A strike on the village of al chiffonier left several people suffering symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorine gas one child died in that attack more now from osama bin with a warning his report does contain some discretion to choose. From. This is what the United Nations degree has to stop. But hours into the u. N. Security councils thirty day ceasefire declaration bombs kept dropping on eastern huta medics reported dozens of deaths and injuries from more than one hundred airstrikes barrel bombs and artillery bombardment all of which was supposed to and continues in the rebel held area home to four hundred thousand syrians. What experiences from b. B. s these fires in in syria dont give us high expectation its for fish and when this fishing whats what they it was a visitation save the cease fire will start as soon as possible one this possible we dont know we dont we dont know when this will stop and and then here this is a big number of population it wont be a solution that feeding them one or two convoys and wont be the solution that we evacuated one thousand or two thousand of them to be seated out of rudolph as feared Government Forces try to enter eastern huta from three sides attempting to seize as much landis possible before the cease fire is implemented reinforcements from the syrian armys fourth and tenth brigades have been circling east and who different days special forces and troops from the elite tiger battalion are also on the frontlines. Bulldozers and tanks are deployed to breach rebel defenses iran and syria maintain that the Security Council resolution allows the targeting of what they call terrorists. Or to this by keeping larger troop numbers and heavy rebels in. Their front lines so far killing and capturing some soldiers. Do not have enough we welcome the Security Councils decision regarding a ceasefire because of the burden on our families and he said this suffering must be lifted to the decision to stop the bloodshed caused by the regime in eastern guta as usual we didnt find any commitment by the Syrian Regime and its russian allies. Northwestern go to southern with almost every front and go to has been stalled by the regime on sunday in order to achieve some advance but they havent succeeded. Many besieged people have been stranded in underground shelters for days and feared worse to come the calls the victims in syria martyrs that have been conversations between the leaders of france germany and russia to drive persuade the Assad Government to stop attacks and allow in humanitarian aid thats when the people will continue to face what they see is annihilation. Of the turkey syria border the north korean general is set to meet south koreas intelligence chief in the capital seoul hes been in town for the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics general kim yong also suggested his country is willing to hold talks with the United States but the white houses dialogue with the north must end with its denuclearization. Church leaders in occupied East Jerusalem have closed the holiest sites in christianity in response to what they call discrimination by the Israeli Government managers of the church of the holy sepulcher believed to be the site of the crucifixion and the resurrection of jesus christ the angry and proposed tax plan. The body of the bollywood superstar sridevi is due back in india today from dubai the fifty four year old who starred in more than one hundred films died suddenly of a heart attack at a family wedding on saturday large crowds of fans gathered outside her home the police were forced to put up barricades around neighboring roads as the crowd swelled for the course of the day. More news on the web site al jazeera dot com is the web address you need im back with a quick summary in twenty five minutes up next its rewind season. Hello and welcome to rewind im Richelle Carey and the decade since we launched aljazeera english back in two thousand and six we have built a library of moving and powerful documentaries here army wine revisiting some of the best of them and looking at how the story has new dawn today we are rewinding ten years to two thousand and eight and rug omar set out on a unique journey across the United States to get to the heart of what it meant to be muslim in america and that was back in the decade of nine eleven and the iraq war that followed since then of course the world has turned with the rise of isis the political upheavals that followed the arab spring the chaos of us and gulf first libya then syria and of course the election of donald trump and his travel ban so today its more important than ever to understand the history of a vibrant diverse and still growing Muslim Community and what it means to be both muslim and a patriot heres islam in america from two thousand and eight. Oh say. Well i want to go for this because that. Would. Have. You you. Could. Mention america and islam and most people think of irreconcilable conflict but i suspect thats not the whole story in this two part series i hope to discover the truth relationship thats evolving between the two. There is said to be eight million muslims in the United States and the faith is said to be the Fastest Growing religion in this country and the roots and history of islam a longer than most people are aware of i want to travel across this huge country to find out the stories of what its like to be an american. In this program all the searching for the origins of islam in america talking to africanamericans who just discovering that own islamic history and exploring if being american fits comfortably with being muslim. My journey begins with a trip to minneapolis in the midwest it may seem an old destination for a program on islam because its citizens are mostly jewish and christian but in two thousand and seven voters here elected americas first muslim congressman Keith Ellison. Keith spock on the campaign trail on a most significant anniversary today is juneteenth it commemorates june nineteenth eight