The Alabama chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Alabama), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed support for calls to eliminate three state holidays honoring the Confederacy, saying public observances should reflect values of equality, inclusion, and justice rather than commemorate a legacy tied to slavery and racial oppression.
A Faith in Action Alabama launched a petition and letter-writing campaign urging the removal of Confederate Memorial Day, Robert E. Lee Day and Jefferson Davis’ Birthday from the state holiday calendar.
In a statement, CAIR-Alabama Staff Attorney Britton O’Shields said:
“State-sponsored celebrations of the white supremacist Confederacy have no place in a society striving toward equality and justice for all. History should be taught honestly and preserved accurately, but it should not be glorified through official holidays honoring those who fought to preserve slavery. Alabama must move forward by embracing symbols and observances that reflect our shared commitment to human dignity, civil rights, and inclusion.”
O’Shields added that CAIR has repeatedly called for the removal of Confederate names, holidays, flags, statues, and symbols nationwide.
In May, CAIR-Alabama welcomed the decision by the Montgomery City Council to approve a new city flag that replaces the previous design containing Confederate imagery.
She said CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging systemic anti-Black racism, antisemitism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
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CONTACT: A. Britton O’Shields, Staff Attorney – Alabama Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Alabama), aoshields@cair.com, 205-206-6399, 205-616-0733; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@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