FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FIRST MUSLIM JUDGE JOINS MARYLAND DISTRICT COURT (WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/31/2000) - In what may be a first for Maryland's Islamic community, a Muslim has been sworn in as a judge of the District Court in that state. (There are only a handful of Muslim judges nationwide.) "God is merciful, and I pledge to show mercy from the bench - both for the accused and for those who have been wronged," said Judge Hassan Ali El-Amin. Imam Yusuf Saleem of Masjid Muhammad in Washington, D.C., gave the invocation at the swearing-in ceremony. A number of judges and court officials at the event praised El-Amin for his integrity and work ethic. Imam W. Deen Muhammed also attended the event. El-Amin was appointed by Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening. Prior to his appointment, El-Amin worked as a defense attorney in Prince George's County, Maryland and in the District of Columbia. He completed his undergraduate studies at Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Maryland. "Judge El-Amin's appointment shows that Muslims are entering and having a positive impact on every level of American society," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington-based Islamic advocacy group. A CAIR representative also attended the swearing-in ceremony. There are an estimated six million Muslims in America and 1.2 billion worldwide. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in North America. - END – ----- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------