The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today supported an effort to remove a Confederate painting from the Mississippi capitol building.
A Mississippi lawmaker introduced Senate Bill 2217 to get the painting removed. A similar bill has been filed in the House.
“We support any effort to remove the tragic legacy of the traitorous Confederacy and urge lawmakers to swiftly pass this legislation to erase this stain on Mississippi’s capitol building,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “Traitors and white supremacists should be repudiated, not honored.”
Hooper noted that last year, CAIR reiterated its condemnation of Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves’ decision to sign a proclamation naming April as Confederate Heritage Month. CAIR similarly condemned the declaration in past years.
He said Washington, D.C., based CAIR has repeatedly called for the removal of Confederate names, holidays, flags, statues, and symbols nationwide.
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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 CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com