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Secret Memo Leaked; Rapper Collared by Police

Aired November 29, 2006 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

For the next three hours, watch events happen live on this Wednesday morning, the 29th of November.

Here's what's on the rundown.

A secret memo leaked. The White House raising doubts about the Iraqi prime minister and on the very day he meets with President Bush.

HARRIS: Falling snow, falling temps -- a powerful Arctic blast sends warm weather scampering for cover. Shivering from Salt Lake to St. Louis.

COLLINS: And a rapper collared by police. Snoop Dogg arrested after an appearance on Jay Leno's show. The charges in THE NEWSROOM.

His country racked by violence, his capabilities questioned -- a leaked memo raises doubts about Iraq's prime minister ahead of his meeting today with President Bush.

The story from White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, traveling with the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The NATO summit is wrapping up here in Riga, Latvia, but all eyes on a once classified memo, five page, that was leaked to the "New York Times," authenticated by senior administration officials, which reveals impressions about the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri Al-Maliki.

National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley had a meeting with Maliki in late October, wrote a memo, shared it with the president in November, gives his impressions and indicates some serious doubts, questions over whether or not Maliki has the capabilities to control the sectarian violence in his country.

This memo highlights saying that Maliki's intentions seem good when he talks with Americans and sensitive reporting suggests he is trying to stand up to the Shia hierarchy and force positive change. But the reality on the streets of Baghdad suggests Maliki is either ignorant of what is going on, misrepresenting his intentions or that his capabilities are not yet sufficient to turn his good intentions into action.

There are steps that Maliki could take, including bringing his political strategy with Muqtada al-Sadr to closure, shaking up his cabinet and announcing plans to expand the Iraqi Army.

Some steps the Bush administration could take -- let Maliki take more credit for positive developments, continue to pressure Iran and Syria to end their interference in Iraq and also step up our efforts to get Saudi Arabia to take a leadership role.

It also talks about the possibility of an increase in American troop levels, saying we might also need to fill the current four brigade gap in Baghdad with coalition forces if reliable Iraqi forces are not identified.

Now, senior administration officials, who do not like to publicly talk about Bush and Maliki discussions, they say that the president remains confident in Maliki's intentions. It is the abilities, the capabilities of this government, that have been called into question. Those are the kinds of questions that are going to come up between the meeting between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Riga, Latvia.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: President Bush headed to Jordan right now. His vision for Iraq in serious jeopardy. Fear of failure extending well beyond one nation's borders.

CNN's Ben Wedeman explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush's grand ambitions for the Middle East lie in disarray. In Iraq, what was supposed to be a beacon of democracy has become a black hole of sectarian violence and anarchy. The administration still insists it's not civil war, though what Iraqi officials describe sounds almost as bad.

MOWAFFAK AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: This is a war between the extremists and the moderates in the whole region. And that's what's concentrating its effort in Iraq. If they lose, they lose in the whole region. If they win, god forbid, they will disrupt the whole region again.

WEDEMAN: Perhaps glimpsing post-pullout reality, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is now rubbing shoulders with the leaders of Iran, who seem as determined as ever, threats of sanctions notwithstanding, to pursue a nuclear option, flushed with growing regional clout.

In Lebanon, the U.S.-backed government is under siege.

GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And that government is being undermined, in my opinion, by extremist forces encouraged out of Syria and Iran.

Why?

Because a democracy will be a major defeat for those who articulate extremist points of view.

WEDEMAN: Across the region, hopes for a blossoming of democracy have been dashed as almost every experiment in political liberalization -- in Egypt, in Iraq, in the Palestinian Territories -- has empowered or emboldened Islamic hard-liners.

(on camera): For President Bush, the only bright spot, if you can even call it that, is between the Israelis and the Palestinians, who, since Sunday, have been holding to a shaky cease-fire. And even in that case the operative word is shaky.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Amman.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COLLINS: This information just in to us here at CNN, coming to us from Iraq. A promise confirmed by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. You may remember just days ago, he promised that lawmakers and cabinet members loyal to him would suspend their membership to the Iraqi government over the prime minister's summit with President Bush.

