CAIR recently launched the “Do Your Part” initiative in preparation for the 2008 elections. The initiative promotes active participation and public education of the American-Muslim community. “Each election cycle America’s Muslims become better organized and more savvy about asserting our voice into our nation’s electoral dialogue,” said CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor. “This is a community that is excited about the contributions our strong family values and foreign policy insights can make to this nation.”
The initiative is centered on the belief that active participation, such as voting, goes hand in hand with public education. According to the initiative, voting allows the public to choose the direction of the country by choosing the leader who best shares the collective vision. “Making educated decisions about the direction of this country is essential to making a positive difference,” said CAIR-Chicago’s Governmental Relations Coordinator, Sadiya Ahmed. CAIR-Chicago’s Government Affairs Department continuously works to help community members understand and utilize the political system to make it work for them. Projects include voter registration drives, community workshops, “know your rights” educational campaigns, and training in mosques and Muslim centers on how to contact local and national politicians.
The newly launched website for the "Do Your Part" initiative, www.cair2008election.com, will provide information about the candidates and their positions on particular issues. The site will be updated with new developments and events regarding the political race. In addition, it will soon feature a blog and voter guides.
The Civic Participation Handbook featured in the
initiative and readily available on the website stresses the importance of communities uniting to make sure that their voices are heard by their elected representatives. Exercising the right to vote is one of the main tools identified by the handbook towards standing strong and being part of the solution. The section titled, “One vote counts,” stresses the impact of individual actions, especially as part of an entire community.
CAIR emphasizes civic participation and regularly puts out handbooks and guides that inform and educate the public about getting involved.
WASHINGTON (AFP) — A US court overturned Friday a ruling that ordered Muslim charities with alleged links to the Palestinian Hamas movement to compensate the family of a US teenager killed in the West Bank.
The groups had been ordered in a 2004 civil case to pay 156 million dollars to the family of 17-year-old David Boim, killed in 1996 in an attack. A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the groups' role was not fully established.
It ordered a new trial to examine more closely the links between the organizations and the boy's death.
"The Boims will have to demonstrate an adequate causal link between the death of David Boim and the actions" of the groups, the court ruling said.
"This will require evidence that the conduct of each defendant, be it direct involvement with or support of Hamas's terrorist activities or indirect support of Hamas or its affiliates, helped bring about the terrorist attack that ended David Boim's life."
The groups had been charged with taking part in terrorism by aiding or financing Hamas, a powerful Islamist movement in the Palestinian territories.
"The Boims' theory ... was that in promoting, raising money for, and otherwise working on behalf of Hamas, these defendants had helped to fund, train, and arm the terrorists who had killed their son," the ruling said.
The defendants included the American Muslim Society and the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which was the biggest Muslim charity in the United States until it was outlawed after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
The foundation also faces separate criminal charges for alleged links with Hamas. It is charged with giving 36 million dollars to committees controlled by the movement from 1992 to 2001.
A leading US Muslim rights group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), welcomed the appeal court's decision Friday.
"This landmark ruling is a strong rejection of the recent disturbing trend of political lawsuits against American Muslims who have committed no crime other than providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians," it said in a statement.
"CAIR deplores the murder of David Boim and hopes that the actual wrong-doers are brought to justice."
By Joshua Hoyt
Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
One of the rituals of going after that elusive big-game target, the "Middle-America White Male Voter," is the hunting trip. The day after Christmas, Mike Huckabee tromped through the Iowa fields with a contingent of newspeople. Huckabee's hunting party bagged three pheasants.
Not to be outdone, Mitt Romney boasted, "I've been a hunter pretty much all of my life," before it was revealed that his experience actually consisted of two hunting trips, separated by 45 years.
In Iowa's GOP presidential caucuses, one of the vote-hunting strategies for that Middle-America White Male Voter was some good, old-fashioned immigrant bashing. So how well did that anti-immigrant dog hunt? Once again we learned that the tired, old dog is all bark and no bite.
It always seemed odd to some of us that much of the Republican field thought that illegal immigration would be the defining wedge issue in a state that is 95 percent white and where the number of undocumented immigrants totals a bit more than 2 percent of the population.
But the pundits all said that finally, this year, illegal immigration would move votes for tough-talking politicians. So Tom Tancredo, a backbench congressman who appears to live only to bully immigrants, ran a commercial that claimed, "Islamic terrorists now freely roam U.S. soil," and ended with a backpack exploding in a shopping mall. The Colorado Republican congressman's "Before-it's-too-late" campaign to terrorize us into electing him president was thankfully interrupted by his withdrawal from the race, but Tancredo endorsed Mitt Romney on the way out.
