CAIR weighs legal action over UMCP’s ‘free-expression-black-out date’ on Oct. 7 – Maryland Matters
Civil rights groups are calling on the University of Maryland, College Park, to reverse its prohibition on student-led demonstrations on Oct 7, the anniversary of the Hamas terror attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations and Palestine Legal said in a Sept. 4 letter to campus officials that they need to reverse the decision to “avoid a legal clash with the First Amendment it will lose.” They said Wednesday that their letter has been ignored, and called on students and concerned individuals to complain to the campus.
“The First Amendment does not allow the government to make October 7th or any other day a free-expression-black-out date. The clarity of the constitutional violation, if maintained, courts conflict,” said CAIR Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas in a statement.
CAIR: Limits on masks, tents and noise: Some campuses tighten protest rules – Washington Post
Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said universities must respect the rights of all its students and not repeat the same mistakes of the spring with heavy-handed enforcement.
“If they decide to once again crack down on free speech and call in the police to brutalize students, then we’re going to have a problem,” Mitchell said. “If they give students room to peacefully protest, and if they engage with students respectfully about their demands, then we can see a much more civil discussion on college campuses this fall.”
CAIR: Hate crimes against Muslims, Palestinians surge in Chicago – TRT World
CAIR-AZ: Republicans put up ‘Eat Less Kittens’ billboards that some call racist – WCJB
“This kind of rhetoric is rooted in ignorance and prejudice,” said Azza Abuseif, executive director of CAIR-AZ. “One of the main reasons why there are harmful stereotypes out there, like Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Blackness, anti-immigration, is spitting out misinformation and disinformation to our communities.”
CAIR-AZ: Critics call Phoenix-area ‘Eat Less Kittens’ billboards racist – AZ Family
The Arizona Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling the “Eat Less Kittens” billboards installed by the Arizona GOP racist.
CAIR-Sacramento: Sac State celebrates grand opening of SWANA center, serving students from Southwest Asia and North Africa
Speakers included Khydeeja Alam, executive director of the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs and board president for the Sacramento area’s Council on American-Islamic Relations.
CAIR: Stories are vital in the philanthropic sector – Saporta Report
CAIR-San Diego: Overall crime in San Diego County down, but reported hate crimes rose 39 percent – San Diego Union-Tribune
A Muslim civil liberties organization has also reported a rise in hate incidents targeting Muslims and Palestinians nationally and locally, particularly since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Tazheen Nizam, executive director of CAIR San Diego, said she’s heard complaints of bullying and harassment of students on K-12 and college campuses as well as in the workplace, particularly against those supportive of the Palestinian people.