That meeting between President Bush and Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki set to happen today. President Bush, when he first learned of this threat a couple of days ago, said he would certainly be going ahead anyway with the meeting with Nouri al-Maliki.

That meeting to be happening, as I said, later on today, after a meeting in Amman, Jordan. And they will be discussing the deteriorating security situation in Iraq.

So this information just in to us. Once again, the promise come true from Muqtada al-Sadr. Lawmakers and cabinet members loyal to him will be suspending their membership.

We will see how this plays out and continue to update you on the situation there.

HARRIS: And let's get you to senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre now -- Jamie, it looks like the Pentagon may be ready to respond to reports of a significant troop redeployment inside of Iraq.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, this report by ABC News suggesting that the chairman of the joint chiefs wants to basically give up on Al Anbar Province and move those troops to Baghdad, to secure the capital there, has Pentagon officials here this morning scratching their heads, even as they're wondering exactly where this idea has come from. As you well know, the chairman has been polling some of his commanders for new ideas about a way ahead in Iraq. And while no one is being -- is able to say exactly where this idea came from, the consensus of Pentagon officials I've talked to this morning is they don't know it's a very good one.

They think it has some obvious drawbacks, not to mention, first of all, that it would appear that the U.S. would be essentially throwing in the towel on Al Anbar Province, cutting and running, turning it over to the Iraqis, essentially turning it over to the insurgents, because it's an insurgent stronghold -- an area, by the way, where several, or thousands of Marines have given their lives to secure that territory.

So they don't see it as something that the Marine general, who is the chairman of the joint chiefs, would likely advocate. But, at the same time, they note that this process of looking for new ideas is -- the whole idea is to keep everything on the table, to consider all options. And then General Pace is going to mull those over and make his advice to the president.

And we'll get a chance, by the way, to ask General Pace what he's thinking about this idea and others when he meets with Pentagon reporters later this afternoon in a news conference that is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. Eastern time here in the Pentagon briefing room.

So we'll put the question directly to him and see what he says.

HARRIS: All right. OK, our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.

Jamie, thank you.

COLLINS: A deadly frat house fire in St. Louis to tell you about. Authorities say at least one person died in a blaze at the Pi Kappa Alpha house on the campus of the University of Missouri, St. Louis.

The fire broke out before dawn today. A man's body was found on the second floor of the brick and wood frame house.

We will keep you updated just as soon as more details on this story become available to us.

HARRIS: The first funerals today for victims of a deadly group home fire in Anderson, Missouri. Ten people died. Investigators now saying they found no sign of arson in Monday's early morning fire. Authorities plan a news conference at 11:00 Eastern this morning. Complete details on their findings in THE NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: A huge winter storm wallops Colorado. Conditions treacherous and downright cold.

Our Rob Marciano is in Breckenridge now with more on that -- Rob, boy, this is a big one, even by Colorado's standards. ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, for this time of year, even by Colorado standards, this is a big snow event and a cold event. A couple of hours ago, it was one degree and now it's below freezing. So temperatures are below zero. The temperature is actually dropping throughout the morning.

It has been snowing in spots across Colorado. Two feet of snow here at Breckenridge. At mid-mountain, about 10 inches of snow. Roads, obviously, are slick, but, you know, you can't beat what it looks like, especially during the holidays here. Downtown Breck has everything done up in the holiday -- well, the lights just went out on this tree, but it's a pretty one, that's for sure.

The problem is that all this snow, it's not all good news.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MARCIANO (voice-over): Falling snow and icy roads made for a deadly combination across Colorado. At least four people died on Interstate 70 when their van ran off the road.

The storm brought a burst of cold Canadian air, cold even for this time of year. The National Weather Service issued severe weather alerts and winter snow warnings out for the Northwest and the Rocky Mountain States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the most we've had in a couple of years. The last couple of winters haven't really been that harsh.