hundred sixty five the abolition of slavery these are local political activists and theyre coming on the parade to get people in this community fired up about voting and at the halls of their efforts a young muslims playing their part trying to get congressman Keith Ellison the first muslim in congress reelected. Hello good spirit nice to see you Keith Ellison is a charismatic politician whos keen to get young muslim started in politics well you know were just have a going out here you know keith introduces me to his intent. Would you say just sort of young muslims living in other parts of the world would think being a muslim in america is a very tough thing and such are i mean theres advantages theres disadvantages we definitely have a lot more opportunity is that its kind of difficult going up any different especially where im from its a stance and im the only muslim in my school being the same in my high school so thats definitely a challenge but once you get past that you know you can theres so many different avenues so many different opportunities for you to connect with and what its like to be able to come in the United States get challenging and rewarding on the same time but i think the most important thing to remember is that you dont you know what we can make you know if we want and i encourage all muslims around the world to actually do this thing you know please get to know your elected officials will it all thats the only way you can make a difference. Mom is going to get. You guys who are happy to see you know this is when the slaves got free right this is a great example of the american author of glad handing its the way to the electoral heart of the nation how candidates meet their votes. And has paid off for keith here in minneapolis and its worked elsewhere now americans have elected to muslims to congress. All these historically been on the margins of American Society now come in you know when theres enough for everybody right now ok. For those muslims around the world in western countries who have no idea about the community here how would you say life is for muslims in america at the moment oh yes and there isnt like you dont hear about people getting hassled in airports you know theres a long way to go obsolete because impression i mean come from britain in terms of sure muslims is a base level is hiding under their beds. Thats broadly speaking that muslim living is really the beast not only did i not only did i just get elected by an overwhelmingly jewish and Christian Community so did andre carson whos a muslim here in indiana so people need to not look for excuses to disengage you have to get involved you have to run the risk that youre going to encounter bumps in a long way but you still have to seen and heard here a lot of good friends certainly keith needed the votes of christians and jews to get elected but theres a community of forty four thousand somali muslims here the biggest in america they even have their own t. V. Network and they got behind chief. The somali t. V. Of minnesota and were so glad to hear today. Oh ok redlands focused. In the interest i think muslims in european countries. Believe that you know they joy the greatest freedoms in the muslim communities in the west are thriving most of all in europe and when they think about the position of muslims in america to be honest with you i think they think that the numbers a tiny before i call the plane here actually i was with my mom when i. Or you as we say. How many muslims do you think theyre on in the whole of the United States and she said hundred thousand hundred fifty thousand you know. In the whole United States but i mean as i understand there is anywhere between five and eight million i mean when you think about america as a land of opportunity and sort of seizing things with both maybe the sort of you know the next right you maz if i could be so arrogant as to say that will come from here it is you. I have distant relatives in the Somali Community here they were among the first to escape the civil war thats been raging in my homeland off and on for decades twenty years on and the new wave of refugees has arrived from somalia some of Just Graduated College and the throwing a party to celebrate their achievements we came here to take advantage of the opportunities here at the same time to keep our identity as muslims were all going through the same experiences lets not forget our identity and lets give back to the community. Im a very blessed person because. I get a little bit emotional. Weve been given so much you know weve learnt so much. Well you read the news its happening at home i have nothing to complain about. After that we need some laughs so i went to welcome i am doing. Thank you very much but the problem is that it is beginning to close me so mother i get better than me. Luckily hes a big shot making one me about a year who knows that i dont know how you go along the route to home you will notice at the height. Of the. My adopted home england has a bigger Somali Community the minneapolis and its been settled for longer but they do tend to think of england as home my parents a typical their mental bags are still packed to return to somalia but thats not true here these somalis are no less scarred all traumatized by their experiences of planted roots deeper and faster than any Somali Community ive seen in the world they dont talk of returning home they are growing up and i submit thats got it i want to. Tell you so often its a message that came across loud and clear and i was still hearing it in the taxi to the airport with how much so i love you lift up the stairs two years thirteen years yeah and you came from the lowest somalia. And i was born there having been there for a long time there was a lot of problem last fifteen seventeen years. In england we somalis you know were not that organized you know here in america you dont organize if you dont vote if you dont disobey the american way of living you lost so you know but thats the way to be visible