The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced that Palestinian activist and former political prisoner Mahmoud Khalil is scheduled to serve as the keynote speaker at its 31st anniversary banquet on September 20 in Washington, D.C. and receive this year’s Champion of Justice award.
Khalil’s wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, and his lead attorney Amy Greer are also receiving awards for their courageous efforts to free Mahmoud and stand up for every person’s constitutional right to express support for Palestinian human rights. CAIR plans to announce the recognition of other targeted students and attorneys in the coming days.
The 31st anniversary banquet on Sep. 20th is the culmination of CAIR Impact Weekend, which is scheduled to begin on Friday, Sep. 19th, with a national policy and leadership conference. The theme of CAIR’s annual banquet and impact weekend is “Resilience, Resistance, and Renewal: Charting a Just Future.”
In a statement, CAIR said:
“We are honored to welcome Mahmoud Khalil as the keynote speaker at our 31st anniversary gala and this year’s recipient of the Champion of Justice award.
“Mr. Khalil’s effort to end U.S. support for the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza and his perseverance under unprecedented oppression by our own government is an inspiration to everyone who believes in free speech and human rights.
“We also look forward to recognizing Dr. Noor Abdalla and attorney Amy Greer for courageous efforts to free Mahmoud and stand up for every person’s constitutional right to express support for Palestinian human rights.”
BACKGROUNDER:
Mahmoud Khalil was abducted in March by the Trump administration due to his peaceful activism against the Gaza genocide at Columbia University. His was the first arrest in the administration’s crackdown on student anti-genocide protesters. Khalil was held in deplorable conditions until his release in June on the orders of a U.S. federal judge.
In a separate case earlier this year, CAIR, its New York chapter, and the law firm Dratel & Lewis filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Mahmoud Khalil and other Columbia University students against the university and the House Committee on Education and Workforce regarding the Congressional request to disclose thousands of student records.
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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