MARCIANO: That harshness could also be felt in Salt Lake City, where snow reached the valley floor and piled up high in the mountains.

In Seattle, the snowfall follows a month of heavy rain that drenched the city, edging it closer to its all time monthly record of 15 1/3 inches, set back in 1933.

While in the Colorado Rockies, this same storm brought up to two feet of snow and more is expected today.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

MARCIANO: Winter snow warnings are still up through at least noon through much of Colorado. Down the road at Beaver Creek, where they're holding the World Cup alpine event, the downhill, they -- for the men, they tried to practice yesterday and had to cancel it because of too much snow.

Meanwhile, over in Europe, they're canceling events because there's not enough snow. That's just the way weather works.

The roads are still slick. Getting reports this morning of another fatal accident on Highway 25, which, as you know, Heidi, goes right through Denver. It's a treacherous roadway because of the cross winds and the change in elevation. That is one of at least six accidents that we've heard of so far this morning. Chains and/or four wheel drive required to go over the mountain passes. And, as you can see, it is still snowing here quite heavily in Breckenridge -- back to you.

COLLINS: Yes, boy, and you forget sometimes, too, that people who are used to conditions like these, or at least similar to these, it's tough for them to be driving in it, too. So everybody be careful out there.

Rob, I know that it's very, very cold. You mentioned that already.

Explain to us, though, what the National Weather Service means when they say extreme wind chill.

MARCIANO: That's just dangerous wind chill. Basically, if you're outside for too long and your skin is exposed for too long -- five, even 10 minutes -- that can cause frostbite and that's what they're trying to prevent. So when you have wind chills that are in the 10 to 15 below range, which is pretty much where they are right now, you don't want to be outside for any, you know, for too long a period of time, or at least if you are, be covered up and take those precautions.

But we're pretty protected right here. The winds are now blowing as hard as they would be, say, at the top of the mountain, which I can't even imagine what it feels like up there -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Are the lifts even planning on running today?

MARCIANO: Oh, yes. I think they're going to -- they're going to run-it. And they've got avalanche patrols out there taking care of the snow that has fallen. But you can bet there are some hard core skiers and boarders out there trying to get a taste of some freshies.

COLLINS: Oh, yes.

MARCIANO: For sure.

COLLINS: Hope everybody stays safe and warm, that's for sure.

Rob Marciano, we'll chat with you a little bit later on.

MARCIANO: OK.

COLLINS: Meanwhile, Reynolds Wolf is in the Weather Center here at CNN to talk more about this -- Reynolds, it's a lot warmer here inside.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, no question about it.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: And still to come, the father of the groom, his son shot dead by New York police -- we expect in minutes to see family members, including the father of the victim, returning to that site, the nightclub in Queens where it all happened over the weekend and we expect to hear from family members of 23-year-old Sean Bell.

That is coming up in THE NEWSROOM.

And the pope in Turkey reaching out to the country's Catholics, "the little flock," as he calls them.

COLLINS: And Snoop Dogg -- he raps for Jay Leno then police make a move.

What's going on here?

Find out in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: We want to let you know about something we are watching today. Those microphones there, we are waiting for a news conference from the family of the bridegroom who was killed by New York police officers. You remember the name Sean Bell. He was coming out of a strip club along with several other friends, just hours before he was to be married later that day. And there was an altercation and he was shot and killed.

So we are being told that Reverend Al Sharpton will be there to announce the family. This will be the mother, the father and fiance of the deceased, Sean Bell. Again, this is in Jamaica, Queens, where Sean Bell was shot. That event is coming up any moment, so we are going to be watching it and listening to hear what the family may have to say today.

HARRIS: The pope on a mission in Turkey. He's trying to bridge the divide between Christians and Muslims, as well as the split between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

But today, Benedict XVI also reached out to Turkey's Catholics at a mass. He called them "the little flock" in the mostly Muslim nation. Benedict also honored a slain priest. His killing believed linked to the outrage over the Prophet Muhammad caricatures. The mass was held next to a shrine where the Virgin Mary is thought to have spent her last years.

