Muslim family’s complaint over Christian toy giveaway provokes conservative backlash
By Katherine Glover
MinnPost.com
Dec. 24, 2008

As prominent Christian conservatives decry the supposed “war on Christmas” and retailers grapple with whether to say “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” to their customers, a small incident at the Mall of America has sparked right-wing attention in such high places as Sean Hannity’s website.

Financial dilemma: For many Muslims, conventional loans can be a sin
By Katherine Glover
Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008
MinnPost.com

Seven years ago, staff at the Neighborhood Development Center made a realization. Plenty of Somalis and other Muslim immigrants had attended the St. Paul-based center’s trainings for small-business entrepreneurs — but in more than a decade, not one Muslim had ever taken advantage of the center’s small-business loans.

The reason? Islam forbids “reba,” or usury. To some, the term refers merely to excessive interest, but to others, it includes the payment of any kind of interest — making conventional bank loans a sin for them.

God on the Job
by Katherine Glover
News21

Head scarves, vacation days, proselytizing, condemning gay co-workers on religious grounds, refusing to transport alcohol or dispense birth control pills – where do we draw the line? Employers and courts struggle to find a balance in how far religion should be accommodated in the workplace.

Also includes interactive sidebars – a selection of cases in which the job itself went against an employee’s religion, an overview of what courts have said about uniforms and dress code policies, and a surprising answer to the question “Can a company ever require an employee to convert to Islam?”

Chicago Muslim professionals go with the flow
by Katherine Glover
Medill News Service
May 24, 2007

Mazen Asbahi admits he sometimes misses prayers. As a lawyer with Schiff Hardin LLP, sometimes he’s in negotiations all day and can’t break out. “A more hard-core Muslim who’s more senior might say, ‘I need to make a five minute break,’” Asbahi said, “but at my point in my career, I can’t always do that.”

Islam-friendly lending thrives at community banks as big banks steer clear
by Katherine Glover
Medill News Service
April 19, 2007

Islamic home lending is a thriving business at the few U.S. banks offering Shariah-compliant, no-interest financing. But the big banks are still hanging back, wary of the high costs of entry.

Guaranteeing Muslim standards: Man works to ensure meat is truly halal.
by Katherine Glover
Medill News Service

It’s illegal in Illinois to mislead someone into believing that food has been prepared according to Muslim halal standards when it really hasn’t. The problem is, different people have different definitions of what those standards should be.