Anti-Islam activists from across the U.S. are in Dearborn today for a conference they say is needed to rescue Muslim women. Called the Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference on Honor Killings, it's named after a 20-year-old Muslim woman killed in Warren last year. 
 
 But Muslim women in metro Detroit are rejecting the conference's message, saying it promotes hatred of Islam and Arab Americans. And Mokdad's family also strongly objects to the conference, saying they don't want her name being used to promote hate. 
 
 On Friday, Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Bill Cataldo, who is chief of ... ||||| Back to Top 
 
 Watch Live: Rejecting Islamophobia: A Community Stand Against Hate 
 
 Community town hall will be held in Dearborn, Michigan 
 
 Today, April 29th at 1PM 
 
 Rejecting Islamophobia: A Community Stand Against Hate 
 
 It’s not news to anyone in our community that anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias remains a problem. Arab Americans have mobilized to combat this trend both because it is wrong and because it undermines core American values, including religious freedom. We work against it in Washington when it takes the form of bad policies, and we responded to it when policymakers joined in the media circus around the manufactured crisis of Park 51 in lower Manhattan. Since then, we have seen the threat of Quran burnings, mosque protests, and anti-Sharia bills in multiple states across the country. 
 
 The Arab American community in Michigan is perhaps more familiar with these challenges than anyone else. From the politicizing of a fun, family-oriented Arab community festival to Terry Jones' visits to Dearborn, the community has faced these challenges with dignity and courage. With Terry Jones in particular, Dearborn’s Arab Americans did the right thing by keeping him marginalized and organizing an interfaith response that affirmed our values. 
 
 This week, we’re faced with the latest challenge when Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer bring their so-called “Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference” to Dearborn on Sunday. By presumptuously donning Ms. Mokdad's name on their conference, they are exploiting the tragedy of a young Arab American girl to promote a bigoted agenda. It is shameful. Unlike the irrelevant Jones, Geller and Spencer have thousands of followers, and are given airtime to spew their hate on major American news networks, as if they are respected analysts with just another viewpoint. This group, we cannot ignore. This is the time for our community to take a stand, along with all those who value America’s commitment to diversity and freedom of religion, against the politics of division and bigotry promoted by the Islamophobes. 
 
 Along with a tremendous group of local organizations, AAI has organized a community town hall on Islamophobia on the same day as their conference this Sunday, April 29 at 1pm at the Doubletree Hotel in Dearborn (5801 Southfield Road). AAI President Jim Zogby and Executive Director Maya Berry will be there, along with Eli Clifton, the co-author of a groundbreaking report on Geller and friends called Fear Inc., and prominent journalist and blogger Sarah Posner. The town hall will also feature community, interfaith, and religious leaders as well as Michigan public officials. We will directly challenge the narrative that will be presented by their conference and, more importantly, we will have a community conversation about how to respond to these continued attacks. This community will not leave bigotry and Islamophobia unchallenged. 
 
 Tagged as Issues, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Islamophobia, Profiling, Park 51, State Specific, Michigan 
 
