Islam

OC Copts and Muslims Meet To Move Forward After Crazy Film

Leaders of Orange Couny's Coptic Christian and Muslim communities met yesterday evening at the Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove to discuss the amateur (emphasis on the "amateur") video that is blamed for sparking violent protests across the Middle East, and how to move forward from i ... More >>

[UPDATED with Park Reaction, 5 Boudlal v. Disney Surprises:] Imane Boudlal, Who Clashed with Disney over Wearing Hijab on Job, Sues

See the update at the end of this post on Disney's response and five surprising allegations from Boudlal v. Disney. ORIGINAL POST, AUG. 13, 9:17 A.M.: At 10:30 this morning, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and the law offices of Hadsell Stormer Richardson & Renick ar ... More >>

Five Ways to Make a More Efficient Ramadan Kitchen

Ramadan--the holy month where Muslims forgo food and drink, including water, from sunup to sundown--is here. One of the five pillars in Islam, this month is one of spiritual discipline and renewal, as Muslims are instructed to spend extra time in worship and try to cut back on bad habits. The fast t ... More >>

No. 61, Olive Tree's Iftar

Today marks the start of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month where the sons and daughters of Ishmael fast throughout the day, then stuff themselves silly on the iftar, the traditional meal that starts with the eating of a date and gets better from there. Most Little Arabia restaurants offer specials, but ... More >>

Christians vs. Muslims in Ramadan Prayer-off

An unofficial prayer contest will be held during Ramadan this year. The combatants are Muslims, who will mark the holy month with prayer and fasting from sunrise to sunset from July 20 to Aug. 18, and Christians, who will ask God to stop Islamic countries from killing their brethren.

Long Beach Islamic Center, the LBC's Second Mosque, to Open Soon

There's only one mosque--Masjid Al-Shareef--in Long Beach. Its small space barely accommodates those who go to pray jumu'ah--a congregational prayer that takes place on Friday, usually after noon. A stuffy situation often ensues during the weekly ritual, which brings in high numbers of worshipers.&n ... More >>

Tariq Ramadan: Shariah Law and U.S. Constitution Go Hand-In-Hand

A small group of about a dozen protesters gathered outside the Embassy Suites in Anaheim where a prominent Muslim theologian was scheduled to deliver a lecture on Shariah - the Islamic legal code akin to canon law in Christianity or Judaic law in Judaism. The Islamic Shura Council of Southern Califo ... More >>

Jon Dumitru, Wackjob Orange Councilmember, Continues to Court the Anti-Muslim Vote for His Mayoral Campaign

​Last time we checked in on Orange councilmember Jon Dumitru, he was leaving misspelled anti-Islamic ramblings on his Facebook page that he then tried to laughably clean up after the fact. That little incident sparked a nationwide furor, but turned Dumitru into a star among the lunatic set, the pe ... More >>

Souhair Khatib Can Sue County of Orange for Having to Remove Her Hijab: U.S. Supreme Court

​The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld an Orange County woman's right to sue the County of Orange for its jailers making her remove her hijab, or traditional Islamic headdress, in a Santa Ana courthouse holding cell in 2006. The high court essentially rejected an appeal by the county of a March ruli ... More >>

Whole Foods Scrambles To Do Damage-Control After One Region Buckles Under Islamophobic Pressure

Whole Foods​Whole Foods wants to get one thing straight: Addressing a report from our sister paper Houston Press--Whole Foods: "We Should Not Highlight Ramadan"--which set off a maelstrom of attacks on the haute-hippie market, the corporate-run @WholeFoods has spent the day doing damage cont ... More >>

Olive Tree's Annual Iftar Begins

Olive Tree's Facebook page​All is quiet on Brookhurst Street these days. It's Ramadan, the holy month of Islam. Muslims fast during the day (called sawm) in order to be reminded of the virtue of patience and humility, and restaurants are normally closed during the day.At the end of each day's sawm ... More >>

Vela Scarves Blends Western Fashion With Islamic Tradition

Vela's signature piece, the ruffled "Mademoiselle"​"Victorian Lace," "Black Ruffle Prima Ballerina" and "Cat's Meow" are names of the top-selling products at Vela Scarves, a Fountain Valley-based online fashion company that produces high quality hijabs, or headscarves, for Muslim women."Vela is a ... More >>

Dutch Parliament Bans Halal and Kosher Slaughter, Giving Anti-Muslim Activists Here Hope for Same in U.S.

