NEWS The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 28, 2005 - 7 ISLAM Continued from page 1 Mahood said he wants to provide a glimpse into Ameri- can Muslim youth culture, which is rarely portrayed in the general media. In the documentary, the young snowboarders begin their day with a "traveler's prayer," praying for a safe trip. But most of the film portrays them as regular Americans - they go snowboarding, throw snowballs at each other and dress just like Americans, with thick winter coats and snowboard- ing pants. Mahood said that he wanted to show that Muslim communities can integrate. The film was intended for Muslim and non-Muslim audi- ences, Mahood said. "For a western American, hopefully he sees the Muslim life that he doesn't always see," he said. "For Muslims, they will see how well the youth interacts with American culture." Today and tomorrow's events will also take place in Hutchins Hall. Today, three speakers will discuss their con- version to Islam; the main speaker, Heather Laird Jackson, converted to Islam while attending college. Tomorrow, a speaker will focus on embryology and the Quran. Though written long before embryology was discov- ered, the Quran has many details about the fertilization pro- cess, Rab said. She added that MSA wants to bring the scientific history of Islam to students' attention to show that modern technol- ogy is compatible with Islam. Friday, Preacher Moss, a comedian and former writer for "Saturday Night Live," will do stand-up comedy in the Pendleton Room of the Michigan Union. Moss has been per- forming special comedy events for high school and college students about racism since the Sept. 11 attacks. Rab said Moss can help people realize that Muslims actu- ally pursue fields other than medicine and engineering. "We thought a good way to end the week was to have a comedian come in and portray Islam," she said. "Muslims do go to very interesting careers, and comedy is one of them. EN TAI/Daniy Ultimately, we have fun, and we are going to show it through Preacher Moss." Omar Mahmood talks about his documentary "Muslim Snowboarders" at Hutchins Hall as part of Islam Awareness Week. BENEFITS Continued from page 1 The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in March asking the Ingham court to determine if domestic partner benefits are allowed under Michigan's constitution. Granholm was named as a defendant in the ACLU suit that resulted in yesterday's decision in part because of her caution in providing benefits to state employees, said Jay Kaplan, staff attorney for the ACLU, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of 21 same- sex couples. "It was premature," he said, referring to the governor's action. Kaplan said Granholm should have kept the benefits in the contract even without an explicit ruling in favor of benefits, as the University has done. He said yesterday's ruling, though issued in a circuit court, was binding on all parties named in the lawsuit - including Granholm and the city of Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo announced it would stop its domestic partner benefits Jan. 1, 2006 after state Attorney General Mike Cox issued a nonbinding opinion stating that the city's - policy was in violation of Michigan's con- stitution, which was amended when voters passed Proposal 2 last year. The city has indicated it will defer to yes- terday's decision on partner benefits. Kaplan invoked the opinion of the state's electorate to defend yesterday's decision. "We don't think it was the voters' inten- tion to take away health insurance from same-sex partners," he said. Supporters of Prop. 2 said before last November's election that the ballot measure was not intended to deny partner benefits, merely to protect marriage as the exclusive province of heterosexual couples. But the Ann Arbor-based Thomas More Law Center appealed a 2003 decision in favor of the Ann Arbor Public Schools ear- lier this year, claiming the school's policy of providing partner benefits was in violation of the new amendment. The center has indi- cated the University may be its next target. The Ann Arbor Public Schools case, which is still pending, and future cases chal- lenging partner benefits could result in deci- sions conflicting with yesterday's ruling. Conflicting rulings would provide a basis for an appeal to a higher court. Yesterday's deci- sion could be appealed on its merits by the state's attorney general, who intervened as a defendant in the ACLU lawsuit case, or by another aggrieved party. Kaplan affirmed the ACLU's commit- ment to defend partner benefits if further legal challenges arise. "If it's appealed, we're prepared to take this issue all the way through the courts," he said. The ACLU's lawsuit sought a declaratory judgment from Circuit Judge Joyce Dragan- chuk interpreting the amendment as not pro- hibiting domestic partner benefits. The issue hinged on whether providing partner benefits constituted a recognition of same-sex marriage. Draganchuk's opinion relied on the wording of the amendment, which states as its purpose the preservation of "the benefits of marriage," to decide in favor of partner benefits. . "Health care benefits are not among the statutory rights or benefits of marriage," she wrote in