The American Library Association has canceled a panel discussion on Islam planned for its annual conference over the weekend, after three speakers withdrew in protest at the inclusion of the fourth, a controversial critic of the Muslim religion.

The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today announced that all other panelists scheduled to speak at an American Library Association (ALA) annual conference session July 12 on stereotyping of Islam have withdrawn in protest over the participation of Robert Spencer, which CAIR calls "one of the nation’s leading Islam-bashers."

Myra Appel, chair of the Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Roundtable (EMIERT), has released a public statement (below) regarding the recent cancellation of the ALA panel "Perspectives on Islam."

Monsieur Sarkozy, would you like to try this lovely Burka on for me? No?

Very well, that is your personal determination of course.

...it seems like the Israelis are constantly shifting the starting point of this debate back a notch, a process through which the obvious is played as benefaction, and entitlements re-branded as concessions.

A week after US President Barack Obama's speech at Cairo University, Gihan Shahine sifts through a web of applause, scepticism and cautious optimism

In these trying times, Islam’s wisdom, in what it teaches us about wealth, about ourselves, and about God, can prove to be a grounding force that preserves our sanity and indeed immunizes us from the quicksands of material life.

Thank you for bringing the catastrophic number of Iraqi casualties to America's attention.

Dr. George Tiller wore a bulletproof vest as he handed out bulletins in his church's lobby on May 31. But it wasn't enough to save the abortion provider when a man aimed a gun at his head and pulled the trigger.

CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab joins Associate Professor of History Guity Nashat and former Assistant Attorney General of the United States Joe Morristo to comment on the impact of President Obama's recent speech in Cairo addressing the Muslim majority world.

Ugyan hatalmas áttörést nem okozott Barack Obama amerikai elnök kairói beszéde, de mindenképpen jelzés a muzulmánok számára, hogy változik az amerikai stratégia a Közel-Keleten.

A boa oratória aliada ao carisma de Barack Obama parece, mais uma vez, ter surtido um efeito muito além do esperado para o presidente americano. O discurso proferido na Universidade do Cairo na manhã de ontem, endereçado aos árabes e muçulmanos, foi recebido de forma bastante positiva pela grande maioria dos líderes da região e em todo o mundo.

US President Barack Obama was due to arrive in Cairo this morning for a one- day visit. In addition to holding talks with President Hosni Mubarak at the Qobba Palace he will deliver a widely anticipated speech at Cairo University addressed to the Muslim world.

American Jewish organisations reacted with emotions ranging from disappointment to deep concern at Barack Obama's speech in Cairo, while conservative commentators accused the US President of selling out American interests.

KIM LANDERS: From the start of this carefully balanced speech, it was clear President Barack Obama was trying to set a new tone and deliver a new message.

US President Barack Obama called on Muslims, Jews and Christians around the world yesterday to cast aside fear and mistrust in the name of a safer, more prosperous future.

Muslims in the Chicago area say President Barack Obama's speech could revolutionize the relationship between the U.S. and Muslims in the Arab world.