Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses. Share the link of this article with your facebook friends

 

Warmongering Islamophobia in the US:

Incitement and Attacks on Islam and Muslims, March 20-31, 2017, CAIR Reports

April 3, 2017 

Editorial Note:

Islamphobia (exaggerated and baseless fear of Muslims) has been perpetrated and perpetuated to justify the continuous US wars and invasions of the Muslim World since 1990, in order for the war industry beneficiaries to justify the enormous and unprecedented US national debt, which has reached more than $19 trillion, as a result of the permanent-war military spending.

Tens of thousands of Americans are killed by non-Muslim other Americans every year, in gun violence. However, Islamophobes ignore that fact and focus on an incident or two perpetrated by Muslims in an entire year.

For example, in 2016, there were 58,241shooting incidents, including 385 mass shooting, resulting in the killing of 15,060 Americans and injuring 30,607. Of these, there was only one incident perpetrated by a Muslim and resulting in the killing of 49 people in an Orlando, Florida night club.

The Zionist media, together with the  war industry agents and the Zionist-controlled politicians, kept mentioning this incident as a terrorist attack, just because the perpetrator was a Muslim, while totally ignoring the other 58,240 incidents, which resulted in the killing of 15,011 Americans!

In 2015, there were 53,228 shooting incidents, resulting in the killing of 13,415 Americans. Of these, there were only two incidents perpetrated by Muslims and resulting in the killing of 18 Americans.

The Zionist media, together with the war industry agents and Zionist-controlled politicians, kept mentioning these two incidents while totally ignoring the other 53,226 incidents, which resulted in the killing of 13,398 Americans!

The end outcome is that the American people are indeed actual victims of a continuous warmongering campaign, Islamophobia, and a daily holocaust, perpetrated against them by the war industry beneficiaries and their agents in the media and politics.

For a background, read: 

Zionist Creative Destruction of the Middle East for the Benefit of the Apartheid Israeli Regime

The Terrorism Industry, A Merciless Continuous Attack on the American People's Blood and Treasure

 

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• Hadith of the Day: The Equality of All People
  
  The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "All people are equal as the teeth of a comb." (At-Tabarani)
  • CAIR-MI Objects to Statue of Segregationist Mayor
    
    "Orville Hubbard should have his name mentioned in Dearborn history, but as a straight-out racist," said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "There's no difference between Orville Hubbard" and "the segregationist mayors in the south of the Jim Crow era."
• CAIR Asks Mississippi Counterdrug Center to Cancel Training by Anti-Muslim Conspiracy Theorist John Guandolo
  
  The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the Mississippi Regional Counterdrug Training Center (RCTA) to cancel training next week to be offered by notorious Islamophobe and anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist John Guandolo, who claimed the Obama administration's CIA director was a "secret Muslim."
• CAIR: The 4 Main Sources of Islamophobia in America
  
  It's barely the end of March. Yet since the year began, Muslims in the United States have been beat up, spit on, harassed, and threatened. Their places of worship have been burnt to the ground and vandalized. In these few months of 2017, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has preliminarily recorded 33 anti-mosque incidents. (Update: Now 35 incidents.)
  
  The impetus behind these attacks can be attributed to Islamophobia, a closed-minded hatred, fear, or prejudice towards Islam and Muslims which results in discrimination, marginalization, and oppression. It creates a distorted understanding of Islam and Muslims and transforms diversity in name, language, culture, ethnicity, and race into a set of stereotyped characteristics. Thus, Sikhs, Christian Arabs, and Hindu Indians are targeted because they share characteristics which have been racialized as "Muslim" - whether it be language, clothing, or skin color. As such, Islamophobia is also a system of both religious and racial animosity.
  • This Anti-Muslim Texas Mayor Says She Is Joining the Trump Administration
  • Nebraska City Council Candidate Wants Muslims and Their Worship Banned From U.S.
  • An anti-Muslim slur on their wall made this family think of leaving the U.S. Then neighbors came to their aid. (Washington Post)
  • New Mexico Priest Tells Kids 'Muslims Will Chop Your Heads Off'

MEDIA ADVISORY

CAIR to Coordinate 'Active Shooter' Training at Maryland Mosque in Response to Spike in Hate Incidents

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/31/17) -- On Sunday, April 2, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, will coordinate an "active shooter" community training at a Maryland mosque. The training to be offered by a public security professional is in response to a recent spike in hate incidents targeting mosques nationwide - including a deadly shooting attack on a Canadian mosque - and a political climate that promotes and exploits growing Islamophobia.

WHAT: 'Active Shooter' Community Training
WHEN: Sunday, April 2, 11 a.m.
WHERE: Masjid An-Nur Foundation, 5418 Ebenezer Road, White Marsh, Md.
CONTACT: CAIR Maryland Outreach Manager Dr. Zainab Chaudry, [email protected], 410-971-6062

"We encourage local community members and leaders of all faiths to attend and learn how they can prepare themselves in the event of a potentially-deadly crisis situation," said CAIR Maryland Outreach Manager Dr. Zainab Chaudry. "In this political climate, it's more important than ever to adequately increase security for minority communities that face growing threats."

She noted that since the beginning of the year, there have been 35 incidents targeting mosques in Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Georgia, Arizona, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Texas, and a number of other states. By comparison, in the January-March period in 2016, CAIR recorded 19 such incidents.

CAIR: This Map Shows How Many Mosques Have Been Targeted Just This Year (CNN)

In a soon-to-be-published report, CAIR will detail a more than 50 percent increase in anti-Muslim bias incidents in 2016 over 2015. That figure is accompanied by a more than 40 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the same period.

CAIR recently decried what it termed the Trump administration's "deafening silence" on a growing number of anti-Muslim incidents in recent days, part of an unprecedented spike in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide that began during the recent presidential campaign and accelerated following the November 8 election.

