The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned a decision by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to cut a $750,000 research grant to study Sickle Cell Disease, which mostly impacts Black people.
The NIH reportedly told the doctor who was conducting the research that it was cutting funding due to a “low return on investment.” It also said: “DEI studies are often used to support unlawful discrimination on the basis of race and other protected characteristics ICO’s, which harms the health of Americans. Therefore, it is the policy of the NIH not to prioritize such research programs.”
“Researching a disease that poses a risk to a significant portion of the population has nothing to do with ‘DEI,’” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “The bizarre decision to cut funding for Sickle Cell research will put lives at greater risk and sends the message that the health of Black people is less important than that of other Americans.”
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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 Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com