Flickr user Violette79​Today, the Dutch parliament voted to ban the ritual slaughter of animals, a ban that effectively outlaws kosher and halal butchering in the country. The disturbing attack on religious freedom came via the strange coalition of animal rights activists and anti-Muslim politicia ... More >>

[UPDATED with "Victim" Speaking:] Muslim Worker Told to Remove Hijab Sues Abercrombie & Fitch

​UPDATE, JUNE 27, 11:52 A.M.: The Muslim woman at the center of a lawsuit against Abercrombie & Fitch over being forced to remove her hijab while working in the stockroom of a Hollister Co. store in San Mateo spoke at this morning's press conference."When I was asked to remove my scarf after ... More >>

[UPDATED with Sentence for Deborah Pauly Threats:] Video Captures Protesters, Politicians Berating Muslims at Yorba Linda Charity Function

Paul Dean Andrews​UPDATE, MAY 25, 3:46 P.M.: A San Pedro man was sentenced today to 97 days in jail, three years probation and an order to stay away from Deborah Pauly for threatening violence against the Villa Park city councilwoman via a Facebook message. Paul Dean Andrews, 28, was slapped with ... More >>

[UPDATED with New Anti-Muslim Rally Plans:] Video Captures Protesters, Politicians Berating Muslims at Yorba Linda Charity Function

Muzammil Siddiqi​Here we go again.Organizers of February's controversial and much-blasted anti-Muslim rally in Yorba Linda have issued an ultimatum to the Orange County Human Relations Commission: rescind the Community Leader award it is presenting to Islamic Society of Orange County Imam Muzammil ... More >>

Pastor Terry Jones Brings Koran-Burning Fury to OC

​Controversial Florida Pastor Terry Jones, who was blamed for unrest in Afghanistan after publicly burning the Koran, was in Santa Ana today.The Gainesville, Fla., preacher reportedly arrived last night to take part in today's taping of a segment on Truth TV, an Arabic-language Christian network. ... More >>

[UPDATE: OC Democrats Blast Pauly] Video Captures Protesters, Politicians Berating Muslims at Yorba Linda Charity Function

​UPDATE, MARCH 25, 4:40 P.M.: The Democratic Party of Orange County has weighed in on Villa Park City Councilwoman's Deborah Pauly's harsh remarks at an anti-Muslim rally in Yorba Linda last month. (Welcome to the party, folks!)As you might expect from a party philosophically opposite of a teabagg ... More >>

Racist OC Register Reader Fustercluck of the Day

​Headline: Groups Sue FBI Over Muslim SurveillanceComment by RAMJET2: It doesn't matter if the FBI is watching the muslim community. WE are watching the muslim community and where ever they go WE pay special attention to what they do, what they carry and how they are dressed. As Bill O'Reilly, Fox ... More >>

Imam Muzammil Siddiqi of Islamic Society of Orange County Condemns Holocaust Deniers

Muzammil Siddiqi​So often when it comes to Islam and the Holocaust, we hear from deniers such as Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, Palestinian National Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Mahdi Akef, the Jordanian Association Against Zionism and Racism ... More >>

Islamaphobes Go Nuts Because Campbell's Now Makes Halal Soups

Alphabet Soup to be Replaced by Quran Broth?​Mass-produced items identified as kosher long ago entered the daily lives of non-Jews in this country--in fact, betcha pesos to dollars most people don't even notice the acronym "KSA" put on items approved by the Kosher Supervision of America. But as Mu ... More >>

International Burn a Koran Day is a Terrible Idea--Just Ask Busta Rhymes and Toumani Diabate

Book burning? Puh-leez.​Ugh. File this under major stupidity: On Sept. 11, Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida plans to stage "International Burn a Koran Day" to demonstrate his anti-Islam values. Jones heads the Dove World Outreach Center, which consists of about 50 members. He says h ... More >>

Imane Boudlal, Disney Worker Who Sparked Hijab Flap, Rejects New Company Compromise

​Imane Boudlal, who has repeatedly defied orders against wearing a traditional Islamic headscarf on the job as an Anaheim Disney Resort restaurant hostess, calls the company's latest attempt at a compromise "offensive." After the jump, see how Boudlal would like to appear at her public work statio ... More >>

Imane Boudlal, Muslim Fighting Disney for Right to Wear Hijab: "We Should Just Accept Each Other and Respect Each Other"

Keith May/OC WeeklyImane Boudlal​Imane Boudlal made national headlines Wednesday when she challenged the famously--and extensively--strict Disney dress code, which included a ban on the hijab. Speaking with the Weekly today, the 26-year-old Anaheim resident said, "we should just accept each other ... More >>

Tariq Ramadan's Looming OC Speech Draws Warning From Muslim Group

Wikipedia CommonsTariq Ramadan​What the American Islamic Forum for Democracy derides as the "Tariq Ramadan American Islamist Victory Tour 2010" includes a May stop near Disneyland, where American Muslims are being warned by the self-described liberty lovers to "be on guard" as the Swiss academic ... More >>

[Hey, You!] Free to Be You and Me

Does Al Qaeda's Infamous Goat Boy Read the Weekly?

