“We’re pursuing all legal options,” said CAIR Attorney Adam Attia.

This follows the arrest of a Muslim woman and Temple alumna, Johara Shama.

Shama was part of an unapproved “Students for Justice in Palestine” protest at the Gittis Student Center during a career fair on September 26.

Video shows Shama leading protesters out of the student center after the demonstration when police appear to arrive and intervene. Shama was one of four arrested. Only one arrest was a current student. Protesters allege groping and brutality.

Shama also says Temple police yanked her hijab and Philadelphia police made her remove it during booking, a violation of deeply held religious beliefs and practices.

“This act of humiliation left me in a state of distress, feeling as though my fundamental rights had been stripped away from me,” Shama said.

On October 2, Philadelphia police released a lengthy statement in response to the accusations, saying in part that the department doesn’t currently have specific policies regarding religious garb during the booking and detainment process and their policies need to evolve to better respect and accommodate religious practices.

“No person should ever be forced to choose between their dignity, religious beliefs, and compliance with law enforcement. This is a clear violation of constitutional rights and religious freedoms, and we will not rest until justice is served. We urge all members of the community, regardless of faith, to stand in solidarity with the Muslim women who have endured this unlawful and degrading treatment,” Attia said.

For its part, Temple Public Safety disputed the claims, saying they have body cam video and building surveillance to prove it, although they did not release video when asked.

“Temple University has taken an increasingly hostile approach toward Muslim, Arab, and pro-Palestinian students,” Attia said.

In a statement last week, Temple University President Richard Englert said in part, the university “fosters an environment that is open to a diversity of thought, opinion and peaceful expression.”

“Students for Justice in Palestine” has been suspended at Temple for violating campus guidelines for their demonstration.

“To understand better what led to all of this, were those guidelines followed for this demonstration?” Action News reporter Leland Pinder asked.

“We’re not here to say whether they have the right to protest, whether they adhered to the guidelines, the policies that Temple University has. It’s how Temple responded to the arrest,” Attia responded.

Ultimately, CAIR says it’s looking for substantive and structural change so police better understand and can accommodate members of the Muslim community.

Read the full Philadelphia police statement:

“The Philadelphia Police Department is committed to respecting the religious freedoms and civil rights of all individuals. We are aware of the concerns raised by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia) regarding an incident involving a Muslim woman who was asked to remove her hijab during a booking and detainment at a PPD facility on Friday, September 27th, 2024.

Our current policy for individuals in custody does not specifically address the wearing of religious garb during the booking/detainment process. In this particular case, staff at the Police Detention Unit (PDU) made accommodations to allow the detainee to wear her hijab while in common areas that could be in the presence of individuals identifying as male. However, it was removed for her booking photograph and securely placed with her personal belongings while she was in a holding cell with other women.

A 43-year-old man has been killed outside a Philadelphia mosque in an execution-style shooting that’s been condemned by Pennsylvania’s governor.

Officers found the man, later identified as Raheem Jefferson, unresponsive on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds on Tuesday afternoon, July 30, including at least one to his head and multiple to his torso, according to the Philadelphia Police Department. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly afterward.

The killer fired at least 17 shots using a large-caliber semi-automatic weapon, police Chief Inspector Scott Small said a news conference on Wednesday, July 31. Security footage reviewed by police shows Jefferson and another man walking to the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society for prayer service when a suspect approaches from behind before opening fire, Small said.

“It’s all caught on camera,” Scott told reporters. “The shooter stands over the victim from just a few feet away and continues firing shots at this 43-year-old victim while he lays on the parking lot. So clearly, an execution-type homicide.”

No arrests have been made in the case and police haven’t determined a motive but Small said it appears Jefferson was the intended target of the crime.

The shooter was seen getting into a vehicle and fleeing the parking lot while wearing dark-colored clothing, Small said.

A $20,000 reward has been offered for anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

The shooting happened at the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society mosque, established in 1989 in the lower northeast neighborhood of Kensington. Its goal is to “maintain the Islamic Identity and to protect and sustain the Islamic Community in Philadelphia,” according to its website.

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro condemned the incident on X and shared his condolences.

“Violence outside of a house of worship is deeply painful and traumatizing for those simply showing up to worship and practice their faith,” Shapiro wrote. “As an investigation into this killing proceeds, I’m praying for Philadelphia’s Al-Aqsa Islamic Society community, a place I’ve been several times, and hoping they find peace in each other and in their faith.”

Source: USA Today

It comes two years after Biden nominated the first Muslim to a federal district court, Zahid N. Quraishi, who was confirmed by the Senate for a judgeship in New Jersey.

The White House said the nominations help fulfill Biden’s pledge to “ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country — both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds.”

Mangi graduated from the University of Oxford with a bachelor’s degree in law in 1998, and from Harvard Law School in 2000, according to his biography at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, the law firm he joined in 2000 and where he is now a partner.

Mangi is a prominent lawyer known for his work in civil rights and commercial litigation. He wrote a number of amicus briefs in recent years that sought to block key initiatives of the previous administration, including a Muslim travel ban, diverting federal funds to a build a wall on the southern border, and an attempt to repeal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

The nomination comes amidst increasing tensions as growing number of swing-state Muslim American and Arab American leaders are warning Biden that he is losing support from their communities due his handling of the war in Gaza.

Read more at: The Washington Post

Instead, they turn to imams and other community leaders, who often quietly refer them to mental health professionals. But leaders of the Raleigh mosque, which draws thousands of worshippers a week, realized that mental health issues needed to be dealt with in a more professional and organized way and that the requests were inundating its two religious leaders.

A year ago, a group of mental health experts who are also mosque members agreed to volunteer their time to provide the service. Members can now go online and pick from among six mental health experts — including a family therapist, chaplain and a substance abuse counselor — for a free and confidential session. This new referral initiative started here in September and is part of a growing menu of social services nationwide aimed at addressing the needs of American Muslims, which have never been stronger.

Muslims in the U.S. are racially and ethnically diverse, with nearly 60 percent born abroad. As a minority — making up 1.1 percent of the U.S. population — they have suffered assaults and intimidation in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency. The travel ban and the rise of nationalist rhetoric, which views immigrants as “other,” have contributed to feelings of being bullied, harassed and otherwise treated with suspicion.

Yet, many Muslims are wary of talking with outsiders about domestic violence or behavioral issues, for fear that may cast a bad light on the faith generally, said Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad, founder and president of the Muslim Wellness Foundation in Philadelphia. Providing mental health services through the mosque may provide cover as well as permission to access care, said Heather Laird, a psychologist who directs the Center for Muslim Mental Health and Islamic Psychology at the University of Southern California.

Continue reading at: Religion News Service (RNS)