Timothy Welbeck, a civil rights attorney for the Philadelphia chapter of CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations, spoke about the impact of current policies on American Muslim communities. “I can almost without even watching my television know when the president says something inflammatory because I’ll get a significant wave of calls within a couple days,” he said. The Muslim travel ban, he said, is “codified bigotry.”
Jacob Bender of the Council on American and Islamic Relations, who is Jewish but works for a Muslim organization, was scathing in his criticism of the Israeli occupation of West Bank. He argued that the settlements project had left no land to make the two state solution a reality. He also was critical of Dr. Hoffman for arguing for a no preconditions approach to negotiations while simultaneously insisting that Jerusalem was not on the table.
Yesterday evening, President Trump addressed the 115th Congress on the State of the Union. Some, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and others, have described the address as a departure from President Trump’s polarizing, tumultuous, and chaotic first year in office. Notwithstanding, as Greg Sargent writing for The Washington Post noted, “The real core of the speech was his effort to rhetorically recast the key elements of that approach as unifying and conciliatory, without moving past them at all.” Thus, while President Trump’s State of the Union address did not feature the sort of flagrant Islamophobic remarks he has made in the past, his rhetoric, past and present, has emboldened many who share his distorted worldview.
Last Sunday, Jan. 14, at the Islamic Society of Delaware, CAIR-Philadelphia brought together mental health professionals, psychologists and expert therapists with Muslim community members in a symposium titled, “Peace at Home: A One Day Seminar on How to Build Happy Families.”
I was born in Memphis, and reared in the Atlanta area. Thus, I was born in the city where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. was assassinated, and came of age in the city that made Dr. King the man he was. For most of my life, I found myself fascinated by the man who would become an icon for justice. As a child, I often watched his speeches in awe, as a teenager, I dutifully read biographies of him, as a college student, I walked the same halls he once did as I pursued my undergraduate education at Dr. King’s beloved alma mater—Morehouse College. His legacy is part of the reason I became a Civil Rights Attorney. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of my foremost influences, particularly as it relates to my desire to pursue the cause of justice.
CAIR-Philadelphia’s first multi-day Muslim Youth Leadership Program (MYLP) was a great success. Hosted by the Muslim Youth Center of Philadelphia (MYCP) between December 27-29, more than 25 young Muslims aged 9-18 participated in this intensive MYLP experience.
As 2018 dawns, it is once again time to invite you to CAIR-Philadelphia’s Annual Banquet; this year will be our 12th!
This year’s banquet promises to be another stellar event, with keynote speaker Dalia Mogahed (Muslim scholar, author, and activist), entertainer Mo Amer (Palestinian-American comedian), and all the way from California, our Mistress of Ceremonies, Zahra Billoo (Executive Director of the Bay Area Chapter of CAIR and civil rights attorney).
CAIR-Philadelphia, together with Islamic Society of Delaware (ISD) and ICNA Relief Delaware, invites you to the Peace at Home symposium. This FREE event will take place on Sunday, January 14th from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. at ISD (28 Salem Church Road, Newark, DE).
