Voices Stories from Iran Times
Most Americans do not mind a mosque next door
Despite the frequent vocal criticism of Islam from right-wing American politicians, a new poll finds that nearly 70 percent of Americans are comfortable with having a mosque in their neighborhood. more>
Students abroad can’t do thesis work on Iran
The Islamic Republic has forbidden Iranian students studying abroad from writing any dissertations about Iran. more>
Old and new House committee chairs disagree on American Muslim loyalty
The new chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Representative Peter King, Republican of New York, wrote, "I will do all I can to break down the wall of political correctness and drive the public debate on Islamic radicalization." more>
Bias charges soar in U.S.
The number of reported cases of discrimination against Muslims is on the rise across the United States, with religious discrimination cases sprouting up in states from Oregon and Illinois to Ohio and New Jersey. more>
Not all U.S. mosques draw hate
A derelict building in the capital of Idaho that housed a church four years ago has been converted into a mosque for members of the Bosniak community. It has opened with strong support from local Christians. more>
Attacks on mosques surge
VIDEO :: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is planning measures to counter the recently stepped-up anti-Islam campaign in the United States. Press TV reports. more>
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If you leave the U.S., you may be locked out forever
Muslim and civil rights groups are reporting an increasing number of Muslim citizens and permanent residents of the United States who have traveled abroad but are being told they are on the U.S. No-Fly List and are prohibited from returning to the United States.
VIDEO :: A Muslim U.S. citizen from Virginia, Yahya Weheli, was stranded for weeks in Cairo because his name is on the No-Fly List. more>
Prof. Ramadan tells U.S. Muslims to be more active
Oxford University Professor Tariq Ramadan, who was barred for six years from entering the United States, is now in the country on a two-month lecture tour where he has been urging Muslim Americans to be more active in American society. more>
D.C., Delaware apologize to Muslim headscarf wearers
VIDEO :: More than a year ago, the Council on American Islamic Relations intervened in the case of a Muslim women in Oklahoma who faced difficulty in getting a driver's license because DMV employees wanted her to remove her headscarf or hijab. more>
Is the FBI pushing Muslims too far?
Muslim-American communities have been key in helping uncover and report 30 home-grown terror plots uncovered in the United States since September 11, but many claim that police infiltrations of mosques and pressure put on congregants to spy on fellow Muslims has gone too far.
U.S. fears backlash against Muslims after Fort Hood
Imam Hendi said policies and sensitivity training can't stop every snide comment. more>
U.S. ends funding for Iranian human rights group in Boston
The U.S. government has quietly decided to stop funding the tabulation of human rights abuses in Iran by an expatriate group in Massachusetts, the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center. In the past five years, the group has received about $3 million. more>
Common cause: Real help for Iranian democrats
It takes one fool to drop a brick down a wall, but many more to extricate it. After eight years of the Bush-Cheney policy towards Iran, how can we extract the brick from the well? more>
New census of Muslims in U.S. planned
A new privately-taken census hopes to more accurately count the number of Muslims living in the United States, but is reviving controversies over the number of religious minorities, how they are counted and why it matters. more>
The Islamic Republic encounters Obama
Since its Islamist revolution of 1979, Iran’s hardline leadership has relentlessly painted America as a racist, blood thirsty power bent on oppressing Muslims worldwide. But the election of Obama and his support of a dialogue with Iran puncture this narrative. more>
Bush official: Iran aided U.S. against Al-Qaeda
Former Bush Administration officials now say Iran made a concerted effort to help the United States in its fight against Al-Qaeda after 9/11, in an apparent attempt to repair relations with Washington. more>
Muslim charities urged to get vetted to fight taint of terrorism
Several U.S.-based Muslim charities have been charged with terrorist ties. That has gotten much public attention. What is little known is that not a single Muslim charity has yet been convicted on terrorism charges. more>
Union wins Eid as holiday – but causes big kerfuffle
“We in the labor movement have always understood that unions are only strong when we work to protect the dignity of all faiths, and that includes Muslims,” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum, who also serves as president of the Jewish Labor Committee. more>
Islamic subway ad is opposed by congressman
In response to a potential subway ad campaign about the religion of Islam, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) expressed strong feelings: “I’m calling on the MTA not to have these ads, not to go forward with them, and I don’t see this as a free speech issue at all.” more>
Arab American battles anti-Muslim stereotypes in the American media
Since the 1970s, images of Muslims and Arabs in the media have been painted as violent, aggressive, villainous, ugly, and even sub-human. Retired Southern Illinois University professor Jack Shaheen said the routine of stereotyping perpetuated by American media has plagued minorities for decades. more>
U.S.-born Iranian describes clash with homeland security
Justin Mashouf, a senior at the University of Arizona, traveled to Iran this past winter to film footage showing the positive side of Iran. He had no trouble with officialdom in Iran, but he hit a brick wall on returning home to the United States when he was stopped and interrogated by U.S. Homeland Security officers. more>