SEE: CAIR Decries Trump Administration's 'Deafening Silence' on Series of Anti-Muslim Incidents Nationwide

Along with Sunday's training, CAIR is asking American Muslims and Islamic institutions to take extra security precautions and is offering Muslim community leaders free copies of its booklet, "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety." The booklet may be requested through CAIR's website: http://www.cair.com/mosque-safety-guide.html

The Washington-based civil rights and advocacy organization urges community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR's Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/civil-rights/report-an-incident/view/form.html     

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.             

CONTACT: CAIR Maryland Outreach Manager Dr. Zainab Chaudry, 410-971-6062, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

***

• Video: CAIR-Florida Testifies to Block Islamophobic Group's Attempt to Delete Islamic Civilization from History Books
  
  CAIR-Florida's Central Florida Regional Director Rasha Mubarak testified before the Brevard County School Board to block an Islamophobic group ACT for America's attempt to have Islamic Civilization purged from the school's history courses. ACT's Islamophobic intentions were defeated and the School Board voted to continue using the history books without purging references to Islam and the Islamic civilization.
  
  CONTACT: CAIR-Florida Communications Director Wilfredo A. Ruiz, Esq., [email protected], 305.502.6749; CAIR-Florida Central Florida Regional Director Rasha Mubarak, [email protected], 407.490.9407
  
  
  
• CAIR: Disgraced Ex-FBI Agent John Guandolo Holding Law Enforcement Training in Mississippi Next Week
  
  Guandolo's history of anti-Muslim statements and associations with anti-Muslim groups clearly indicates that his trainings on the "threat" of radical Islam are biased, and a number of his previous trainings have been cancelled when his history is pointed out to the agency booking him. Last year for example, the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) took issue with a training he had scheduled in Texas, which was nixed.
  
  
• CAIR-OK Releases 2016 Civil Rights Report Showing Spike in Anti-Muslim Hate Incidents
  
  The Oklahoma Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) today released its 2016 Civil Rights Report showing an increase in complaints involving vandalism or property damage to Islamic institutions and a similar increase in hate crime-related reports that involved violence.
  
  "This report is a vital part of our organization's mission to defend civil liberties," said CAIR-OK Civil Rights Director Veronica Laizure. "It allows us to track, year by year, the status of Muslim civil rights in our state and to note trends that show the progress we've made and the work we still have yet to do."
• CAIR: After Vandalism at Colorado Mosque, Its Members See an Outpouring of Community Support
  
  The Council on American-Islamic Relations says that 2016 was the worst year on record for incidents in which mosques were targets of bias crimes. So far this year, more than 30 mosques have been targeted. Last weekend the Islamic Center of Fort Collins became one of them.
  • 2 Charged with Hate Crime for Attack on Arab-American Teacher Outside AIPAC Conference
  • Video: Daughter Believes Attack on Palestinian-American Father in Washington, D.C., was Hate Crime
  • CAIR: Man Mistaken for Muslim 'Terrorist' Is Threatened With Racist, Anti-Islam Vandalism
• CAIR Welcomes Hawaii Judge's Extension of Order Blocking Trump's 'Muslim Ban 2.0'
  
  The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a ruling by a federal judge in Hawaii extending a temporary block on President Trump's "Muslim Ban 2.0" executive order.
  
  That ruling by U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson, in response to a lawsuit filed by the state of Hawaii, blocks the government from suspending new visas for travelers from six Muslim-majority countries and from halting the U.S. refugee program. It also allows Hawaii's lawsuit to work its way through the courts.
  
  Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin told Judge Watson that the executive order is like a "neon sign flashing 'Muslim ban, Muslim ban'" that the government had not turned off.
  
  "We welcome Judge Watson's decision and look forward to the ultimate defeat of this unconstitutional and un-American order in higher courts," said CAIR National Litigation Director Lena Masri.

***

CAIR Calls on FBI to Probe Hate Vandalism Targeting Oregon Man Mistaken for Muslim

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/29/2017) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the FBI to investigate apparently bias-motivated vandalism targeting an Oregon man mistaken for a Muslim.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office is investigating vandalism reported Tuesday at an Iranian-American man's home in Troutdale, Ore., that included spray-painted hate graffiti such as "f*** you terrorist" and references to "hate" of Muslims and "get out." The vandals also left a note weighed down with bullets arranged in the shape of a cross. The note reportedly stated: "If I see you here next month, I will shoot you and burn your house." The alleged victim is in fact of the Baha'i faith.

SEE: Bias Crime Targets Troutdale Homeowner

"The FBI should join in the investigation of this apparent hate crime in order to demonstrate that the rights and safety of American Muslims, and those perceived to be Muslim, will be protected," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.

Hooper noted that yesterday, CAIR called for a hate crime investigation of a break-in and vandalism targeting an Alexandria, Va., Muslim family in which "F*** Muslims" was scrawled on a wall in the home.

Video: CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Probe of 'F*** Muslims' Break-In, Vandalism Targeting Virginia Family

Also yesterday, CAIR's Minnesota chapter called on state and federal hate crime charges to be brought against a man who allegedly stabbed and bit a man and then told police he "tried to stab the Somalian in the neck" and "I hate Muslims." CAIR also welcomed an arrest in the vandalism of a Colorado mosque.

Video: CAIR-MN Seeks Hate Crime Charges for 'I Hate Muslims' Stabbing
Video: CAIR Says Colorado Mosque Attack Arrest Reflects National Problem

Last week, CAIR decried what it termed the Trump administration's "deafening silence" on a growing number of anti-Muslim incidents in recent days, part of an unprecedented spike in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide that began during the recent presidential campaign and accelerated following the November 8 election.

SEE: CAIR Decries Trump Administration's 'Deafening Silence' on Series of Anti-Muslim Incidents Nationwide

Since the beginning of the year, CAIR has called for investigations of possible bias motives for 35 incidents targeting mosques in Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Georgia, Arizona, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Texas, and a number of other states. By comparison, in the January-March period in 2016, CAIR recorded 19 such incidents.

CAIR: This Map Shows How Many Mosques Have Been Targeted Just This Year (CNN)

In a soon-to-be-published report, CAIR will detail a more than 50 percent increase in anti-Muslim bias incidents in 2016 over 2015. That figure is accompanied by a more than 40 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the same period.