thats the way to get heard yes can you be muslim and american yes you have to sacrifice one to be the. You. To be America First and you have to do what other americans decertify as alive to defending america because this is our country this is feel that you dont think about. My life defending this country. I get the welcoming i get. Thats a powerful thing compared to where i come from how we were how i was you know slaughter a friend of mine who died the war or recount where i come from coming here. You know having what i have. Is home. Minnesota is a liberal state in the democratic heartland of the midwest a welcoming place for the somalis the latest black immigrants to establish themselves in america but in the early years of its history america was the very opposite of welcoming for the first africans to reach these shores. For three hundred years africans were brought here in chains a slave labor im heading to jackson mississippi in the deep south to meet some of the descendants of those first africanamericans because it seems that their history lines at the heart of the story of islam in america. This impressive looking building is actually the state capital of mississippi ill be honest ive come with my own really strong preconceptions about the south for me its about being in the hearts of the bible belt its about prejudice and the history of segregation but actually being told that the story of islam in america begins of all places here centuries before. And its a story that begins with slavery. Its. Starts here because most of the slaves shipped from africa came to work the plantations of the south among them when muslims. Forbidding from practicing their faith they found secret ways to keep islam alive calling the faithful to pray here in mississippi is abdul rashid he believes that one way they achieve this was through. The africans brought to me was a kid slave peoples then blues came from mississippi i dont think that ive been hearing about the link between the cold soprano and the songs the slaves used to sing in the fields are they similar the call to prayer a lot. If you ever went to a Baptist Church then you can hear this in a Baptist Church all of the baptists especially the southern baptist. With a capella. Singing the whole congregation to sing you know. Love. And be called the entire koran was basically chanted yes no and it was chanted basically in that minor scale you see that connection to you and your singing things that had deeply embedded within the sort of africanamerican experience and the blue use not only that but that was one of the things that. Guided me to islam really is the music when you start reading when i was introduced to the koran and that was founded there as well founded well. So i think from my opinion this is just why opinion and with my opinion about her and something you get a cup of coffee maker but this is my opinion that this entire movement is a spiritual and is geared toward islam. Like abdul more and more people of all ethnicities are finding their way to islam a third of all muslims in america about two million a converts the people at the mosque in jackson convinced that this is having a positive impact on the entire nation oconnor was she is one of the founding members here today have you heard so much about it yet. And were just happy to have a caller who is involved in a new Research Project with twenty five other historians they believe their discoveries will not only rewrite the history of islam in america but transform our understanding of african cultures i think were leading the way actually. As part of this initiative a cofounded the International Museum of muslim cultures the first in america researches suggests the number of muslim slaves was much greater than previously sold one third of all the things slave to africans that were brought to america actually were muslims nobody knows this is new cutting edge information because when we read our history books we dont see that we have one of the Great Stories here in mississippi in a place called natchez mississippi we have the story of our prince abdulrahman ybor he he was an african muslim prince and scholar came out of the area around gambia and he was actually slave to matches for over forty years and we have that story but but youre a combination of all these things thats unique here to the to the deep south on to mean africa american and muslim and why. Why is it important to stress i mean in this example in your work this missing link of islam in this in this weeks the most important reason is that its going to help the africanamerican to become a first class citizen am opposed to a second class citizen and this whole standing up for rights fight for freedom leaving the whole effort in america for reforming america and bringing america to respect its own constitution all blending is really was thats what makes me optimistic about the future. This corner of the exhibition is really interesting because youve goals real evidence of this link between islam and slavery in mississippi and it put him of the man who was known as the prince among slaves who was sold into slavery for forty years before winning his freedom and going to live as a free man in liberia and i understand that there are his descendants still living in the United States and im going to try and find them. I now see that whats up the heart of the story of islam in america is the story of slavery and on this issue america was divided as early as the seven hundred seventy s. Some americans were calling for the abolition of slavery one of these Thomas Jefferson proposed forming a colony in africa to take freed slaves but it wasnt until eight hundred sixty three after the civil war that slavery was finally abolished with it came the economic collapse of the Southern States which depended on slaves the big plantations fell to ruin and two million freed slaves headed for the northern cities. For those who stayed behind life remained brutal well into the Twentieth Century lynching