Until recently, many immigrant and first-generation Muslims lived in mostly white suburban communities without facing discrimination or hostility, said Jacob Bender, executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations in Philadelphia, a civil rights organization that advocates for Muslim Americans…
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CAIR-PA In the News
Philadelphia commission probing ‘disturbing’ video
A Philadelphia city commission said Monday it’s investigating an event last month at which Muslim children were captured on video speaking in Arabic about beheadings and the liberation of Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site.
Continue readingCAIR Interview on Mark & Denise in the Mornings
CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Committee Member Salima Suswell interviewed on Mark & Denise in the Mornings (starting at 31:00) about Ilhan Omar and more.
Live from Mevo Live from "Mark and Denise in the Mornings"
Posted by Mark Tyler on Tuesday, April 16, 2019
GOP Rep Branded “Racist Islamophobe” Over Prayer in Front of PA House’s First Muslim Woman
“On this significant day, when Pennsylvanians of all backgrounds could celebrate the swearing-in of the Commonwealth’s first female Muslim House member—thus expanding the tradition of religious freedom so important to the history of this Commonwealth—Republican Representative Stephanie Borowicz chose instead to deliver a thinly veiled attack on the Islamic faith of Representative Johnson-Harrell that failed to meet even the most minimum standards of mutual respect and religious tolerance,” CAIR Philadelphia Executive Director Jacob Bender said.
Continue readingFOX 29 Interview with Salima Suswell on Please Touch Museum America To Zanzibar Exhibit
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.
Continue readingNew 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.
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