Thursday, June 21, 2012


MEDIA ADVISORY
CAIR-MN Asks City to Approve Islamic Center, Support Religious Freedom
(MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 6/12/12) -- The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) is calling on the St. Anthony City Council to send a strong message in defense of religious freedom by approving a conditional use permit for a new Islamic center at tonight’s city council meeting.
[MEDIA ADVISORY: CAIR-MN will hold a media availability at 6:30 p.m., just prior to the city council meeting. LOCATION: Outside the St. Anthony Council Chambers, 3301 Silver Lake Road, St. Anthony, Minn. CONTACT: CAIR-MN Executive Director Lori Saroya, 612-327-6700, E-Mail: lsaroya@cair.com]
In March, a week before the proposed Abu-Huraira Islamic Center was to go before the planning commission, the city issued a moratorium saying it needed more time to study the plan because of confusion over zoning ordinances.
The proposed Islamic center faces community opposition and facility organizers and their attorney believe discrimination is the real reason for the delay.
Last week, the city’s planning commission gave approval for the project.
Tonight, the city council will vote on a conditional use permit at 7 p.m. at the St. Anthony Council Chambers (3301 Silver Lake Road, St. Anthony, Minn.).
"The Muslim community is going through what many before us did to establish their right to worship," said CAIR-MN Executive Director Lori Saroya. "This is about doing the right thing and upholding our nation’s principles of freedom of religion."
The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into 28 cases nationwide involving local denials of mosque construction applications.
One of the most controversial anti-mosque efforts nationwide involves a campaign by Islamophobes to block construction of a new Islamic center in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) protects religious institutions from unduly burdensome or discriminatory land use regulations. RLUIPA and the Minnesota Constitution ban zoning restrictions that impose a substantial burden on the religious exercise of a person or institution unless the government can show that it has a compelling interest for imposing zoning restrictions and that the restriction is the least restrictive way for the government to further that interest.
A number of recent reports have documented the growth and promotion of Islamophobia nationwide.
CAIR: Same Hate, New Target
Center for American Progress: Fear, Inc. 
Southern Poverty Law Center: Jihad Against Islam 
People for the American Way: The Right-Wing Playbook on Anti-Muslim Extremism 
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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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR Asks FBI to Probe NY Anti-Arab Hate Attack
Man of Indian heritage attacked by assailants shouting 'f------ Arabs'
(NEW YORK, NY, 5/13/12) -- The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today called on the FBI to investigate an apparently bias-motivated attack in which one of the alleged assailants shouted "f------ Arabs" before beating the victim into unconsciousness.
CAIR-NY said the attack, which was caught on surveillance video, occurred last month and is being investigated as a hate crime by New York police.
The 57-year-old victim was attacked in Manhattan after one of two alleged assailants shouted "f------ Arabs." The victim reportedly told the men that he is of Indian heritage, to which one of them responded, "Same f------ thing." The video shows the victim trying to flee just before one of the suspects hits him in the head, knocking him out. The victim was treated for his injuries at a local hospital.
"This disturbing incident reminds us that hatred and bigotry affect Americans of all faiths and ethnicities," said CAIR-NY Civil Rights Manager Cyrus McGoldrick. "We urge the FBI to add their considerable resources to the investigation."
McGoldrick noted that two women from Niagara Falls were sentenced Friday to jail terms for a hate attack on a Muslim woman last summer.
He added that number of recent reports have documented the growth and promotion of Islamophobia nationwide.
CAIR: Same Hate, New Target
Center for American Progress: Fear, Inc.
Southern Poverty Law Center: Jihad Against Islam
People for the American Way: The Right-Wing Playbook on Anti-Muslim Extremism
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-NY Civil Rights Manager Cyrus McGoldrick, 203-206-6883, E-Mail:cmcgoldrick@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com
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Sunday, June 10, 2012


