ACLU – Page 2 – Eye on Islamism

Border stops for people of Iranian descent spark outrage The reaction to the detentions at a Canadian crossing and a New York airport came after the U.S. killing of an Iranian military commander.

January 5, 2020 Lauren Gardner, Daniel Lippman and Andy Blatchford

(Politico) Reports of Iranians and Iranian-Americans being detained for questioning upon entering the U.S. kicked off a furor on Sunday from Washington state to Washington, D.C., marking a new domestic blowback to the Trump administration’s targeted killing of a key Iranian leader. […]

Poway schools urged to cancel talk by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, critic of Israel

December 11, 2019 Donald H. Harrison and Ken Stone

(Times of San Diego) A conservative group wants Poway school officials to cancel a talk by Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, a Palestinian-American seen as one of Israel’s most vocal critics in Congress. The nonprofit Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund — which […]

Federal appeals court upholds no-fly list designation for 4 men who filed lawsuit in Oregon

October 22, 2019 Maxine Bernstein

(Oregonian) A federal appeals court panel has upheld the government’s placement of four people on the no-fly list, finding the basis for the decision “reasonably clear” and not vague as challenged. One or more of the four plaintiffs allegedly financed terrorists, trained […]

Muslim rights group lobbies House Democrats to back ‘No Ban’ bill Only 49 House Democrats have yet to sign bill, as Muslim Advocates push forward with campaign

October 17, 2019 Sheren Khalel

(Middle East Eye) Since mid-September, at least 40 Democrats in the US House of Representatives have signed on to cosponsor a piece of legislation seeking to overturn US President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, bringing the total number of signatories to 189. With […]

Civil liberties groups sound alarm over online extremism bill

October 11, 2019 Emily Birnbaum

(Hill) Civil liberties and technology groups have been sharply critical of a draft bill from House Homeland Security Committee Democrats on dealing with online extremism, saying it would violate First Amendment rights and could result in the surveillance of vulnerable communities. Over […]

US is urged to end probe of Middle East studies program

September 27, 2019 Colin Bertier

(AP) The American Civil Liberties Union urged the Trump administration Friday to drop its investigation into a Middle East studies program the agency says has focused too much on the “positive aspects of Islam” and misused grant money to promote “ideological priorities.” […]

Vermont lawmakers urged to ban female genital mutilation

September 24, 2019 Grace Elletson

(VTDigger) An anti-female genital mutilation organization is urging Vermont lawmakers, and those from 15 other states, to enact laws banning the procedure. While female genital mutilation, or genital cutting, was outlawed in the United States for two decades through federal legislation, the […]

In San Diego, Muslims question rollout of city’s ‘smart’ streetlights

September 20, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) When San Diego’s city council voted to install 14,000 LED streetlights in 2016, the move was touted as a major step toward reducing the city’s carbon footprint and transforming the city into a hub for innovation. But since the vote, […]

‘Did you meet with terrorists?’ NJ mayor says officers questioned him at airport, took his phone

September 13, 2019 Hannan Adely

(Bergen Record) Muslim Americans say they’ve been singled out, detained and interrogated at airports — and elected officials are no exception. Mohamed Khairullah, the longtime mayor of Prospect Park, said he was held for three hours at JFK International Airport last month, […]

US transports alleged American ISIS fighter back from Syria to face trial

July 18, 2019 Ryan Browne and David Shortell

(CNN) The US has transported an American citizen who is alleged to have been an ISIS fighter back to American soil from Syria in order to face trial for his alleged involvement with the terror group, according to two US officials familiar […]

Unveiling the truth behind Tariq Ramadan’s rape allegations As new evidence continually piles up in the Tariq Ramadan case, it becomes increasingly difficult to differentiate between fact and fiction on both sides of the allegations against the reformist scholar.

July 3, 2019 John Lystad

(Morocco World News) The controversy surrounding the case of Tariq Ramadan has reached new heights, as the rape allegations against the reformist scholar have been called into question following an investigation by the Parisian Criminal Brigade (BC). Revealing inconsistencies in his accusers’ […]

US rights groups highlight effects of Muslim ban 'It is up to Congress to repeal the ban and fix our broken immigration system,' says Council on American-Islamic Relations

June 26, 2019 Umar Farooq

(Anadolu) A coalition of rights organizations came together on Wednesday for an art installation depicting the effects the Muslim ban has had on American families. The ban was first enacted by President Donald Trump in 2017, and faced multiple legal setbacks until […]

Lawsuit ends as ‘Muslim-free’ gun range in Muskogee County changes sign

April 23, 2019 Anna Codutti

(Tulsa World) A lawsuit against a Muskogee County store and gun range has been dismissed after it removed an anti-Muslim sign. Raja’ee Fatihah, who works for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and serves in the U.S. Army Reserves, brought the suit […]

Ninth Circuit orders new look at mosque surveillance case

February 28, 2019 Maria Dinzeo

(Courthouse News) A Ninth Circuit panel resurrected a class action Thursday challenging the use of an FBI informant to infiltrate several Los Angeles and Orange County mosques and secretly collect information on Muslims for more than a year. In its long-awaited ruling, […]

Feds share watchlist with 1,400 private groups

February 19, 2019 Matthew Barakat

(AP) The federal government has acknowledged that it shares its terrorist watchlist with more than 1,400 private entities, including hospitals and universities, prompting concerns from civil libertarians that those mistakenly placed on the list could face a wide variety of hassles in […]

Top Democrat on foreign affairs shoots down pro-Palestinian trips

January 29, 2019 Bryant Harris

(Al-Monitor) Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., is the first Palestinian American woman to serve in Congress. She’s also one of Congress’ first two female Muslim lawmakers. As such, Tlaib wants to take the fight to the pro-Israel lobby by organizing a congressional delegation […]

Suit dismissed: Judge says Muslim woman didn’t show that her constitutional rights were violated

January 23, 2019 Curtis Killman

(Tulsa World) A judge has dismissed a Muslim woman’s civil rights lawsuit after finding that her complaint failed to meet the legal burden to show that Tulsa County sheriff’s deputies violated her constitutional rights when they refused to let her enter the […]

Tlaib slams anti-BDS measure: ‘Literally an attack on our Constitution’

January 9, 2019 Cameron Cawthorne

(Free Beacon) Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) on Tuesday slammed efforts in the Senate to pass a bill that, among other measures, would allow state and local governments to refrain from doing business with U.S. companies that boycott Israel. Tlaib, the first […]

Kurdish forces: Two American ISIS fighters captured

January 6, 2019 Chad Garland

(Stars and Stripes) Kurdish-led forces battling Islamic State militants in Syria say they captured five foreign fighters, including an American who once sought to become an English teacher in the jihadi group’s Iraqi capital. The American, a Texan named Warren Christopher Clark, […]