The Overdrive invited Christina Abraham and Yaser Tabbara to help give perspective on the President’s speech from the point of view of people who are invested in the rights of the Middle Eastern people and the policy positions of the U.S.

CAIR-Chicago would like to congratulate all those who worked tirelessly to get the DREAM Act (SB2185) passed. The bill will go to Gov. Quinn’s desk to be signed, which he has promised to do.

On May 13 ICIRR held its DREAM Unity Event celebrating the accomplishments of the Illinois Senate last week in passing the Illinois Dream Act and Smart Enforcement Act. Both pieces of legislation received strong bipartisan support. Of the 45 votes for the DREAM Act, 11 were from Republican senators and of the 66 votes for Smart Enforcement Act, 17 were from Republicans.

The FBI carried out a series of raids of homes of activists, and the Justice Department subpoenaed them to appear before a grand jury. Come hear from those who have been directly affected and from the Chicago civil liberties community, which has been mobilizing to bring to light the realities of grand jury proceedings and the right to freedom of speech.

Later today the Illinois DREAM Act (SB2185) will go to committee for a vote. If passed it could be voted in the House floor as early as tomorrow. Tell your state representative to support the Illinois DREAM Act!

Ahmed Rehab is the Executive Director of CAIR Chicago: the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He said the President sugar-coats the US demands on Israel. “Would you please do this, pretty please do that? That’s not the message the United States should have. We need to be a lot more courageous and bold and demanding of the right thing.”

“I think the President realizes that this is a historic opportunity for us to shift our foreign policy towards the Arab world, towards acknowledging the fact that it is the millions in the street calling for democracy and freedom, that are the real voice of that part of the world – and not the sporadic, peripheral, marginal, militant radical groups,” said Ahmed Rehab.

CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab comments on a hateful posting directed at Muslims that was found on an online forum for the Chicago White Sox.

Illinois Congressmen Luis Gutierrez and other State Congressmen join to send letters questioning the FBI investigation of 23 Midwestern anti-war and international solidarity activists.