  • FBI Actions Place Oregon Mosque in Government's Cross Hairs (Oregonian)
    The unexplained actions are aggravating the FBI's already poor relationship with the mosque and fueling fear and frustration among Muslims that their house of worship appears to be once again in the government's cross hairs.
  • Denials of Mosque Applications Spark Federal Probe
    Concerned that prejudice rather than genuine zoning issues might be at work, the U.S. Department of Justice has opened 28 cases nationwide involving local denials of mosque construction applications since 2000, according to a department official.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR Asks NYPD to Reinstate Jewish Recruit Dropped Over Beard
(NEW YORK, NY, 6/10/12) -- The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today called on the New York Police Department (NYPD) to reinstate Fishel Litzman, a Jewish recruit kicked out of the police academy allegedly for refusing to trim his beard, which he wears for religious reasons.
NYPD rules prohibiting beards make an exception for those kept for religious reasons, but the exception allows only one millimeter of growth.
"We urge the NYPD to reinstate Mr. Litzman and to work out a reasonable compromise that protects his religious rights and those of other officers while maintaining good order and discipline in the ranks," said CAIR-NY Civil Rights Manager Cyrus McGoldrick.
He said CAIR-NY is dealing with a similar case involving a Muslim NYPD officer facing disciplinary action because of his beard. (Muslim men wear beards for religious reasons.)
McGoldrick also noted that New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority recently changed a controversial uniform policy that required employees who wear religious head coverings such as scarves (hijab) or turbans to either affix them with a company logo or work in positions that did not require interaction with the public.
In 1999, a Supreme Court action left intact a lower court ruling supporting the right of Muslim police officers to wear beards. The earlier ruling, issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, said the Newark (N.J.) Police Department's no-beard policy was discriminatory because it allowed medical but not religious exemptions. (Fraternal Order of Police v. City of Newark)
CAIR publishes a booklet, titled "A Law Enforcement Official's Guide to the Muslim Community," which outlines basic information about Islamic beliefs that are relevant to law enforcement agencies.
It also covers issues such as the rights of Muslim law enforcement officers, religiously-sensitive techniques for body searches, etiquette for entering Muslim homes, and advice on outreach to the Islamic community.
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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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Judge Rejects 'National Security' Defense in Muslim's Bias Suit
Muslim employee forbidden to go to floors of the hotel occupied by Israeli delegation
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/7/12) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today welcomed a federal judge's ruling that rejects a claim by a Washington, D.C., hotel that it had the right to discriminate against a Muslim employee because of a "national security exemption."
United States District Judge Barbara J. Rothstein ruled yesterday that "the national security exemption does not immunize Defendant from liability as to Plaintiff's retaliation claim."
Judge Rothstein's ruling came in response to a motion filed by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia claiming CAIR's lawsuit on behalf of the Muslim employee should be rejected by the court because the hotel "was following a mandate from the federal government regarding a matter of national security."
The hotel's motion blamed its discriminatory actions on security requirements allegedly imposed by the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).
"We welcome Judge Rothstein's ruling and are pleased that this case can now move forward to examine the employee's allegations of retaliation for complaining about the treatment he was subjected to because of his faith and ethnicity," said CAIR National Legal Counsel Nadhira Al-Khalili.
Al-Khalili said CAIR's suit states that in December 2010, the employee, an American citizen of Moroccan heritage, was forbidden to go to the 8th or 9th floors of the hotel because an Israeli delegation was staying there.
The Muslim employee was reportedly barred from those floors despite the fact that he had previously undergone an FBI background check and had carried out his duties for other foreign delegations and dignitaries, including a former U.S. president.
According to the suit, when the Muslim employee asked why he was barred from those floors, he was told by a supervisor, "You know how the Israelis are with Arabs and Muslims." As quoted in CAIR's lawsuit, another hotel supervisor allegedly stated that "the Israeli delegation does not want to be served by Defendant's Muslim employees and that Defendant accommodates this preference because it does not want to lose the Israeli delegation as clients."
The suit also alleges that hotel supervisors believed the Muslim employee "would particularly pose a problem for the Israeli delegation, because if they encountered him, members of the delegation would easily be able to see his name -- Mohamed -- written on his employee nametag."
After the Muslim worker's colleagues learned of the restrictions the hotel had placed on his duties, several of them ridiculed him as a potential terrorist, "poking him in the stomach to feign checking his body for explosives."
CAIR's suit also alleges that the hotel retaliated against the employee for complaining about the discriminatory treatment.
The lawsuit seeks cultural competency training for hotel employees, back pay for the Muslim worker, compensatory and punitive damages, attorney's fees, and an order requiring the hotel to adopt a non-discrimination and retaliation policy and to establish an effective mechanism for receiving and responding to complaints of discrimination and retaliation.
You can read the entire lawsuit here.
CAIR offers a booklet, called "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices," to help employers gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the workplace.
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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  • Religious Freedom Commission Accused of Anti-Muslim Bias (Wash. Post)
    The lawsuit, which follows an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint that Ghori-Ahmad filed in 2010, lays blame on several longtime commissioners, including Nina Shea, an attorney and writer who focuses on religious freedom crises abroad, particularly the plight of Christian minorities. The suit quotes Shea as writing that "hiring a Muslim like Ms. Ghori-Ahmad to analyze religious freedom in Pakistan would be like 'hiring an IRA activist to research the UK twenty years ago.'"
    • Backgrounder: Coalition Opposes New Religious Freedom Appointee
      A broad national coalition of 64 organizations and individuals today sent a letter to Senators Inouye, McConnell and Durbin expressing "deep concern" at the recent appointment of Zuhdi Jasser to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
  • CAIR-LA: Workplace Religious Freedom Act Passes Calif. Assembly
    Yamada's legislation is co-sponsored by the Sikh Coalition, the Hindu American Foundation and the Council on American Islamic Relations, along with several other civil rights organizations.
  • CAIR-MN: Delays May Be Over for Islamic Center (Star Tribune)
    Lori Saroya, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said that proposed mosques or Islamic centers have met opposition in Plymouth, Bloomington and Willmar, Minn., as well as St. Anthony in the past year. While mosques are primarily used for worship, Islamic centers can have multiple uses, including worship, dining and other events. Governments have eventually moved ahead on approving them, she said.
    • Muslim Heroes: Lori Saroya (Executive Director, CAIR-MN)
      Under Lori's leadership, CAIR-MN has had incredible success. It was named a 2010 "Difference Maker" by the St. Cloud Times and received the 2011 MN Council of Nonprofits Mission and Excellence Anti-Racism Award. Last year, CAIR-MN assisted over 400 individuals and was quoted in the media more than 115 times. Last month, CAIR-MN created an interfaith coalition and led the effort to remove an "anti-Sharia," discriminatory bill introduced in the Minnesota Senate.

