All good things must come to an end. Indeed, 2012 was a good year, but we are moving into 2013 which will be a great year! We would like to share a few accomplishments and strongly urge you to financially support another year of advocacy and justice. We understand that you are probably getting bombarded with emails and other requests, however, we will tell you in only 5 points WHY you should continue to support us and HOW we tackle issues which affect your daily life.
1. We continue to challenge House Bill 2029. HB2029 is an unnecessary bill with discriminatory intent that states the obvious – no “foreign law” can come into effect if it limits an individual’s constitutional rights. The Bill’s main sponsor mentioned specifically Sharia law in a memo that sought support for this legislation. Pennsylvania’s anti-Muslim bill hides a more sinister purpose – to demonize Muslims and Islam while creating fear of the general principles of the faith. The bill expired November 30th and we will continue to monitor HB2029 in 2013. CAIR-Philadelphia has been the lead organization in opposing this legislation.
2. Our Anti-Bullying campaign was extremely successful. Bullying is a national issue that affects all communities. CAIR-Philadelphia worked to bring anti-Muslim school bullying to the forefront of the Muslim and larger communities by conducting Muslim Youth Leadership Workshops to students and parents, making presentations to law firms and conducting trainings to legal and community activists.
3. We continue to fight against governmental discrimination of American Muslims. Governmental discrimination occurs mostly in the context of employment disputes. We represented a federal employee in a trial-type adjudicatory hearing before a federal judge. At issue was whether our client is susceptible to “foreign influence” and therefore unworthy of the federal security clearance.
4. We brought community and public awareness to NYPD Surveillance of Muslim communities in Northeast states, including Pennsylvania. We were involved with training Muslim university students in handling media requests and understanding their rights as students. We also gave a presentation at the National Lawyers Guild Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference on this issue.
5. Our sought-after courses and presentations continue to educate the public about Muslims. We conducted numerous presentations that allow individuals to ask questions about Muslims or Islamic practice. These presentations include Islam 101, Women in Islam and Understanding Muslims. These presentations and courses are taught at different houses of worship, universities and colleges.
Those are 5 reasons to click on the button below and donate now. We are asking you to invest in countering anti-Muslim bigotry, ensuring justice in America and making your society a more peaceful and just place.
Thank you for your continued support! Please remember donations to CAIR-Philadelphia are tax-deductible.
Sincerely,
CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Committee