Romney was a worthy recipient of the Tancredo mantle because Romney ran commercials that aired more than 12,000 times, mostly in Iowa and New Hampshire, promising to be rough and tough when it comes to illegal immigration. Romney used the debates and his commercials to blast his challengers, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Huckabee, for being soft on illegal immigrants. (All the while, Romney suffered from that peculiar hypocritical blindness that this issue seems to engender. Romney, it turns out, once employed a landscaper who used undocumented workers to landscape Romney's stately Massachusetts home. Romney continued to use the landscaping firm after that was reported, but dismissed the company when it was caught a second time using undocumented gardeners.)
Giuliani and Huckabee quickly turned themselves into political pretzels, trying to be what they had never been in real life: tough, enforcement-first upholders of our broken immigration "rule of law." Only McCain tried to maintain his self-respect on the issue.
The results are in. In a state where voters had a clear choice to vote for Romney's tough stance on illegal immigration in the Republican caucuses, they instead turned out in historic numbers to vote Democratic. There they picked Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who has unabashedly advocated an earned path to citizenship for the undocumented.
On the Republican side, Romney, despite his overwhelming funding advantage, came up short. University of Iowa polls showed that 57 percent of Iowa voters favored earned citizenship for the undocumented and only 23 percent favored deportation.
This is consistent with national polling. In 20 of 22 separate public opinion polls conducted between March and December, somewhere between 55 percent and 83 percent of the respondents favored some form of earned legal status. In the remaining two polls, the majority favored this option.
Immigrant bashing just does not move votes. The 2006 elections were a disaster for anti-immigrant demagoguery. Not only did the issue fail to stave off the Republican loss of the House and Senate, but leading Republican anti-immigrant campaigners such as Reps. J.D. Hayworth of Arizona and John Hostettler of Indiana and Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania all lost their races. And in a telling portent of the future, Latino support for the GOP dropped to 26 percent from 44 percent.
Last November, Republicans trotted out their anti-immigrant dog again, trying to gain ground in Virginia and take advantage of Gov. Eliot Spitzer's botched attempt to grant driver's licenses to the undocumented in New York. The results: Democrats took the House of Delegates in Virginia and the Republican assault in New York was negligible.
Is there a take-home lesson that Republican leaders and politicians should learn from Iowa? Yes. Voters are concerned about our broken immigration system, but they want sensible solutions, not just loud barks from a toothless hunting dog.
Building Coalitions for Community Values
CAIR-Chicago, ICIRR, and the Campaign for Community Values
By Sandy Abdallah
Civil rights and immigration reform remain as major issues at the forefront of community concerns as the national election campaigns near their first party caucuses. CAIR-Chicago is proud to join the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) along with the Campaign for Community Values in addressing these issues. ICIRR works to promote the rights of immigrants and refugees in order to achieve full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of the United States. CAIR-Chicago advocates for the civil rights and political empowerment of Muslims and communities facing similar grievances. Together, both organizations have strengthened the voices of the communities they advocate for.
CAIR-Chicago was chosen to represent the Chicago community as well as ICIRR at the Heartland Presidential Forum, Saturday, December 1, 2007. Sponsored by non-profit organizations, the forum created the rare opportunity for direct interaction between the presidential candidates, grassroots organizations, and community members. Passionate stories and questions regarding civil rights, immigration, healthcare, corporate America, the economy, and the environment were discussed between the people and the candidates.
“It’s an amazing thing,” said CAIR-Chicago executive director, Ahmed Rehab. “Regular people and community values often take a back seat during political functions, but this forum gave the people a chance to question the politicians, one-on-one, on what matters most to them.”
Based on the principle that local and national leaders have a civic responsibility, the coalition works to ensure that these leaders address the people they intend on serving. The coalition helps create and maintain paths of dialogue between the community and its leaders. CAIR-Chicago and ICIRR work to ensure that voices are heard and progress is made.
CAIR-Chicago has worked with ICIRR over three years now; CAIR-Chicago’s executive director, Ahmed Rehab, currently serves on the ICIRR executive board.
VOLUNTEER FOR CAIR-CHICAGO'S ANNUAL BANQUET!
CAIR-Chicago works tirelessly on behalf of the Chicagoland community for civil rights, political empowerment, community outreach, and to promote the better understanding of Islam and Muslims. The Annual Banquet is a time for CAIR-Chicago to share its achievements and is made possible with the dedicated help of our volunteers. This year, the Annual Banquet Event
will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2008, and CAIR-Chicago is once again looking for volunteers.
Come work for your community in a positive, fun environment!
Available opportunities include:
1. Marketing and Registration Committee
2. Phone Banking and Ushering Committee
3. Babysitting Committee
All volunteer activists will be fully trained to ensure the success of their specific roles.
