"The unsubstantiated allegation against, and subsequent firing of, Sue Smiley reeks of racism," said Kevin Vodak, an attorney for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which filed the suit on Smiley's behalf.

"According to the suit [filed by CAIR-Chicago], a teacher's assistant and eight other students were present in class at the time and confirmed that Smiley never made the remark or any anti-Semitic statements. Despite no evidence, the college refused to conduct an investigation into the allegations and swiftly fired Smiley, the suit said. No witnesses were contacted or questioned." Also see related stories in the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times

"The three-count federal suit (filed by CAIR-Chicago) -- which claims one count of national origin discrimination and two counts of race discrimination -- seeks all wages and benefits she would have received, in addition to compensatory and punitive damages. It also seeks an order mandating Smiley be returned to her former position or receive pay in lieu of reinstatement."

Los comentarios desenfrenados y su historial de votación anti-inmigrante en la Cámara lo perjudican ante el electorado inmigrante

Thank you for printing your Sept. 10 article "Survey: Muslims facea lot of bias," featuring a Pew Research Center study on growing tolerance by Americans toward Muslims.

Ahmed Rehab writes "I have been disappointed with the generally negative coverage of the Chicago 2016 Olympics bid by the Chicago Tribune. The Tribune oddly seems to see the glass one-quarter empty rather than three-quarters full. The Tribune ought to report on some of the amazing Chicago stories that take place daily as a result of the bid..."

Critics of Islam often argue that Islam is long overdue for a "reformation." There are several problems with this argument.

I was disappointed that the letters you chose to run in response to your Aug. 22 editorial "The burquini ban" expressed an extremely inaccurate portrayal of Islam. Sharia actually condemns forced marriages and so-called "honor killings." Furthermore, allowing a woman to dress in accordance with her faith would not "undermine core Western values," as one letter writer wrote on Sept. 1. If anything, it exemplifies those values.

In the years following the attacks of September 11, 2001, enthusiasm for interfaith iftar events swept America’s liberal Christians. When I was studying theology, an interfaith iftar – usually hosted by a campus church group – typically expressed a message more political than religious.

Christina Abraham [Civil Rights Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) - Illinois]: "The newly adopted amendment to Rule 611 of the Michigan Rules of Evidence (MRE 611) is constitutionally questionable.

Ignorance is the real enemy, and in an effort to mend fences and grow relationships Muslims and Jews in Chicago have been part of the Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative for several years now.

The owner of a hookah lounge in Worth believes some residents of the neighborhood near his cafe do not want him there because he is of Middle Eastern descent.

Had it not been for Muslim translators in the 8th century, the works of Greek philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle would have been lost forever.

I was pleasantly surprised to note the level of perception and nuance in Mike Thomas's column about Fathima Rifqa Bary ("Anti-Muslim bias obvious in girl's case," Orlando Sentinel, Sunday).

I was pleasantly surprised to note the level of perception and nuance in Mike Thomas's column about Fathima Rifqa Bary ("Anti-Muslim bias obvious in girl's case," Orlando Sentinel, Sunday).

Thank you for printing "Ramadan Reflections," which features firsthand accounts by Muslim college students celebrating Ramadan in the United States.

Ramadan begins today. And local Muslims may find it harder to fast this year.

On July 19, a controversial conference organized by a group called Hizb ut-Tahrir took place in Oak Lawn, titled "The Fall of Capitalism and Rise of Islam," the conference received media attention that mostly featured opinions of people who were afraid of a terrorist group convening in a Chicago suburb and concerns about yet another Muslim "threat" to our democracy.

President Barack Obama accomplished what he set out to do when he hosted Cambridge Sgt. James Crowley and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. at the White House for a beer and "a friendly, thoughtful conversation."

Comments on this blog regularly reveal some persistent and false stereotypes about Islam. Monday’s arrest of seven suspected terrorists in North Carolina allegedly plotting violent jihad is sure to spark more.