The Bensalem Masjid Inc. v. Bensalem Township & Bensalem Township Zoning Hearing Board
Lawsuit challenging the discriminatory and burdensome zoning system in Bensalem, PA, as well as the township’s denial of their variance application to build the first mosque in Bensalem. View lawsuit information and updates.
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Anti-Muslim Profiling By Law Enforcement
CAIR-Pennsylvania has joined other CAIR chapters nationwide to monitor anti-Muslim trainings conducted by, or for the benefit of law enforcement personnel. CAIR-Pennsylvania submitted requests to local, state, and federal law enforcement pursuant to the federal Freedom of Information Act and the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law.
- Press Release from CAIR-National
- RTK Request to Philadelphia Police Department (pdf)
- RTK Request Reply from Philadelphia Police Department
- FOIA Request to U.S. Attorney’s Office (pdf)
- Anti-Muslim Training Materials (USAO-MDPa) (pdf)
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Litigation Against U.S. Department of Defense
A federal employee with over three decades of service was offered a merit-based promotion which required a top-level security clearance. Unfortunately, he had been denied the required security clearance on the basis that his recent pilgrimage to Mecca caused him to have “contacts with persons in places in the Middle East.” CAIR-Pennsylvania requested that the DoD reconsider this denial and its stated policy which we asserted was openly discriminatory and which has a disparate impact on American Muslims.
- Letter to DoD (Redacted) (pdf)
- Denied Promotion Because of “Foreign Influence (July 12, 2012)
- Our Day in Court: “Foreign Influence” Case Update (August 1, 2012)
- Litigation Success, Department of Defense (May 29, 2013)
A case with similar facts is currently being litigated by private counsel in federal court in Northern Virginia. A copy of the complaint in that case is posted below:
DISCLAIMER: The case Hegab v. Long has no affinity, affiliation, or other connection with CAIR-Philadelphia or any other CAIR chapter. The inclusion of this complaint herein is for educational purposes only.
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Lawsuit Against FBI and USCIS
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.