Media Advisory: CAIR-Chicago to Mobilize Voters

(CHICAGO, 11/04/08) - The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is closed today as its staff mobilizes Muslims at local precincts to Get Out the Vote (see: www.cairchicago.org). The campaign focuses on the southwest suburb of Bridgeview and marks the culmination of a long campaign to urge the Muslim community to let their voices be heard with a strong voter representation. Other CAIR chapters across the country are also urging eligible Muslim voters to go to the polls on November 4 in record numbers and vote for the candidates of their choice.

To help get out the Muslim vote nationwide, CAIR 1) held candidate forums, 2) distributed voter guides, 3) organized voter registration drives, 4) hosted political participation workshops in mosques, 5) sponsored meetings with elected representatives, 6) participated in get-out-the-vote (GOTV) drives, and 7) urged American Muslims to vote as a positive response to Islamophobia in the election campaign.

For months, CAIR-Chicago and its partners in the New American Democracy Project (NADP) have been conducting voter registration drives, canvassing door-to-door, training volunteers, holding phone banking sessions, distributing voter education guides, and setting up workshops for first-time voters to help them understand the process.

The project registered close to 1,200 mostly Muslim and Arab voters in the southwest suburbs alone. Today, dozens of volunteers will be working throughout Election Day to monitor polls and canvass precincts, and drive voters to the polls

WHAT: CAIR-Chicago Leads Get Out the Vote Campaign (GOTV) in Bridgeview

WHEN: Tuesday November 4, 2008

WHERE: GOTV Headquarters, Mosque Foundation 7360 W 93rd St Bridgeview, IL, 60455

Muslim American GOTV Organizers and first time voters available for interview upon request.

CAIR-Chicago, a chapter of America's largest Muslim civil rights group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. 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: Reem Rahman, Communications Coordinator, CAIR-Chicago, E-Mail: communications@cairchicago.org; 312.212.1520 Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, CAIR-Chicago, E-Mail: director@cairchicago.org; 312.212.1520