Now one in FOUR Americans believe Obama is Muslim as Ground Zero mosque row intensifies

Nearly one in four Americans are convinced that Barack Obama is a Muslim, according to a poll. Up to one in four people, or 24 per cent, said they think Mr Obama, whose middle name is Hussein, practices Islam after he announced his support for a the building of a mosque near the site of the 9/11 attacks.

The Time poll released today also revealed that more than 70 per cent of those questioned believed that to build the mosque would insult the memory of victims . In a second poll, the proportion who correctly say he is a Christian is down to just 34 per cent.The largest share of people, 43 per cent, said they don't know his religion, an increase from the 34 per cent who said that in early 2009.

The second survey, conducted by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center and its affiliated Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, is based on interviews conducted before the controversy over whether Muslims should be permitted to construct a mosque near the World Trade Center site.

The poll emerged as the mosque developers refused to rule out accepting funding for the plan from Iran and Saudi Arabia.

When asked, spokesman Oz Sultan said 'I can't comment on that'. Last night Mr Obama said he has 'no regrets' over the comments he made about the right of Muslims to build an Islamic centre near Ground Zero. He was asked about his comments while he was concluding a meeting with the public on the economy in Ohio yesterday.

Mr Obama sparked outrage from Republicans and the families of 9/11 victims after supporting the right of developers to build the mosque. He inserted himself into the debate over the mosque last week when he said Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in the U.S.A day later, he told reporters that he wasn't endorsing the specifics of the mosque plan.

Emergency crews who dealt with the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks have condemned his support for a mosque near Ground Zero and accused him of deserting them.

New York firemen, police and ambulance workers said the President was happy to speak up for Muslims but not support the crews in their fight for decent healthcare. Since the terrorist attack by Islamic extremists, many who risked their lives saving others have been plagued by serious health problems. A bill which would give them £4.6billion compensation is stuck in Congress.

Their call came as a poll showed that Mr Obama was deeply out of step with the American people in his backing of the mosque, which will be two blocks from where the twin towers once stood.

Muslim woman who hasn't shown her face in public for 18 years ordered to remove veil to give evidence in Australian court

A strict Muslim woman who says she has never shown her face in public, has been ordered by a female judge to remove her veil when she gives evidence in an Australian court. District Court judge Shauna Deane said in the Western Australian Supreme Court today that in the interest of a fair trial against a man accused of fraud, she should not be allowed to wear a niqab, which allows only the eyes to be seen.

The 36-year-old woman, known only as Tasneem, said she was a strict Muslim and it was against her religion to show her face anywhere except in the confines of her home. The defence has argued that her whole face should be seen so the jury could decide on the veracity of her evidence.

But prosecutor Mark Ritter told the court that Tasneem had not shown her face in public in more than 18 years and would find it stressful to reveal her features to strange men. The judge agreed that the jury should have the opportunity to assess the facial expressions of the Islamic Studies teacher to help weigh up her credibility as a witness.

Her decision, she added, was not to set a precedent for other courts - it was up to them to assess similar circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Tasneem worked at a school as a tutor where the accused man, Anwar Sayed, ran the Muslim Ladies College in Perth's southern suburbs. He has been accused of stealing up to £400,000 in public funds by artificially inflating student numbers.

Outside the court Mr Sayed said he was worried about his safety and that of the witness but pointed out that he had no objection to the niqab being worn in court. 'This was a legal matter in which I had no role to play,' he said.

He claimed he had been stabbed the previous week after receiving death threats in hand-written notes and phone calls about the niqab issue. One of his lawyers, Mr Ludher Swaran, said the accused man had become 'quite isolated' within the Muslim community.

'There is quite a bit of pressure on him. He is a Muslim, the witness is a Muslim, the issue of a niqab is very sensitive among Muslims, so he would rather not have had this argument done in court.' Mr Swaran said Mr Sayed had been stabbed with a bottle in the attack. 'His shirt was torn, there were lacerations on his chest, lacerations on his forehead.' A date is to be set for the hearing.

