“Since the beginning of the peaceful demonstrations in Syria on March 15 this year, 1350 civilians have been killed. An estimated 15000 civilians have been detained, tortured or have disappeared and more than 12000 refugees have fled the country,” Christina Abraham, Civil Rights director at CAIR-Chicago, told the media in Johannesburg today.

On May 27th, 2011, President Obama signed the renewal of the USA PATRIOT Act. The purpose of the bill was to enhance domestic security against terrorism in response to the September 11th attacks, but it has gone far beyond its preventative purpose and encroached on our constitutional rights.

Kevin Vodak, CAIR-Chicago’s Staff Attorney, participated in a panel discussion in immigrant and human rights at WorldChicago’s Fulbright Scholar Conference on Saturday, April 2, 2011. The conference, held at the National Museum of Mexican Art, was entitled Democracy and Human Rights: An Exploration.

“Far from a victory in the fight for women’s rights, France’s ban of the burqa, the head-to-toe covering worn by some Muslim women, is a red herring, a deflection, and a blow for free societies everywhere,” writes Christina Abraham, CAIR-Chicago’s Civil Rights Director.

Hundreds of Egyptian-Americans and human rights activists will rally and hold a press conference today outside the Egyptian Consulate in Chicago to support the efforts of pro-democracy activists in Egypt.

Amina Sharif writes, “The conflict in Israel and Palestine is political, not religious. It is not between Jews and Muslims; it is between the government of Israel and the people of Palestine (who are Muslim and Christian).

“In reality, many Jews — even in Israel — sympathize with the Palestinians and criticize their own government’s policies toward Gaza and the West Bank.”

In his op-ed Nasatir highlights the amazing efforts by Jews in America and Israel in the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and for this, I truly commend them. But what about the humanitarian crisis in Palestine? Israeli checkpoints violate Palestinians’ basic human rights by denying medical vehicles and services. This contrasts sharply with Israel generously building a hospital in Haiti.

“It is not the fact that the Univ. of Chicago invited a pro-Israel speaker that offended so many. Rather, it is Olmert’s criminality that offends. It is the disparity with which the university treated its affected students that offends. It is the way in which they assured us that all views would be given a platform, and yet blatantly repressed the point of view of one group of people, that offends. And for this they must, at the very least, apologize,” says Christina Abraham.

CAIR-Chicago is hosting a delegation of human rights activists from Bulgaria. The delegates work for the Commission for Protection against Discrimination and will be learning about how CAIR-Chicago works to protect the civil rights of Muslims in America.

CAIR-Chicago is representing Officer Abraham Yasin in an employment discrimination case. Yasin was harassed by fellow officers in incidents spanning over a year, and is seeking justice for the violation of his rights.