The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today thanked an Illinois law enforcement official who apologized for using a fake “mosque” in a recent emergency preparedness drill.

IRVING, Ill. (AP) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations is crying foul over an emergency preparedness drill targeting a simulated mosque in the central Illinois commuity of Irving.

IRVING — A national Islamic advocacy group says an emergency preparedness drill targeting a simulated mosque in this small community wrongly typecast Islamic houses of worship as security threats. “It really was in poor taste, probably as a result of a lack of cultural prowess on the part of the person who made that choice,” Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Chicago chapter, said Wednesday.

"The use of a fake 'mosque' in this type of drill sends the wrong message to law enforcement officials who may now view mainstream institutions, such as Islamic houses of worship, as potential security threats," according to Ahmed Rehab, executive director of CAIR-Chicago. "Officials must be trained in dealing with hostage-taking and responding to chemical, biological or bomb attacks. We are only questioning the wisdom of linking the American Muslim community and its institutions to such incidents."

As part of a recent emergency preparedness drill in south-central Illinois, law enforcement personnel stormed a "mosque" where radical gunman were holding hostages.

Too often, the news is filled with impersonal or sensational stories. So, I was pleased to read the article 'An Ancient Art.'

A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today said an emergency preparedness drill in Illinois, in which a fake "mosque" was stormed by law enforcement authorities, sends the "wrong message" that all Islamic houses of worship may be potential security threats.

On May 6, 2008 CAIR-Chicago Outreach Coordinator Gerald Hankerson participated in the last session of a three-part series of a trilateral interfaith dialogue sponsored by the Bernardin Center of the Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park. The series featured a speaker from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths, while inviting community clergy, leaders, and activists from various faith institutions and organizations.

It was great to read how Brittany Whitfield’s perspective on Arabs changed for the betteras a result of studying the Arabic language. (More CPS students can learn Arabic, May 2, 2008).

On May 1, 2008 CAIR-Chicago Outreach Coordinator Gerald Hankerson joined the “Imaginary Coordinates” Exhibition Opening Reception at Spertus Museum. The exhibiton featured the work of Irit Rogoff, a Professor of Visual Culture at the Department of Visual Cultures at the University of London.

CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Director appeared at a status hearing on behalf of a Muslim man who filed a complaint of discrimination against his employer. The man complained to his employer of harassment by another employee, but the employer did nothing to stop harassment. Shortly after, the Muslim employee was terminated.

A move by Dunkin' Donuts to pull an online ad featuring Rachael Ray after a blogger dubbed the celebrity chef's scarf "hate couture" was an "incredibly silly situation," a U.S. Islamic lobby group said on Thursday.

If you look up "theologian" in the dictionary, you might find a picture of Martin Forward.

Continuing its partnership with the International Visitors Center of Chicago, CAIR-Chicago will host a scholar from France on April 29, 2008.

CAIR-Chicago Communications Coordinator, Reem Rahman, spoke about faith based activism at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 16 and 17, 2008. Rahman discussed the theological, historical, and the current narratives that inform and shape faith based activism by Muslims.

After a rally at the place of the Boeing Annual Shareholder’s meeting, CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Director Christina Abraham spoke at a press conference calling for the Boeing Corporation to immediately cease its role in facilitating the rendition and torture of detainees in U.S. custody.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Demonstrators protested outside of a Boeing company shareholder's meeting at the Field Museum Monday morning.

A federal district court approved the application of a Muslim man who had been waiting over seven years for a decision on his naturalization application.

On Monday, April 28, the Coalition to Ground Torture Flights will hold a protest and news conference at the annual Boeing shareholder’s meeting to demand that the company respond to allegations that it is an active participant in so-called “torture flights.”

Join the newly launched Coalition to Ground Torture Flights at a protest at the annual Boeing shareholder’s meeting to demand that the company respond to allegations that it is an active participant in so-called “torture flights.”