Briefly noted

North America’s largest Islamic organization has elected Ingrid Mattson, a Canadian-born convert and Islamic scholar, as president, making her the first woman to lead any major Muslim organization on the continent. Mattson, whose many roles include director of the Islamic chaplaincy program at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, steps into the Islamic Society of North America’s top spot after serving two terms as the vice president of the Indianapolis-based group, founded in 1963. During that time, Mattson earned a reputation among many Muslim Americans as having an eloquent voice better suited than those of her foreign-born colleagues for defending Islam at a time when many believe their faith is under siege.

CleanFilms and CleanFlicks, two companies that edited violence, profanity, nudity and sex scenes from DVD movies for family viewing, have closed their businesses rather than appeal a federal judge’s July 6 ruling that they were violating copyright law, according to Baptist Press. The Utah-based businesses had carved a niche over the past several years with Christians and conservatives concerned about movies’ content, especially for family viewing. Troy Romero, an attorney who represented the companies, said he estimated that fighting the complainant, Motion Picture Studios, would be a four- to six-year legal battle—too long for the small companies to undertake.