(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/25/17) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned President Trump’s pardon of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of disobeying a court order ordering his agency to stop racially profiling Latinos.
The Friday Surprise: Donald Trump Pardons Sheriff Joe Arpaio
CAIR also welcomed the resignation of Islamophobic White House adviser Sebastian Gorka.
Earlier this year, CAIR called for Gorka’s dismissal following revelations that he “publicly supported a violent racist and anti-Semitic paramilitary militia” in Hungary and that he is a formal member of a Hungarian group listed by the U.S. State Department as having been “under the direction of the Nazi Government of Germany” during World War II.
Gorka has also been criticized for his Islamophobic views, including declining on several occasions to say whether President Trump believes Islam is a real religion.
In a statement, CAIR said:
“The unconscionable pardon of Joe Arpaio once again sends the troubling message that Mr. Trump sees himself not as president of the United States, but as the leader of a resurgent racist movement within our nation. It is even more disturbing that President Trump would use the cover of a potential natural disaster impacting millions of Americans to avoid public scrutiny of his reprehensible action.
“We welcome the resignation of Sebastian Gorka as a presidential adviser. His extremist and Islamophobic views, and his reported past and current associations with racist and anti-Semitic groups, should have disqualified him from any government position.”
The Washington-based civil rights organization recently launched an app to share critical “know your rights” information and to simplify the process to report hate crimes and bias incidents. CAIR is urging American Muslims and members of other minority groups to download the app and utilize this resource to stay informed and empowered.
For a quick download of CAIR’s civil rights app, click here: http://www.cair.com/app
CAIR also urges community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR’s Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/report
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com