her opinion. Instead, she wrote that health care benefits should be provided to individuals bearing some relation to employees at the discretion of employers. "Health care benefits are benefits of employment, not benefits of marriage," she wrote, adding that hundreds of benefits granted to heterosexual couples are cur- rently denied to same-sex couples even when employer benefits are factored in. In regards to Cox's opinion that part- ner benefits are a recognition of same-sex unions, Draganchuk's decision stated the provision of benefits does not establish a union because the requirements to qualify for benefits differ by employer and because they cannot grant recognition to a relation- ship not sanctioned by state law. For the time being, the ACLU is savoring its victory. COUNCIL Continued from page 1 ordinance, group homes such as fra- ternities and sororities are allocated three parking spots in the lot. MSA leaders argued against the ordinance, saying that fraternity houses and other large student hous- es are disproportionately left at a disadvantage because there are gen- erally more residents in a house with a need for parking permits than the ordinance allocated. Bourque, however, pushed the parking issue aside, saying, "I don't see why students would need a break on parking that citizens don't get." Bourque added that he went without a car for most of Law School at the University, and parked far away from campus when he had a car. Rapundalo expressed more recep- tiveness to changing the ordinance in the future. "We should give this parking restriction some time and see what needs to be fixed or not." On why he would be a good repre- sentative on student issues, Bourque said he would use his abilities as a trial lawyer to analyze Ward 2 resi- dents' concerns and respond with ROBBERY Continued from page 1 female suspect matched a description of another armed robbery believed to have been committed with a male accomplice on Sept. 24. This description of the female suspect led the AAPD to believe her accomplice was nearby. After a brief search, the male suspect was found. The knife and school bag were also found in the same proximity. There are no witnesses to the crime. The husband and wife will likely be arraigned by 1 p.m. tomorrow, Abrams said. "common sense," if elected. "My bottom line, is, does it make sense?" he said. Rapundalo countered that his experience in government and record of getting things done makes him an ideal candidate for the Council seat. "I will make sure that you guys have a say in city government," he said, citing his proposal to bring seven students and two Council members together to bridge the com- munication between University stu- dents and the City Council through a joint committee. Levine said it was important for students to hear the positions of the two candidates. "It's important that we as students have the Council members on record as being against the couch ban and in favor of postponing the vote on park- ing legislation," Levine said. Except for the issue of the Oxbridge parking ordinance, Levine said, "We got relatively pro-students stances on issues that matter to us." Levine said that he intended to educate voters in Markley before the Oct. 8 deadline to register to vote, which he believes will make a differ- ence in this year's poll turnout. They are facing charges of armed robbery, which is a felony and has a maximum sentence of life in prison. The AAPD is also investigating the couple for connections to the armed robbery earlier this week. Department of Public Safety Spokes- woman Diane Brown said that robberies near campus are uncommon and stab- bing incidents are even more rare. In 2004, there were four reported robber- ies on campus and three on public prop- erty near campus. And in 2003, there were four on campus and nine on public property near campus. Joling will be released from the Uni- versity Hospital today. Al- Qaida operative sentenced MADRID, Spain (AP) - A Syrian-born businessman was sen- tenced to 27 years in prison Monday after being convicted of lead- ing a terrorist cell and conspiring to commit murder in the Sept. 11 attacks. He was cleared of a more serious charge in Europe's biggest trial of suspected al-Qaida members. Another man accused of helping one of the hijackers set up a key meeting was acquitted of being an accessory to murder but was convicted of collaborating with a terrorist group. Sixteen other people were convicted of collaborating with or belonging to the terror cell. A third suspect facing specific Sept. 11 charges over detailed video he shot of the World Trade Center and other U.S. landmarks was cleared of all charges. The three main suspects _ Imad Yarkas, Ghasoub al-Abrash Ghalyoun and Driss Chebli - had been charged as accessories to mass murder and could have faced sentences of more than 74,000 years each - 25 for each of the 2,973 people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Prosecutor Pedro Rubira had asked for what he called "exemplary sentences" to show terror could be fought in court, not with Guanta- namo-style detention camps. Yarkas led a cell that raised money and recruited men for Osama bin Laden's terror group and "turned itself over completely to fulfill- ing the sinister designs decided by al-Qaida," according to the three- judge panel of the National Court. But it said, "the only thing proven is Yarkas' conspiracy with the suicide terrorist" Mohamed Atta and other members of the al-Qaida cell based in Hamburg, Germany that carried out the Sept. 11 attacks. Twenty-one other people also stood trial but on charges not directly related to Sept. 11. Of those, 16 were convicted of belonging to or col- laborating with a terrorist organization and five were acquitted. One of the 16 was Tayssir Alouni, a correspondent for the Arab TV network Al-Jazeera. He was convicted of collaboration and sentenced to seven years in jail. the michigan daily THESIS EDITING. LANGUAGE, organiza- tion, format. All disciplines. 