(WASHINGTON D.C., 8/30/2021) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed both efforts to remove racist language from Alabama’s constitution and the removal of a photo featuring a man making a racist gesture from the American Fork, Utah, police department’s Facebook page.
Alabama’s Committee on the Recompilation of the Constitution is seeking input from the public on removing racist language from the state’s constitution. The committee will hold a public meeting Thursday to discuss the topic. Voters approved a constitutional amendment authorizing the effort in November 2020. The Alabama constitution, ratified in 1901, includes provisions designed to preserve white supremacy, including sections mandating segregated schools, poll taxes, and slavery as punishment for a crime.
SEE: Committee Studying Racist Language in Alabama Constitution Seeks Public Input
A group photo in which a man wearing a Proud Boys hat flashed the ‘OK’ hand gesture, often used by white supremacists, was removed from the Facebook page of the American Fork Police Department after some backlash. On Sunday, the department issued a statement condemning the gesture and apologizing for the post. “Please know that American Fork Police Department would not have posted that photo if we realized it contained that gesture/sign,” they said.
SEE: American Fork PD Apologizes for Controversial Facebook Post
“Any effort or action to remove the harmful remnants of our nation’s legacy of systemic anti-Black racism and to repudiate white supremacy must be supported by Americans of all faiths and backgrounds,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.
Hooper noted that CAIR previously welcomed the amendment to remove racist language from Alabama’s constitution, and the signing of a law removing racist language from Virginia’s Acts of Assembly by Governor Ralph Northam.
SEE: CAIR Welcomes Vote to Remove Racist Language from Alabama’s Constitution, New Mississippi Flag
CAIR Welcomes Virginia Governor’s Signing of Laws Allowing Removal of Confederate Monuments, Repealing Racist Language
Hooper said the American Muslim community and CAIR stand in solidarity with all those challenging anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
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CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com