Newsletter: July 2nd, 2020
CAIR-Chicago & Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition Host "Are We All In? "
Last week, CAIR-Chicago, along with The Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition, together hosted the first in a series of webinars on allyship in the Chicagoland Muslim community. In Webinar #1 | Are We All In? Visualizing a New Normal with COVID-19 & Dismantling Anti-Blackness, Outreach and Government Affairs Coordinator Gerald Hankerson, joined by Dr. Saima Azfar, Khalil Rasheed, and Aaron Siebert-Llera, explored the beginning of a new era in a time when global pandemic intersects with civil unrest. Click the video above to watch this first installment.
This monthly program will explore how community members can come together to better make sense of two pandemics—COVID-19 and racism—and ensure the necessary works in social justice and civic engagement yield inclusion, solidarity, equity and progress for all.
Call for Complaints
CAIR-Chicago has recently received complaints about area coffee shops and restaurants where patrons were deceived into thinking they were consuming halal food. If this has happened to you, please contact CAIR-Chicago by calling 312-212-1520 or emailing Staff Attorney Brian Huff at bhuff@cair.com.
Deputy Director Sufyan Sohel Discusses Yemen Repatriation
Deputy Director Sufyan Sohel talked to ABC 7's I-Team about the repatriation during the current humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which is facing famine, two pandemics, and a civil war. You can watch his interview in the above.
For the past couple of months, CAIR-Chicago has been working with government officials and departments as well as national partners to assist Americans who are stranded abroad. Travelers have been able to use the Travelers Assistance Project for aid and resources for returning to the United States.
If you or your loved ones need assistance on this matter, please fill out our COVID-19 Travel Aid Form and email Deputy Director Sufyan Sohel at ssohel@cair.com, and our team will follow up shortly.
CAIR-Chicago runs a hotline to help at-risk travelers who are faced with denied entry and deportation. The Travelers Assistance Project (or TAP) works to protect the rights of travelers who are detained or denied entry at O’Hare airport. If you or a loved one faces an issue upon re-entering the United States, please call our 24 hour hotline at 1-872-333-2737.
CAIR-Chicago receives over 500 complaints of anti-Muslim discrimination. If you feel you have been a target of anti-Muslim bigotry or discrimination, please call our Civil Rights Department at 312.212.1520 or submit your complaint here.
Executive Director Ahmed Rehab Speaks at Muslims for BLM Press Conference
Executive Director Ahmed Rehab spoke at the Muslims for Black Lives Matter press conference hosted by Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC). Rehab called for continuous solidarity in support of Black lives, education reform to ensure accurate Black history, and voiced CAIR-Chicago's mission to amplify Black voices whenever possible.
Watch the full video above.
Research Director Muhammad Tauseef Akbar talks with Prof. Aminah Al-Deen on Muslims in Hollywood
This past Tuesday, Research Director MT Akbar talked with Prof. Aminah Al-Deen of DePaul University about how Muslims are represented in Hollywood. Tapping into shows like Ramy, Hasan Minhaj's Patriot Act, and Chapelle's Show, they discuss how Muslim Americans draw on their backgrounds in the entertainment industry.
DID YOU KNOW?
You can help the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement even during a pandemic? CAIR-Chicago has compiled a BLM portal to assist allies in helping Black communities in Chicago and around the country.