CAIR is asking American Muslims and Islamic institutions to take extra security precautions and is offering Muslim community leaders free copies of its booklet, "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety." The booklet may be requested through CAIR's website: http://www.cair.com/mosque-safety-guide.html

The Washington-based civil rights and advocacy organization urges community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR's Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/civil-rights/report-an-incident/view/form.html

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

***

• CAIR-NY Video: President Trump, We Agree
  • CAIR-PA: Immigration Supporters Rally at Capitol
    
    "They are coming here to save their life, and their families, and their kids, and they should be given a fair chance," said Aaysha Noor with the Council on American-Islamic Relations Pennsylvania.
  • Arkansas Republicans Host Speaker Who Calls Islam 'Satanic'
• CAIR Executive Director Decries 'Normalization of Hate'
  
  "The past two years, ladies and gentleman, so many minorities have been attacked," Nihad Awad said. "Latinos. Mexicans. Women have been denigrated. African Americans. People with disabilities. You name the minority, and they have been attacked in the past two years.
  • Video: CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Probe of 'F*** Muslims' Break-In, Vandalism Targeting Virginia Family
  • Video: CAIR-Minnesota Calls for Hate Crime Charges in 'I Hate Muslims' Stabbing
• CAIR: Criminalizing the Muslim Brotherhood Helps Dictators and Hurts Americans
  
  Criminalizing the Muslim Brotherhood is widely viewed as a means to shutter U.S. Muslim civil society. Anti-Muslim extremists, who now enjoy ties to key operatives within the Administration as well as members of Congress, have long claimed (falsely) that American Muslim organizations, such as the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), are nothing more than a front for the Muslim Brotherhood. By rendering the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, such organizations would potentially be labeled as 'guilty by association,' which would impact each adversely.
  
  It is important to recognize, however, that it's not just these groups - which you�ve probably never heard of - that will be hurt. It's the individuals they were created to serve as well. CAIR, for example, is the nation's largest American Muslim civil rights group. When an American Muslim student is bullied, their parents call CAIR. When an American Muslim woman is physically assaulted because of her religious attire, she calls CAIR. When a mosque is vandalized, its leaders call CAIR. Criminal prosecutions against CAIR, as a so-called front for the Muslim Brotherhood, don't just undermine the institution, but the ability of American Muslims to realize their legal rights as well.

CAIR Asks Air Force to Drop Islamophobic Instructor Linked to Anti-Muslim 'Propaganda' Group

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/29/2017) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today announced that it is calling on the U.S. Air Force to sever ties with a counterterrorism instructor at its United States Air Force Special Operations School (USAFSOS) in Florida who CAIR says is associated with an "anti-Muslim propaganda mouthpiece, and has made a number of false statements betraying a personal prejudice against Islam and Muslims." [NOTE: Quote is from CAIR's letter below.]

Patrick Dunleavy, who teaches a USAFSOS course called "The Dynamics of International Terrorism," is a "senior fellow" with the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT).

SEE: Dynamics of International Terrorism (DIT)
Investigative Project on Terrorism: Patrick Dunleavy

IPT's founder, Steven Emerson, has a history of making Islamophobic and factually inaccurate statements, most recently resulting in a previous British Prime Minister referring to him as a "complete idiot" for claiming there are Muslim "no-go zones" in that nation. Even Fox News was forced to apologize for Emerson's false claim.

Emerson made similarly inaccurate and Islamophobic claims about incidents such the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 and the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. The Southern Poverty Law Center included Emerson in its recent listing of "anti-Muslim extremists."

CAIR Islamophobia Monitor: Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) - Steve Emerson (Founder)
A Journalist's Manual: Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists

In a letter delivered March 17 to Lieutenant General Marshall B. Webb, commander of the U.S. Airforce Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field in Florida, CAIR-Florida Communications Director Wilfredo A. Ruiz, Esq., wrote in part:

"As you may recall in 2012, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey ordered the U.S. military to 'scour its training material to ensure it doesn't contain anti-Islamic content." Mr. Dunleavy's public statements and professional affiliations indicate that he is part of the issue Dempsey was trying to resolve."

Ruiz's letter cited Dunleavy's past Islamophobic statements, including: 1) "To Americans [morality] means individual liberty, equal rights for men and women, religious freedom, free speech, etc. But these are contrary to the moral code of Islam." 2) "The concept of "friendship," . . .is a relationship based on at least some degree of shared moral and political ideals. By that standard no Muslim nation is a friend of the U.S." and 3) "To many Muslim parents, visions of violence and death are indeed the "better future."

He concluded by writing:

"As a former U.S. Navy officer (Lieutenant), both in the JAG Corps and the U.S. Navy Chaplain Candidate Corps, I know the importance of high quality, factual training. I believe the above information provides suitable evidence that Mr. Dunleavy does not fit the U.S. military's standards for a subject-matter expert. I respectfully ask that you end any connection between Mr. Dunleavy and the U.S. Airforce Special Operations Command."

The Washington-based civil rights and advocacy organization urges community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR's Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/civil-rights/report-an-incident/view/form.html     

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.              

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

 ***

• CAIR-OK to Present 'Oklahoma Muslim of the Year' Award at 11th Annual Banquet
  
  On Saturday, April 1, the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) will hold its 11th Annual Awards Banquet (6 p.m.) at the Embassy Suites in Downtown Oklahoma City.
  The banquet will feature a keynote address Arsalan Iftikhar, an international human rights lawyer, media commentator and author of the book "SCAPEGOATS: How Islamophobia Helps Our Enemies & Threatens Our Freedoms." Entertainment will be provided by nationally-recognized comedian Amer Zahr.
• CAIR-Minnesota Calls for Hate Crime Charges in 'I Hate Muslims' Stabbing
  
  The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) today called on state and federal hate crime charges to be brought against a man who allegedly stabbed and bit a man and then told police he "tried to stab the Somalian in the neck" and "I hate Muslims."
  