In April, the Weekly published this story about Craig Monteilh, a self-described FBI mole who spied on Orange County mosques and claimed that he foiled unspecified terrorist plots. No evidence has ever surfaced to bolster Monteilh's claims, and in that story, I noted that only two OC residents have ... More >>

Irvine Mosque Speaks: OC Weekly World Exclusive!

On Feb. 21, FBI agents arrested Ahmadullah Sais Niazi, an Afghan immigrant, and charged him with lying about his brother-in-law's status as an alleged Al Qaeda terrorist. A few days later, Craig Monteilh, a convicted con artist, held a press conference to announce that he was an FBI informant and ha ... More >>

Notorious Islam Hater to Speak at Chapman U Tomorrow

Wilders: If only all Islam-haters had hair like his...Dutch filmmaker and politician Geert Wilders will speak tomorrow at Chapman University's Memorial Hall at 2 p.m., hosted by the School of Law, and one wonders why my alma mater's fine film school isn't hosting the event. Simple: Wilders is a bit, ... More >>

FBI Spying on Mosques Draws Senate Attention; Rights Workshop Helps Local Muslims Deal With the Feds

A Senate Judiciary Committee questioned FBI Director Robert Mueller Wednesday about a Muslim coalition's consideration of breaking ties with the bureau following the highly publicized federal government spying on an Irvine mosque.Meanwhile, a workshop has been organized for this Sunday to help local ... More >>

Muslim Groups Consider Breaking FBI Ties Over Irvine Case

Citing the highly publicized case involving an undercover informant who spied on an Irvine mosque, a coalition of U.S. Muslim organizations has announced it may suspend relations with the FBI."Muslim communities throughout the United States have made significant advances in promoting and contributin ... More >>

Dead Again!

For the second time in a year, a terrified American public has received the reassuring news that Adam Gadahn, a.k.a. "Goat Boy," is dead. Probably. As far as we know. Seeing as how we haven't heard much from him lately and he likes to harangue his former countrymen with annoying lectures about U.S. ... More >>

Special Screenings

Movie of the Week: The Power of Nightmares

Tuesday - 11/20

When the Levees Broke: Part II at the Irvine Fine Arts Center, The Whirling Dervishes of Turkey at the Barclay

Robert Morey Still Up to his Resume-Stretching

Remember Robert Morey, the self-proclaimed Islam expert who runs Faith Community Church in Irvine? Last March, the Weekly examined many of his outrageous claims--that he's on a Hamas death list, that the Los Angeles Police Department consulted with him to make sure local Muslims wouldn't kill cops d ... More >>

Behind the hijab in Anaheim

Update: View a slideshow of images from Open-Mosque Day here. Too much is still unknown, speculated about and misunderstood when it comes to Muslims abroad and in the U.S. To counter this in their own small way, a dozen or so mosques throughout L.A. and Orange counties flung their doors open this p ... More >>

The Continuing Story of Goat Boy, the Pesky Terrorist

If there's anything funny about the U.S. War on Terror and its hunt for al-Qaeda, it's the fact that nearly six years after 9/11, we still haven't been able to capture or kill Adam Yahiye Gadahn, a.k.a. Azzam the American, a.k.a. Goat Boy. At least that's what we've come to call Gadahn around the ne ... More >>

So I Married a Terrorist . . .

Saraah Olsons strange trip through the U.S. war on terror

Welcome Back Taliban!

You'd better sit down. Today Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist suggested that the best way to deal with the increasing Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan ... is to reintegrate the group into the Afghani government. From the AP via the International Herald-Tribune: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill F ... More >>

This Week in Ramadan and Rosh Hashana

Mind Your Own Fatwas!

Some guy charges Garden Grove imam with terrorist love

Allah Carte

Breaking the Ramadan fast with the Islamic Centers Auntie Fatima

Ramadan-a-Dine-Long!

Enjoy the Islamic bounties of Lotus Chinese Eatery

Diary of a Mad County

Mr. Taliban

Dornan says Rohrabachers got a weakness for terror suspects

Conspiracy Theories

Rogue Statesman

Congressman Dana Rohrabachers absolutely crazy, quite possibly illegal back-channel chats with the villains of Sept. 11

The Partially Informed Alarmist

NEW COLUMN!

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CD Reviews