The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the reported establishment of a segregated white supremacist community in Arkansas from which “Jews and non-whites are explicitly banned.”
“’Return to the Land,’ a white supremacist group co-founded by Eric Orwoll and Peter Csere in 2023, owns 160 acres in northeast Arkansas, according to the group’s website. Jews and non-whites are explicitly banned. Prospective residents must verify their ‘ancestral heritage’ in a written application and interview before becoming paying members and residing in the off-grid settlement, according to the group’s Substack.
“The organization hopes to replicate its whites-only settlements across the country, with the stated aim of ‘trying to put land back under the control of Europeans.’ Experts warn the group’s practices likely run afoul of anti-discrimination laws and express doubt about its long-term viability.”
In a statement, CAIR said:
“We condemn this apparent attempt to resegregate our society by establishing a white supremacist enclave that explicitly bans people of color and Jewish Americans. We urge state and federal officials to look into the legality of this project. Housing must be open to people of all races and ethnicities on an equal basis.”
CAIR has repeatedly condemned white supremacist, antisemitic and racist activity nationwide, and has called on states to ban racial covenants in housing.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
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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