Statistics show that only 18% of women attend mosques in America. With over 75% of mosques using dividers that make us invisible and only 13% of mosques allowing female participation on boards. These statistics were shared during CAIR-Philadelphia’s groundbreaking Muslim Women in Sacred Spaces Symposium.
The real threat to American democracy was on full display yesterday, as it is woven into the very fabric of this nation by the “peculiar institution” of chattel slavery and buttressed and justified by the ideology of white supremacy.
Too often we take things for granted. Our Democracy is just one example. As an American Muslim who witnessed the changes in the last four years in our country, I came to realize that I needed to act if I was to help continue to preserve and strengthen the democracy in the country that I idealize so much.
Organizing for civic engagement, protecting the civil rights of community members, promoting understanding of Islam and the Muslim community, building interfaith coalitions for social justice: these are the foundations upon which we stand.
One hundred years ago, 680,000 Americans died in the Spanish Flu Pandemic that ravaged the United States, with Philadelphia being the worst hit city in the nation. Among the dead was my grandfather Yitzhak Bendersky, who had emigrated from Russia to America only a few years before in search of a better life for his family and himself.
American Muslim civic engagement is the foundation upon which we can secure our community’s long-term interests and make our contributions to the broader community. Our many successes could not have happened but for your generous support that sustained CAIR-Philadelphia even throughout this pandemic-infected year.
Science, critical thinking, and skepticism is the cornerstone of any developed nation and our success lies in disseminating a scientific way of thinking and analysis. Various strata of society can contribute to and reinforce scientific thinking.
Every year, CAIR-Philadelphia updates you about how our chapter organizes against Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-black racism, white supremacy, and all forms of bigotry. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic imposed unique challenges for all of us, requiring greater flexibility in how we navigated.
Jacob Bender
Executive Director
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Timothy Welbeck, Esq.
Civil Rights Attorney
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Durriya Ahmed Shamsi
Advisory Board Member
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Nevan Hamid
Advisory Board Member
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Rabiya Khan
Executive Committee Member
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Soaad Elbahwati
Advisory Board Member
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Guest Authors:
Nada Abuasi
Irfan Patel
Views and opinions expressed in this blog belong solely to the author and do not represent the positions of institutions, organizations, or individuals that the author may be associated with in a professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated.
