Excerpts: Progress in Saudi. US Muslim congressman complains 23 September
2007

+++ARAB NEWS (Saudi) 23 Sept.'07:"A Mini United Nation and Home for All" by
M.
Aleemuddin Farooqui
QUOTE:"With the hike in price of oil
globally, Saudi Arabia has benefited from this frequent rise in prices"
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EXCERPTS:
The people of Saudi Arabia are proud to celebrate its National Day on
Sunday, Sept. 23. Saudi Arabia was established in the year 1932 by the late
King Abdul Aziz who had declared and used the Islamic Shariah as the
constitution for the Kingdom.. . .The country has made tremendous progress
in economic, educational and scientific fields.With the hike in price of oil
globally, Saudi Arabia has benefited from this frequent rise in prices. .
. One can see the remarkable progress that has taken place in every facet of
Kingdom. . . .There are 22 million people, including (9 million)
expatriates living in this vast Kingdom.. . .. Many expatriates feel that
it is a home away from home, a mini-United Nations.

+++ARAB NEWS (Saudi) 23 Sept.'07:"Rep. Ellison Slams King's Anti-Muslim
Comment"Barbara Ferguson
QUOTE:" [Rep.Ellison]: Rep.King
...undermines our national security because it gives people who are really
hostile to the US -- terrorists and murderers -- recruiting tools' "
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------EXCERPTS:WASHINGTON, 23 September 2007 - Rep. Keith Ellison, the first USMuslimCongressman, reacted strongly to this week's statement by hisRepublicancounterpart, Rep. Peter King (R-NY... .In his interview King, whois topnational security adviser to former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani,said:"Unfortunately, we have too many mosques in this country. There are toomanypeople who are sympathetic to radical Islam. We should be looking atthemmore carefully. We should be finding out how we can infiltrate. ...Ithinkthere's been a lack of full cooperation from too many people in theMuslimcommunity. And it's a real threat here in this country.". . .."Rep.King's remarks that there "are too many mosques in the US" cuts intothebasis of the US Constitution, which guarantees all Americans freedom oftheirreligion," Ellison told Arab News.. .
.The
comment by Rep. King wassurely heard throughout the Muslim world,and I think it undermines ournational security because it gives people whoare really hostile to the US -terrorists and murders - recruiting tools."Ellison, who converted from Catholicism to Sunni Islam at age nineteen,whileattending university, said: "There is nothing about Islam that shouldbeassociated with terrorism, and nothing about terrorism that shouldbeassociation with Islam."The US has the right to defend itself, but not toinsult Muslims. Thisstatement by Rep. King is insulting to all Muslims..."Asked if people weretolerant to him, the first Muslim congressman, Ellisonsaid: "People herehave been overwhelmingly tolerant of me.". . ."Just aswe [Muslims] don'twant to be judged by the actions of a small [extremist]minority, I ask theMuslim world not to judge Congress by the remarks of onecongressman."As for Rep. King, he defended himself by saying his point wasthat notenough Muslim leaders cooperate with
law
enforcement.King, the former chairman of the HouseHomeland Security Committee and thetop GOP member on the panel, said ..."Istand by everything I said otherthan the fact that the Politico totally tookit out of context," King said.Not long after Politico released its interviewwith Rep. King, theDemocratic National Committee attacked King's commentabout mosques.. . .The DNC( Democratic National Committee) ... calling onGOP presidentialhopeful Rudy Giuliani to dump King as his campaign'shomeland securityadvisor. Giuliani refused to do so.=======================================================================Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA