Gotham Gazette - The Citizen

Citizens Union Foundation Gotham Gazette

The Citizen

The Citizen / Sep 01, 2005

Muslim men bow in prayer on Madison Avenue in New York at the start of the United Muslim Day Parade.

Photo: Associated Press

Low Turnout
From Pakistan Post
Fewer than 500 Muslims who live in the city showed up at the 20th annual Muslim Day Parade.

Attacks Reported
From Bangla Patrika
Several attacks believed to be hate crimes against Bangladeshi Muslims were reported around the city during the 9/11 anniversary.

Die While Waiting
From Pakistan Post
A Pakistani man died of a heart attack while waiting in prison for his deportation.

During the holy month of Ramadan, which will run until November 3, Muslims in New York City will see more than just fellow worshippers at about 100 mosques throughout the city. They will also see police officers and detectives .(Al-Jazeera). Mayor Michael Bloomberg, along with New York police officials, met with Muslim community leaders and vowed to step up security for places of worship during the holy month. Bloomberg added that his administration had "zero tolerance for hate crimes against any group" in the wake of report of a rise in attacks against Muslim New Yorkers around the fourth anniversary of 9/11(Bangla Patrika).

The 2001 terrorist attack and the security measures that followed have helped slow down immigration to New York City, according to a new study (NY Times). Immigration to the city is now lower than it has been for more than 15 years. "The foreign-born population continues to grow, said Jeffrey S. Passe, author of the study." What we're saying here about New York, specifically, is that their share of the new arrivals has clearly gone down a lot." The study also noted that more undocumented immigrants than legal immigrants have entered the country since 2000.

Many undocumented immigrants each year look forward to applying for the Diversity Visa Lottery , which would allow them to stay in the country legally. Persons seeking to enter the lottery program must register online through the designated Internet web site during the registration period. The web site for registering for the 2007 Diversity Visa Lottery is available from October 5, 2005 through noon December 4, 2005.

These stories, a special section of education and other stories from the Bengali, Chinese, Polish, Spanish and Urdu press via our partner, Voices That Must Be Heard.

Day Laborer Centers
From Gotham Gazette
The City Council passed legislation to create job centers for immigrant day laborers.

Irish Immigrant Centers
From Irish Echo
The Irish foreign minister announced funding increases for Irish immigrant centers, including one in New York City, where many undocumented Irish immigrants live.

Cab Drivers Threaten to Strike
From Weekly Thikana
The New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) threatened to go on strike if fares were not increased to meet the rising price of gasoline.

Southeast Asian Students
From Sing Tao Daily
Students of Vietnamese, Cambodian and Lao descent do not do well in school compared to African American students, according to a new report.

ESL Students or Learning Disabled?
From El Diario / La Prensa
Many students who do not understand English well are placed in the special education system.

Bilingual Education
From Nowy Dziennik
Newly arrived Polish teenagers can get bilingual courses that follow the curriculum of regular city public high schools at Liberty High School Academy-Newcomers.

Immigrant Students Overlooked
From El Diario / La Prensa
In a lawsuit that looks to obtain more state funds for city's schools, immigrant students have been neglected, critics say.

Caribbean Teachers
From Caribbean News
When the academic year began in the city last month, not a single new teacher came from the Caribbean.