News & Public Affairs

Reactions to alleged attempted terrorism on Christmas Day flight listen

12/28/09 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Ulmar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Yemen, Al-Qaida, CAIR

On Friday, a Nigerian man on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit allegedly tried to ignite an explosive as the plane approached its destination.

Law enforcement officials think Ulmar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to ignite a two-part concoction of explosives, but it only resulted in smoke, some fire, and pops.

Today the group Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for the attempt, calling it retaliation for a recent U.S.-backed attacks against them in Yemen.

In ...

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Keith Ellison interview - Part 2 listen

11/19/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Religion, Muslim, Arab issues, CAIR

In 2006, Minnesota’s Keith Ellison became the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Congress. WMNF’s Seán Kinane spoke with him on Saturday, before the Council on American-Islamic Relations banquet in Tampa. The second half of the interview begins with Rep. Ellison responding to Barack Obama’s first move as president-elect. Obama chose Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff. Emanuel is strongly pro-Israel.

“[I've met with Dr. Al-Arian's family] and I’ll be happy to meet with them again in the futu...

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Esposito discusses religious differences listen

11/18/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: John Esposito, Sami Al-Arian, CAIR

John Esposito is the founding director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, where he is a professor of religion, international affairs and Islamic studies.

Esposito was in Tampa on Saturday to address a banquet for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). WMNF spoke with Esposito and began by asking about his most recent book.

“…I’m certainly hopeful that the Al-Arian situation will be turned around.”

Photo by S...

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CAIR urges Muslims to define themselves listen

11/17/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: CAIR, Keith Ellison, John Esposito, Muslims, civil rights, religion

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) held its 6th annual banquet Saturday at the Tampa Convention Center. Speakers included Georgetown University professor John Esposito and U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim in Congress.

Following prayers, about 600 people gathered to hear about the theme American Muslims: Defining Ourselves. Ellison said that during the recent presidential campaign, others groups attempted to define Islam and what it means to be Muslim. Many even tried...

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Groups file suit over citizenship delays listen

02/27/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: immigration, FBI, Muslims, CAIR

This morning in front of the Federal Courthouse in downtown Tampa, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center announced they were filing federal lawsuits challenging lengthy delays in processing the citizenship applications of Florida Muslims.

Jamila Baraka, with the Tampa chapter of CAIR, discussed the suit.

“We’ve recently filed one set of what we expect will be many waves of class-action lawsuits related to naturalization delays through...

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Muslim job applicant victim of discrimination? listen

02/08/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: CAIR, Muslim-Americans

A Tampa man applied for a job online but was surprised from the one-word response he received from the company.

Ali Matallah, 32, is originally from Morocco but and is a permanent resident of the United States. When he responded to an ad for a security guard job through the website Craigslist, the email response he received from St. Moritz Security Services was simply, “terrorist.”

Ahmed Bedier is executive director of the Tampa Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR...

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