Amina Sharif, communications director for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) office in Chicago, said she is hopeful for the new series, because it will offer “a more mainstream image of American Muslims. They are often stereotyped and misunderstood because of negative portrayals in media and pop culture. [This program] is normalizing Muslims,” said Sharif. “That’s the way [of] American culture – we needed 'The Cosby Show' to help normalize African American families. In this society public opinion is shaped mainly by media and pop culture,” she said.

Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago executive director commended the TSA for Egan's firing. "We made it clear that Egan's discourse was as much an embarrassment to the agency and the values it stands for, as it was an affront against Muslims and other minorities," Rehab said in a statement.

Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago executive director commended the TSA for Egan's firing. "We made it clear that Egan's discourse was as much an embarrassment to the agency and the values it stands for, as it was an affront against Muslims and other minorities," Rehab said in a statement.

“The TSA works hard everyday to keep Americans safe,” Amina Sharif, TSA communications coordinator said in the release. “When such egregious behavior is flagged on the part of one of their agents, it breeds confidence in us as passengers that it is dealt with as swiftly and as seriously as it was in the case of Roy Egan.”

As the Tea Party convention comes to Daytona Beach, many polititians declined their invitation not wanting to associate themselves with speakers like Pamela Geller, an anti-Muslim activist. "In other states, elected officials have pulled out and do not want to be on the same stage as her," said CAIR media-relations director Ahmed Rehab.

Gina Cuellar, a 24-year-old psychology student at Cal State San Bernardino is happy that she converted to Islam."The qualitative anecdotes are women particularly are converting at a much faster rate, particularly Latinas," said Ahmed Rehab, media relations director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington.

The County Board Tuesday gave unanimous thumbs-up to ordinance revisions that over the past few years were crafted, criticized and reworked in an attempt to streamline the process of locating places of assembly in residential districts. The new set of rules applies to clubs, lodges and other organizations as well as religious uses, but about 90 percent of such requests that come to the county are from faith groups.

A former delivery driver has filed a federal lawsuit against a soda bottling plant in Harvey that allegedly fired him shortly after he asked to time his lunch break to attend weekly Islamic prayers at a mosque.

"We're relieved at the end of an era. Muslims don't rejoice at the death of an individual. However, we are rejoicing at the death of dictatorship and tyranny, and the murderous period that Gadhafi was going after his own people," said CAIR's Ahmed Rehab. The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago says, now that the war against Gadhafi's regime is over, Libya will face a new challenge.

"We're relieved at the end of an era. Muslims don't rejoice at the death of an individual. However, we are rejoicing at the death of dictatorship and tyranny, and the murderous period that Gadhafi was going after his own people," said CAIR's Ahmed Rehab. The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago says, now that the war against Gadhafi's regime is over, Libya will face a new challenge.

A veteran officer with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Chicago is being disciplined after posting hundreds of racist and derogatory comments on Facebook. Not only were Officer Roy Egan's racial and religious rants open for anyone to see, for years he openly identified himself by name on Facebook and listed his employer as U.S. Homeland Security-TSA, the Transportation Security Administration.

A veteran officer with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Chicago is being disciplined after posting hundreds of racist and derogatory comments on Facebook. Not only were Officer Roy Egan's racial and religious rants open for anyone to see, for years he openly identified himself by name on Facebook and listed his employer as U.S. Homeland Security-TSA, the Transportation Security Administration.

Just back from Egypt, Ahmed Rehab talks to Worldview's Jerome McDonnell about the state of military rule and sectarian violence as Egypt inches closer to next year’s historic presidential election.

I read Neil Steinberg's Oct. 3 column, "Suddenly they trust Obama to kill people." I appreciate that he pointed out that the murder of Anwar al-Awlaki’s violates the Constitution.

The Sept. 21 opinion piece in the Daily Herald, "Israel's future under siege from U.N.," by Cal Thomas was inflammatory and illogical.

Michael Quigley, a Democratic Congressman from Chicago, made the New York Times on 24 September 2011. He made it by promoting the virtues of tolerance and diversity and lamenting the suffering that occurs when tolerance fails. Out and about in his Chicago district, he stopped in at a meeting of the American Islamic Conference.

Joshua Hoyt from the Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), discusses the organization of the Egyptian Spring. According to Hoyt, physical courage in the face of police brutality is what led to the overthrow of the dictator, Hosni Mubarak.

Congressman Keith Ellison, accompanied by two American Muslim activists (of Egyptian origin), Ahmed Bedier, the president of United Voices for America, and Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago's executive director, met on Wednesday, Sept. 29 with a big group of Egyptians, around 70, of all ages and backgrounds, in a location nearby the famous Tahrir Square.

Mike Quigley knows about cheap shots on ice. Now he’s an expert on being blindsided on the Internet and cable TV. Mr. Quigley, a Democratic Chicago congressman, had a relatively light Saturday recently. He played ice hockey in the morning, did a beach cleanup with the Sierra Club and hit four block parties in the 32nd, 43rd and 44th Wards. Along the way he surfaced at a conference held by the American Islamic College. It was a quick in-and-out, with remarks to perhaps 100 attendees about the strengths of American pluralism, the sort he makes to many groups.

Terms like “radical Islam” reflect negatively on a peaceful religion. The terrorists who recognize themselves as Muslims are not true followers of the religion as Islam condemns the killing of innocents. Therefore, the term “Islam” should be avoided in the discourse of terrorism and 9/11.