25 yrs. exp. 996-0566 or writeon@htdconnect.com WISE HEALTHCARE CHOICE. 4 treat- ments and evaluation $75. Chiropractic Dr., 30 yrs. experience. Call 734.994.5966. !!! OFFICE PERSON: P/f 10 hrs.wl. Flex. sched. Pleasant environment. Management skill/resume building. Downtown A2. Math skills nec. 734-761-7204. !!!BARTENDER WANTED!!! $300 a day potential, Age 18+ ok. No experience neces- sary, training provided. 800-965-6520 x 125. $9.00/HR MICHIGAN TELEFUND is now hiring. Awesome Resume Builder! Apply on- line: wwwtelefund.umich.edu or 763-4400. A REAL OPPORTUNITY to earn a massive income. No personal selling. Not MLM. COMPUTER TECH SYNERGY Broadband of Ann Arbor seeks a CS or tech Inclined support person for an ISP/tech company. This position is an un-matched entry level op- portunity in the Tech field. Applicant must have reliable transportation, live 30 minutes or less from Ann Arbor area and have a will- ingness to do anything attitude. Pay rates are neg. but will range between $8.00 & $12.00 to start depending on experience. PT&FT po- sitions avail. Duties may include wiring, sup- port calls, office work and phones. Must know Microsoft products. Advancement pos- sible & likely for career minded candidates. Email resume and questions to: employment@synergybroadband.com GYMNASTICS INSTRUCTORS NEEDED For girls & boys beginning classes. Day- evening-weekend hours. Gymnastics and ex- perience with children necessary. Gym America 971-1667. HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS 18-45 years of age are being sought for a study investigating potential drug interactions of commonly used drugs that are FDA approved (IRBMED# 2004-0076). Participants must not regularly take medications. Volunteers will receive ei- ther $300 or $500 for participating. For com- "mPk t w p. Earn up to $150 per day. Exp. not required. Call 800 890 0471. PAID ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGN "Be the change you want to see in the world." Paid training & great for your re- sume. Afternoon hrs., flex. for students. Vol- unteer opportunities avail. as well. $55-$95/day. Call 734-222-6347. www.cleanwateraction.org PART TIME PERSON for garden flow- er/vegetable bed cleanup, etc. Only those who can be consistent w/ work schedule ap- ply. 734-663-9338. RECEPTIONIST NEEDED : Downton Ann Arbor fitness studio needs a friendly, en- ergetic, P/T or F/T receptionist. Exceptional pay & flexible hours. Call: Meghann @734. 665.2156. STUDENT JOURNALISTS WANTED Conduct interviews & write original articles about UM student life for AnnArborStudentExchange.com $10/article. Flexible Schedule. Contact: brad@fmpublishing.net or 650-575-0598. WOMEN NEEDED FOR research study: The Possibilities Project @ the UM School of Nursing is seeking women between the ages of 18 & 35 who are currently experienc- ing any of the following symptoms: binge eating, vomiting, using laxatives or water pills, excessive exercising, fasting, being un- derweight due to dieting, missing menstrual periods. Participants will receive 20 wks. of psychotherapy & nutritional counseling @ no cost. Compensation up to $275 for partici- pation. For more info., call 1-800-742-2300, #2000 or email possibilities@umich.edu www.umich.edu/-possibil MOVIE EXTRAS EARN up to $200 per SECRET SHOPPERS NEEDED P/T NANNY/MOM HELPER needed. 2 SPRING BREAKERS WANTED day. All looks needed. No experience re- To Evaluate Local Stores Moms tag-teaming 4 delightful kids need a Sun Splash Tours Now Hiring Campus Rep- quired. Call 800-644-8149. Restaurants and Theaters helping hand. 10-15 hrs./wk. Flex. hrs. resentatives. EARN FREE TRAVEL AND Flexible Hours, Training Provided Trans. req. 975-2382, kikubacki@yahoo.com CASH. FREE MEALS BY 11/7. MYSTERY SHOPPERS E-Mail Required www.sunsplashtours.com 1-800-426-7710. G atoI.! hun. d~i1-800-585-9024 ext. 6281. #1 FOR ALL MSU vs. UM Football tickets. Buy/sell at 517-351-1992 or order online 24/7 at www.jamestheticketman.com BAHAMAS SPRING BREAK CELEBRITY CRUISE! 5 Days, $299! Includes Meals & Port Taxes Party With Celebrities Seen On Real World, Road Rules, Bachelor! www.SpringBreakTravel.com 1-800-678-6386 CANCUN, ACAPULCO, JAMAICA From $459! FLORIDA $159! Cancun Prices Are $100 Less Than Others! Includes Meals, 30-50+ Hours Drinks! Ethics Award Winninj (7nmnanv! *SIGMA ALPHA LAMBDA, National Lead- ership & Honors Organization is seeking motivated students to begin a campus chap- ter. Contact: RMiner@Salhonors.org KICK IT UP a notch! Free hot sauce and salsa Taste Test first Sun. of each month. 11