The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is pleased that notorious Islamophobe Robert Spencer did not speak at Concordia University Chicago as previously planned. Spencer administers an online anti-Muslim hate operation known as “Jihad Watch,” which has concocted Islamophobic tropes and narratives for decades designed to fearmonger and demonize communities.
CAIR-Chicago previously called for the cancellation of the event due to the aforementioned anti-Muslim rhetoric from Spencer and other speakers, including Florida governor Ron DeSantis (who also did not speak), whom the conference entitled “Issues, Etc.” had planned to platform.
READ—CAIR-Chicago Calls for Cancellation of Issues, Etc. Event for Platforming Islamophobic Speakers
In a statement, CAIR-Chicago’s Executive Director, Ahmed Rehab, said:
“We are pleased that one of the nation’s most vile hatemongers was not granted the platform to further demonize Muslims and spread fear in the Chicago Muslim community, regurgitating tired and long-discredited tropes about Muslims that once found an audience in the years post 9/11 but are now laughed off every serious stage in the country. There is no place in Chicago for speakers who openly equate Islam with terrorism and spread inaccurate, inflammatory rhetoric that incites hatred against Muslims.
“Conversely, CAIR-Chicago warmly applauds Lutheran Pastor Ben Squires of Bethel Lutheran Church for his unwavering stance against hate in solidarity with the Muslim community. Pastor Squires unequivocally stated that Chicago has no place for anti-Muslim bigotry and demonization. It is a shame that his principled stance caused him rebuke from some of his peers, but on the flipside, it earned him legions of allies and fans.”
Despite being regularly targeted by the forces of divisiveness and dehumanization—CAIR-Chicago is steadfast in standing up for universal human and civil rights because our community chooses to invest in defending itself. Support our Legal Fund and help us continue standing up for your rights and our community: www.cairchicago.org/donate
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CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; Hafsa Haider, Communications Director of CAIR-Chicago, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com