 Disqus ||||| The FBI says it's opened a "parallel preliminary inquiry" in connection with the shooting deaths of three young Muslims in Chapel Hill to determine if federal laws were violated.A statement issued on Thursday said, "The FBI is continuing to provide assistance to the Chapel Hill Police Department to process evidence related to a triple homicide investigation. The FBI has also opened a parallel preliminary inquiry to determine whether or not any federal laws were violated related to the case."Authorities say 23-year-old Deah Barakat, his 21-year-old wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her 19-year-old sister Razan Abu-Salha, were killed Tuesday in the couple's Chapel Hill apartment.Police have said they are investigating whether religious or ethnic hatred motivated shooting suspect Craig Stephen Hicks in any way, and federal investigators have said hate crimes haven't been ruled out.Yesterday, the FBI opened an inquiry into the brutal and outrageous murders of Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, Deah Shaddy Barakat, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In addition to the ongoing investigation by local authorities, the FBI is taking steps to determine whether federal laws were violated. No one in the United States of America should ever be targeted because of who they are, what they look like, or how they worship. Michelle and I offer our condolences to the victims' loved ones. As we saw with the overwhelming presence at the funeral of these young Americans, we are all one American family. Whenever anyone is taken from us before their time, we remember how they lived their lives - and the words of one of the victims should inspire the way we live ours."Growing up in America has been such a blessing," Yusor said recently. "It doesn't matter where you come from. There's so many different people from so many different places, of different backgrounds and religions - but here, we're all one."Thursday night, the Wolfpack nation stood as one in the Brickyard to honor the three murdered students.Thousands of students prayed and hoped they will never see a tragedy hit this close to home again.Before heading to UNC for their dental degrees, Deah Barakat and Yusor Abu-Salah studied and met at NC State. Yusor's younger sister, Razan, was a sophomore at NC State. She was studying to be an architect.In a vigil that started in prayer, a grieving brother stood before the crowd after burying his brother."My brother took his bride, Yusor, their bridesmaid, their best friend to the next world," said Farris Barakat.Finding strength in faith and standing through heavy wind, he shared the peace he felt saying goodbye."Actually, today it snowed as we were burying them and to us there is sense of cleanliness and purity that comes from snow," said Farris.While federal investigators are trying to figure out if their deaths were a hate crime, there was no talk of hate -- only admiration from the chancellors of NC State and UNC."Deah, Yusor, and Razan were a big part of the fabric the amazing mosaic fabric of this great university," said NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson."I've learned that their Muslim faith, their belief, their families, have been what have driven and led their lives of service," said UNC Chancellor Carol Folt.Gov. Pat McCrory thanked students for their strength in the aftermath of tragedy."For showing unity to the rest of the United States and to the rest of the world and sending a strong message of peace, of tolerance and of sending a message that violence is not acceptable," said McCrory.Even with talk of revenge and hate splattered all over social media, Deah's brother ended his address to the crowd with thanks and a message in going forward."Please don't fight fire with fire," he said. "Ignorance is what killed my brother."Deah's sister also addressed the crowd in a last minute decision. While she's a Tar Heel, she asked the crowd to raise up their Wolfpack pride in a show of solidarity.Word from the FBI comes on the day funerals were held for the three shooting victims. Thousands attended Thursday's funerals and a call to prayer for the three shooting victims killed Tuesday in Chapel Hill.Amid chanting, men carried three caskets on their shoulders into the N.C. State University soccer complex in West Raleigh.The 5,500 mourners were not all Muslims. Muslim leaders from across the nation who attended called on them to address what they see as a wave of Islamophobia in America."We are concerned that the rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in our society may have encouraged some to commit violence against American Muslims," said Azhar Azeez of the Islamic Society of North America. "So we urge the law enforcement to investigate this case as a possible hate crime."The father of the sisters who were murdered said he cannot believe that his daughters were executed simply because of a dispute over a parking space."Please involve the FBI. Please investigate. Please look carefully. I have talked to lawyers. I have talked to law professors. This has hate crime written all over it," Mohammad Abu-Salha implored two U.S. attorneys who attended the ceremony.Also at the event were many dignitaries, including the chancellors of both N.C. State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Among the non-Muslims was David Morrison an N.C. State senior who says Deah Barakat was his dental school mentor. Morrison, who will attend East Carolina University's Dental program, said he is devastated by the murders of Barakat and Barakat's new bride."They were two of the most amazing people that I have ever met. And my goal here was to honor them and to dedicate what I'm doing. Like I want to be the man that Deah was. I want to be, I want to be the dentist that he was going to be," Morrison said as tears streamed down his face. "I hope that people can look past and just understand that the air we breathe is the same air. My heart beats just like Deah's heart beats."One Muslim leader sounded a conciliatory tone. Naeem Baig of the Islamic Circle of North America said he hopes the tragic deaths won't be in vain."We are saddened but at the same time we feel that what they have left for us is much greater and bringing us together," said Baig. "And we will continue with the efforts of peace and love and sharing with one another."Just before the funeral got underway, Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue and U.S. Attorney Thomas Walker addressed the media along with leaders from the Muslim community.Walker wanted to show his support for the victims' families."We are here to show our solidarity with this community in their time of pain," Walker said. "It is important, very important that we all understand and know that law enforcement is here for the entire community."Blue acknowledged the day was for grieving, but he also wanted to reassure the families of the three young students who were murdered, he is working to exhaust every lead and every angle of the investigation."I do want to take this opportunity and I won't speak much about the investigation today at all cause this is a time to be together," said Blue. "I would just recommit that we are examining every possible investigative angle to include the potential for hate crime."Meanwhile, Chapel Hill investigators returned to the scene of the crime with an ATF agent. Authorities won't say why, but the federal agency is known for investigating firearms and explosives.They went door-to-door trying to get more information about the man accused of murder. Neighbors said Craig Hicks didn't go unnoticed."He was well known in the neighborhood. He was notorious," said resident Samantha Maness.Hicks was hyper-vigilant about towing, according to his wife. She says he considered it his personal mission to keep the lot in the front of his condo in order."He said fine, 'I'll take care of my lot. I'll be the champion to make sure that the residents have a place to park,'" Karen Hicks recalled. "At one point, they took away all of our towing privileges."His obsession with parking played out in a December 2013 incident. Hicks is listed as an eyewitness to an assault on a tow truck driver. He called police.While investigating clues of a possible hate crime, police blame an ongoing parking dispute for the murders.One longtime resident claims one of shooting victims came to his door three weeks ago, asking him to move his car so that she could switch parking spaces. He worries it may have been a warning sign of what was to come."She seemed pretty shaken up. She asked if I could move my car one space over," said Shadi Wehbe. "Someone had left a nasty threatening note on her car telling her to move it. I didn't ask her for details about what the note said. Wish I had at this point." ||||| In this Tuesday, June 20, 2017 photo, Mohmoud Hassanen Aboras, left, whose daughter Nabra Hassanen was killed, listens as Imam Mohamed Magid, center, of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, talks about... (Associated Press) 
 
 STERLING, Va. (AP) — About 5,000 mourners attended Wednesday's funeral of a Muslim girl whose beating death, blamed by police on a motorist's road rage, has some people in her community fearing for their safety. 
 
