Saturday, March 24, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR Joins Call for Justice in Shooting of Trayvon Martin

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/22/12) -- A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today joined the nationwide call for justice in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager allegedly shot by a neighborhood watch captain on February 26.

CAIR-MI: Ahmad Ali Could Be Trayvon Martin

Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a statement:

"CAIR and the American Muslim community join with all those who seek justice in this troubling case. We are concerned that this tragic incident is symptomatic of a growing level of racial and ethnic tension in our society.

"We call on the Department of Justice to devote all necessary resources to its review of the case and urge state and local authorities to take appropriate legal and legislative actions to prevent such disturbing incidents from occurring in the future.

"We hope this tragedy will prompt a national dialogue about how some Americans are viewed as the 'other' or 'suspicious' based solely on stereotypes or prejudice."

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.

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CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail:ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Manager Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com



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