The Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Arizona), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the defeat of HB2759, which was a threat to freedom of speech and for unfairly singling out pro-Palestinian student groups.
This follows CAIR Arizona’s efforts in engaging with over a dozen legislators from both sides of the aisle to highlight the detrimental impacts of the bill, particularly on pro-Palestinian groups.
HB2759 was unconstitutional as it opposed freedom of speech, targeted pro-Palestinian student groups, generated hateful rhetoric amidst more than 32,000 Palestinian killed by Israel, failed to humanize Palestinians, and promoted Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian sentiment reminiscent of the post-9/11 era.
In a statement, CAIR-Arizona Executive Director Azza Abuseif said:
“This victory for free speech and Americans who support Palestinian human rights demonstrates the importance of upholding constitutional rights. The defeated bill was unconstitutional and posed a threat to the fundamental principles of our democracy. No individual should face silencing for advocating for their beliefs.
“We express gratitude to all community organizations that rallied individuals to testify and contributed to raising awareness within the community regarding the issue.”
Last month, CAIR-Arizona joined a multifaith press conference at the state capitol to urge lawmakers to oppose HB2759.
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CONTACT: CAIR Arizona Executive Director Azza Abuseif, 602-349-1573, aabuseif@cair.com