CAIR-Pennsylvania, the state affiliate of the Council on American Islamic Relations, denounced the shootings at the Tree of Life Synagogue near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania earlier this morning.
As Jacob Bender, CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director, emphasized in his recent “Director’s Desk” article “On Losing a Battle,” despite the waves of sad and angering events in our country, we are keeping our spirits up by channeling our energies to serve and empower the American Muslim community in these difficult times.
On Friday August 24, CAIR-Philadelphia -- together with two other American Muslim organizations: Emgage Pennsylvania and MPower Change -- organized a voter registration drive as part of National Muslim Registration Day (#NMVRD #mymuslimvote). The drive took place at Islamic Society of Chester County in West Chester, and CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Jacob Bender and Outreach and Education Director Ahmet Tekelioglu spent the afternoon registering many new Pennsylvania voters arriving for Jumma (Friday afternoon prayers).
As part of National Muslim Voter Registration Day, a national grassroots campaign to reach and register U.S. Muslim voters, three organizations (the Philadelphia Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Emgage Pennsylvania, and MPower Change) will tomorrow conduct a voter registration drive at the Islamic Society of Chester County in West Chester, PA.
The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today condemned the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist organization, and its leafleting of moviegoers attending screenings of “BlacKkKlansman,” director Spike Lee’s new feature film. The offending leaflets, rife with crude anti-Semitic anti-Black, sexist, and anti-immigrant stereotypes, were left on cars in the parking lots of movie theaters in York, PA, and in several locations in Maryland.
CAIR is urging American Muslims to take advantage of the upcoming August recess -- during which members of Congress return home to spend time with their constituents -- by requesting meetings to advocate on state and national issues of importance, including: dismantling President Trump's "Muslim Ban" executive order; opposing limits on campus free speech and boycotts; protecting immigrant communities by supporting Dreamers, TPS holders and opposing new restrictions; and, recognizing the accomplishments of U.S. Muslims.
Officials at CAIR-Philadelphia said these acts represent a pattern of anti-Muslim bullying in schools that has been on the rise since 2014.
Since August, the organization has received more than a dozen complaints of anti-Muslim bullying targeted at 15 to 20 students in 13 schools and colleges in the region, said Timothy Welbeck, the civil rights attorney for CAIR-Philadelphia. By comparison, there was one complaint of bullying for 2014, two for 2015, and nine for 2016.
The Philadelphia Chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia) demands a comprehensive inquiry into Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s record on civil rights, religious freedom, the rights of immigrants, and the limitations on presidential powers prior to his confirmation.
On Wednesday, June 20, CAIR-Philadelphia and Historical Society of Pennsylvania co-hosted a panel and a concert at HSP to recognize the histories of Muslims in the Keystone State. The panel was organized and moderated by CAIR-Philadelphia’s Outreach and Education Director, Dr. Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu.
