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U.S.
Muslims Launch New Awareness Campaign In Ramadan
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Ramadan
events "inspire Muslims to come up with new and
creative ways to teach others about Islam" |
WASHINGTON,
October 23 (IslamOnline.net) - In the hope that the Muslim community
will use it to educate others about the Muslims holy fasting month
and its traditions, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Thursday, October 23, announced the release of its "Ramadan
2003 Publicity Kit".
The
kit, now
online, is designed to assist Muslim local communities in
offering people of all faiths accurate information about Ramadan and
Eid ul-Fitr, the holiday at the end of the fast, the
Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said in a
press release.
With
resource developed to assist in publicizing Ramadan events and
activities, the kit contains media relations tips, information about
Ramadan, news release templates.
It
allows photocopying pages such as "Islam facts" and
"Ramadan Facts", that can be distributed in the materials
one sends to the media.
CAIR
said the kit contains Ramadan story ideas such as food drives for
the homeless, families shopping for Eid clothes, the health benefits
of fasting, and a child's first Ramadan fast.
It
also features talking points about Ramadan, a sample phone script
for a call to a newspaper editor, frequently asked questions about
Ramadan, mosques and Islam and steps required to hold a mosque as an
open house for all.
"We
hope that the information and advice contained in the Ramadan
publicity kit will help generate positive local media coverage of
the Muslim community and promote a better understanding of
Islam," said Rabiah Ahmed, CAIR communications coordinator.
Each
year CAIR publishes a Ramadan publicity kit.
Ramadan
events "inspire Muslims to come up with new and creative ways
to teach others about Islam," said the advocacy group.
It
had earlier said in another release that Ramadan not only opens the
door to contemplation and renewal of religious thinking, but also to
"serious attempts by Muslims to reach out to people of other
faiths and promote their awareness of Islam."
Every
Ramadan, thousands of media outlets make a positive coverage of
Muslims and Islam in the U.S., a habit that CAIR officials said had
turned the holy month as part of the "American Heritage".
The
advocacy group had said that one year after launching an ambitious
project to put quality materials about Islam in the roughly 17,000
U.S. public libraries, it has succeeded
to offer a record 6,900 sets of 18 Islamic books, tapes, DVDs and
videos for libraries nationwide.
Last
year, the council also published a guide
to the North American Muslim community.
The
350-page book, called "The North American Muslim Resource
Guide: Muslim Community Life in the United States and Canada [Rout
ledge]," was the first comprehensive analysis of the structural
make-up of Muslim communities in both countries.
Since
the September 11 attacks, some 59 per cent of Muslim communities in
the country increased their political and social activities.
The
attacks, Washington blames on Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, were
seen as a turning
point for Muslims who have faced a
massive surge of hate crimes in the aftermath.
American
Muslims number 6-8 million, according to CAIR count.
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