Islam teaches us that each human being is precious, and that to destroy, or lose, a single life is akin to losing an entire universe.

In COVID-19, humankind is now faced with an unimaginable crisis, a global pandemic that threatens the fabric of life as we know it.

Throughout this emergency, and as long as we physically are able, the staff and communal leaders of CAIR-Philadelphia will continue to provide you with relevant information, both on the pandemic in general, but also specifically on the state of the American Muslim community in Philadelphia and its environs.

After careful review of recent public health updates in our area regarding the coronavirus epidemic and hearing from many of you in our community, the CAIR-Philadelphia team had to make the difficult decision to cancel CAIR-Philadelphia’s 14th Annual Banquet, originally scheduled for this Saturday March 14.

CAIR-Philadelphia is closely following the public health concerns of our community and the updates regarding the spread of the Coronavirus in our area. Hence, we are writing to you regarding the status of our annual banquet this Saturday night, March 14. As of this notice, end of day Monday, March 9, there are no changes to our plans regarding the banquet except the cautionary steps we detail below. Rest assured, however, that CAIR-Philadelphia is diligently monitoring the situation.

This was an eventful year at CAIR-Philadelphia. We in the office went through many ups and downs in 2019, experiencing loss as well as joy, happiness as well as heartache: Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, our Outreach Director, and his wife welcomed their first child into the world; Timothy Welbeck, Esq., our Staff Attorney, took his first trip to the continent of Africa to visit his extended family; and Jacob Bender, our Executive Director, lost his mother, who passed away after many years of painfully declining health.

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