and murder where every day facts of life africanamericans across the south. African americans have been telling me that here in mississippi a place on ive always associated with prejudice they can now be muslim without prejudice and that this is an essential part of being a muslim in america the fight against prejudice and the struggle to be free and it was in pursuit of this struggle that in the early part of the Twentieth Century millions of africanamericans abandoned the south and they headed north which is where im going next. Im catching the night train to chicago following in the footsteps of millions of freed slaves to the city by the promise of jobs in the factories and stockyards. With the hope of living a life free from prejudice but they did have another option to sail from liberia the colony america established for free to slaves in africa. It was a stark choice scratchie living in americas ghettos will build a nation from scratch the muslim prince ibrahim of mississippi that of color told me about was among the first to sail from liberia where he dreamt of establishing islam but the early settlers encountered little bit disease and hardship and prince ibrahim barely saw the completion of the first settlement before he died. Martin liberia has suffered a succession of civil wars and feeling the last of these was abrahams great great great great grandson whos turned this story on its head he fled wall to liberia to find freedom in america his name is. That i want civil war in liberia i came to this country and it was just a sheer says on us and in my own countrys history that i spent hours in the library just trying to find out the history of the mississippi. And then i define oh yes there were shipped there was a ship manifesto and all want to ship me out of great ground me his name was like man ibrahim sorry he was one of the sons of. Remodel or was and was a prince but also clearly by his name a muslim a muslim was very important to realize that. You on astute sons. Medicine and that for me was like winning the lottery or mazing. In reverse here i have to come from africa. Here i have a gun from africa. Refuge in a Chicago Place intellectual place for me is for me in above all it has one of the largest collection of books in africa one norway in africa is right here in chicago how important was it that up to you relative was a muslim this country has to understand its roots especially when it comes to africanamerican is an islamic groups africanamerican show not seen as just a religion it is a heritage and a good thing about it people respect each other here you know in the midst of all of this is diversity so thats something that youve got what has that. Chills what it means when people in. All merge. Artemus has a good point chicago is culturally very diverse and it has a large Muslim Community big enough to justify this celebration of arab culture its the second year running the city is celebrating its links with the middle east for those for whom the slaves who fled the south a little over one hundred years ago the transformation of this city so would be unbelievable. Africanamericans came to chicago as parts of one of the largest human migrations of the Twentieth Century they were leaving the segregated and racist south in search of a new life in what many hoped would be a Promised Land and it was out of this experience that was born the First American muslim movements and it was known as the nation of islam. In the one nine hundred thirty s. A radical idea began to spread through the cities of america the idea that white people were irredeemably evil form the coolness stone of the nation of islam. These theology combined islam and black nationalism the nations message appeal to africanamericans who fled the bigotry of the south of the one nine hundred fifty s. The nation had around one hundred thousand members led by enlarge. Already very good. Up there but out up with a view. In there that. Would gave the nation some credibility were high profile members including the boxer caches clay who took the name ahmed ali and the radical charismatic activist malcolm x. In the present situation most negro dont know the political power they dont need that they can put the man in the white house so they can take the man out of the white house but in one thousand nine hundred sixty five off the leaving the movement malcolm x. Was assassinated defection sold enough to a larger mohammad died most of the membership converted to mainstream islam. Im on a bit of a pilgrimage south of chicago to meet a man whos had a profound effect on the story of islam in america hes the son of a larger mohamed but he led the largest single conversion to mainstream islam that america has ever seen. I am doing this for the benefit of people. So they see the importance of these. Witness documentaries that open your eyes. At this time on aljazeera. Facing realities growing up when did you realize that you were living in a special place the socalled secret city getting to the heart of the matter. Why es activists tellin india just because she expressed herself hear their story on talk to aljazeera at this time. We should all be in doha with the top stories on aljazeera the Health Authorities in rebel held Eastern Ghouta are reporting symptoms of gas poisoning among the victims of Syrian Government airstrikes at least twenty seven people died in the latest wave of attacks on sunday a week long bombardment is continuing despite a u. N. Resolution demanding a cease fire in syria Health Workers say a strike on the village of. Left several people suffering symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorine gas one child died in that attack. A north korean general is set to meet south koreas intelligence chief in the capital seoul he has been in the south for the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics general kim yong chole suggested his country is willing to hold talks with the United States however the white house says dialogue with the north must stand