Please contact the Outreach Department at CAIR-Chicago for more info and to sign up: e-mail outreach@cairchicago.org or call 312-212-1520. When contacting CAIR-Chicago, please specify your committee preference.
CAIR-Chicago, a chapter of America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group, works tirelessly to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, and empower American Muslims.
CAIR Launches National Media Education Campaign
"Beyond Stereotypes" Initiative
November 26, 2007
By Sandy Abdallah
This fall, CAIR launched a national media campaign called "Beyond Stereotypes" to promote a more accurate portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the media. The campaign features a handbook titled “American Muslims: A
Journalist's Guide to Understanding Islam and
Muslims" that presents significant facts and clears up common
misconceptions about American Muslims.
As the main and sometimes only source of news and information on Muslims, the media has a significant impact in shaping public perception. According to a 2006 Washington Post-ABC News poll, negative attitudes about Islam are fueled in part by media reports. In an effort to balance the media’s portrayal, CAIR's handbook provides journalists’ with basic information intended to promote a
more accurate understanding of Islam and improve future media coverage.
Designed to offer insightful information without overwhelming the reader, the guide is organized into six sections: Understanding Islam, The
American Muslim Community, Islam in the Media,
Interacting with Muslims, Making Contacts with
Muslims, and Clearing Misconceptions. Each
section explains the beliefs of Muslims and the
application of these beliefs to everyday life.
Many common inquiries, such as what kind of
sentiments Muslims hold toward the West, are
answered and explained as well. Unlike other resources, “A
Journalist's Guide to Understanding Islam and
Muslims,” is a concise compilation of relevant
and current information about Islam and its
practitioners.
CAIR chapters work to ensure that more balanced perspectives on pressing issues and current events important to Muslims are represented in the mainstream media. With thirty-three chapters across the nation, CAIR works with many communities and local media to provide accurate information on American Muslims. It has become a respected and credible source for journalists and other media professionals seeking information on Muslims and Islam.
On Saturday, December 1, Ahmed Rehab representing the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) and the Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) took part in the Heartland Presidential Forum in Des Moines, Iowa by asking a presidential candidate whether she or he would be ready to join the ongoing civil rights movement, if elected.
Candidates participating in the forum were Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. John Edwards, Sen. Christopher Dodd, Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Sen. Barack Obama.
The entire forum, which was sponsored by the Center for Community Change (CCC) and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), aired live on C-SPAN and TV One.
Rehab asked Senator John Edwards about American Muslims and the Civil Rights movement.
The Heartland Presidential Forum, drew 5,000 attendees, and differed from other forums with its unique format. Top-tier candidates took turns onstage and were asked real questions by real people, rather than giving canned speeches. This design was meant to put power back in the hands of the people and hold candidates accountable to what we the people really value.
“This is a historic day in which the grassroots communities of America informed participating presidential candidates that we are interested in real change,” Rehab said. “Americans are tired of fear-mongering and exclusion; we want leadership that will fight for the community values of America that made us the greatest nation on earth. We will tell them that we are all in this together.”
The forum is an important part of the Campaign for Community Values, a multi-issue and multi-year effort to challenge the divisive message of the right and to promote Community Values. The Campaign for Community Values is a collective by more then 100 community-based organizations from all over the country to have an impact on public opinion and the 2008 elections.
TRANSCRIPT OF REHAB, EDWARDS Q & A:
KATHY HUGHES (President, TV One): Our first community leader is...
(CHEERS)
SENATOR JOHN EDWARDS: You’ve got some fans.
AHMED REHAB: Senator, my name is Ahmed Rehab from Chicago, Illinois. I'm
from the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago and the
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
(CHEERS)
REHAB: As a full-time civil rights activist, I receive hundreds of
complaints from American Muslims regarding the sort of abuses, and
prejudices, and discriminations that they face on a regular basis
simply because of their name, physical appearance, or faith
affiliation, whether it's housing discrimination, or employment
discrimination, or having to wait two to five years over the average
time limit in order to obtain their citizenship.
Sadly, it seems that we're facing a culture of fear-mongering that is
replacing our collective constitutional vision for equal opportunity for all.
Senator, in the '60s, Malcolm and Martin gave up their lives fighting
for justice for all. The civil rights movement is not over. It's not
done yet. We're still fighting.
(APPLAUSE)
Senator, fighting the civil rights movement is what I do on a daily
basis, and we would like to know if you will fight with us, if
elected president.
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: … we've got to stop this racial profiling that's
going on in the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
And we've got to change the entire atmosphere. Here's what I'll do as
president: I will close Guantanamo, which I think is a national embarrassment.
(APPLAUSE)
We will have no more secret prisons, no more rendition, no more --
and I use this word intentional -- no more illegal spying on the
American people by the president of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
And then, finally, finally, it is so heartbreaking that we have a
debate in America about what kind of torture is permissible. I have
an answer to that: No torture is permissible in the United States of
America. And those are all things that I would do as president.
