CAIR-Philadelphia filed a federal lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) on March 14, 2013. The lawsuit alleged the FBI unlawfully interfered with our client’s green card application which was timely filed in 2006. After CAIR-Philadelphia initiated this lawsuit, and after a 7 year delay in his immigration proceedings, our client suddenly received his green card in the mail. CAIR-Philadelphia withdrew the lawsuit after this favorable result. We believe the filing of the lawsuit led to this favorable result, and we have seen a similar result in other immigration delay cases involving Muslim applicants in the Philadelphia area.  Read more…

Delaware County Daily Times

A week after the cruel attack on the Boston Marathon, our nation is still trying to answer that piece of the — who, what, and why — puzzle. Despite our lack of information as to the “why,” we do know some facts as to “what” happened. We know that when the suspects placed their bombs amongst the crowd of joyous spectators, they did not check for the race or religion of their potential victims. Instead, they coldly sought a body count.We know that three young people lost their lives — an 8-year-old boy who once held up a sign “no more hurting people,” an outgoing restaurant manager, and an immigrant who had traveled far from northeastern China to seek an education in our land. We also know that over 150 people were injured, and many more witnesses were traumatized by this event.

The victims of this horror represented a wide spectrum of American society: white, brown, citizen, immigrant, Christian and, yes, even Muslim. Muslims, like their fellow Americans, attended the Boston Marathon as runners and spectators. When the bombs went off, their bodies were torn by the same shrapnel and their hearts raced with the same fear. Read more…

Dear Supporters and Friends,

Tragic events of the Boston bombings have left many Americans in a state of confusion, wondering about possible motives of the two perpetrators. Since Monday, CAIR-Philadelphia has been monitoring the ongoing investigation. We have reached out to the public via local media to ensure that a rational, well-informed voice is represented. Many right-wing media outlets have taken the opportunity to vilify Muslims; however, CAIR-Philadelphia’s goal is to bring forward a national conversation that leads to results, not to react to individuals and groups whose sole purpose is to profit from demonizing others.

It is a priority during this unsettling time to reaffirm our commitment to peace, justice and unity. We invite you to join us this Sunday for the 10th Anniversary of Philadelphia’s Interfaith Peace Walk. The Walk is a grassroots movement involving individuals, activists, faith-based organizations and faith congregations that aim to increase dialogue and understanding across traditional divisions of religion, culture and race. The Peace Walk is an opportunity for interfaith and cross-cultural dialogue, and it is not intended to be a protest or a demonstration.
We will keep you updated on information surrounding the investigation, and look forward to seeing you this weekend.

Sincerely,

CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Committee and Staff