  "The suspect's own statements, as related to police, would indicate an apparent bias motive that should result in additional charges or enhanced sentencing if he is found guilty," said CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein.
• CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Probe of 'F*** Muslims' Break-In, Vandalism Targeting Virginia Family
  
  The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called for a hate crime investigation of a break-in and vandalism targeting an Alexandria, Va., Muslim family in which "F*** Muslims" was scrawled on a wall in the home.
  
  The family, which is of South Asian heritage, reported to CAIR that the break-in and vandalism occurred sometime this weekend while they were out of town. Along with the obscene hate message, the perpetrators reportedly stole personal property, ripped up a Quran - Islam's holy text - and damaged other Islamic materials such as prayer books. (Fairfax County Police Case # 20170860078)
  
  "What may have begun as a break-in, clearly ended as a possible hate crime," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "The message of hate left at the scene and the damage done to religious texts indicate the need to investigate a bias-motive for this crime."
• CAIR Welcomes Arrest in 'Bible' Vandalism of Colorado Mosque
  
  Joseph Scott Giaquinto, 35, was arrested for allegedly throwing several large rocks and a Bible through glass doors and into the prayer area of the Islamic Center of Fort Collins on Sunday.
  
  "We thank law enforcement authorities for their swift action in apprehending a suspect, and we thank the local interfaith community for the outpouring of support experienced by the mosque and its members," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.
• CAIR: This Islamophobic Conspiracy Theorist Is Training America's Cops (The Nation)
  
  He is so outlandish that he would seem easy to dismiss. Except that for the past decade, anti-Islamic "trainers" - including John Guandolo, his employee Chris Gaubatz, and others who claim, on dubious grounds, to have insider information on terrorism - have proliferated, providing sessions (for a fee) across the country to local police forces and district attorney offices promising to help them catch the latest in-vogue threat: would-be terrorists.
• CAIR: Trump Backs Off Muslim Brotherhood's Designation as Terrorist Organization (Washington Times)
  
  One prominent U.S. Muslim organization says the push to get the Brotherhood listed as a terrorist organization today is a ruse. "We believe it is just a smokescreen for a witch hunt targeting the civil rights and civic participation of American Muslims," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
  
  "Sponsors and supporters of the designation have for many years falsely linked the majority of mainstream American Muslim organizations and leaders to the Muslim Brotherhood," Mr. Hooper told The Times. "[This] will inevitably be used in a political campaign to attack those same groups and individuals, to marginalize the American Muslim community and to demonize Islam."

***

• Verses of the Day: The Equality of Men and Women
  
  "Verily, for all men and women who have surrendered themselves to God, and all believing men and believing women, and all truly devout men and truly devout women, and all men and women who are true to their word, and all men and women who are patient in adversity, and all men and women who humble themselves (before God), and all men and women who give in charity, and all self-denying men and self-denying women, and all men and women who are mindful of their chastity, and all men and women who remember God unceasingly: for (all of) them has God readied forgiveness of sins and a mighty reward." The Holy Quran, 33:35
  
  "And their Lord hath accepted of them and answered them: 'Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, whether male or female: you are the offspring of one another.'" The Holy Quran, 3:195
  
  "O humankind! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him." The Holy Quran, 49:13
• CAIR-Austin 1st Annual Banquet April 29
• CAIR-SFBA: Japanese-Americans Speak Up for Muslim-Americans
  
  The event was being co-emceed by Zahra Billoo, executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), San Francisco Bay Area, and Lisa Washio-Collette, whose father, Kintaro Washio, and brother Zentaro, both spent years in internment camps at Tule Lake and Gila River.
  
  Zahra and Lisa reinforced the message of the solidarity day, that every act of injustice must be fought in the court of law as well as in the court of public opinion. A Civil Rights attorney, Zahra was among the first to sue Donald Trump over the "Muslim Exclusion Order" in January, following Trump's infamous Executive Order 13769.
• CAIR: American Muslims Will Fight Anti-Islam Bills in State Legislatures (AP)
  
  Opponents maintain the bills as proposed don't serve any practical purpose. "The U.S. legal code already states that American courts can only adhere to American laws," said John Robbins, executive director of the Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "It's a stupid solution to a nonexistent problem."
• Video: CAIR-Missouri Co-Hosts Mosque Open House for Trump Supporters, Republicans
• CAIR: Attack on Colorado Mosque Part of Rising National Trend
  
  "Unfortunately, just in recent weeks, we've seen a spike in anti-mosque incidents," says Ibrahim Hooper with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. "We believe it's part of the overall phenomenon of an unprecedented rise in anti-Muslim incidents of all types since the November election."
  • CAIR: Bible and Rocks Thrown Through Doors of Colorado Mosque (CNN)
  • CAIR: Someone Threw a Bible and Rocks Through the Glass Doors of a Colorado Mosque
    
    CAIR and other groups have raised alarm over what they say is an increase in hate crimes since the election of President Donald Trump in November. . .
    Less than four months into 2017, CAIR has already tracked 33 times mosques have been targeted for vandalism. In one seven-week period this year, four mosques across the country caught on fire. Authorities ruled the cause of three of those fires to be arson, while the cause of the fourth is still unknown.
  • Video: CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Probe of 'Bible' Vandalism Targeting Colorado Mosque
    
  • 'Terrorist' Written Outside Muslim Man's New Mexico Business

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR-Florida Welcomes Orlando Mayor's 'Muslim Women's Day' Proclamation

(MIAMI, FL, 3/27/2016) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations � Florida (CAIR-Florida), the state's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, today welcomed the City of Orlando Mayor's Proclamation of March 27th as "Muslim Women's Day."

In the proclamation, Mayor Buddy Dyer recognized that, "Muslim women play an integral role in the economic, cultural, and social development," and that, "Muslim women in Orlando represent some of Orlando's community leaders and serve as exceptional role models in all professions."