Law Journal for Social Justice Launches
CAIR-Chicago Staff Published in Inaugural Edition
by Sandy Abdallah
SEE JOURNAL ARTICLE: "The Threat to Civil Liberties in America and its Effect on Muslims in America"
This month, the DePaul Journal for Social Justice was launched as the first law journal on social justice at DePaul University. In the inaugural edition, CAIR-Chicago’s Civil Rights Coordinator, Christina Abraham and staff attorney, Heena Musabji, address challenges to civil rights affecting American Muslims
According to the journal, public law and social justice are embedded in American society but inequalities between them must be brought to light. It examines such inequalities and presents possible solutions. The journal offers a voice to academics, practitioners, and students working to tackle tough societal issues and to support others also advocating for a more equal and just society.
In their article, "The Threat to Civil Liberties in America and its Effect on Muslims in America," Abraham and Musabji dissect the problems associated with various laws such as the PATRIOT Act, in which basic rights are essentially legally violated. The denial of due process and restriction of Muslims from the right to travel are two of several such violations of rights put into effect by the U.S. government. According to Abraham and Musabji, “…it becomes incumbent on all members of society to collectively fight for the rights to which all members of society are entitled. This is the only way that society can build a system of support whereby the rights of all are ultimately protected.”
“I am proud to see that the DePaul Journal for Social Justice has finally come to fruition,” said Abraham. “It definitely furthers the fight for social justice that our community must take an active part in.”
Amadou was shot and killed on the Hyde Park campus of the University of Chicago early Monday morning. This was just weeks after he had successfully defended his Ph.D thesis in Chemistry at the top-rated university.
Amadou started life with little advantage. He was raised in a modest home in Senegal, Africa, exacerbated all the more by his father's early death. But Amadou invested his hopes in the most precious gift God had afforded him, his mind. He won a scholarship worlds away to a U.S high school, went onto college and earned degrees in chemistry, physics and mathematics.
The Chicago Tribune reported that "At the U. of C., Cisse was known as much for his hard work as his passion for his religion, Islam" ("U. of C. reels from hour of violence," Page 1, Nov. 20).
During his lifetime and despite all odds, Cisse did his family proud, Africa proud and Islam proud - he was a direct product of all three.
He also did America proud - he was also a direct product of America.
Amadou was a minority three times over. He was black, Muslim and an immigrant. In a climate where each of those are often demonized, politicized, or rendered suspicious, he may have been prejudged by the ugly half of America.
But prejudice is not the world he saw in America. He saw only opportunity, just as the beautiful part of America had seen in him.
As we constantly hear the claptrap about the potential radicalization of Muslim youth, or witness the subtle vilification of Black youth or dark-skinned immigrants, we see in Amadou a more accurate representation of the real values a young Black Muslim immigrant might typically represent: intelligence, responsibility, aspiration -- and vulnerability. This is equally likely whether a PhD from the U. of C. or a cab driver.
His achievements were a reminder to all of us of the value of most who come to our shores: not a threat, but an asset.
Amadou's story is the best and worst of what we have to offer. In our top institutions, we afforded Amadou a ticket to the top. And in our unsafe inner-city streets, we afforded him his demise.
Fighting urban crime and cleaning up our streets is not just the police force's job; it is our collective responsibility. We cannot sit idly by as our top treasure, our youth, are taken down in senseless moments made possible by a lackadaisical community approach to urban safety.
In Amadou's honor, we call on Chicagoans to make a resolution for the year 2008 to do their part in changing that by volunteering for CAPS, the City of Chicago's valuable Community Policing program.
Let our great city remain a beacon of hope and a place of opportunity to people around the world, but let it also be a leading city in the fight against street crime.
Our hearts go out to Amadou's family, friends, and the University of Chicago community.
Ahmed M. Rehab Executive Director Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) Chicago, IL
Growing up in Chicago as a soccer-crazed teenager in the 1990s, I never gave the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development much thought. It was a respected Muslim-American charity known to me mostly for its heart-wrenching appeals sometimes accompanied by annoying music.
Fast-forward a decade: I'm on a stage in Dallas for a large rally in support of officials of the now-defunct foundation who were facing charges of providing material support to a terrorist organization. The nationally riveting case was about to go to trial, and I was joined by prominent American Muslims and civil rights activists hoping to educate the local Muslim community about the legal and public-relations battle ahead.
The past few years have brought a lot of changes, the sorts of changes that see a young Muslim consultant for a Fortune 500 company -- yours truly -- morph into a full-time civil rights activist, and that see a celebrated Muslim charity such as the Holy Land Foundation face trial as an enemy of the people. In that fateful way, and on that Dallas stage, our once divergent paths converged.
