Posts tagged Tinley Park
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Rizza Cadillac to pay $100K in discrimination case

Tinley Park car dealership Rizza Buick GMC Cadillac, Inc. must pay $100,000 to resolve a religious discrimination lawsuit, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced.

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Amina Sharif Delivers Cultural Awareness Seminar at Tinley Park Police Department

Amina Sharif, CAIR-Chicago’s Communications Coordinator, led a cultural awareness seminar on Islam and Muslims at the Tinley Park Police Department on November 30th. The department invited Sharif in light of the growing population of Muslims and Arabs in the area.

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Kevin Vodak Presents on Hate Crime Prosecution to Law Enforcement Officials

CAIR-Chicago Litigation Director Kevin Vodak presented the “Hate Crime and Bias Awareness” conference on September 15th, 2011 to discuss the ways in which law enforcement agencies can improve their procedures and techniques in addressing hate crimes.

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WGN TV: Suburban woman accused in hate crime reaches plea deal

CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Director Christina Abraham, who attended the hearing with Amal Abusumayyah, said afterward, "We are hopeful that this sent a message to the public that sort of behavior will not be tolerated by a fair and just society."

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Muslim Woman Vindicated for Hate Crime

CAIR-Chicago announced today that it is pleased with the plea agreement reached yesterday between state prosecutors and Valerie Kenney, a suburban woman who faced hate crime charges after attacking a Muslim woman at a Tinley Park grocery store 2 days after the Fort Hood shooting.

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NPR: Muslim Headscarf Case Leads to Guilty Plea

"It gives her an opportunity to learn from her mistake," said Christina Abraham of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "And we think this does send a message to the greater community that hate crimes are not going to be tolerated and that this sort of behavior is wrong."

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Chicago Tribune: Scarf-pulling incident ends in probation for Tinley Park woman

An official with the Chicago-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, which became involved in the case, said the backlash against Muslim-Americans had spiked somewhat in the days immediately following the Fort Hood shooting but has subsided. "We try to rally community support for (victims and their families) and to make sure the state's attorney is pursuing the case with the utmost importance," said spokeswoman Christina Abraham.

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Sun-Times: Hate crimes in a class of their own

"Hate crimes are their own class of crime for a very good reason: The enhanced classification and punishment deters people from criminally acting out on their bigotry. It is the government's obligation to its citizens to take a no-tolerance position on such crimes," writes Ahmed Rehab.

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Huffington Post: Hijab Case: Why Bigoted Battery Makes For A Hate Crime

"Ironically, if those who are viscerally opposed to the sight of a hijabi actually took the time to look at the facts of her life, they may realize that hijabis make for a positive stereotype worthy of their admiration rather than a negative one they ought to fear," writes Ahmed Rehab.

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Times of Northwest Indiana: Hate crimes alleged in Tinley Park

"More Muslim women like Abusumayah need to speak up," said Amina Sharif. "If you keep quiet, the bigotry will only continue.""Usually after incidents like Fort Hood, there tends to be a spike in hate crimes," said Christina Abraham. "Current events cause people to act out in bigotry."

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Chicago Tribune: Tinley Park woman charged with hate crime for tugging on woman's head scarf

"I think (a charge of hate crime) sends the appropriate message that these kinds of race-based lash-outs are unacceptable," said Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "Every time something like (the Fort Hood shootings) happens, the Muslim community prepares for a backlash."

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Hate crimes against Muslims hit ‘Midwest Americana’ in Tinley Park

Tinley Park has been the scene of two recent incidents targeting Muslims. Two days after the Fort Hood shootings, a Tinley Park woman allegedly yanked the head scarf off a local Muslim woman and made derogatory comments. A day later, a Muslim family found derogatory graffiti on their Tinley Park home.

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SouthtownStar: Tinley Park woman accused of hate crime

Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he's pleased with the arrest. "I'm happy to see the Tinley Park Police Department is not one where hate gets a free pass," he said. "No group of Americans is left behind when it comes to equality."

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Sun-Times: Police: Woman charged for Tinley Park hate crime

"I was shaken up," Abusumayah told the SouthtownStar about the Nov. 7 assault. "This is my dignity and this is my religion."Ahmed Rehab of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said his organization has reached out to the FBI to pursue federal charges.

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