In a statement, CAIR-Florida Communications Director Wilfredo A. Ruiz, Esq. said:

"We congratulate Mayor Dyer for standing up for inclusion and tolerance and against hate and bigotry. By proclaiming today as 'Muslim Women's Day' in the City of Orlando, the mayor is representing the city's commitment to recognize the contributions of Muslim women and to also stand strong against hate and bigotry. We hope this Proclamation carries a message of understanding and tolerance to everyone in the City and beyond."

"The Muslim Women's Day Proclamation is the direct result of various Muslim organization's leaders meeting and collaborating with a very proactive and embracing leader, Mayor Dyer. The organizations involved were the Muslim Women's Organization, Muslim Girl, and CAIR-Florida. The Mayor publicly manifested an official recognition of Muslim women in our City, our state, and nationwide," said Rasha Mubarak, CAIR-Florida's Orlando Regional Director.

Video: Orlando Mayor, Buddy Dyer, Proclaims March 27, 2017 as #MuslimWomensDay

CAIR-Florida is the state's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties of all people, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR-Florida es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.

CONTACT: CAIR-Florida's Communications Director Wilfredo A. Ruiz, Esq., [email protected], 305.502.6749; CAIR-Florida's Orlando Regional Director Rasha Mubarak, [email protected], 407.490.9407

***

• CAIR: Khaula Hadeed of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Alabama: FACES of Birmingham
  
  Khaula Hadeed can tell you that being the executive director of the Alabama chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Alabama's only Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has never been a simple job. With the current political climate, however, her job has become even more challenging. But she persists. Khaula and her organization continue to promote justice by fighting to uphold the constitution and protect civil liberties.
• Video: CAIR-Minnesota Hosts Event to Challenge Islamophobia, Other Forms of Bigotry
  • CAIR-NY: Rally Held to Protest Killing of Man in Midtown that Authorities Say Was Racially Motivated
    
    "The office of the inspector general showed that no more than five percent of the NYPD's budget for investigations, for intelligence, was spent on white supremacists. No more than five percent. That is unacceptable," said Albert Fox Cahn, legal director of CAIR NY.

BREAKING NEWS:

CAIR Calls for Hate Crime Probe of Vandalism Targeting Colorado Mosque

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/26/2017) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate the vandalism of a Colorado mosque early Sunday morning as a possible hate crime.

Officials with the Islamic Center of Fort Collins said surveillance video shows a man in his 20s throwing several large rocks and a Bible through glass doors and into the prayer area of the mosque.

SEE: Vandal Targets Fort Collins Islamic Center
Vandal Breaks Glass Doors at Islamic Center Of Fort Collins, Throws Bible In Prayer Room
Islamic Center of Fort Collins 'Seriously' Vandalized Early Sunday

"Because of the use of a Bible in the vandalism, we would urge state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate the possibility of a bias motive for this attack on a house of worship," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.

Since the beginning of the year, CAIR has called for similar investigations of possible bias motives for 34 incidents targeting mosques in Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Georgia, Arizona, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Texas, and a number of other states. By comparison, in the January-March period in 2016, CAIR recorded 19 such incidents.

CAIR: This Map Shows How Many Mosques Have Been Targeted Just This Year (CNN)

In a soon-to-be-published report, CAIR will detail a more than 50 percent increase in anti-Muslim bias incidents in 2016 over 2015. That figure is accompanied by a more than 40 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the same period.

On Friday, CAIR decried what it termed the Trump administration's "deafening silence" on a growing number of anti-Muslim incidents nationwide in recent days, part of an unprecedented spike in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide that began during the recent presidential campaign and accelerated following the November 8 election.

SEE: CAIR Decries Trump Administration's 'Deafening Silence' on Series of Anti-Muslim Incidents Nationwide

CAIR is asking American Muslims and Islamic institutions to take extra security precautions and is offering Muslim community leaders free copies of its booklet, "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety." The booklet may be requested through CAIR's website: http://www.cair.com/mosque-safety-guide.html

The Washington-based civil rights and advocacy organization urges community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR's Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/civil-rights/report-an-incident/view/form.html

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

***

• CAIR-Chicago: Ex-Cop Says He was Harassed, Then Fired, for Being Muslim
  
  "They told me that I hold a gun like Muslim, like a terrorist Muslim," Ramtin Sabet said in a statement released by the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which is representing him. "I serve this country. I wear a blue uniform with an American flag. . .for over 15 years."
• CAIR-Columbus to Hosts 'We the People are Greater Than Fear' Forum March 26
  • CAIR-MN Calls on Public to Fight Anti-Muslim Bigotry
    
    The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is holding an event Saturday designed to get thousands of Minnesotans to stand up against hate.
  • CAIR-Missouri 'Defend Muslims Civil Rights' Fundraising Dinner March 25
• CAIR-SFBA: San Francisco Man Threatened to Shoot Muslim Woman in Alleged Hate Crime, Police Say (LA Times)
  
  Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations San Francisco Bay Area, said hate crimes targeting Muslims and those who are mistaken for Muslim are on the rise.
  
  "This incident in San Francisco reminds all of us of the critical work to be done in our own communities to prevent hate crimes and protect each other," she said.
  
  "We applaud this woman who was targeted while with her child for bravely coming forward and hope it will encourage others to also seek help."
  • CAIR: National Organization Wants Charlotte Investigation of Threat Against Muslim Mother (Charlotte Observer)
  • CAIR-MN: 'This Has to Stop': Woman Says She Was Target of Hate Speech, Threats (WCCO)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR Decries Trump Administration's 'Deafening Silence' on Series of Anti-Muslim Incidents Nationwide

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/24/2017) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today decried what it termed the Trump administration's "deafening silence" on a growing number of anti-Muslim incidents nationwide in recent days.

"Every day, we receive more reports of hate incidents, threats and violence targeting American Muslims, Islamic institutions and even those perceived to be Muslim, yet we hear only a deafening silence from the Trump administration," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. "President Trump must speak out against the growing Islamophobia in our nation for which he bears substantial blame."

