CAIR-Philadelphia Condemns Desecration of Jewish Cemetery

CAIR-Philadelphia Collage

Jacob Bender, Executive Director of CAIR-Philadelphia said, “As both an American Jew and the head of one of 30 local chapters of the nation’s leading Muslim civil rights organization, I am deeply affected by the sight of broken Jewish tombstones at the Mount Carmel Cemetery. This act of hate is another clarion call for Jews, Muslims, and all people dedicated to justice, equality, and pluralism, to join together to defeat the extremist elements now on the rise throughout our nation, including some at the highest echelons of our national government.”

Director’s Desk: This Is What Resistance Looks Like

In the days since Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States of America on January 20, I have often felt I was living through a nightmare from which, any day now, I would awaken from and return to “normal” life. No such luck, as each day brought new outrages from the Trump Administration, new “alternative facts” with which to bully the opposition, particularly the press.

Kenney advocates for unity at Muslim prayer service

Mayor Jim Kenney joined a midday prayer service, Jummah, at the Muslim American Society Mosque in North Philadelphia on Friday morning. Speaking before the prayer, Kenney and other local officials praised the mosque for its volunteer work and promised to defend the congregants against Islamophobia.

Jacob Bender’s Speech at Masjid al-Hidaya

CAIR-Philadelphia Collage

It is easy to get depressed these days, and become weary at the thought of four more years under this Administration, as we struggle to defend all the social justice progress of the past century.

Yet I remain an optimist. I am filled with hope at the presence of our courageous Mayor and other elected officials here among us; I am filled with hope at the sight of thousands of our fellow Americans streaming into airports across the country to defy the bigoted Executive Order of the President; and I am filled hope because of the warm welcome that I, a Jew, have received from all quarters of the Philadelphia Muslim community since coming to work for CAIR three years ago.

A show of support for Philly Muslims

The mayor — a longtime defender of the Muslim community — pointed at more than 100 Muslims who gathered for afternoon prayers and told them: “You are America. Hopefully, a generation from now this will be a bad memory… I am telling you: We will get through this.”

What We Have Been Doing + Travel Advisory

The past few days have been a nightmare for those of us who believe in the fundamental values of this country: inclusivity, tolerance, and religious freedom. CAIR-Philadelphia, together with CAIR chapters around the country, has been working day and night to defend the American Muslim community against the actions of the new administration in Washington which, of course, follow from the most hateful and divisive presidential campaign rhetoric in living memory.