In a message dated 5/5/2001 12:19:49 PM Central Daylight Time,
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<< From: [log in to unmask]


 In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

 CAIR GOOD NEWS ALERT #293

 HEADLINES:

 * PBS TO EDIT IMAGE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD IN DOCUMENTARY ON ISLAM AIRING MAY 8
 * MUSLIMS GAIN RIGHTS IN SCHOOL AND THE WORKPLACE
 * BOOKS SEEK HARMONY BUT BREED ILL WILL (Chicago Tribune)

 -----

 PBS TO EDIT IMAGE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD IN DOCUMENTARY ON ISLAM AIRING MAY 8
 "Islam: Empire of Faith" may help dispel stereotypes and misunderstanding

 (WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/3/2001)  PBS has asked the producer of the upcoming
 series "Islam: Empire of Faith" to edit an image of the Prophet Muhammad
 (PBUH) in deference to Muslim sensitivities about representations of
religious
 figures. The three-part series, to be aired on May 8, had included an image
of
 Muhammad helping to place the Black Stone into the Kaaba in Mecca.

 "We thank PBS for its positive response to Muslim sensitivities on this
issue
 and appreciate the network's efforts to offer a balanced and accurate
 portrayal of Islamic history," said CAIR Board Chairman Omar Ahmad. Ahmad
 added that he hopes the series will dispel stereotypes of Islam and show
that
 Muslims have a rich cultural and religious heritage. PBS also offers an
 interactive web site designed to provide educational materials based on the
 series.

 SEE: http://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/
 Call 1-877-PBS-SHOP to order the video for use in schools or at home.

 PBS's decision to edit the image came after a screening of the series by
 Muslim scholars, community leaders and activists held April 11 at CAIR's
 Washington, D.C., office.*

 Following the screening, CAIR sent a letter to series producer Robert
Gardner
 expressing concerns about the representation of the Prophet. In that letter,
 CAIR wrote in part: "CAIR...would like to see your program succeed in
offering
 a positive image of Islam and Muslims. The inclusion of this image would
only
 serve as an unnecessary obstacle to that goal." Gardner passed on CAIR
 concerns to PBS, which then instructed Gardner to alter the image.

 In a letter to CAIR, Gardner explained his motivation for producing "Islam:
 Empire of Faith." Gardner wrote: "...it [the series] reveals what to most
 Americans is a hidden history, a history veiled by...suspicion, fear and
 misunderstanding...This history reveals how extraordinarily important
Islamic
 civilization has been to the development of Western culture - in science and
 medicine, art and philosophy, learning and trade."

 The first one-hour episode of the series deals with the life of the prophet
 Muhammad, the second examines the growth of Islam as a world civilization
and
 the third episode looks at the impact of the Mongol invasion and the rise of
 the Ottoman dynasty.

 *The screening was co-sponsored by CAIR, Muslim American Society, American
 Muslim Council and Muslim Public Affairs Council. Groups invited to or
 participating in the screening included, American Open University, Islamic
 Foundation of America, Islamic Broadcasting Network, Manassas Mosque, Dar Al-
 Hijrah Islamic Center, IFTA Office of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia, MAPS,
North
 American Council for Muslim Women, and the Institute of Islamic and Arabic
 Sciences in America.

 ACTION REQUESTED:
 To find your local PBS station, go to:
 http://www.pbs.org/stationfinder/index.html
 Check the station's schedule, watch the program and then offer feedback.

 -----

 MUSLIMS GAIN RIGHTS IN SCHOOL AND THE WORKPLACE

 CAIR's Civil Rights Department continues to assist Muslims who wish to gain
 their right to religious accommodation in the workplace or to be free of
 harassment in schools.

 FLORIDA - A Muslim doctor has been offered a job after initially being
denied
 a position because he wished to wear what he considered to be a religiously-
 mandatory beard.

 NEW YORK - A high school teacher has apologized to a Muslim student for
asking
 whether he was involved with the bombing of the USS Cole.

 VIRGINIA - A Muslim limousine driver was allowed to wear a beard after being
 told he would lose his job if he did not shave.

 -----

 BOOKS SEEK HARMONY BUT BREED ILL WILL
 By Julia Lieblich, The Chicago Tribune, 5/3/2001
 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/printedition/
 Scroll down, or search using the term "Lieblich."

 A pair of books that the American Jewish Committee is publishing Thursday to
 "enhance mutual understanding" between Muslims and Jews already is
generating
 more conflict than compassion.

 Even before reading "Children of Abraham"--one volume to teach Muslims about
 Judaism and one to teach Jews about Islam--the Council on American-Islamic
 Relations has asked the AJC to delay release of the book on Islam until
 "Muslim concerns...can be addressed..."

 ...When asked by the Tribune to examine the contents of the books, several
 experts on Islam and veterans of interfaith dialogue concluded that some of
 those fears may be justified...

            - PLEASE COPY, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -

 -----

 CAIR Action Alert
 Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
 453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
 Washington, D.C., 20003
 Tel: 202-488-8787
 Fax: 202-488-0833
 E-mail: [log in to unmask]
 URL: http://www.cair-net.org >>

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