Muslim Disneyland employee outraged after she's told she 'cannot wear her hijab to work'

A Muslim woman has filed a complaint claiming that the Disneyland restaurant where she works would not allow her to wear a hijab. Imane Boudlal, 26, claimed that when she wore the hijab to work Sunday, her supervisors told her to remove it, work where customers couldn't see her, or go home. Boudlal, who wore the scarf in observance of Ramadan, went home. When she showed up for work the next two days, she was told the same thing, she said.

'Miss Boudlal has effectively understood that they're not interested in accommodating her request either in timing or good faith,' said Ameena Qazi, an attorney from the Council on American-Islamic Relations who is consulting with Boudlal. Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said Disney has a policy not to discriminate.

The resort offered Boudlal a chance to work with the head covering away from customers while Disneyland tries to find a compromise. 'Typically, somebody in an on-stage position like hers wouldn't wear something like that, that's not part of the costume,' Brown said.

'We were trying to accommodate her with a backstage position that would allow her to work.
We gave her a couple of different options and she chose not to take those and to go home.' Boudlal, who is from Morocco, has worked at the Storyteller restaurant at the hotel for two years.

However she only realized she could wear her hijab to work after studying for her U.S. citizenship exam in June, Qazi said. She asked her supervisors if she could wear the scarf and was told they would consult with the corporate office, Qazi said.

Boudlal didn't hear anything for two months and was then told she could wear a head scarf, but it had to be designed by Disneyland's costume department to comply with the Disney look, Qazi said. She was fitted for a Disney-supplied head scarf - but Disney never told her when it would be finished.

Boudlal wore her own hijab to work for the first time Sunday. 'After these two months and this complicated process, she decided to come forward,' Qazi said. 'She really wanted to be able to wear it on Ramadan.'

Disney, Muslim worker agree on hijab substitute

ANAHEIM -- Disney is allowing a Muslim employee at its Orange County park to wear a specially designed headscarf after initially objecting to her religious head covering.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations says Monday that 22-year-old Noor Abdallah was told she couldn't wear the hijab while working as a vacation planner at a Disneyland Resort Esplanade ticket booth. She declined to take another job away from the public.

Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown says the park worked with Abdallah to design a covering to match her costume and meet her religious needs. She's been wearing a blue scarf topped with a beret since early this month.

Brown says the case is separate from that of another Muslim Disney worker who refused to accept a costume headpiece and filed a federal discrimination complaint.

HIJAB STYLES FOR LESS: HIJAB FASHION TRENDS SPRING 2010

Today’s hijab style set has two purposes. 1. I wanted to demonstrate a more subtle way to mix prints within one outfit. And, 2. I also wanted to do a post (as requested) about Hijab Styles For Less (thanks Mira for the title!).

Mixing prints is a pretty hot fashion trend for Spring, but in my opinion, that look can leave you looking like you got dressed in the dark. Nevertheless, I still love this trend and I think that mixing prints can look more chic than crazy by following a few tips:

1. Keep one of the prints neutral in color.
2. Keep one of the prints simple.
3. Keep the shapes classic.

The long skirt that I’ve used in today’s hijab style set fits those three requirements perfectly. It’s black and white, it has a simple striped print, and it’s a classic a-line shape. The blazer is also classic in shape, but it has a bright pink, floral print which carries this look in to Spring 2010.

I finished the look with neutral pieces: black booties, a black pashmina hijab, and a large mother-of-pearl cocktail ring.

Hijab Styles For Less : Striped Long SkirtHIJAB STYLES FOR LESS

This striped long skirt by Xhilaration costs about $17, so it’s a very affordable alternative to the skirt featured in the hijab style set above. I don’t think it would look good with the floral jacket, but if you want a striped skirt in your wardrobe, this one would be a great choice.

So, what do you think? Would you mix prints? By the way, I’m sure that some of us have mixed prints before by wearing a floral scarf with a pinestriped pant or something similar — even if not on purpose. Have you?