Community News (V14-I35)

Mohammad Islam, school administrator, moves up

SAN BERNARDINO, CA–Mohammad Islam, the key person to skilfully handle the finances of  San Bernardino City Unified School District since 2000, is moving up a notch with a new appointment. He has now been hired as  the assistant superintendent of business services for Rialto Unified School District.

Islam said that this is a great opportunity which he couldn’t pass. His departure from San Bernardino,however, is a great loss to the district which had come to rely on his expertise.  Islam’s sound fiscal management is credited with preventing the District from suffering deeper cuts, such as those of surrounding school districts, due to the ongoing economic crisis.
Meanwhile Rialto District is excited to have Islam on their board. The Mercury News reported a spokesperson as saying,”Islam’s sound fiscal management is credited with preventing the District from suffering deeper cuts, such as those of surrounding school districts, due to the economic crisis.”

Popular professor dies

NEW YORK,NY–Dr. Mahtab Uddin Shaikh, a popular professor of anatomy at Onandaga Community College, passed away earlier this month after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Shaikh was a professor at OCC for more than 30 years and loved every one of his more than 5,000 students.

He was longtime resident of Thousands Island Park, Wellesley Island. He passed away in his home in Dushanbe where he has been living for past three years.

Bacon strewn at site of Eid celebration

NEW YORK,NY–The New York Police Department is probing the incident of bacon strewn at the site of Eid celebration as a possible hate crime according to news agencies. Uncooked bacon was found at the New Dorp Beach Park in Staten where as many as 1500 Muslims had gathered for the Eid celebrations.

The event was well publicised and had attracted a large crowd. The incident was the latest in a string of attacks in the month of Ramadan. Earlier in August pig legs were found thrown at the site of a proposed mosque.

Murray State Univ. now has permanent centre for Muslim students

MURRAY,KY–Muslims students at Murray State University now have a permanent centre to conduct varied activities from prayer to socialization. It is an advancement from a temporary space in a college hall, the Murray Ledger & Times reported.

The move now gives the students flexibility to meet and conduct activities at a convenient time. The backers of the move also hope the new centre will serve as a learning and outreach centre for students of all faiths about Islam.

Islamophobic ads condemned by Jewish organizations

SAN FRANCISCO,CA–Anti-Muslim ads on San Francisco buses by a pro-Israel organization have drawn criticism from all corners. The inflammatory content of the ads paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative are reportedly aimed at countering the ads criticising Israel.

A host of organizations including the The Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco (JCRC) have called for the ads to be removed. In a press release the JCRC stated “The Bay Area’s organized Jewish community takes great offense to the ad’s inflammatory and anti-Muslim language,”

“We are steadfast in our support for Israel and our concern about the growing threat of Islamic radicalism, and steadfast in our opposition to anti-Muslim stereotypes. We urge all transit authorities to reassess their policies and to construct advertising policies consistent with laws governing protected speech that preserve public transit as a safe place for all passengers,” the statement read.

14-35