civil rights

Apparently academic freedom is a thing of the past, if you happen to be a Muslim.

May 14 2008. A postgraduate international relations student at the University of Nottingham and a principle administrator in the modern languages department (also a former postgraduate student at the university), Rizwaan Sabir and Hicham Yezza, were arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. I type this sentence, and despite everything, I still find it difficult to comprehend the arrests. We were detained for six days, unable to see our family or friends on suspicion of being involved in the "commission, preparation, or instigation" of an act of terrorism. Our homes were raided and my terrified family evicted from their home...

Aziz at Talk Islam posted a link to Muslim Advocates, which sounds like a cool organization that deserves props and attention. I say (re)introducing, rather than just introducing, because on their website they say they launched summer of 2005 (I wasn't even a muslim then!).
No matter. Check them out. And Aziz writes elsewhere that muslims should not look on Muslim Advocates as a replacement for CAIR, with which I agree. We need multiple and diverse advocacy organizations as much as we need multiple and diverse blogs and bloggers.

h/t Fatemeh at Talk Islam.

via Tim Ferriss

Debra Mubashshir Majeed, Leila Montour, Sabina Snot-Face, and Laury Silvers designed the following petition. Please copy, forward, and sign if you choose. The designers of the petition represent a range of choices in Muslim modes of dress, hail from diverse Muslim communities, and support freedom of religion from state involvement. 

We hope to gather enough signatures to demonstrate to everyone in the Muslim community that protecting civil rights matters. In this respect the petition is only a gesture, but Godwilling a powerful one.

Brothers are encouraged to sign as allies, a support to the sisters standing for each other.