This evening, the pope meeting with Bartholomew I. He is the leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians. The Orthodox and Catholic Churches split a thousand years ago over the power of the papacy. Benedict and Bartholomew may take a small step today toward reunification.

COLLINS: It's a matter of religious freedom. Pope Benedict says he wants reciprocity for Christians.

Will Muslims accept the challenge?

CNN's Anderson Cooper now with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pope Benedict XVI says he's anxious to open a dialogue with the followers of Islam. But he says those talks must include one very important topic, what the Vatican calls reciprocity.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: The idea is that religious minorities in majority Muslim states ought to get the same rights and same freedoms that religious minorities, including Muslims, get in the West.

COOPER: Before he became Pope Benedict, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger spent 24 years as the Vatican's tough theological enforcer, a man who interpreted the rules by which Catholicism could operate. Even then, his relationship with the Muslim community was seen as contentious, in part because of his insistence on reciprocity.

The concept comes down to this: If you can build a mosque in any non-Muslim nation, why can't you build a Christian church, or a Jewish synagogue, for that matter, in a mostly Muslim country?

In the 1990s, the Saudi government kicked in the bulk of $25 million raised to build the biggest mosque in Europe. It was built in the Catholic enclave of Rome, with the encouragement of Benedict's predecessor, Pope John Paul II. Benedict believes it's now time for fair play.

ALLEN: Christians in Saudi Arabia ought to be able to build churches, they ought to be able to import bibles and catechisms, they ought to be able to celebrate their faith openly, all of which is presently prohibited by Saudi law.

COOPER: Benedict insists reciprocity would benefit Muslims as well as Christians, as some Muslim sects suffer discrimination at the hands of Islamic governments headed by members of rival sects.

ALLEN: In Saudi Arabia, of course, it's non-Wahabi forms of Islam that can't be celebrated. In -- in Iran, often it is Sunni Islam that struggles, and on and on. So the point, basically, is to press Islamic governments to recognize pluralism and to recognize the right of people to believe and to celebrate their creed as they choose.

COOPER: But many Muslims would say it's not the pope's place to define the rules of their religion.

REZA ASLAN, USC CENTER ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: What the pope is talking about when he talks about reciprocity is that there needs to be far greater emphasis on religious rights in some Muslim countries. But to make the kind of generalization that somehow the Islamic world doesn't allow the propagation of Christianity or the construction of Christian churches or Jewish synagogues is just simply incorrect.

ALLEN: This is about recognizing the inherent dignity of each and every human person to believe and to worship as he or she sees fit. COOPER: A point that may prove to be a hard sell in this country, where the secular government leads a population that's some 99 percent Muslim.

Anderson Cooper, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COLLINS: Anderson Cooper is live from Amman, Jordan tonight.

"ANDERSON COOPER 360" airs at 10:00 Eastern and only on CNN.

HARRIS: We are Minding Your Business this morning.

Ali Velshi here with a preview -- Ali, good morning.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

You know, nobody ever asks me anymore whether the housing bubble is going to burst.

Well, we have new numbers now that will prove to you that, well, your house is not going to be the most expensive thing or the most valuable thing you own, necessarily.

I'll have more on that when we come back in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Another day, another depressing report for homeowners and sellers.

Ali Velshi Minding Your Business this morning -- Ali, I understand what goes up has to come down at some point, but enough already. I need this house to pay for college for my kids. Come on.

VELSHI: It's totally what makes Americans feel wealthy. This is the thing, when we spend -- and Americans do spend -- it's because the house has made them feel like they have money.

But, you know, over the years, Tony, things have changed so dramatically from the times when our parents would want to pay off a mortgage and have as little owing on that house and that was your big asset to now it's the place where you've gone to get cash with low interest rates.