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MEDIA ADVISORY

CAIR: San Diego Muslim Placed on No-Fly List, Stuck in Costa Rica
Civil rights group to hold news conference seeking man's return to U.S.
(SAN DIEGO, CA, 6/6/12) -- On Thursday, June 7, the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Diego) will hold a news conference to call for the return to the United States of a local Muslim who is stuck in Costa Rica after being placed on the no-fly list.
WHAT: News Conference for San Diego Muslim Stuck in Cost Rica After Being Placed on No-Fly List
WHEN: Thursday, June 7, 11 a.m. (Pacific)
WHERE: Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Diego Chapter, 8316 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite 203, San Diego, CA 92111
CONTACT: CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Hanif Mohebi, 858-774-9991, E-mail:hmohebi@cair.com; CAIR Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas, 202-742-6410, 720-251-0425, E-Mail: gabbas@cair.com
The 27-year-old American-born Muslim has been studying in Costa Rica and was denied the right to board a June 5 flight to return to the United States after graduation. He was interviewed by the FBI about his political and religious affiliations and past travel, but was not given clear reasons for being placed on the no-fly list.
(NOTE: The man will attempt to board another flight to the United States on Thursday morning.)

Earlier this year, CAIR called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate acts of "coercion and intimidation" allegedly used by the FBI to pressure Muslim citizens into giving up their constitutional rights if they wished to return to the United States from overseas.
Last year, CAIR filed a lawsuit against the DOJ and the FBI seeking a court order to allow a Virginia Muslim teenager who had been detained in Kuwait and placed on a U.S. government no-fly list to return to the United States.
CAIR has assisted a number of other American Muslim citizens who have been stranded overseas by government actions.
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Wednesday, June 6, 2012


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR Seeks DOJ Action After TN Judge Stops Mosque Construction
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/29/12) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to protect the religious rights of Tennessee Muslims after a judge in that state blocked completion of a mosque that has been targeted by anti-Muslim bigots for the past two years.
The judge ruled today that proper public notice was not given for the May 2010 meeting that approved the site plan for the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, near Murfreesboro, Tenn. He seemed to base his ruling on the fact that anti-Muslim bigots were able to manufacture a controversy over the construction of the mosque, the site of which has been the target of hate vandalism.
In his ruling, the judge used phrases and reasoning which could be viewed as indicating that a higher degree of public notice is required for issues related to Tennessee Muslims.
For example, the judge used language such as:
  • "Given the significance of the matters decided and the overall general interest of the community as a whole." 
  • "Given the amount of publicity which the issue has generated after the meeting."
  • "[A] meeting where an issue of major importance to citizens was being discussed."
  • [G]iven the magnitude of the matters."
  • "[A] matter which is to [the public] of earthshaking importance."
Read the entire ruling.
In his ruling, the judge did say the Rutherford County Planning Commission could approve the mosque site plan again.
"American Muslim constitutional rights should not be diminished merely because anti-Muslim bigots are able to manufacture a controversy about what would otherwise be normal religious activities," said CAIR Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas. "If the Rutherford County Planning Commission does not immediately issue new permits for the mosque, we urge the Department of Justice to intervene in this case to support the religious rights of Tennessee Muslims."
He said the ruling would be similar to a judge in the 1950s blocking construction of an African-American church in a White neighborhood because of the "controversy" created by racists.
"The judge's ruling is apparently based on a fictitious 'heightened standard' for public notice when Muslims are involved," said Abbas.
[NOTE: In 2010, the DOJ was compelled to argue the basic premise that Islam is a religion in the lawsuit targeting construction of the Murfreesboro mosque.]
Abbas noted that an article published this morning in USA Today noted the growing opposition to mosques nationwide.
In that article, "Kevin Vodak, litigation director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says a 2000 federal law meant to prevent zoning laws from discriminating against religious institutions is a potent tool. He cited the law -- the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act -- in a pending federal lawsuit against DuPage County, Ill., for 'unlawful conduct and discriminatory practices' when it denied a permit for the Irshad Learning Center in 2010."
A number of recent reports have documented the growth and promotion of Islamophobia nationwide.
CAIR: Same Hate, New Target
Center for American Progress: Fear, Inc. 
Southern Poverty Law Center: Jihad Against Islam 
People for the American Way: The Right-Wing Playbook on Anti-Muslim Extremism 
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 Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas, 720-251-0425, E-Mail: gabbas@cair.com; CAIR Legal Counsel Nadhira Al-Khalili, 540-514-2093, E-Mail: nalkhalili@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com


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