HELP REACHES ACROSS CULTURES, ACROSS TOWN
LeBlanc
JENNIFER LIBERTO, St. Petersburg Times, 11/25/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/11/25/Hernando/Help_reaches_across_c.shtml
Dr. Adel Eldin never expected that American and Muslim traditions could
mesh so well.
The Spring Hill cardiologist first thought to link Thanksgiving with
Ramadan when the American holiday started coinciding with the Muslim holy
season for the first time in many years - a few months after the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"We thought, how could we make that Thanksgiving really special," said
Eldin, 42, who organized Ramadan-Thanksgiving food baskets for Hernando
County's needy, a program that is now in its fourth year. "We wanted a nice
gesture from fellow American Muslims to show that they do love their
citizens and they do know what hunger feels like, especially during
Ramadan."
This year, following Hernando's lead, Muslims nationwide have taken to
sharing the spirit of Ramadan through charitable Thanksgiving endeavors,
sponsoring dinners and food baskets in communities as far away as San
Francisco and Cincinnati. Muslims in Tampa sponsored a Thanksgiving dinner
Wednesday for the needy, based on Eldin's concept, even though Ramadan
ended two weeks ago.
"Even a year ago, we didn't have these types of sharing events, introducing
Muslim communities to feeding the hungry," said Ahmed Bedier, spokesman for
the Florida chapter of Council of American-Islamic Relations, which has
sponsored many of the dinners in local chapters nationwide. "This year, we
launched this campaign to feed the needy, based partly on the success we've
had in Brooksville."
In 2003, the last time Thanksgiving and Ramadan coincided, the Hernando
program attracted the attention of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, a nonprofit Muslim advocacy and civil rights group that goes by
the acronym CAIR.
Given the national climate, with continued hostility and isolated attacks
against American Muslims, the national organization decided to broadcast
the concept of sharing Thanksgiving dinners and food baskets during the
Ramadan season to all of its chapters.
That's not to say that American Muslims had never shared meals with the
public previously.
In fact, several communities, especially those near universities, have
often invited the public to iftars, the dinner after sunset that breaks the
daily fast during Ramadan. Those dinners had not been linked to
Thanksgiving, however, and tended to be more educational than charitable.
Once CAIR got involved, more Muslims took notice and embraced the idea of
feeding the needy during Ramadan.
In Cincinnati, the local CAIR chapter sponsored a dinner to feed the
homeless in 2003 and also gave out Thanksgiving baskets. That event grew
this year, and dinners were organized in inner-city Cincinnati and
Columbus, with hundreds in attendance.
"We try to look at some of the best projects, and we took this idea from
Florida," said Jad Humeidan, executive director of CAIR-Ohio, who plans to
launch a third dinner next year in Cleveland.
Muslims also sponsored similar dinners for the needy earlier this month in
California and Michigan, according to the national organization in
Washington. Fort Lauderdale and Tampa Muslims also sponsored charitable
dinners.
"You draw on the common value during Thanksgiving and Ramadan, the giving
to the poor and the sharing of meals," said Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for
the national CAIR organization. "It's something very popular, and American
Muslims feel comfortable and can relate to that..."
Siegfreed
According to izlamic and western scholars, izlam is the fastest shrinking
religion in the
world today, losing roughly 6 million per year.
BARNABAS FUND PRESENTS APOSTASY CAMPAIGN PETITION TO THE UN
On Wednesday 28 July 2004 Barnabas Fund presented to Louise Arbour, UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights, a major international petition signed by
88,890 people from 32 countries calling for "Muslims who choose to convert
to another faith" to be "free to do so without having to face a lifetime of
fear as a result."
The petition was launched a year ago on behalf of Muslims who convert to
another faith (apostates) who face serious persecution and massive prejudice
in many countries around the world. As well as meeting Mrs Arbour a Barnabas
Fund representative also met with Ambassador Mike Smith, Chairman of the UN
Commission on Human Rights and Mr Soli J Sorabjee, Chairman of the UN
Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights at the Palais
des Nations in Geneva.
In addition to the 88,890 signatures collected from around the world, 92
British MPs last year signed an Early Day Motion in connection with the
campaign in the House of Commons which commences: "That this house supports
liberal Muslims, human rights campaigners and others who are calling for an
end to cruel traditional punishments for apostasy".
PERSECUTION OF CONVERTS
According to traditional Islamic law (Shari'ah), adult Muslim men who choose
to adopt any other belief and refuse to return to Islam, should be put to
death. Other punishments include the annulment of marriage, the removal of
children and the loss of all property and inheritance rights. This tradition
is still upheld and taught by most Muslim religious leaders around the world
today. In some countries (notably Iran, Saudi Arabia and Sudan) this is part
of the law, and Muslims who have adopted another belief have faced
imprisonment, death threats, torture and beatings because of their decision.
Some have been executed; others have died in prison or disappeared. Even in
countries where apostasy is not punished by law, Muslims who adopt another
belief often face widespread hostility and aggression from their own
families and communities.
DEAFENING SILENCE
Over the past year supporters of Barnabas Fund's campaign have written to
Muslim leaders, parliamentarians, heads of state, public figures and
religious leaders around the world urging them to speak out on this crucial
issue. In the UK alone hundreds of letters have been sent to the Muslim
Council of Britain urging a constructive dialogue on the matter; to the best
of our knowledge not a single response has been received. Hundreds of
letters have also been sent to the main regional heads of the UK's Christian
denominations, with virtually no response. Many privately acknowledge the
terrible suffering of apostates and admit to the gravity of the situation,
but are unprepared to speak out publicly.
The British government has produced very non-committal replies appearing to
dismiss the plight of those labelled as apostates as something which does
not concern them domestically since "Shari'ah law does not apply in the UK."
This is despite the fact that in April 2004 Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed of
the extremist Islamic organization al-Muhajiroun issued a fatwa condemning
the Muslim Labour peer Lord Ahmed of Rotherham as an apostate because of his
calls for greater integration of Muslims into British society. When even
members of its own government are the victims of veiled threats as apostates
surely this is an issue the British authorities must deal with both
seriously and publicly.
SPEAKING OUT
Speaking from Barnabas Fund's office Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, international
director of the Fund said "It is a tragic day when so few political or
religious leaders can be found who are prepared to stick their necks out by
simply publicly affirming the most basic of human rights to change one's
religion, something that has been enshrined in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights for over fifty years."
"My hope and prayer is that this campaign will help to end the turning of a
blind eye to the suffering of converts from Islam, and instead put their
desperate needs firmly on to the international human rights agenda where
they very much belong" Dr Sookhdeo said.
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Notes for Editors
Copies of Barnabas Fund's open letter to Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights which was presented in conjunction with the petition are
available on request. Photos of the meeting are also available on request.
For further information or an interview please contact Nicholas Piercy,
Advocacy Officer, Barnabas Fund on +44 (0)1672 564938 or by Email
in...@barnabasfund.org
Further information on the issue of Apostasy and the persecution of converts
is available on Barnabas Fund's website
http://www.barnabasfund.org/Apostasy.htm
Barnabas Fund, The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire, SN9 5DB, UK
Tel: + 44 (0) 1672 564938, Fax: + 44 (0) 1672 565030
E-mail: in...@barnabasfund.org Web: www.barnabasfund.org
PLEASE COMMUNICATE THIS INFORMATION AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE and cite Barnabas
Fund