The NAACP and the Council on American-Islamic Relations are calling on Parson to halt Williams’ execution.
“Killing Mr. Williams, a Black man who was wrongfully convicted of killing a White woman, would amount to a horrible miscarriage of justice and a perpetuation of the worst of Missouri’s past,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and Missouri State Conference President Nimrod Chapel Jr. wrote in an open letter to Parson.
“We are calling on Governor Parson to immediately halt the execution of Imam Marcellus Khalifah Williams, an innocent man who has spent decades serving God behind bars while being falsely imprisoned for a crime he did not commit,” CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said in a statement. “The DNA evidence proves his innocence, and proceeding with this execution would be a grave miscarriage of justice.”
CAIR: Defense Lawyers in Missouri Scrambling to Halt Death Sentence – New York Times
The hearing is one front in the accelerated effort by the defense team to spare the life of Mr. Williams, 55, who was convicted in 2003. His lawyers have filed an appeal to the United States Supreme Court, and the N.A.A.C.P., the Council on American-Islamic Relations and U.S. Representative Cori Bush of St. Louis have made pleas for mercy, saying that Mr. Williams was wrongfully convicted and that no physical evidence ties him to the crime.
CAIR-GA: Students arrested during UGA protests continue to push for charges to be dropped – Atlanta News First
CAIR: Montgomery schools revises protocols for alleged hate incidents amid rise in reports – Washington Post
School system officials declined an interview for this article, saying the district plans to share more details with parents in late September. But the new protocols are posted on the district’s student welfare and compliance webpage, and the changes were part of a recent news release by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
CAIR-NY: India PM Modi speaks at Nassau Coliseum, while protesters march outside – Newsday
Afshan Khwaja, the board president of the New York chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, a civil rights group, said she was there to protest “the supremacist ideology that he promotes,” which “has created division and injustices.”
She said the economic policies that Modi’s supporters praise have left a large segment of the population behind. There are “huge polarities between people who are successful and people who are struggling and are poor,” Khwaja, who lives in Manhasset Hills, said.
CAIR: US anti-Semitism envoy faces backlash as Muslim group demands ousting – TRT World
(CAIR’s) McCaw said the Biden-Harris administration must immediately fire Lipstadt “and make clear that the United States does not support or celebrate state violence and terrorism against vulnerable populations”.
CAIR: US antisemitism envoy faces backlash over remarks on Lebanon pager attacks – Türkiye Today
These comments have drawn sharp criticism from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has since called for Lipstadt’s removal. CAIR’s Government Affairs Department Director, Robert McCaw, described her remarks as “dangerous.”
“Special Envoy Lipstadt’s callous remarks are not only disgusting, but also dangerous,” McCaw said in a statement. He further criticized the envoy for what he described as a “flippant celebration of state-sponsored terrorism,” which, according to McCaw, undermines ongoing U.S. diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Israel and Lebanon.
CAIR: Michigan Arab-Americans ‘can’t stomach’ Harris stance on Gaza – BBC
CAIR: Muslim voters are split between Harris and Green Party nominee Stein, as war in Gaza influences their decision – Houston Public Media
A national poll by the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR, in August, found that a third of American Muslims plan to vote for Stein while another third support Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. Meanwhile, 10% back former president Donald Trump.
CAIR-MN: Lino Lakes City Council considers censuring council member who praised anti-Muslim email – Sahan Journal