CAIR-Chicago’s Ahmed Rehab and Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly discuss Congressmen Mike Quigley’s apology for Islamophobia in the U.S. as O’Reilly goes on to deny that Muslim Americans face discrimination. Rehab provides several statistics and examples that prove O’Reilly is blatantly wrong.

A Pennsylvania school district has decided not to stage a Tony Award-winning musical about a Muslim street poet after community members complained about the timing so soon after the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack. Ahmed Rehab, a spokesman for the CAIR-Chicago, said that literature and the arts are some of the best ways to bridge gaps between people.

Daniel Gerzina attends Chicago Fringe Festival on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 which was organized by HumanThread and presented by CAIR-Chicago and AFSC.

“For Amina Sharif, communication director of the Chicago branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the mainstream interest in Islam and Muslims began after September 11, but the negative feelings were always there.

“For Sharif much of the blame lies with the media and popular culture in the US, which she says is often “orientalist and slanted” in its depiction of Muslims and Islam.”

See our recent media coverage here.

Ahmed Rehab appeared on The John Williams Show on CBS Minnesota to discuss Muslim relations both before and after the events out of 9/11.

Quand elle vient parler de l’islam dans les écoles, Amal Ali commence toujours par cette même question : “Qu’est-ce qui vous vient à l’esprit lorsque vous entendez le mot ‘musulman’?” La réponse, toujours la même : “terroriste”, a lancé ce jour-là un petit garçon de 10 ans. C’était il y a quelques semaines au collège Colin Powell, dans la grande banlieue de Chicago. “Qui partage cette opinion ?”, a-t-elle alors demandé aux quelque 600 enfants dans l’auditorium. La plupart des doigts se sont levés. “Il y avait pourtant plusieurs élèves musulmans dans l’assistance, mais le seul qu’ils pensent connaître, c’est Oussama Ben Laden”, soupire Amal Ali.

For Muslim Americans… Sunday wasn’t just the anniversary of a terrorist attack on their country. It was also the anniversary of the day public opinion of the community changed. The Council of American-Islamic Relations in Chicago wants to erase the link between the Muslim faith and the terrorist attacks. CAIR-Chicago’s Amina Sharif spoke with WDCB News reporter Brian O’Keefe.

With the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy, the United States has been concerned about its image and its relations with the Muslim world.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations-Chicago and the American Friends Service Committee present a special event created and organized by HumanThread, a Pilsen-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting peace and inspiring actions that build a just society. The 9/11 Primer will memorialize 9/11 and reaffirm the role of artists as peacemakers.