Community News (V9-I38)

Journalist Mickey Alam Khan joins eMarketer

New York, NY–eMarketer has hired Mickey Alam Khan as editor in chief, a new position reporting directly to CEO Geoff Ramsey. Mr. Alam Khan will manage the editorial operations of the market research firm, leading the analyst team and overseeing more than 80 reports a year, as well as the content of the daily newsletter.

“eMarketer is continually looking for ways to expand and enhance its analytical coverage of the online marketing landscape,” Mr. Ramsey says. “We believe that Mickey, with his proven editorial leadership, deep experience in the industry and wealth of professional contacts, will help us deliver an even higher level of intelligence to our clients.”

Mr. Alam Khan brings to his new role the experience and knowledge of a career editing and writing about marketing and new media. He had been editor-in-chief of DM News, a top print and online weekly publication for direct and interactive marketers. Before running the newsroom, he covered interactive marketing, media, e-commerce and advertising agency news for DM News and its iMarketing News spinoff.

Previously, he had been a foreign correspondent for Advertising Age magazine.

“Because of emerging technologies and a rapidly changing online marketplace, companies have less time than ever to make savvy decisions,” Mr. Alam Khan says. “It helps them to have a resource like eMarketer, which aggregates, filters, organizes and analyzes data from multiple sources and boils the information down to its essence. Add the thinking of our plugged-in analysts and you have the tools to make smart online marketing decisions.”

Youngstown mosque opens doors for insight and education

YOUNGSTOWN, OH–The Masjid Al-Khair mosque held a open house last week to demonstrate the similarities between Muslims and people who belong to other religions, the Vindicator reported.

“We want the community at large to be aware that the Muslim community exists here and has for 40 years,” Saeeda Yasmin Ghani, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Youngstown said.

“We are peace-loving and ask that people not condemn the whole Muslim nation because of a few fanatics,” she said as the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., nears.

“That was a horrendous act … for which there was no justification,” Ghani told the paper.

Among the non-Muslim visitors at the open house were friends, Nancy Schulz of Canfield and Cathy Reinard of Youngstown, and Nancy’s daughter, Erin Kriss of Austintown.

“After all the stuff you hear and read [about Muslims], we wanted to come and learn for ourselves,” Schulz said.

“It makes sense,” said Kriss, after learning why Muslim men and women pray separately. She found it amazing that the Quran, the Muslim’s holy book, has never changed, while there are several versions of the Christian Bible.

Day of Service held in Alabama

HUNTSVILLE, AL–The Day of Service is held in Alabama each year to bring cultural harmony. This year a group of students from Catholic High School attended the Huntsville Islamic Centre as part of the observance, the Huntsville Times reported.

The students from Catholic High had been at the Islamic Center for about two hours when they took off their shoes and entered the prayer hall.

After a few minutes, the students were asked if they had any questions.

“We will tell you the truth.” said the man leading the session. “In Islam, we have nothing hidden. We would like to answer any questions you have. No embarrassment.”

At the back of the prayer hall, a girl raised her hand.

“How long do the prayers last?” she asked.

“Good question,” the man replied. “When you’re here, you might think about somebody who’s sick. It has to be short.”

Near the end of the morning, Nick Balch, a junior at Catholic High, addressed the crowd. He said he discovered “there were a lot more similarities than differences’’ between the two cultures.

“Will we invite our friends to come next time?” he said. “Yes, it was a good experience.’”

March in solidarity with Muslim scheduled for September 23rd

ANTIOCH, CA–The Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County is inviting all congregations to march in support of the East Bay’s Islamic community later this month in Antioch.

The event is a chance for outreach organizations to encourage tolerance after a fire this month destroyed an Antioch mosque, organizers said. The march and rally are planned for Sunday, Sept. 23.

The Islamic Center of the East Bay was the target of an arson fire Aug. 12 that gutted the building and caused an estimated $200,000 in damage. The mosque had been broken into and vandalized in three prior incidents this year. Police are still investigating the fire.

Participants will meet at 1 p.m. outside Antioch City Hall, 3rd and H streets, and march to the burned mosque at 311 W. 18th St.

For more information, call McGarvey at 925-597-9797 or Rahman at 925-727-4211.

Jewish, Arab groups launch joint internship

A Jewish-American and an Arab-American group are launching a joint intern program.

Students will divide their internship between Americans for Peace Now and the American Task Force for Palestine.

“Many Americans often assume that Arab Americans and Jewish Americans are at opposing ends of advocacy initiatives that seek to influence U.S. policy,” Rafi Dajani, executive director of the American Task Force for Palestine, said in a joint statement with Americans for Peace Now. “The truth is that there are silent majorities in both communities who share a vision of Israel and Palestine living at peace. Partners for Peace will give young people a chance to mobilize these majorities.”

Rally to shut immigration facility down

HOUSTON, TX–Protestors rallied in Taylor to shut down the Don T.Hutto immigration detention facility here. The residential facility incarcerates and detains families and children deemed to be “illegal.”

Protestors carrying signs that read “Free the Children,” “Toddlers are not Terrorists,” and “Shut Hutto Down” marched 1.5 miles from Heritage Park in Taylor to the Hutto detention facility. The march took activists through the mostly abandoned downtown, across railroad tracks, and through a neighborhood near the facility. The facility is located at the end of the Martin Luther King Memorial Drive.

A group called Free the Children has been organizing the monthly protests against Hutto. Next month’s protest will be Saturday, September 29th. The protestors also allege that Muslim detainees are being forced to eat pork at the facility as alternate meals are not available.

Provincial award for Canadian youths

BRAMPTON, CANADA–A group of Brampton youth dedicated to keeping the city clean and green has won a provincial award.

The Clean City Youth Ambassadors, a group of 20 youth in Grades 9 to 12, have won the 2007 Award of Excellence for Children and Youth. Parks and Recreation Ontario (PRO) will present the award in Ottawa on Friday, Sept. 28.

The ambassadors have spent the past two summers in city parks, picking up litter twice a week during the summer and once a week in the fall. The group of volunteers attends special events around the city encouraging others to put litter in garbage bins.

“Taking responsibility for the environment at such a young age makes these individuals role models for our youth,” said Regional Councilor Elaine Moore, who also chairs the Clean City Committee. “Brampton is proud to have the community represented by such an exceptional group of individuals.”

The ambassadors, who range in age from 14 to 18 years, include Asma Ahmad, Asma Khan, Faiyad Khan, Hanny Ali.

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