Well, there were two speeches yesterday, first of all -- don't change the channel -- two speeches. One was by Ben Bernanke, the head of the Federal Reserve, who says ah, it's OK. You know, the housing market has cooled down, interest rates are still probably going to be OK. They may not lower them, but they may not raise them. The only things that we need to worry about are an economy that grows too fast and causes inflation or an unexpected further drop in the housing market.

And that was followed by a speech by former Fed Chief Alan Greenspan yesterday, who said there is more of this to come, that the drop might be greater than expected.

Now, what are we talking about when we talk about a drop?

This is a national average. We're talking about the average price of an existing house being $221,000 now. That is 3-1/2 percent lower than the same time last year. That is the surprise, Tony.

HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: People were not expecting house prices this year to be lower. A lot of people thought flat, but not lower.

HARRIS: Right.

So are we -- what do you think, Ali, are we near a bottom here?

VELSHI: Well, I'm surprised. Alan Greenspan is not one to sort of exaggerate things, and he says we're not near a bottom. Now, again, there are some parts of the country that are doing OK, but on average, he thinks they may go lower still.

Now, remember, as long as interest rates stay low or even go lower, that continues to increase, you know, the number of people in the market for buying houses. But we have seen people -- fewer housing permits, fewer housing starts in terms of new construction. And at 10:00 Eastern this morning, half an hour from now, we'll get the new house figures for October and we'll see where that trend is going.

But one hopes it's where it is.

HARRIS: Yes.

Hey, Ali, you talk to these folks all the time.

What are some of these "experts" saying about this housing slump?

VELSHI: Well, remember one thing, Tony, these are interest -- it's like the stock market. It's interesting to cover on a day to day basis, but unless you are planning on selling your house and unless you bought it at the peak of the market, it's probably not entirely relevant to you.

HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: Where it becomes relevant to people is whether you want to lock in, refinance, take as much money out as possible. And those people who took 90, 95 or 100 percent mortgages on their homes when they were up here. So now you could end up owing more money than your house is worth and, a few years ago, if you locked into a variable rate, you took a variable rate mortgage when rates were really low, now those rates have been resetting and now you're paying a lot more.

So the problem is very much on an individual level. If your house price is not where you thought it was...

HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: ... and you borrowed heavily against it, that's where your problem is.

HARRIS: OK, Ali Velshi with us terrorism.

Ali, appreciate it.

Thank you.

VELSHI: Good to talk to you, buddy.

HARRIS: Um-hmm.

COLLINS: In Iraq, yet another division emerges and the so-called unity government faces another test. At the center, anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The Associated Press reports lawmakers and cabinet members loyal to the militia leader are suspending participation in the government.

They're said to be protesting today's meeting between President Bush and Iraqi's Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. This is a promise that was made a few days ago.

Meanwhile, Maliki is already in Amman, Jordan for that very gathering. He and President Bush will discuss the escalating sectarian violence in Iraq and the training of Iraqi troops to take the lead in securing the country.

President Bush has said he will not withdraw U.S. troops until "the mission is complete."

His intentions seem good, but his capabilities are questionable -- that is what a leaked White House memo says about Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. It outlines doubts about Al-Maliki ahead of his meeting today with President Bush. It questions whether the Iraqi leader can rise above the bloody sectarian violence between Shias and Sunnis in Iraq.

The memo was first reported by the "New York Times" and confirmed by CNN. It was prepared by President Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley. The document outlines what the U.S. can do to strengthen Al-Maliki's position.

HARRIS: To Queens, New York now. The family of slain bridegroom, 23-year-old Sean Bell, at the location of Saturday's shooting at an adult nightclub. The family, as you can see, joined by the Reverend Al Sharpton.

We are expecting to hear from Sean Bell's father and his fiance. That's coming up in THE NEWSROOM.

Meantime, so many questions -- a community needing answers -- the police shooting of an elderly woman. A closer look in THE NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Snoop Dogg -- he raps for Jay Leno then police make a move.

Want to find out what's going on?

