Tuesday, February 2nd, is your chance to have your voice heard by our representatives. Click here to read a lists of some of the candidates running for office.

If you are in need of a ride to your polling site contact CAIR-Chicago to coordinate transportation.

“If you enter any Islamic mosque or center and talk to Muslims there, almost every single one has been a victim of discrimination or harassment of some kind,” Sharif said.

A Gallup Poll released last week showed that 53 percent of Americans view Islam negatively and more than four out of 10 admit to being at least a little prejudiced against Muslims.

CAIR-Chicago would like to announce that Dr. Mazen Kudaimi has accepted the position of Chairman of CAIR-Chicago’s Board of Directors. Read more about Dr. Kudaimi HERE.

CAIR-Chicago also says goodbye to its former Chairman, Safaa Zarzour, who will now be serving as the Secretary General of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). He will be missed.

SPEAKER – Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, CAIR-Chicago
WHEN – Friday, January 29th, 2010. 12:15PM

SPEAKER – Yaser Tabbara, Board Member, CAIR-Chicago
WHEN – Friday, January 29th, 2010. 1:10PM

Jewish/Muslim artists & community members will explore a common vision for the future with regards to the challenges we face and the complexity of our identities.

According to Gallup, more than 4 in 10 Americans (43%) admit to feeling at least “a little” prejudice toward Muslims. This is more than twice the number who say the same about Christians (18%), and almost three times more than that of Jews (15%) and Buddhists (14%). The poll questioned Americans about knowledge of Islam, to which 63% of Americans said they have “very little” knowledge or “none at all.”

“In the interest of national security I don’t mind [being searched]. American Muslims are also concerned about remaining safe. But we should not be singled out because of our religious beliefs,” said Amina Sharif, CAIR-Chicago’s Communications Coordinator.

“The real question is not whether we should use the term “war” or not, but who is this war against. And that is what Obama and others have been struggling to articulate…. In the past we’ve heard that we are at war with “Radical Islam”, but “Radical Islam” is a concept, and you cannot go to war with a concept. You can go to war against a people or an entity and that is where Al-Qaeda comes in. President Obama was correct in stating that we are at war with Al Qaeda,” said Ahmed Rehab.

“The American Muslim community stands with other Americans in a collective commitment to support the Haitian people during their time of crisis with money, supplies, and prayers,” said Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago. The Coalition also demanded Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants in the US.

“If you add up hate mail, hateful phone calls and e-mails, racial slurs being yelled at people and verbal or physical altercations, it’s dozens of incidents,” said Amina Sharif.

“Hate is a self-addressed envelope and so the person who bears this hate is the victim of his own hatred before I am. And I can only pray for that person to find peace and to rid himself of that hatred,” said Ahmed Rehab.