FBI Urges Police to Stay Alert during Islamic Holy Month

The FBI is urging extra vigilance for possible terrorist attacks and violence against Muslims during the upcoming Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

In its weekly bulletin to 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies, the FBI said it has no credible information that an attack is planned by al Qaeda or any other terrorist group during the period of fasting and reflection that will begin next week.

But attacks overseas have been timed in the past to coincide with symbolic dates, the FBI said. It added that "the possibility of such an attack in the United States cannot be discounted." At the same time, the bulletin said local police should step up outreach efforts to Muslim communities to guard against potential violence or hate crimes. Of special concern are Islamic sites, such as mosques and businesses.

Ramadan begins with the sighting of a new moon, expected on Sunday, and it lasts for four weeks.

Last year, the FBI issued a more pointed warning, but no attack occurred. Officials said there are no plans to raise the terrorism warning level, currently at yellow or elevated, during the holy month.

Taken From; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14143-2003Oct24.html

Mosques Unable to Agree on Start of Ramadan

With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaching this weekend, New Jersey's mosques can't agree on exactly when it should start, leaving individual congregations to make the decision.

Thus, Muslims in the same community may start their holiest month at different times.

The Majlis Ash-Shura ofNew Jersey, the state's council of mosques, decided not to take a position on when Ramadan starts.

The observance is to begin with the sighting of the new crescent moon, which is expected to occur Saturday or Sunday.

The exact time is important to Muslims, who begin a month of fasting during daylight hours once the crescent moon is sighted and Ramadan begins.

Taken From: http://1010wins.com/topstories/winstopstories_story_297152120.html

Foundation honors students who have memorized Holy Qur’an

Makkah,

The International Holy Qur’an Memorization Foundation, which has Qur’an Memorization circles in several parts of the world, recently honored some of the students who have completed their studies. These included 466 inAfghanistan, 371 in Pakistan, and 243 In Bangladesh, 178 in Yemen, and 165 in India. In Africa there were 424 in Somalia, 239 from Cameroon, and from several other African countries. In Europe there were 36, mainly from Bosnia, Albania, France, and Bulgaria. The Foundation puts its efforts of spreading Qur’an knowledge in all parts of the word, and has expressed gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, for the help and support he has been giving the Foundation and for his desire to see to it that the Holy Book reaches every corner of the world. The total number of male and female stalwarts who have committed the Holy Qur’an to memory in all the circles that are run by the Foundation has now reached 5,378, during the last two years only.