with its denuclearization the chinese president xi jinping may be able to stay in power indefinitely on the plans by the communist party to abolish term limits for its leaders the ruling party wants to change the constitution to remove the current restrictions under which leaders can only serve for two terms Church Leaders in occupied East Jerusalem close the holiest site in christianity in response to what they call discrimination by the Israeli Government managers at the church of the holy sepulture believed to be the site of the crucifixion and the resurrection of jesus christ angry at peoples tax plans. Thousands of people have been demonstrating in brussels against the belgian governments migration policy protesters accuse the government of a hardline approach on immigration and they want the migration state secretary to go franken to be sacked earlier this year the government was rocked by scandal over the forced repatriation of one hundred people towards one cigar. Australia has a new deputy Prime Minister after weeks of mounting pressure forced Barnaby Joyce to leave the role hes been replaced by the Veterans Affairs minister Michael Mccormack the conservative joyce campaigned on family values and came under fire when it was revealed he had an extramarital affair with his press secretary he also faces a Sexual Harassment complaint. The body of the bollywood superstar st devotee is due back in india today from dubai the fifty four year old who starred in more than one hundred films died suddenly of a heart attack at a family wedding on saturday those are the headlines the news continues after a go back to rewind by. The mom Wallerstein Mohammed lives modestly here in chicago he became the head of the nation of islam when his father in law died in one thousand nine hundred seventy five wallenstein persuaded most of the nation to adopt mainstream islam and he changed the nations name to the World Community of islam in the west there were some very startling new ideas. Already arizona has the ethnic tell us about some of the it was a myth and this did destroy we had a myth of their origins of the white race as did their all over the bagmen you know. As mind blowing and the blood and black people were gods and the whites were devils as an exactly exactly but what made you break with the nation of islam that it didnt it didnt take nothing but a childs brain for me to do that i was about eleven or twelve when i was that that was wrong then you became a sunni muslim well i dont make a big deal muscly in cia you know when i became a mainstream muslim you became a mainstream muslim areas and the really the importance of it how it would affect not only muslims but christians sue. Was not realized ballasts in one thousand nine hundred five in what way was it important turning that means a lack of Nationalists Movement as extreme as ours believing what we believe in the race if you could make a one hundred eighty degree turn and join the muslims of the world good christians and of the good people of this earth its amazing when you look from the middle east to europe thinking of america as a bad place to be a muslim its like living in the belly of the beast now heard that how would you say that life is like for people well we know things that happened to make america peer ugly in the eyes of citizens of this country and this is a war that if we can see america the beautiful there has advanced against america the ugly successfully. Then im sure that we would recognize that america is the most fertile soil we have for ecstatic religion in our future for our children grandchildren and children to come and then my journey across america i want to find america the beautiful. Where will i find that certain kind of things should i look for the concept of citizenry how citizenry is that race. In the constitution the United States based upon the equality of man and i feel very strongly that the Founding Fathers envisioned. A world that would welcome muslims and others from across the waters not this not only christians. There seems to be an incredible transformation in only thirty years ago chicago was the most racially divided city in america it had a White Supremacist Movement and a black separatist movement it saw some of the worst racial violence in the entire country im amazed what im hearing from people like optimists and wallerstein and it seems chicago is becoming much more at ease with its own diverse population its a rich city where life is improving on many fronts better Public Education karma Race Relations and overall the Crime Statistics show a big improvement. But there is still a dark side to the city because even though the city has cracked down and arrested gang leaders Gang Violence is getting worse ive been here for three days and nine people have been killed in gang warfare. Islam has made huge gains in chicago which is home to the largest number of africanamerican muslims in the u. S. Thirty years ago they had only one mosque today they have more than forty to choose from now islam has a new battle to win trying to loosen the hold the gangs have on chicagos south side this news and im heading to the south side to visit the citys first Halfway House for muslim x. Prisoners its aim is to provide an alternative to life in the gangs the man who runs this project has served twelve years for murder like many ex offenders he converted to islam in prison his name. Rafi peterson. We used to go in the Cook County JailDivision Eleven which is in the like maximum security and then. Weve seen so many brothers we did that for like six years and then we seen so many brothers coming home and going right back right we realize that we needed so its mission to fall back and most be in must have been very hard for a lot of youve known as if you come back and youve got to make money youve got to make ends meet not only that men with a lot of brothers that convert to islam and institutions. They will other than the institutions so we know that you have to have an environment here for the brothers to get a foothold when they get out and so we want to National Housing service to look my you know i know you got some houses. Can we get one right and he said i know a good one you can have what we have and a lot of. You know we can do a little bad way when you first saw this goofy everywhere and here this is again the gang house it was boarded up you know and the neighbors and stuff with the freight to say and think what do you call the police on these guys the neighborhood is feeling the benefits of this project but thats no rule its having a positive impact on new still in prison. Havent you noticed any more more i mean africanamericans coming to islam i mean especially in in prison. They already have it in the south they need somebody to bring it out. So fast they see it. Like this you know. This whole free house is a calm sensor in a neighborhood torn up by gun violence and rafi is not content to let murder and mayhem thrive on his doorstep. With little. Money they dropped a brother right here and they shot him in the. This is a very. Head of the. Book and pastor theyre. Up this street here. They say its eighty eight thousand young people between the ages of eight to twenty five in this general area that we live in west a lot of. Its not teasing them down the street dont want to go down there specially to come in the car this morning his own sound if you look down the street to street look like a ghost see all the house and the same thing down this way. Having a drug infested also killed him six you dont want to take you up six meters i mean youre living right now also so you know a lot of people. You know they know a lot of the brothers and even a lot of the brothers and. They dont like what im doing but they know that i got to do it weeks ago they killed a brother is that right the best the store that they broke in on the corner they shot that place up the one thing that they did when they locked the ball to the real gang chiefs in chicago they destabilize all of the gangs now theres no one individual you can come to but you used to back in the day. They got control of the whole you know theres a madison vibe or me they got to do what they got to do this the bottom. Now you know. If you want to turn people away youve got to turn into a song and of course what rafi is trying to turn this neighborhood towards is islam. What do you think rushdie here in chicago would do you think islam is place in america i mean is it a growing one to go to a Healthy Future or i think that islam can be the cure to america ills of openly aseptic cannot down barriers because we as muslim we spoke to be the best for humanity and i think you in america has an opportunity to really teach and show that thats what we are and that we can be. I have to admit ive come to america with my own prejudices and misconceptions i thought that being muslim in america was a story of widespread fear discrimination and stereotyping but in the short time ive been here what im hearing from muslims is about opportunity Constitutional Rights and due process about having a stake in this country and being made to feel that they belong and as i travel across america what i want to find out is whether these ideas define not only what it means to be a muslim in america what it actually means to be an american muslim. And im getting the message that a great deal of what it means to be an american muslim is understanding your Constitutional Rights and how you go about being a good citizen and its in washington the Nations Capital where im hoping to learn about citizenship the law of the land and the influence of islam in fact in something that would come as a huge surprise to most of us amongst the Founding Fathers one of the greatest Thomas Jefferson had his own koran in full of knowledge and. Of islams contribution to world civilization and one of the most famous monuments in the American Capital over that is dedicated to him. A big part of the legacy of Thomas Jefferson in the Founding Fathers is freedom of expression it means a lot to americans including american muslims one of the most radical ways you can indulge this freedom is on stage through comedy. I mean washington d. C. About to get a lesson in free speech at a Comedy Club Show you the real Nicholas Berg generation pakistani muslim woman she just won an ignite one is in america Ruby Nicholas won a National Talent competition and became an overnight star my parents like when they came to this country they told everyone they were pakistani muslim immigrants so that i wouldnt have to grow up with the stigma being known as hawaiian that. This is my mom that when nation of easter to me and my sisters to story. East jesus christ will come back from the dead. And he will give all of the good days in the night. But you know i mean. I make stitch. On the east the jesus christ will come out of the gate. And if he does not see his shadow. I. Will be six more weeks of chile i. Think that youre getting ready to go sixty in the. End theres always a mixed bag of reaction i mean there are some that really feel as though it is imminent you know there are though you know and there are others who just sort of take it in stride and what do you think i mean when you when you say you but you know your heritage is in some ways called maybe is a way to disown people of absolutely a little easier for people to handle some of the muslim terrorist takes a joke when youre made you know like i need to see you know i get totally different then you know a guy with a big beard in appears to look at a woman is it made sort of all the comics suddenly jump in there as well one thing to sort of talk about iraq you know yeah i was mixed as a whole tend to be a little more political and. And you have jumped into the mix in terms of taking liberties with making fun. Of me a stomach religion a little bit more than in the past opening up the conversation putting a stereotype on the table that was a mess and so way to break it down for you. I mean when i do third of the federal typing i tell a cab driver job like that and and my mom calling in to him you should get people about the contributions that american muslims have made going to me we have the most educated weve got the high class be both really good. Parts of rubys act is offending people and shes very good is it if she wants to say that jesus gives chocolate to children she can but the principles that underpin this freedom go way beyond providing material for comedians they provide the basis for the noor of this land and guarantee freedoms than a carved in stone. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press all the rights of people to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances when people talk about the fundamental freedoms in shrines in the american constitution this is what theyre talking about the First Amendment and its the reason why so Many American muslims have been talking to me about the american constitution because it is they are free to practice their religion as muslims and they are free to speak their minds unlike so many muslims in muslim countries around the world and if anybody tries to oppress them in this country they can seek justice from the American Government the fundamental freedoms guaranteed under islamic law and not far from these american ideals and thats amazing when you realize the koran predates the constitution by a thousand years and there is evidence in washington that suggests america knows its indebted to islam for its own citizens inalienable rights to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This is the Supreme Court in washington now we cant get into film because theyre actually in session but what i wanted to show you is a free means which is in the room where the chief justice is actually sits and dispense justice. This frees pays homage to the ideas and principles that have inspired the american legal system and one of the foundation documents represented in this freeze is the koran. And in the Nations Capital there are a few other references to islam largely unknown rarely seen the Thomas Jefferson building contains the library of congress the oldest Cultural Institution in washington which was completed in the Nineteenth Century around the dome of the reading room is a mural meant to represent the nations and ideas that contributed most to American Civilization and it might come as a surprise to historians that amongst the ideas represented here is islam. Beneath this great mural im meeting congressman Keith Ellison who i came across at the start of my journey in minneapolis so he told me about when you took your oath of office because it was a copy of the koran and not just any copy but that was on this quran that we have right here before us and you know in fact on which is a two volumes it has the initials t. J. Inscribed right here Thomas Jefferson and so you know we said this was your reaction when you found them one of the Founding Fathers had his own copy of the koran i was gobsmacked. As a. Huge head it was international. I didnt have much appreciation for why it would be a big deal that a muslim of the elect of the United States congress i thought the issue was going to be color. And i thought wow weve really made some Great Strides in terms of Racial Justice when people dont care that im black anymore theyre just theyre just exudes or dark about religion but do you think keith that all the grassroots activism in the Muslim Community that at a National Level the fact is that most americans are still afraid of islam americans i think are subject to fear just like any people in the world but i think this is deeply rooted tolerance in people and weve been through a moment a Civil Rights Movement weve been through all kinds of social change movements all marching the country toward a greater level of equality and i think people are just not ready to try to cut anybody out of the deal but the fact is in the european context its what it means to be a brit or a norwegians fairly tightly defined they would look like in what it means to be. Yours youre certain colors certain cultures certain faith yes but in america cultures all colors are faiths even the most conservative american does not question my authenticity as an american you know we oppose social orthodox i mean hierarchies and economic iraqis were not saying we have social justice have been here we dont but but the fact is we dont question our authenticity as americans. On this journey ive met muslims whove made me rethink my prejudices about america muslims here realize something the rest of the world and possibly other americans have forgotten this country was born out of a revolutionary moment settlers first came here religious persecution they overthrew a colonial monarchy they based their constitution on the ideals of the french revolution and radical thinkers like Tom Paine John Locke and yes the prophet muhammad. But theres a much more recent moments in American History that has come to define americas relationship with islam. Really. Look out over her. Thinking about americas relationship with islam like everybody else im joined immediately its a one city and one moment and the events of september the eleventh two thousand and one in new york city changed that relationship between america and islam forever. And it must also have had an impact on american muslims mohammed was with the new York City Fire department on nine eleven will muslims like me then you know who died and some that died definitely muslims died you know trying to help us. James yee was the armys Muslim Chaplain at guantanamo prison. I was being accused of espionage spying and aiding the enemy now these are capital crimes for in which military prosecutors even threaten me with the death penalty. They were distinctly american from of islam is emerging in the off to mouth of nine eleven Arabic School alone a buck to believe something unique is happening here the voice of the muslim woman has not been heard throughout the fourteen hundred years