We'll tell you in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MARKET REPORT)

COLLINS: A community on edge and a call for answers. Atlanta residents angry after the police shoot an elderly woman during a drug raid.

We get more from now Lisa Crane of CNN affiliate WAGA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we want? And when do we want it?

LISA CRANE, WAGA REPORTER (voice-over): Hundreds of northwest Atlanta residents with a lot to say and plenty of questions crowded into the Lindsay Street Baptist Church.

REV. ANTHONY MOTLEY, LINDSEY ST. BAPTIST CHURCH: We want the police to stop shooting first and asking questions later.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You, the big policeman, what are you going to do for us?

CRANE: They want to know why an elderly woman, Kathryn Johnston, was shot and killed by police in her home last week. Police Chief Richard Pennington said because it's under investigation by federal authorities he can't comment on the specifics of the case, but also wants to get to the bottom of this after a confidential informant told Fox 5 news that APD officers asked him to lie and say he bought drugs at Johnston's home.

CHIEF RICHARD PENNINGTON, ATLANTA POLICE: If the FBI finds out if someone did something inappropriate, if someone is telling a lie or if someone is not telling the truth, all these things will be uncovered, and I think that's what the communities wants to know and wants to hear.

M. O'BRIEN: One after another residents expressed more fear of police officers who patrol their english avenue neighborhood than the criminals who they admit are a problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Y'all went around here talking about the low level drugs dealing and scandals and -- it's your narcotics agents, y'all policemen got us hostage. I'm scared to death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief Pennington, you got a problem on your hands. Because you have terrorists in your police department.

CRANE: Spokesperson for Kathryn Johnston's family says it's not a time to bash the police department, but to assist. REV. MARKET HUTCHINS, FAMILY SPOKESMAN: That the police can't do it by theirselves. They can't get to the bottom of this by theirselves and as one who has advocated for justice, I ask you to stand up if you know something, say something or shut up altogether.

MYR. SHIRLEY FRANKLIN, ATLANTA: I'm not going to conclude what those solutions are until that independent investigation is complete. Now, for some folk that's not good enough and I apologize for that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And as this story continues to develop, our Rusty Dornin will also be following it as she has since it began, and will be joining us later in the broadcast to give us the very latest.

HARRIS: Have you heard the story, Snoop Dogg penned up last night, collared, the rapper nabbed by police after an appearance on "The Tonight Show," arrested for allegedly carrying a handgun and drugs. He posted $60,000 bond and is expected to be arraigned in January. It's just the latest legal hassle for the dogfather. He faces two court appearances in December, one on a charge of carrying a deadly weapon, a collapsible baton at an airport. The other stems from police allegedly finding a gun and drugs in his car at another airport.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Meanwhile, an F-16 down in Iraq. The whereabouts of the pilot, unknown. What went wrong and where is he? That search coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Anything goes in one of the most liberal cities in the world, except maybe when it comes to the burqa. A proposed ban ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amsterdam, Poland, one of the most liberal cities in the world, where anything goes. Except when it comes to the all covering veil worn by fewer than 100 Muslim women in the entire country. A ban on the burqa here could be passed in a matter of weeks.

GEERT WILDERS, ANTI-ISLAM CAMPAIGNER: It is a medieval symbol of a worst culture ever. And once again, it's a sign about how not to treat women, women as second-class beings. NEWTON: Last June half of the people questioned in a Dutch poll said they disliked Muslims.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ban it all. No burqa.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because we live in the Netherlands.

NEWTON: With their own online petition, Aisha Bayrak is fighting the ban and the stereotype she says that go with it.

AISHA BAYRAK, CONVERT TO ISLAM: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and I don't have an abusive husband.

NEWTON: She was born in Holland and converted to Islam when she married more than 20 years ago. Now a mother of five, she says she feels like an outcast in her own country.

BAYRAK: You can say that one culture is the dominant culture. You can say something that we are the dominant culture, and we can put our finger in your face and say you must do this or you must do that.