In my three years as the head of the Chicago branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the country's largest Muslim civil rights group, I have encountered a plethora of civil rights abuses leveled against American Muslims. But more than any other, the case against the foundation represented a decisive moment in this stormy episode of the Muslim immigrant community's young history.
There was too much of the Muslim community invested in this case. The foundation had been the largest Muslim-American charity during its time of operation. The prosecution's unindicted co-conspirator list of 306 groups and individuals read like a who's who of Muslim-American leadership: groups such as the council I work for; the Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim educational group; and the North American Islamic Trust, the largest Muslim holding company.
A guilty verdict threatened to engulf the Muslim-American establishment into a legal war of attrition spelling its slow demise. A not-guilty verdict held the promise of ending the nightmare that began six years ago and restoring the community's trust in the system.
This was not only about demanding justice as an outcome, but more importantly, justice as a process. American Muslims increasingly worry that the word "terrorism," even when uttered as an allegation, is sufficient to trump the "innocent until proven guilty" axiom that is a cornerstone of our justice system.
The case against the foundation was particularly worrisome because of its dubious legal arguments. While the government acknowledged that every penny the foundation raised went to peaceful charitable relief, it argued that by providing legitimate charity to needy Palestinians, the foundation was intentionally freeing up Hamas' charitable funds for terrorist activity. The government's evidence to substantiate this ludicrous argument ranged from mention of the word "Hamas" by the defendants to textbook guilt by association.
Not surprisingly, the jury did not return a single guilty verdict on any of the 197 counts, and the case ended in a mistrial on Monday.
Yet the question remains: Why does the Bush administration continue to prosecute such far-fetched cases? Why does it see threats where none exist?
Time and again, we watched as the Bush administration announced a major "terrorism" case to much fanfare, only for the case to end with a fizzle. The administration's most hyped-up terrorism cases -- those of Sami Al-Arian in Florida and Muhammad Salah here in Chicago -- both ended in full acquittals on all terrorism-related charges.
The government's numbers since Sept. 11 don't look good: A 29 percent conviction rate on cases alleging terrorism, compared with a 92 percent conviction rate for felonies. Georgetown law professor David Cole and University of Pittsburgh law professor Jules Lobel rightly note in The Nation that, "This is an astounding statistic, because presumably federal juries are not predisposed to sympathize with Arab or Muslim defendants accused of terrorism. But when one prosecutes prematurely, failure is often the result."
Since Sept. 11, and in the name of the war on terror, the administration has invested our resources in pursuing parties that have nothing to do with Al Qaeda and the threat of another Sept. 11. If, God forbid, another attack were to occur, this administration will have to answer for years of barking up the wrong trees, here and abroad.
Ahmed Rehab is the executive director of the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Spring 2008 Internship & Externship Opportunities at CAIR-Chicago
Internships and externships at CAIR-Chicago, a chapter of the nation's largest Muslim civil rights organization, offer students and activists a great opportunity to learn, interact, and grow in a friendly and diverse environment.
CAIR-Chicago is currently offering 18 new internship opportunities. The organization's 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.
Departments and internships are listed below. Please visit the Intern Center for complete information and details on how to apply.
All Spring applications are due by December 16th. (Please note: Spring internships usually run from early January through early June). Students interested in receiving class credit, should indicate so in their cover letters.
Our Civil Rights Department handles cases that range from prejudiced gestures to full blown discrimination. Our clients are Muslims as well as non-Muslims who have had Islam imputed upon them.
Interns and Law Clerks may work on any of the following projects:
Citizenship Delay project - seeks to address the lengthy delays Muslims are facing in applying for citizenship
Police Misconduct project - addresses incidents where police officers have discriminated or used excessive force against Muslims
Prison project - secures the rights of Muslim inmates to practice their religion freely, and ensures that inmates are treated humanely
Airport Profiling project - helps Muslims who have been discriminated against at airports
Employment Discrimination project - helps Muslims discriminated against based on religion at the workplace.
COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
Our Communications Department monitors the local media closely and flags coverage of issues relating to Islam and Muslims. The Department also holds Press Conferences and issues press releases, media advisories, and story pitches in order to ensure that Muslim perspectives on pressing issues and current events are represented in the mainstream media. Interns work on pieces that deconstruct sensational and biased coverage of issues pertinent to Muslims and Islam, highlight their inaccuracies, and offer thoughtful analyses to diffuse misconceptions using traditional and the latest in new media.
Intern work will be published in a variety of ways.
GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
DEPARTMENT
Our Government Affairs Department seeks to organize, mobilize, and empower Chicagoland's Muslim community with long-term civic participation. Its educational initiatives help community members understand the political system and utilize it to work for their issues. Projects include voter registration drives, community workshops, "know your rights" educational campaigns, and training sessions at mosques and community centers on how to contact and engage local and national politicians. The department also systematically works to educate local political representatives about their Muslim constituents while ultimately engaging these representatives with the Muslim community's unique issues and concerns.
OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT
The Operations Department manages a variety of tasks and processes in order to facilitate the maintenance and improvement of daily functions within the organization and its constituent departments. Internally, this includes HR related tasks, updating organizational records and files, corresponding with government offices and vendors, IT support, and directing incoming communication via email and phone to their respective departments.
The Operations Department also coordinates HTML and graphical composition for the creation of printed materials, website updates, and email campaigns. The Operations Department performs ongoing research and undertakes special projects designed to improve CAIR-Chicago's function and efficiency.
OUTREACH DEPARTMENT
The Outreach Department seeks to forge mutually beneficial partnerships with local and national institutions. It also works to foster an understanding between Chicago's Muslim and non-Muslim communities via educational collaborations. Lastly, it recruits and pairs the right talent (volunteers and interns) with the appropriate CAIR-Chicago projects.
CAIR-Chicago Ramadan Outreach 2007 Digest
During the blessed month of Ramadan, CAIR-Chicago's Ramadan Outreach effort ended successfully after having met with various mosques and Islamic centers in the Chicagoland area and beyond.
CAIR-Chicago embraces the special importance of the month of Ramadan, and as an institution that seeks to serve Muslims as a tool for community empowerment, we sought to connect with our former and future constituents by visiting various mosques to introduce our organization.
It is our goal to provide outreach and services to as many communities as possible during this month, and as Ramadan comes to a close, we take inventory of our recent visits to local communities:
We would like to thank each of our host masjids and centers for their participation, and hope to reach even more Muslims throughout the year and in the next Ramadan.
CAIR-Chicago attorney Bitta Mostofi and CAIR-Chicago client discuss how Muslims, immigrants and non-immigrants alike, are common targets of suspicion and unreasonable citizenship delays on PBS-Wttw 11 Chicago Tonight, Chicago Matters: Beyond Borders series
Four CAIR-Chicago Clients Gain Citizenship Following Delays
October 8, 2007
By Sandy Abdallah
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
That message, engraved on the Statue of Liberty, once called out to immigrants with open arms. Today, immigrants are finding it tougher and tougher to get through the basic immigration process. CAIR-Chicago has been at the forefront of working on such cases and is pleased to announce that four clients have recently been sworn in as citizens of the U.S.
Increased Citizenship Delays
Acquiring citizenship is becoming more challenging as citizenship delays reach an all-time high. By law, the average time between the final steps of the immigration process and naturalization is 120 days. However, even after successfully going through the standard process, an increasing number of cases are delayed for as much as three years without reason. The American government has provided the explanation that heightened security measures have led to a longer, more complex immigration and naturalization procedure.
New Citizens All Faced Years of Delays
One of CAIR-Chicago’s oldest clients applied for citizenship in December 2004. Although he was a U.S. resident for six years and successfully completed the naturalization interview and passed the exam, his application was delayed well beyond the 120-day mark by almost three years.
He turned to CAIR-Chicago in August 2005 after receiving no explanation for the prolonged state of ambiguity. His case was filed in federal court by July 2006, and the only stated reason for the continued delay was attributed to a “background check clearance.” By the end of May 2007, a hearing date was set for September 27. Two days prior to the scheduled hearing, he was suddenly given clearance for citizenship.
"It is sad that this client not only had to wait years for
adjudication, but he also had to be burdened with filing a lawsuit
only to find that there was nothing to justify the wait," said
CAIR-Chicago Attorney Bitta Mostofi.
In a similar case, about two years after successful completion of the
citizenship exam in early 2004, another client turned to
CAIR-Chicago. A case was filed on his behalf, followed by settlement
negotiations with opposing council. The case was resolved on
September 25, 2007.
Soon after, two more CAIR-Chicago clients were sworn in after similar delays ranging from two to three years.
CAIR-Chicago Files Class Action Suit
Faced with an increasing number of citizenship delay cases, CAIR-Chicago filed a class action suit in January 2007. Unreasonable citizenship delays remains an inefficient process since applicants are neither accepted nor rejected, but kept in a state of uncertainty for years. Many of these applicants have been residents of the U.S. for at least five years. In order to force a resolution, many applicants have been compelled to sue the government, allowing resolutions only on a costly case by case basis.
Today, the welcome message engraved at Ellis Island remains unfulfilled pending a lasting solution to the unreasonable citizenship delays by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).
Standing in front of Muslim high school students, Ahmed Rehab asked the girls at Universal School in Bridgeview what non-Muslims might think when they see them at the shopping mall in their hijabs, or headscarves.
