CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Committee Member Salima Suswell was interviewed by Alex Holley on FOX 29’s “Alex Around Town” segment about the “America to Zanzibar” exhibit at the Please Touch Museum.
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CAIR-PA In the News
New Exhibit at Please Touch Museum Teaches Muslim Culture
CAIR-Philadelphia partnered with Please Touch Museum to train the Museum staff on the basic tenets and history of Islam ahead of America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far, an exhibit that recently opened to the public at the Please Touch Museum.
The exhibit is a hands-on experience for kids to learn about Muslim art, architecture, trade, fashion and more. CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Committee Member Salima Suswell was featured on PHL17’s segment:
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Interfaith leaders denounce Pittsburgh shooting, Trump’s ‘attack’ on immigrants
An interfaith group of religious leaders came together for a press conference Tuesday to denounce the mass shooting inside a Pittsburgh synagogue and President Donald Trump’s latest attack on undocumented immigrants.
They said a prayer of mourning, at Friends Center in Center City, for the 11 men and women who were gunned down inside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday, calling out each of their names. The leaders represented area mosques, churches, and synagogues who called the massacre the direct result of a larger scheme of hate that began more than two years ago.
Continue readingData show cases of anti-Muslim bullying in schools on the rise
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.
Continue readingCAIR-Philadelphia Press Conference Responding to SCOTUS Ruling on “Muslim Travel Ban”
Audio of Full Press Conference: Media Coverage: CBS Philly: Video of Full Press Conference: CBS Philly: CAIR Philadelphia Condemns Supreme
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Germantown celebrates Juneteenth
Timothy Welbeck, a civil rights attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations and a Temple University Africology professor, said that history is the reason he, his wife and three children attended the festival.
Continue readingHundreds gather to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan
In his sermon, [CAIR-Philadelphia Vice President] Iftekhar Hussain congratulated Muslims for experiencing Ramadan — a month, he said, “to give us shade.” He noted that like society today, the prophet Muhammed saw oppression, violence and exploitation. Just as he would leave society to recharge himself, Hussain said Ramadan gives Muslims today a chance to refresh and to become active in their communities. With Ramadan at an end, he said, “Now is the time to engage in society.”
Continue readingIn Pa., hate crime convictions continue to be an afterthought
Timothy Welbeck, a civil rights attorney for the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said victims are sometimes afraid to come forward. Some might have questionable immigration status; others have had unfavorable encounters with law enforcement or fear retaliation if they were to speak out. “Many are fearful of coming forward,” Welbeck said. “Even with the increased reports we receive, I would argue it’s only a fraction of what is happening across the state and country.”
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