(ST. LOUIS, MO, 5/17/12) - On Friday, May 18, representatives of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Muslim American Society (MAS) will hold a news conference at the Kansas State Capitol Building in Topeka to call on Governor Sam Brownback to veto a bill that critics say is designed to target “Sharia,” or Islamic religious principles.

WHAT: Muslims to Ask Gov. Brownback to Veto Anti-Sharia Bill
WHEN: Friday, May 18, 2 p.m. (Central)
WHERE: Front steps of the Kansas State Capitol Building, 300 Southwest 10th Avenue, Topeka, KS
CONTACT: CAIR-St. Louis Executive Director Faizan Syed, 314-330-2946, 636-207-8882, E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it " target="_blank"> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Kansas anti-Sharia bill, which was recently passed by that state’s legislature, is one of more than 25 similar pieces of discriminatory and unconstitutional legislation that have been introduced nationwide. These legislative initiatives are promoted by those who seek to marginalize American Muslims and demonize Islam.

Read Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liaquat-ali-khan/kansas-sharia-law_b_1518144.html

Read Article: www.kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/measures/sb79/

Read Article:http://m.cjonline.com/news/2012-05-11/bill-aimed-stopping-sharia-law-passes-senate

Training suggested destroying Mecca and Medina using 'Hiroshima' tactics

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/10/12) -- A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today called on the Department of Defense (DoD) to dismiss the instructor who taught fellow officers that only a "total war" on Islam would protect America, that they should use "Hiroshima" tactics, target civilian populations, and abandon the Geneva Conventions.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently applauded the DoD for dropping the Islamophobic training course attended by senior officers and for instituting a complete review of training relating to Islam and Muslims. CAIR is asking that the officer who taught that course at the Defense Department's Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Va., be dismissed from his position at the college.

"It is imperative that those who taught our future military leaders to wage war not just on our terrorist enemy, but on the faith of Islam itself be held accountable," wrote CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad in a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. "These shocking revelations are completely out of line with the longstanding values of one of our nation's most respected institutions."

The American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom established Choose Privacy Week in 2010 to help libraries work with their communities in navigating the complicated but vital issues of privacy rights. Privacy has long been a cornerstone of library services in America and a right that librarians defend every day. The theme for Choose Privacy Week 2012 is "Freedom from Surveillance."

For more information on Choose Privacy Week, visit privacyrevolution.org

Saturday May 18 from Maghrib to Isha

Join CAIR-St. Louis at Masjid Umar for a Know Your Rights Presentation. Executive Director Faizan Syed will be holding the program at Masjid Umar, one of the city Masjids in order to educate the community on their civil rights while living in the United States.

Many Americans and Muslim Americans have no idea what their rights are at work, or at school, or when dealing with law enforcement and by not knowing ones rights its as if they have no rights. It is the responsibility for every Muslim American to learn about what rights have been given to them by the government. So we invite everyone in the city to come and attend this program.

Watch The News on CBS KCRG
Read the Article From NBC KOMU

(CAIR-St. Louis): The Muslim community in Jefferson City is worked with the St. Louis Chapter on the Council on American Islamic Relations and hosted an open house for the public. The goal was to counter growing Islamophobia in Missouri and clear misconceptions surrounding Shariah law. The Missouri legislature along with other state legislatures across the United States have tried to limit freedom of religion by trying to pass anti-Shariah legislation. Along with the growing Islamophobia in the state many local Missouri Muslims have become concerned with this new trend and what it means for them and other religious groups.

"We wanted to hold an open house and invite local churches, synagogues, interfaith groups, law enforcement, our neighbors, and our state legislatures to come visit our Masjid (Muslim House of Worship) to learn about who we are and what we stand for," said Noaman Kayani one of the organizers of the program. He feels that by holding these types of outreach programs, "we can build a America where we all learn and respect each others beliefs".

CAIR: Missouri Jail to Allow Hijab for Muslim Women

Muslim civil rights group thanks officials following meeting with community leaders

(ST. LOUIS, MO, 4/23/12) -- The St. Louis chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-St. Louis) today thanked county and law enforcement officials for agreeing to provide religious accommodation for Muslim women who wear an Islamic headscarf, or “hijab,” and are held in the St. Louis County Jail in Clayton, Mo.

CAIR-St. Louis made that request for accommodation after a Muslim woman who was jailed recently for several hours because of an unpaid traffic ticket reported that an officer forcibly removed her hijab. Based on that request, Director of St. Louis County Justice Services Herb Bernsen said he would review existing policies "to try to work out a solution that would satisfy both our security needs and individual religious concerns."