"Terrorists, crazy, oppressed," the students shouted.
"Where did they get those stereotypes?" he asked.
It's human nature to be afraid of what you don't understand, and that fear and misunderstanding can lead to stereotypes, he said.
"I know a ... stereotype," Rehab said. "(A woman who wears a hijab) is more likely to be a good student, likely to be in college and one of the most committed students. She's likely not to drink, use drugs or steal your credit card and use it.
"She's more likely to be good to her parents and siblings and neighbors. It's a positive one if only people knew. How are they going to know if you don't show yourself?"
Rehab and Yaser Tabbara, CAIR's national director of development, led a leadership training seminar Wednesday to help students define themselves as Muslim Americans and fight stereotypes. The two men developed the Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium, which they hope to launch nationwide.
As part of the workshop, students develop social service projects rooted in the values of Islam to help promote a positive image.
"Each and every one of them are inspired to serve the community and grow as individuals and leaders of tomorrow," Assistant Principal Hanan Abdallah said.
The projects ran the gamut: visiting hospitals and nursing homes, working with orphans, making documentaries about Muslim life, developing a pen pal program with students in other schools.
The students said they felt inspired and more informed after the workshop.
"It helps us to revolutionize what is going on," said Tasmiha Khan, 17, a senior from Bridgeview. "After (the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks), there were a lot of barriers. It has toned down a little, but this will help us to bridge the gap."
Her classmate Nadia Ahmed said a friend who wears a hijab was asked if she was a nun. Other hijab-wearing women have had their scarves pulled off, she said.
"We have to fix that, by making people aware of who we are," she said.
Amin Elsaeed, 17, a senior from Chicago Ridge, said he and his classmates have their work cut out for them.
"As youth, we have a huge role in defining how America works," he said. "If we want to be leaders, we have to push away the negative stereotypes."
Sophomore Zaid Zayad, of Hickory Hills, said education is the key to changing the image of Muslim Americans.
Rehab and Tabbara also told the students that as Muslims, they may have problems with American foreign policy in the Middle East, but as Americans, they have the freedom of speech to protest.
Zaineb Abdulla, a junior from Chicago's near West Side, said she has struggled with the idea of being a Muslim American as someone whose family comes from Iraq.
"I think about this issue all the time," the 15-year-old said. "They reminded me of something I'd forgotten: I don't have to support (President George Bush and his policies). "
This Ramadan: Reclaiming the common ground
Daily Illini
By Reem Rahman
This past weekend, 1.6 billion Muslims around the world welcomed the start of the holy month of Ramadan. Given the turmoil of current events and denials of common ground, people often want to know what Islam is; Ramadan provides part of an answer to this question. Understanding the month of Ramadan not only highlights the essence of Islamic practice but also reveals elements of a profound journey that is common across the spectrum of human experiences.
Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month of the 12 months of the Islamic calendar, and it shifts back about 12 days each year in accordance to the lunar calendar. It is a month intended for return, introspection, compassion and community, and is a foundation for the rest of the year. It is the month of the Qur'an - when the Angel Gabriel, as Muslims believe, began the 23-year period of revealing the chapters of divine instruction and guidance.
In Islam, Ramadan is described as the blessed month of God in which its days are the best of days, its nights the best of nights, and its hours the best of hours. It is a month of increased spiritual vigilance during which God is believed to be especially forgiving and generous. As the contemporary European scholar Tariq Ramadan describes "This month is a feast... not of noise, but silence; not of banquets but restraint; not of forgetfulness but remembrance. This month is a feast for the faith."
For those who are physically and mentally able to, every day is marked by fasting-restraining from food and drink from the sunrise until the sunset. This simple act of withholding sustenance resonates with significance. By being cut off from many of the worldly comforts, even for a short period of time, a fasting person seeks to realize and gain sympathy for the entrenched prevalence of hunger, sickness and poverty. Within the context of Generation Y's culture of instant gratification, the denial of basic food and drink is an exigent exercise in the unthinkable.
The separation of physical concerns from daily activities further serves to allow more attention to faith. A vital dimension of fasting is heightened consciousness of behavior and vigilance over action. Among others, behavior such as anger, backbiting, vulgarity and senseless argumentation are challenged and curbed to maintain the integrity of the fast, and to build good habits to be continued throughout the year. The Prophet Muhammad described that "fasting is a shield. On the day you fast, do not use obscenity, nor yell at others, nor act ignorantly towards them. However, if anyone abuses you verbally or attempts to draw you to fight with him, say 'I am fasting', 'I am fasting.'"
It is thus that the most profound dimension of fasting may be achieved: fasting of the heart in focus on the divine, God. It is then that Ramadan truly becomes a source of peace and solace.
