• CAIR Leadership Conference to Feature Top Trainers

Register TODAY for CAIR's September 29th leadership training conference and annual banquet at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va. In past years, the leadership conference and banquet were both sold out. No tickets will be sold at the door, so reserve your place RIGHT AWAY.

With the theme "Upholding Our Constitution, Defending Our Faith," the September 29th evening banquet will feature the Rev. Al Sharpton, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and Imam Siraj Wahhaj as keynote speakers. Comedian Azhar Usman will provide entertainment.

Preceding the banquet, CAIR will host its day-long conference starting at 9 a.m. Registration is required for the conference, which features the following workshops from top trainers in their fields:

* Answering Tough Questions About Sharia 
Learn how to respond effectively to the "hot button" attacks on Islamic principles that are employed by the growing Islamophobia industry in America. . . (SEE MORE)

• CAIR: Democrats Try to Fix Flap Over Platform's Jerusalem Language (USA Today)
  Hussam Ayloush, a delegate from California and Executive Director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he was "outraged" by the decision.
  • Video: Al Jazeera Looks at Rising Islamophobia in America

MEDIA ADVISORY

CAIR-WA: Seattle Muslims' Car Targeted by Hate Vandalism
Muslim civil rights group to call for bias crime investigation

(SEATTLE, WA, 9/6/12) – On Friday, September 7, the Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) will hold a news conference in Seattle to call for a bias crime investigation of hate graffiti, including the slurs "sand n**gers," "doon [sic] coons," scrawled on a rental vehicle used by a group of Seattle-area Muslims on a recent vacation trip to Chelan, Wash. The vehicle was also physically vandalized with numerous scratches.

PHOTO: Hate Vandalism of Muslims' Car - 'Sand Ni**gers'
PHOTO: Hate Vandalism of Muslims' Car - 'Doon Coons'

[NOTE: "Sand n**ger" is a slur used to target those perceived to be Muslim or Arab-American. "Doon coon" is an apparent reference to the stereotypical belief that all Muslims originate in deserts, therefore the misspelled reference to "dunes."]

The Muslims believe the hate incident may have been triggered by a group prayer offered in a public area and the Islamic head covering (kufi) worn by one of the vacationers.

WHAT: CAIR-WA News Conference to Call for Hate Crime Probe of Alleged Bias Incident
WHEN: Friday, September 7, 10 a.m. (Pacific)
WHERE: CAIR-WA Seattle Office, 316 Maynard Avenue South, Suite 112A, Seattle, WA
CONTACT: CAIR-WA Executive Director Arsalan Bukhari, 206-367-4081, 206-931-3655, E-Mail: abukhari@cair.com

At the news conference, CAIR-WA will also reveal details of an incident in which a Seattle-area Muslim woman alleges that she was assaulted because of her Islamic head scarf.

Last week, CAIR's Minnesota chapter called for an investigation of a suspicious fire outside a mosque in South Minneapolis. Muslim graves in Illinois were also desecrated with hate graffiti for the second time in one month.

CAIR: Muslim Grave Site Vandalized Again (Chicago Trib)

CAIR has seen an increase in hate incidents targeting American Muslims in the aftermath of the deadly attack on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

Recent incidents included shots fired at a mosque in Morton Grove, Ill., an acid bomb thrown at an Islamic school in Lombard, Ill., a mosque burned to the ground in Joplin, Mo., vandals spraying an Oklahoma mosque with paintballs, pig legs thrown at a mosque site in California, and a firebomb thrown at a Muslim family's home in Panama City, Fla.

CAIR: Anti-Islamic Sentiment in America Troubles Muslims (CNN)
String of Attacks Threaten U.S. Muslims During Ramadan
CAIR: Mosque Attacks Common Nationwide

Muslim individuals and institutions are being asked to review advice on security procedures in CAIR's "Community Security and Safety Tips."

SEE: CAIR Community Safety and Security Tips

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-WA Executive Director Arsalan Bukhari, 206-367-4081, 206-931-3655, E-Mail: abukhari@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com

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