May 14, 2008
 
Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Andre Carson of Indiana were among several Democratic lawmakers calling for greater leadership by the United States by taking action in Darfur. More than 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced in the five years of fighting in the Darfur region of Sudan.  Congressman Ellison and Carson are urging that the United States must step out and be a leader on this issue.

May 10, 2008
 
Police have reported that gunmen attacked and killed a Shiite Muslim shop owner and two of his customers in what appears to be a sectarian attack in Pakistan. Shiite Muslims are a minority in Pakistan, and the two communities peacefully co-exist in most areas and regions. Recently however there have been deadly bouts of sectarian violence in the northwest this year. Experts believe the violence can be attributed to extremist Wahabbi or Salafist groups

May 10, 2008
 
A Muslim Police Association is to be established in Scotland, it was revealed recently. The group is to be headed by Strathclyde Police, and will aim to encourage recruitment amongst Muslims and improve understanding of the faith and tackle "Islamophobia".

In recent years there has been negativity against Islam which is affecting several of the Muslim communities. Strathclyde Police chief constable, Steve House backs the plan and hopes that it will serve as a persuasion for more Muslims to see the police as a career option.

May 12, 2008
 
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pulled his party out of Pakistan's six-week-old coalition government on Monday, plunging the country and its people back into political uncertainty.  Sharif had joined the coalition led by the party of Asif Ali Zardari, widower and political successor of the late Benazir Bhutto.

Talks between Sharif and Zardari, whose Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leads the coalition ended without any major breakthrough. Sharif said his party would still continue to support the PPP government despite quitting the cabinet.

"For the time being, we'll not sit in opposition."

May 12, 2008
 
India's Islamic scholars and organizations criticized efforts to equate terrorism with Islam, slandering the religion's image.  Thousands gathered in New Delhi protesting against certain countries that use random acts of violence perpetrated by some radical groups as excuses to damage the popular perceptions of Islam, a religion that greatly denounces such acts of violence.

Several speakers at the event greatly criticized the US-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, mentioning the killing of innocent civilians as a result of war the worst acts of terrorism.

They had also warned people of several groups aiming to incite violence in between India's extremely large Hindu and Muslim communities, with the intention of inciting hatred towards the latter.  India has one of the world's largest Muslim populations.

May 12, 2008
 
Mohammad Qatanani, 44, is being denied U.S. residency based on allegations that he failed to disclose a 1993 arrest and conviction in Israel on his green card application. The defense witnesses and lawyers argued that Qatanani was never arrested and was unaware of any convictions while traveling back to his native West Bank in 1993. Jonathan Kuttab, a Jerusalem-based lawyer, mentioned that in the early 1990s, in Israeli military courts, proceedings were routinely conducted in Hebrew.

Lisa Hajjar, a professor from the University of California also mentioned that the majority of the cases ended with plea bargains often following confessions obtained with techniques later classified as torture. Despite the unfavorable weather, Qatanani's supporters gathered outside the courthouse waved American flags and shouted through megaphones that Qatanani is a man of peace. The hearing will resume on June 2nd, when Qatanani is scheduled to testify.