The ultimate intent of Ramadan is for the total experience to reverberate beyond the individual and beyond the single month, incorporating faith and social responsibility as a central part of everyday life and community. It is a time intended for teaching and for the infusion of mechanic ritual with meaning. It is intended for charity to win over avarice, generosity over selfishness and love over hate.
These overarching elements are similarly found across the spectrum of religious traditions - from the abstinence of Lent, the fasting of Yom Kippur and the introspection of Rosh Hashanah, to the emphasis on establishing harmony amidst the impermanence of the body within Hinduism and Buddhism.
In large part this is a month directed at creating a common experience. During Ramadan, we find ourselves as a part of something larger; we join over a billion other people fasting and engaging in intense spiritual purification, but we also join billions more continually struggling to infuse greater meaning to life and to establish increased charity and social responsibility. It is a journey of struggle and discovery that echoes universally across the human experience.
“The Crucible” Chosen for “One Book, One Chicago”
Join CAIR-Chicago for City-Wide Book Club
September 26, 2007
By Sandy Abdallah
CAIR-Chicago’s executive director Ahmed Rehab is scheduled to participate in a timely discussion about the latest choice for the citywide book club, “One Book, One Chicago.” On October 15, he will join Jean Fujiu, executive director of the Japanese American Service Committee, other community leaders, and the performing arts Steppenwolf Ensemble at the Chicago Public Library’s Washington Harold Center to read and discuss Arthur Miller’s play, “The Crucible.” (SEE: Event Details)
Mayor Daley described the continued relevance of “The Crucible” by explaining to local newspapers how, “Many times after 9/11, unfortunately, a lot of people have looked at the Muslim community, the Arab community, in a much different way than other components of American society. Also, the immigrant community -- many people are looking at the immigrant community in a completely different way. ...We can learn from our lessons in history, and maybe we haven't, and I think this is important to discuss.”
Miller’s play remains well-read for its call to social conscious amidst an atmosphere of intense fear. By definition, a crucible is a bowl-shaped receptacle made to endure great heat in order to fuse metals. Metaphorically, it can refer to a severe test, or a situation where different forces interact to cause immense pressure and changes in a society.
The plot for “The Crucible” play is based on the 1692 witch trials in the small town Salem, Massachusetts and was initially inspired by its similarities to the hunt for communists that took place in the U.S. during the 1950s. During that period, known as McCarthyism, many Americans were accused of having ties to communism, were asked to sign loyalty oaths, and placed on blacklists by the U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee. In “The Crucible,” Miller uses the witch hunt trials to reveal the unjustifiable and groundless conduct of McCarthyism.
More than fifty years later, the U.S. once again finds itself in the grips of suspicion and baseless profiling, termed by some as “new McCarthyism.” As the hunt for communists has been replaced by the hunt for terrorists, Americans deal with the escalating infringement of their basic civil rights. Infringements such as racial profiling, the presumption of guilt until proven innocent, and the violation of due process are increasingly affecting Muslim-Americans. In 2006, CAIR joined the the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in filing a lawsuit against the National Security Agency (NSA) for launching a surveillance program that targeted American citizens without court authorization. CAIR Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed commented how “the First and Fourth Amendment protections of free speech and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizure are hallmarks of the Constitution that should not be tossed aside so casually by any branch of our government.”
Recent evidence demonstrates the extent to which hysteria and paranoia about terrorism have supplanted rationality and logic. An American Airlines flight was recently turned around because a woman became nervous upon hearing a conversation in the Arabic language. According to a 2006 Gallup poll of more than 1,000 Americans, thirty-nine percent were in favor of requiring Muslims in the United States, including American citizens, to carry special identification. Reminiscent of the red scare during McCarthyism, this “green scare” is just one adverse characteristic of new McCarthyism.
In its 12th year of the program, the subject matter of book selections have continued to challenge all community members to build stronger communities. Last fall’s selection, Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Interpreter of Maladies,” featured a series of short stories narrating the barriers created by cultural tensions. With this year’s selection, the “One Book, One Chicago” initiative continues to weave the people of Chicago together by encouraging thoughtful evaluation of issues facing our communities.
This Saturday September 8, CAIR-Chicago will be hosting its Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium to cultivate a positive and refreshing outlook on what it means to be a Muslim-American. It encourages youth to explore how Muslims, true to their own values, can become model citizens that help make America a better place for all Americans, regardless of race or creed.
The core mission of the Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium (MYLS) is threefold: to provide American Muslim youth with a proactive agenda for positive activism; empower them to guide their communities from the margin to the mainstream; and foster a healthy American Muslim identity that fits comfortably within pluralistic American society.
Whether at the level of the street, the neighborhood, or the municipality, Muslim
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