CAIR: Jamilah McBryde, a Muslim Wrestler, Couldn’t Go to the Olympic Trials Because of Her Hijab and Uniform – Teen Vogue
In a statement from the Council for Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group working with the McBryde family, the organization says the US Olympic Committee should be “ashamed to use images of Muslim hijabi athletes as tokens of diversity and to pretend to be inclusive when they refused Jamilah McBryde the opportunity to even participate in US Olympic trials.” CAIR is “investigating to determine whether the US Olympic Committee is in violation of the US Constitution that guarantees civil rights to all Americans and does not allow discrimination on the basis of religion.”
CAIR-AZ: Arizona Board of Regents advances proposal banning ‘support for foreign terrorist organizations’
The Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called the bill “a threat to freedom of speech and for unfairly singling out pro-Palestinian student groups” in a March press release.
The bill made it through the state House of Representatives but not the Senate and is unlikely to pass.
CAIR-MA: Lawyer finds handling of Harvard criminal case ‘highly unusual’ – Boston Globe
As I watch this case unfold, I think of the abuse endured by Muslim clients I’ve represented, usually for no reason other than the clothing they wear. Their tormentors sometimes were criminally charged but rarely for a hate crime. I trust that Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden will take a good, hard look at the facts of this case when deciding whether to prosecute.
Barbara J. Dougan
Legal director
Council on American-Islamic Relations-Massachusetts
CAIR-Houston: Houston mayor frames Jewish, Palestinian groups as ‘enemies’ – Houston Chronicle
Back in March, more than 40 Muslim imams and organizations threatened to boycott Whitmire’s scheduled appearance at the city’s annual Ramadan dinner at the Bayou City Event Center. Eventually the groups, including the ISGH and CAIR, announced plans to remove their participation and sponsorship of the event. At the time, the groups suggested the move could cost Whitmire a significant loss of audiences, business partners and votes. Groups of protestors, including Houston for Palestinian Liberation, crashed the Ramadan dinner and shouted at the mayor during his keynote address…
This week, John T. Floyd, a CAIR national board member and Houston criminal defense lawyer, said he’s “perplexed” as to why the mayor didn’t reach out after March’s Ramadan dinner. Floyd believes the mayor is “not getting out of his silos” and is only maintaining relationships with supportive Jewish and Muslim groups. “He’s talking to a donor class,” Floyd alleged. “He knows what he’s doing. He raises tons of money and he knows how to do it.”
Floyd believes that Whitmire has a knack for making blunders, noting how the mayor recently caught heat from Houstonians after saying that undocumented immigrants who live in the southwest Houston neighborhood of Gulfton don’t need a rapid Metro line to the Galleria shopping area. Floyd questioned whether the mayor has yet adjusted to leading one of America’s most culturally diverse cities. “His thinking comes from a different generation,” Floyd said. “He’s not been able to translate his experience in the state Legislature to the mayor’s office.”
CAIR Seeks Probe of Bias Motive After WI Parent Pushed Superintendent During Graduation (Video)
CAIR: Baraboo is facing controversy for graduation push. Past incidents have marred the city too. – Milwaukee Journal
The incident has garnered national attention on social media and from at least one civil rights organization. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a media release on Thursday they are requesting a probe into whether bias was a motive in the incident.
CAIR-NJ: East Brunswick ‘antisemitic’ yearbook mistake: everything we know – MyCentralJersey.com
“It is crucial that school officials ensure their investigation is transparent, fair and thorough so those responsible are held accountable. This incident has triggered heinous backlash against some Muslim students who had no knowledge on their photo being misused,” CAIR-NJ Interim Communications Manager Aya Elamroussi said. “The hate comments attacking Muslim high school students are deplorable. We call on East Brunswick’s mayor and public schools superintendent to offer support to their Muslim student community and be leaders for the entire township.”
CAIR: US Muslim rights group applauds NAACP stance on Gaza – Al Jazeera
CAIR: Meta is weighing whether ‘from the river to the sea’ is hate speech. But will it matter? – The Forward
Meanwhile the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) submitted a statement saying that “no reasonable person” would call the phrase antisemitic, and arguing it constituted free speech and should be left up.
“Free speech principles should lead social media users to debate ideas with each other, not silence each other,” CAIR’s statement read, adding that the organization also does not support Meta policing Israelis advocating for a Jewish state from the river to the sea.
CAIR: Protest encampment at Johns Hopkins was peaceful, constructive – Baltimore Banner
Zainab Chaudry, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations office in Maryland told The Hill newspaper that she worked with Hopkins students who reached out to advocacy groups for support, including food, spreading the word about events and getting assistance for negotiations with schools or dealing with the police if necessary.
“What I’ve observed overwhelmingly has really been advocacy groups who really have just been wanting to support the students and make sure that they are not alone as they move forward on these actions,” Chaudry said.
CAIR-CT: Man who attacked Rep. Maryam Khan sentenced to prison