Muslim news stories on Newser

Islamist Website: Kill This Rapper, and We'll Pay $100K

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:47:58 CDT

Most rappers hope their songs will be a hit—not make them the target of one. That's the situation facing Shahin Najafi, an Iranian rapper living in Germany who's accused of having "grossly insulted" an important Shi'ite Muslim religious figure in one of his songs. He now has a $100,...

Allen West Slams Muslim-Friendly FBI Manual Edits

Matt Cantor — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:13:40 CDT

The FBI's purging of Islamaphobic references from its training manual puts us on the road to "cultural suicide," according to Florida Rep. Allen West. "We have to understand when tolerance becomes a one-way street, it will lead to cultural suicide," he said on Fox News, adding that "we should not...

Half of GOP Voters in Miss., Ala. Think Obama Is Muslim

Kevin Spak — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:53:13 CDT

Despite years of assertions to the contrary, a chunk of voters continue to believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim. Mediaite noticed this nugget in this morning's Public Policy Polling survey from Alabama and Mississippi: Asked what religion the president is, a whopping 45% of GOP voters in Alabama, and...

Graham Sorry for Doubting Obama's Faith

Kevin Spak — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:12:56 CST

Franklin Graham has apologized for comments he made on MSNBC 's Morning Joe last week in which he seemed evasive about whether he considered President Obama a Christian. "I regret any comments I have ever made which may have cast any doubt on the personal faith of our president, Mr....

US Home to 74% More Mosques Since 2000

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:55:47 CST

Even as protests against new mosques got quite a bit of attention, their numbers in the US grew from 1,209 in 2000 to 2,106 in 2010, USA Today reports. And most of the leaders of those Islamic places of worship believe America is not hostile to Islam, according...

Malaysia Cancels Concert Over Erykah Badu's Tattoo

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:34:28 CST

Erykah Badu's Malaysia concert has been canceled, and it's all thanks to the singer's tattoo. A newspaper photo revealed that Badu has the Arabic word for "Allah" inked on her upper body; officials called it "an insult to Islam" and canceled tomorrow's planned performance in Kuala Lumpur. The newspaper that...

NYPD's Muslim Surveillance Used White House Funds

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:48:42 CST

The NYPD's controversial Muslim surveillance programs were funded in part by millions of dollars directly from the Bush and Obama administrations, the AP reports. Since the 9/11 attacks, $135 million has been provided through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program (HIDTA), which hands out grants, under the watch of...

Radical Cleric Abu Qatada Freed From UK Prison

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:23:01 CST

Abu Qatada, a radical Muslim cleric whom British officials say is an al-Qaeda figurehead and a threat to national security, was freed from an English prison into virtual house arrest late today, British media reported. Judicial officials acknowledged earlier in the day that the 51-year-old extremist preacher's release from Long...

More Than 1K NYPD Cops Trained With Anti-Muslim Film

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:24:17 CST

Not one, not two, but at least 1,489 NYPD officers viewed an anti-Muslim film during their training, the New York Times reports in a disturbing look at The Third Jihad . The film, funded by a nonprofit group, features images including Muslim terrorists shooting Christians and a doctored photo of...