He added that the president's silence on the growing number of anti-Muslim incidents comes after Trump appointed and nominated a number of notorious Islamophobes to his administration.

SEE: CAIR Welcomes Resignation of Islamophobic Trump Adviser Michael Flynn
CAIR Calls on GOP to Demand Dismissal of Trump Adviser Steve Bannon After Revelation of His Anti-Muslim Film Proposal
CAIR Calls on President Trump to Fire Adviser Sebastian Gorka Over Links to 'Nazi-Allied' Group

Administration officials recently hosted an anti-Muslim hate group leader at the White House.

SEE: CAIR Calls on White House to Cancel Meeting with Anti-Muslim Hate Group Leader

Awad noted that the unprecedented spike in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide began during the recent presidential campaign and accelerated following the November 8 election. It has grown more intense in recent weeks.

Just this week, CAIR has called for hate crime investigations or reported on harassment and threats targeting Muslim women and children in Minnesota, California, North Carolina, and New York.

Video: CAIR-Minnesota Calls for Hate Crime Probe After Muslim Woman is Followed, Threatened
Video: CAIR Says Threat to Shoot California Muslim Mother and Child is Part of Spike in Islamophobia
Video: CAIR Calls for Hate Crime Probe of Threat to Shoot North Carolina Muslim Woman
Video: CAIR-MN Seeks Criminal Charges for Harassment Targeting Muslim Woman Shopper

CAIR also called for similar investigations of possible bias motives for 34 incidents targeting mosques in Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Georgia, Arizona, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Texas, and a number of other states so far this year. By comparison, in the January-March period in 2016, CAIR recorded 19 such incidents.

CAIR: This Map Shows How Many Mosques Have Been Targeted Just This Year (CNN)

Video: FBI Meets with Mosque Targeted by Anti-Islam Letter After CAIR Calls for Hate Crime Probe
CAIR Welcomes Arrest in Arson Attack on Texas Mosque
Video: CAIR Calls for Hate Crime Probe of Quran Desecration at Tucson Mosque
Video: CAIR Offers Reward for Info on Florida Mosque Arson
Video: CAIR-Kentucky Seeks Hate Crime Probe of Bomb Threat Targeting Mosque
Video: CAIR-Cincinnati Asks FBI to Probe Bomb Threat Targeting Mosque
Video: CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Probe of Threat Targeting New Jersey Mosque
Video: CAIR-Georgia Calls for Stepped-Up Security at Mosques Following Threats
CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Probe of Threatening Letter Sent to Virginia Mosque
CAIR-Sacramento Welcomes Arrest in Davis Islamic Center Hate Vandalism Case
CAIR Calls for Hate Crime Probe of Anti-Muslim Signs Posted on Louisiana Mosque by White Supremacist Group

In a soon-to-be-published report, CAIR will detail a more than 50 percent increase in anti-Muslim bias incidents in 2016 over 2015. That figure is accompanied by a more than 40 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the same period.

Even those who are perceived to be Muslim have been targeted by violence. In February, CAIR called for state and federal hate crime charges to be brought against a man who allegedly shot two men � one of whom died � that he mistakenly thought were "Middle Eastern."

SEE: CAIR-Kansas Seeks State, Federal Hate Crime Charges for Shooting of 'Middle Eastern' Men

CAIR has often expressed the Muslim community's concerns about the Trump administration's involvement in the promotion and exploitation of Islamophobia.

CAIR Islamophobia Monitor: Islamophobia and the Trump Team

Earlier this week, CAIR called on White House officials to cancel a meeting with anti-Muslim hate group ACT for America leader Brigitte Gabriel. That meeting went ahead as scheduled.

CAIR: Who is the Real Brigitte Gabriel?

ACT for America has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC has named "Brigitte Gabriel" as a member of the nation's "Anti-Muslim Inner Circle."

CAIR Islamophobia Monitor: Brigitte Gabriel (ACT for America)
CAIR Islamophobia Monitor: ACT for America

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.

CONTACT: CAIR Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

***

• CAIR-Missouri Defend Muslims Civil Rights Fundraising Dinner March 25
• CAIR: 'I'm not going to sit here and let him shoot me,' Muslim Mom Recalls of Terrifying Charlotte Encounter
  
  The woman recounted the terrifying episode in an interview with the Observer on Wednesday evening, after the nation's largest Muslim civil rights group called on police to investigate the case as a possible hate crime.
  
  "We ask law enforcement authorities to use all resources available to apprehend the alleged perpetrator and to bring all appropriate charges, including that of ethnic intimidation," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations based in Washington, D.C.
  • Video: CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Probe of Threat to Shoot North Carolina Muslim Woman
  • Video: CAIR-MN Seeks Criminal Charges for Harassment Targeting Muslim Woman Shopper
• Video: Samantha Bee Wants You to Get to Know President Trump's Islamophobic Terrorism 'Expert,' Sebastian Gorka
  • CAIR: Even Muslim-American Citizens Have Been Caught in the Net of Trump's Travel Ban
    
    To Muslim advocates like Hassan Shibly, the chief executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations' (CAIR) Florida chapter, such stories show that, with Trump in power, border agents feel "emboldened" to implement "discriminatory practices."
    
    After Trump's executive orders targeting Muslims were signed, "all the gloves came off," said Shibly.

CAIR-NY Condemns White Supremacist's Murder of African-American Man Near Times Square, Islamophobic Attack on Woman in Queens

(NEW YORK, NY, 3/23/17) -- The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned a white supremacist's allegedly racially-motivated murder of an African-American man near Times Square.

CAIR-NY also condemned another apparently bias-motivated attack earlier this month on a woman in Jamaica, Queens.

In the attack near Times Square, James Harris Jackson stabbed Timothy Caughman multiple times in the chest and back on Tuesday night. Jackson later turned himself in to the NYPD quickly telling them where to find the alleged murder weapon. Jackson reportedly traveled from Baltimore to New York with the intention of killing African-American men, hoping that by committing the crime in New York City, he could secure more media attention.