of islamic history now we need to hear from the women and its only when you live in america that you are empowered to go forward with your idea of. Islam and america from two thousand and eight as we know a lot has happened says globally with the rise of by. And in america itself where terrorism has returned to american soil and President Trump has introduced a travel ban which seems to many to target muslims so ten years on what is the position of islam in america realises the political analysts who lives and works in the United States and she joins us now rula thank you very much so you moved to the u. S. In two thousand and nine during that time what as a muslim what have you seen that has changed for muslims in america and i realize its a broad question that what are the things that stick out to you well out of things changed we see a major shifts in islamophobia attacks against muslims in two thousand and fifteen and two thousand and sixteen and its not a coincidence that the f. B. I. Report about hate crimes islam a full big hate crimes in america skyrocketed in those years by far much more than in two thousand and one after nine eleven i just want to remind you that immediately after the election President Trump banned six countries six muslim countries and it looked like a persecution religious based persecution of one group based on the actions of individuals that are carried in pakistan maybe afghanistan iraq and elsewhere he went on attacking the first muslim mayor subject on immediately in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in london singling him out he did in fact act the mayor of barcelona after the attack or the mayor for any other city but he single out of the car because it is muslim and his brown this is the platform. On which he campaigned and his governing now so where are the voices of people that would traditionally be allies to push back against this type of dangerous rhetoric that sometimes also crosses over into violence where are those voices. I mean there are breyer voices we have some. Muslim voices in america whether they are intellectuals like razor. And others but three day we are in minority we are underrepresented in the political arena and in the media i mean i am the only one that gets invited invited to c. N. N. And im b. C. M. To others to explain why this rhetoric is so dangerous and it was it was used before remember europe in the thirtys when you go through the Holocaust Museum its clear if thouse you and its written in the wall the holocaust did not start with the killing it started with words with violent words it started with politicians dividing people with them versus us it started with them and ising an entire group of people and criminalizing them and then that pave the way for the killing and for the gas gas chambers remember president bush after nine eleven pushed this narrative of them versus us either you are with us or them that means if you challenge his views or his policies and decision then you are a terrorist and your label as a terrorist and many liberals jumped on that vaga. A just want to remind you that president obama and he was elected the first accusation the Burger Movement that led and paved the way for trump to win the election what was he accused off of being a secret muslim that he is a crypto muslim and america is fighting a monster today that is called the country off White Supremacy is basically the pure race and in the name of the pure race every minority is an enemy and that will be the final word rula jebreal thank you so much for joining us thank you for having me. That is it from us join us again next week and do check the rewind page its al jazeera dot com for more films from this series and Richelle Carey thank you for joining us you cant sing. True confessions there were never be greener for money or a cynical example of communist propaganda and i want you to participate here i want to walk where i want to do it down the road in twenty times aljazeera access to north korea to investigate b. And i just use of biological warfare by the us during the korean war rewind revisits dirty Little Secrets this time on aljazeera. I know that theres still a lot of unsettled weather over many parts of the middle east at the moment as one system is moving away another one is edging its way over parts of iran and then gradually into afghanistan as well that systems giving us a fair amount of rain some of its heavy and over some of the mountains were seeing that turn to snow behind it theres a little bit of a break but not much of one then the next system is coming through thats working through parts of iraq and its staying more or less where it is if we had three cheers they say more heavy rain still to come here a bit further towards the south and were seeing some of that unsettled weather here as well so weve seen somewhat weather already in doha thats clearing away towards the east here it is making its way into pakistan for monday and then as we head into chu say the next systems with this his that cloud them building during the day will see a few outbreaks of rain and some of them could turn out to be roll the heavy if we had down towards the southern parts of africa theres also a lot of wet weather here in fact for some of us weve seen a little rather intense area of wet weather across the central belt and thats given to some very in hong strain and there is likely to be a bit of flooding i expect over the next day or say so that what weather stretches all the way down into parts of mozambique and into madagascar heavy downpours here but towards the south is dry and fine and dry in cape town. This is really an attack on the truth itself is a lot of misunderstanding of what free speech is supposed to be about the context of hugely important setting the stage for a serious debate up front at this time on aljazeera. The bowl. Struggling to breathe Health Authorities accuse the Syrian Government of a chlorine gas attack. Without their live from doha also coming up protests in sao