 Some wearing Islamic robes, others in street clothes, they left their cars as traffic overflowed and walked more than a mile to reach her mosque. 
 
 Nabra Hassanen, 17, was remembered as a shining example of kindness and openness during the services. 
 
 "There is nothing like losing a child, especially in the way that we lost Nabra," said Imam Mohamed Magid, the religious leader of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society. He stood before Hassanen's closed coffin, covered by a black shroud decorated with quotes from the Quran. 
 
 Police said Hassanen was bludgeoned with a baseball bat early Sunday by a motorist who drove up to about 15 Muslim teenagers as they walked or bicycled along a road. Police said the driver became enraged after exchanging words with a boy in the group. A Hassanen family spokesman said the girls in the group were wearing Muslim headscarves and robes. 
 
 Magid said he sought to comfort the victim's mother by telling her that a person who dies in such a manner will enter paradise with no questions asked. 
 
 He acknowledged that the slaying has people grieving and fearful, but he praised the many people who turned out "in a fever" to search for the teen before police discovered her body Sunday afternoon. 
 
 After the teen's funeral and burial, Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. spoke with The Associated Press about the community's concerns. 
 
 Roessler said police have "absolutely no evidence" that her killing was motivated by hate, but he acknowledged that many people still strongly feel that it must have been a hate crime. Virginia law defines these, in part, as crimes that try to intimidate or instill fear in people targeted for their race or religion. 
 
 "That's the myth, isn't it?" the chief said. 
 
 He urged anyone with evidence that Hassanen's killing was motivated by hate to come forward, and "if evidence develops of a hate crime, I promise we will charge to the highest levels." 
 
 Roessler also said police are waiting on the results of forensic tests on Hassanen's body, which was pulled from a pond on Sunday, in an attempt to determine whether she was sexually assaulted. 
 
 "We're doing a thorough investigation and that's something of concern to us," he said. 
 
 At her funeral Wednesday, an overflow area itself overflowed with people who came in solidarity. The crowd overwhelmed suburban traffic, and cars jammed into neighborhood streets more than a mile away to park. 
 
 Most mourners were Muslim, but Christians and Jews attended as well. The ADAMS Center, one of the largest mosques in the country, has a long history of interfaith outreach and activism, and ADAMS board chair Rizwan Jaka said there has been "just a tremendous outpouring of support" from people of all faiths. 
 
 Lamia Sarver of McLean said the tragedy hits home because she has a daughter Nabra's age. She's warned her not to attend late-night Ramadan prayers and services with friends, so she won't be a target. 
 
 "'Pray at home,' I tell her," she said. 
 
 Others expressed similar sentiments. 
 
 "I have two daughters. He has two sisters," said Zahid Hassan of Fairfax, who attended services with his son Yasin, and choked back tears as he spoke. "It could have been anybody." 
 
 In the evening, a crowd of several thousand gathered for a vigil organized by the Muslim Student Association at Hassanen's high school. 
 
 Magid noted the diversity of the crowd and expressed gratitude "to see we are part of the larger community to stand against bigotry, stand against hate." 
 
 Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., who counted Hassanen among his constituents, was one of many political figures who attended. He said the teen's death has prompted the entire community to rally and that the Muslim community is not alone in its grief. 
 
 Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, is currently being held on a second-degree murder charge. Police said he beat her with a baseball bat early Sunday, drove off with her in his car and assaulted her again — they haven't said how — before dumping her body in a pond near her home. His public defender's office has declined to comment. 
 
 Lena Masri, national litigation director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement that CAIR is representing Hassanen's family and "will monitor the development of the investigation to ensure a thorough examination of any possible bias aspects of the case." 
 
 ____ 
 
 Associated Press reporters Alanna Durkin Richer and Sarah Rankin contributed to this report from Richmond.
– A Michigan conference called to discuss a possible "honor killing" and women in Islam has triggered an uproar from local Muslims and civil rights groups who say it's an excuse to bash Islam. The "Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference on Honor Killings" in Dearborn—home to a thriving American Muslim community—was immediately countered with a "Rejecting Islamophobia: A Community Stand Against Hate" town hall meeting in Detroit, notes MSNBC. Both meetings took place yesterday. Mokdad, 20, was killed last year by her Muslim stepdad, according to police. Though initially reported as a suspected honor killing, investigators now believe Mokdad was killed because she was about to tell police her stepfather was sexually abusing her, according to the Detroit Free Press. "The evidence shows the motive really was not a cultural issue," said a lead investigator. "It's about power, control, and rape." The honor killing conference immediately raised suspicions because it was organized by Pam Geller, critic of Islam and nationally known foe of the proposed Ground Zero Mosque. Geller insists Mokdad's death was an honor killing, and one more example of "stealth enforcement" of Islamic shariah law. Geller's group Stop the Islamization of America has been classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Organizers of the rival meeting said in a statement it's time for "our community to take a stand, along with those who value America's commitment to diversity and freedom of religion." Said a female speaker at the town hall meeting: "As a Muslim woman, I stand with pride in my faith."