SEE: Army Vet Accused of Murder Came to NYC to Kill Black Men, Cops Say

In the other incident, which took place March 6 in Jamaica, Queens, an unknown woman punched the victim in the neck after shouting anti-Muslim slurs. The NYPD released surveillance video of the incident to seek the public's help in identifying the alleged attacker.

SEE: Cops Hunt for Half Bald Woman Who Harassed Muslim in Queens

"We must not lose one more New Yorker to bigotry and violence," said CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher. "These bias-motivated attacks are an affront to every human being, and we must all work together to ensure the victims receive justice to fullest extent of the law. We continue to see a distressing increase in hate crimes targeting the Muslim community. Far too many hate crime victims continue to suffer in silence. We must make sure that ever attack is reported and that every attacker is apprehended."

"If the person who allegedly murdered Timothy Caughman were Muslim or Arab, it would be called what it is: 'an act of terrorism,'" said CAIR-NY Legal Director Albert Cahn. "Too often we politicize our narratives to highlight some crimes and downplay others. This tragic attack, which targeted the heart of our great city, took the life of one of our fellow New Yorkers."

"Going forward, our city and state must appropriate the resources needed to safeguard all religious and cultural sites against the threat posed by hate crimes," said Cahn.

Earlier this week, CAIR-NY endorsed the New York City Council's proposed security grant program that would allocate $25 million to safeguard Muslim and Jewish Community centers, and other non-profit institutions which have faced increased threats and risk of attacks in recent months.

SEE: CAIR Supports NY City Council Security Grant Program to Protect Muslim, Jewish and Other Community Institutions

Earlier this month, CAIR-NY also condemned the anti-immigrant and racial harassment of a Latino man in Brooklyn, whose attacker subsequently broke his nose.

SEE: CAIR-NY Condemns Desecration of Jewish Cemetery in Rochester, N.Y. and Bias Attack Against Latino Man in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The number of anti-Muslim hate groups in the United States has grown exponentially, almost 300 percent in the past year alone according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

SEE: Anti-Muslim Groups 2010-2016| SPLC

CAIR's national headquarters in Washington, D.C., has noted an unprecedented spike in hate incidents targeting Muslims and other minority groups since the November 8 election.

Video: CAIR-MN Seeks Criminal Charges for Harassment Targeting Muslim Woman Shopper

Muslim community members are asked to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR-NY at (646) 665-7599, or by filing a report at: http://www.cair-ny.org/incident-report/

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.

CONTACT: CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher, 917-669-4006, [email protected]; Legal Director Albert Cahn, 571-766-6273, [email protected]

***

• CAIR: Discrimination and Fear are the Norm for Many Muslim Americans
  
  A rash of hateful comments and actions directed at Muslims following the Nov. 8 presidential election has perpetuated that fear, Council on American-Islamic Relations spokeswoman Zainab Chaudry said at a panel announcing the report.
  • Video: CAIR-San Antonio Joins Rally Against Hate
  • Video: CAIR-MN Seeks Criminal Charges for Harassment Targeting Moorhead Muslim Woman Shopper
  • Muslims Inside FBI Describe Culture of Suspicion and Fear: 'It is cancer'
    
• CAIR-NY Denounces Mayor de Blasio's Surprise Appointment of Intelligence Watchdog
• CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Probe of Threat to Shoot North Carolina Muslim Woman
  
  According to the woman, who is of South Asian heritage and wears Islamic attire (hijab and abaya), a white male in his 40s or 50s driving a pick-up truck pulled into a parking space next to her vehicle as she was nursing her one-month-old child in a Charlotte, N.C., parking lot. The man reportedly stared at the woman for an extended period and then reached in the back seat of the truck to retrieve a rifle, which he then reportedly pointed at the woman.
• CAIR-Minnesota Calls for Hate Crime Probe After Muslim Woman is Followed, Threatened
  
  According to the alleged victim, who was wearing an Islamic head scarf (hijab) and was with her one-year-old child, the two people followed her for 7-8 minutes while she was driving and then blocked her from parking her car. One of those two people, a woman, then reportedly approached the Muslim woman's car and started shouting abuse and obscenities including, "You should f***ing go home, and you should be f***ing deported," and threatened to "rip her face off if she sees her again."
• CAIR Demands Apology for Virginia GOP's Anti-Mosque 'Smears'
  
  While Virginia GOP officials, and recently the FBI, have taken part in public functions at that mosque, the Virginia GOP's website falsely smears it as being "terror-linked" and demands that Attorney General Herring "apologize to the victims of terrorism."
  
  In astatement, CAIR Director of Government Affairs Robert McCaw said:
  
  "The Republican Party of Virginia must immediately apologize for falsely smearing one of Northern Virginia's most civically-engaged and respected houses of worship.
  
  "It's absolutely deplorable that the Virginia GOP would attack Attorney General Mark Herring for visiting the same mosque that many of its own officials attended when seeking to connect with and gain the support of Muslims in Northern Virginia. . .
• CAIR Legal Team Seeks Wider Injunction on Trump's 'Muslim Ban 2.0'
  
  CAIR is seeking an even broader injunction against the executive order than what other judges in Hawaii and Maryland have imposed. At Monday's hearing, CAIR Co-Counsel Gadeir Abbas argued that Section 3 of the order, which impacts how those applying for visas can seek waivers, remains in force despite the rulings in other states.
• CAIR: Many Montana Lawmakers Seem to Be Falling for a Conspiracy Theory About Muslims
  
  "Like other anti-Islam legislation, the Montana bill redundantly protects rights already guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution," said Corey Saylor, the director of the Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia at the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "The legislators behind the bill should take a break from wasting taxpayer time and money, admit their goal is anti-Muslim fearmongering, and then take a basic course on how the U.S. Constitution works."
  • North Dakota Lawmakers Mull So-Called Anti-Sharia Law Bill
• CAIR: Who Is Brigitte Gabriel? Trump Welcomes Anti-Muslim Activist to White House
  
  The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Tuesday that ACT for America was "one of the main sources of growing anti-Muslim bigotry in our nation."
  • CAIR: Leader of Group Widely Identified as Anti-Muslim Meets with White House
    
  • CAIR: Despite Denials, It Sure Looks Like an Anti-Muslim Leader was at the White House
• CAIR Seeks 'Full Review' of Rules of Engagement After Second Deadly U.S. Airstrike on Syrian Civilians
  
  In a statement, CAIR said:
  
  "With two recent attacks by U.S.-led forces in which so many Syrian civilians were killed and injured, it is imperative that our military and political leaders conduct a full review of the rules of engagement in that conflict to ensure that civilians are protected and that our nation's values are maintained. Targeting civilians, even by accident or incompetence, is not only a tragedy for the loved ones of the dead and injured, but also harms America's struggle against terrorism by alienating those we seek to protect."