NEWTON: There is at best a religious truce here now since the gruesome murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh. Two years ago he was shot by a 26-year-old Muslim man who wanted to silence one of the country's most vocal critics of Islam. He slit Van Gogh's throat with a crude machete.

(On camera): The murder here was so callous, the crime so calculated that it forced many in this country to ask themselves where have we gone wrong? Is immigration really undermining our liberal values?

(Voice-over): One of Van Gogh's friends says the burqa ban is a protest of sorts.

GIJS VAN WESTERLAKEN, FRIEND OF THEO VAN GOGH: This undercurrent is a rather dangerous one too, I guess. The country still hasn't come to terms with it. It's turned and it is a volatile electorate and dangerous even, I guess.

NEWTON: And the mayor of once tolerant Amsterdam is calling for calm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is more tension in the city, tension between different groups, between different cultures. Discuss it and realize that this religion is now, whether you like it or not, is part of our society.

NEWTON: Banning the burqa would be a sign that even one of the world's most tolerant countries has to struggle to maintain religious harmony.

Paula Newton, CNN, Amsterdam.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: A Democratic Congressman passed over for a powerful post. The political rankling and what it means for your security. That's coming up in the NEWSROOM.

But first, culture clash. The virtues of Islam, the vices of Vegas, the view from Muslims who've settled in Sin City. That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Quickly want to update you on this situation here. This is Jamaica, queens, New York, where we were supposed to hearing from the family of Sean Bell. He was the young man killed in an altercation with police on Saturday night, just hours before his wedding, coming out of a strip club with his friends, again, shot by New York police officers there. The family has chosen not to speak, not to address those microphones, so we will move forward and continue to watch the story.

HARRIS: Alcohol, gambling banned by Islam, hailed in Vegas. So why do thousands of Muslims come to Sin City and stay?

CNN's Ted Rowlands went to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mohammad Nawaz is a Muslim cab driver in Las Vegas. He's surrounded by the things his religion prohibits, gambling, alcohol, and public nudity.

(on camera): It's everywhere.

MOHAMMAD NAWAZ, CAB DRIVER: Everywhere. You can't stay away in this town.

ROWLANDS (voice-over): Mohammad grew up in Pakistan, and moved to Vegas in 1993. He says the reason people, including Muslims, come here is simple: lots of jobs, lots of money, and the cost of living is cheap.

IQBAL KHAN, SECURITY GUARD: Yes, I don't drink. I don't gamble. I don't smoke.

ROWLANDS: Iqbal Khan, also from Pakistan and Muslim, is a security guard inside the Main Street Station Casino. He says, when he got here 17 years ago, it was hard working around so much sin.

I. KHAN: Slowly, slowly, it just got into my mind, it is not your business. It is your job.

ROWLANDS: The president of the Islamic Society here estimates, there are 14,000 Muslims living in Las Vegas, trying to follow the stringent rules of Islam in Sin City.

KHALID KHAN, PRESIDENT, ISLAMIC SOCIETY: It is a challenge to them. It is a challenge, that they see all these temptation around them, and, still, they just ignore them.

ROWLANDS: But some people think it's hypocritical for Muslims to profit from things prohibited by Islam.

Fateen Seifullah is an imam at a mosque close to the strip. He says it's up to the individual to juggle work and religion. He says, he tried driving a taxi, but quit after a few weeks, because he says he was so uncomfortable with the places he had to go.

FATEEN SEIFULLAH, IMAM: For me, it just was -- it was impossible and unthinkable for me to be the imam, the leader of the community, and also be seen at the strip club.

ROWLANDS: Mohammad, who actually has an ad for a strip joint on the back of his cab, says he likes taking passengers to those clubs, because cab drivers get kickbacks. But Mohammad admits that he sometimes goes into the clubs, and even has a drink now and then with some friends.

NAWAZ: I'm a little bit Americanized. I do these things very seldom. And God will forgive me.

ROWLANDS: Living up to the expectations of any religion over a lifetime can be a struggle, no matter where you live, including being a Muslim in Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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