As-salaamu alaikum,
As the Legal Director of CAIR-Philadelphia, I want to take a moment to reflect on our collective journey and share some updates about the important work our legal team is doing on behalf of the Muslim community in the Philadelphia area. After working for the government and in the private sector as an attorney focused on education law, I first joined CAIR-Philadelphia as a board member and then became part of the staff team. This work is deeply personal and important for me as a Muslim American who went to law school to serve our communities. Bringing relief to college students being targeted by their colleges provides me with a sense of purpose that is unmatched — it is your support for CAIR-Philadelphia that makes our work possible.
This past year has been extremely difficult for the Muslim community. Israel continues to wage its barbaric genocide against Palestinian civilians and is expanding the campaign into Lebanon; the United States and allies have returned to bombing Yemen; a brutal civil war is being fought in Sudan with countless atrocities committed against civilians; and thousands of civilians in Congo are being exploited and killed.
Not only are these calamities impacting our community members who are grieving the loss of loved ones overseas and seeing their homelands destroyed, these atrocities also touch and impact the soul of all Muslims. It is no surprise that many Muslims, of all ethnic and racial backgrounds, are voicing their opposition to the ongoing genocide. “Muslims are like one body of a person; if the eye is sore, the whole body aches, and if the head aches, the whole body aches.” Rather than listening to our community, the government, educational institutions, and employers, are taking extreme measures to silence us, discipline us, and scare us.
In recent months, your CAIR-Philadelphia legal team has made significant strides in advocating for the civil rights of our community. From fighting against discriminatory policies to providing legal support for individuals facing discrimination, our team is committed to ensuring that every member of our community feels protected and empowered.
Highlights of our recent efforts include:
1. Legal Workshops and Know Your Rights Trainings: We have either participated in or facilitated trainings and discussions to inform community members of their legal rights and the potential consequences of activism. We have participated in these trainings and discussions with Philly Educators for Palestine, the University of Delaware, Haverford College, and Lehigh University.
2. Legal Advice and Assistance to Employees and Students: Our team has engaged with individuals across Pennsylvania who are facing discipline or discrimination in the workplace due to their religion and/or advocacy for Palestine. We have also met with students from numerous colleges in the region including Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Haverford College, Swarthmore College, Lehigh University, Bryn Mawr College, and Muhlenberg College. Recently, CAIR-Philadelphia held a press conference regarding the forced removal of the hijab of one of our community members.
3. Assisting against Law Enforcement Discrimination: Our team has assisted individuals who faced discriminatory practices by the Philadelphia Police Department, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security.
4. Collaborating with Other Legal Organizations: Over the past several months our team has been meeting with and collaborating with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Palestine Legal, the Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and various attorneys and law professors in the area to enhance our legal efforts and develop a broader legal strategy to combat discrimination against our community.
5. Creating an Attorney Referral Network: Our legal team and board members are actively working on creating a database of Muslim attorneys so that we can refer members of our community to attorneys who will understand their religious practices and background for matters that are outside of civil rights and discrimination, such as family, criminal, workers’ compensation, and personal injury law.
Support CAIR-Philadelphia’s Legal Advocacy
As the discrimination against, and the silencing of, our community continues, CAIR-Philadelphia is committed to representing, advocating for, and educating our community. To foster a stronger connection with you, we invite you to participate in the following initiatives:
1. Community Forums: We are planning regular virtual townhall meetings where community members can approach us with concerns they have, and we can discuss legal and advocacy responses. These meetings will be held on the fourth Tuesday of every month with our first meeting scheduled for October 29, 2024, at 7:30PM. All in our community are welcomed and encouraged to attend.
2. Know Your Rights Trainings: We are planning a series of Know Your Rights trainings at area masjids where we can connect with the community face-to-face. We will inform you of upcoming events via email and social media. You can also request our trainings for your community.
3. Stay Connected: Follow us on our social media platforms and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates. We want to keep you informed and engaged in our activities and legal efforts to support the community. You can follow us on:
We are appreciative of the support we receive from our community, and we want to continue our efforts to connect and engage with you in a meaningful manner. We are here to serve you and will do everything in our power to ensure your legal rights are protected.
I look forward to personally meeting many of you over the coming months and I encourage you to reach out to our team if you are facing discrimination.
JazakAllah Khairan,
Respectfully,
Adam Alaa Attia, Esquire
Legal Director, CAIR-Philadelphia
