member. In fact, it is also well known that the Muslim Brotherhood inspired Hamas was supported by Israel to be an “Islamist” counter to the secular PLO/Fatah. To this day, Hamas and the PLO have been at odds with each other to the point of killing each other in the streets of Palestine in recent years. Hence, Saleem’s claim of being an “Islamist” terrorist in the PLO while having felicity to the Muslim Brotherhood is utterly preposterous.

The reality is that Saleem has made a nice career for himself collecting honorariums, writing a book and getting exposure from the hyper-Islamophobic Aramaic Broadcasting Network (ABN) since the tragedy of 9/11. If he were indeed an “ex-terrorist,” I’m sure that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would have deported him by now for fraud because people with terrorism ties cannot get entry visas much less obtain American citizenship. And the FBI does not simply let “ex-terrorists” walk the streets because they claim to have received the “Holy Ghost” without detaining them for questioning. Changing idelogies does not absolve persons under American law from terrorism ties that they admit to.

The unfortunate part about Saleem’s bogus career is not his snake oil peddling but that there are so many individuals who do not care about the truth and lack intellectual honest that provide him a platform.

A strange sort of hate crime in Missouri. Spencer is probably scratching his head, “Islamophobia, what Islamophobia?”

Vandalism at Islamic Center costly to clear

(News-Leader)

A spokesman for the Islamic Center of Springfield says removing the graffiti left on the group’s building late Friday or early Saturday could cost $1,000 to have sandblasted off.

Joseph Pollpeter said the graffiti was discovered on three outside walls when members showed up for the 6 a.m. prayer Saturday morning. Those who attended prayer Friday night did not see any.

Pollpeter said he contacted the Springfield police, as well as the FBI. He believes the messages constitute a hate crime.

He described graffiti left on the building at 2151 East Division St. as including: a phallic symbol near the door where women enter; phrases saying “gay insurrection,” “gay is ok” and a reference to Allah being gay; profane four-letter words; and the words “You bash us in Pakistan we bash you here;” a pentangle; and a Star of David.

“I don’t know if the people happened to be gay or bisexual or not, or if they were just using terms to be insulting,” said Pollpeter. “There is no one we have our fingers pointed at. We are on good terms with all our neighbors.”