***

• CAIR-Ohio Legal Director Romin Iqbal Interviewed on Muslim Ban 2.0, Terrorism
• CAIR-MN Seeks Criminal Charges for Harassment Targeting Muslim Woman Shopper
  
  The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) is calling on law enforcement authorities to reconsider bringing criminal charges against a man who allegedly harassed a Muslim woman shopper in Moorhead, Minn., because of her Islamic attire (hijab).
  
  According to the alleged victim, Fardoso Mohamed, who was shopping at the Hornbacher's in Moorhead, the man told her, "Hey, you need to remove the hijab." "He was very close to me, and he was yelling very hard, very mad," said Mohamed, who noted that harassment of hijab-wearing women is not unusual in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
  
  Mohamed says she walked away from the man, but he reportedly followed her through the store and confronted her again about her religious attire. Bystanders did not assist Mohamed or intervene on her behalf. But a Hornbacher's employee did confront the alleged perpetrator, and he eventually left. A Moorhead police spokesman said he believed that while the man's behavior was rude, no laws were broken.
  
  "We urge law enforcement authorities to reconsider bringing charges in this case based on Minnesota statutes prohibiting stalking and harassment," said CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein. "We thank the store employee who came to the aid of Ms. Mohamed."
  • Video: FBI Meets with Mosque Targeted by Anti-Islam Letter After CAIR Calls for Hate Crime Probe
• CAIR-MN to Host '1,000 Who CAIR, Call to Action' Event to Challenge Islamophobia, Defend Civil Rights
  
  On Saturday, March 25, the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN), the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, will hold an event aimed at challenging Islamophobia and defending civil rights.
  
  WHAT: CAIR-MN Event '1,000 Who CAIR, Call to Action'
  WHEN: Saturday, March 25, 4-8 p.m.
  WHERE: The O'Shaughnessy Theater on the campus of St. Kate's, 2004 Randolph Ave, St Paul, MN 55105
  CONTACT: CAIR-MN Development & Outreach Coordinator, Patti Walsh, 612-206-3360, [email protected]
  
  The event will feature noted Muslim scholar Dalia Mogahed, Gold Star father Khizr Khan, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Civil Rights Leader Nekima Levy-Pounds, and other politicians and entertainers such as comedians Jeremy McLellan and Danish Maqbool, to inspire and energize people into action.
• CAIR-SFBA, Community Groups Celebrate the Signing of San Francisco Anti-Registry Ordinance Into Law
  
  A broad coalition of organizations - Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus, the San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC), Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA), the National Lawyers Guild -Francisco Bay Area (NLG SF), and the ACLU of Northern California advocated for this law that will create protections against any registry based on religion or country of origin.
• Video: CAIR Condemns Texas Attorney General's 'Cheap Islamophobic Publicity Stunt'
  • CAIR: Texas Attorney General Lied About a School Providing a Muslim-Only Classroom
    
    The Council of American Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil advocacy organization in the United States, called Paxton's open letter was an "cheap Islamophobic publicity stunt."

***

CAIR Calls on White House to Cancel Meeting with Anti-Muslim Hate Group Leader

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/21/2017) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on White House officials to cancel a reported meeting with anti-Muslim hate group leader Brigitte Gabriel.

Late yesterday, Gabriel tweeted: "In D.C, preparing for my meeting at the White House."

ACT for America has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC has named "Brigitte Gabriel" as a member of the nation's "Anti-Muslim Inner Circle."

SPLC: Anti-Muslim Inner Circle

"No White House official should be meeting with the leader of a hate group that is one of the main sources of growing anti-Muslim bigotry in our nation," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. "This meeting should be canceled immediately and an explanation should be offered as to why it was scheduled in the first place."

Awad noted that such a meeting would only serve to further reinforce concerns about the Trump administration's involvement in the promotion and exploitation of Islamophobia.

CAIR Islamophobia Monitor: Islamophobia and the Trump Team
CAIR: This Map Shows How Many Mosques Have Been Targeted Just This Year (CNN)

ACT for America Backgrounder:

ACT for America is a virulently anti-Muslim hate group headed by Hanah Kahwagi Tudor, who goes by the pseudonym "Brigitte Gabriel." "Gabriel" has stated that an American Muslim "cannot be a loyal citizen" and that Islam is the "real enemy." She once told the Australian Jewish News: "Every practicing Muslim is a radical Muslim." When asked whether Americans should "resist Muslims who want to seek political office in this nation," Tudor said, "Absolutely."

CAIR Islamophobia Monitor: Brigitte Gabriel (ACT for America)
CAIR Islamophobia Monitor: ACT for America

Her hate group's anti-Muslim bigotry was highlighted recently in a Washington Post exposé.

SEE: This group believes Islam threatens America: 'It's a spiritual battle of good and evil.'

A member of ACT for America allegedly attended a recent meeting in North Carolina at which the killing of Muslims was reportedly suggested.

SEE: CAIR Calls on Feds to Probe Call to Violence Against U.S. Muslims at N.C. Meeting of Hate Groups

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.

CONTACT: CAIR National Litigation Director Lena Masri, 248-390-9784, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

***

Council on American-Islamic Relations

453 New Jersey Ave, S.E., Washington, D.C., 20003

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