The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today welcomed the New York City Department of Education (DOE)’s efforts to combat Islamophobia in public schools and said it awaits details on implementation.
The NYC DOE announced a plan in response to a recent rise in incidents of Islamophobia, and other safety concerns. While NYC DOE has been engaged with the Muslim Community in meetings to hear concerns, CAIR-NY cautiously awaits further details on the execution of the announced plan to “meet the moment head-on”.
SEE: New York City Public Schools Announces Comprehensive Plan to Combat Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and All Forms of Hate
In a statement, CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher said:
“We appreciate the efforts of the DOE to engage directly with Muslim stakeholders to hear about our concerns. However, until we see what results from those dialogues, we will remain cautiously optimistic. The content of any trainings, the identity of the facilitators, and the uniform and just execution of the disciplinary code are particular issues of concern.
“We have seen massive disparity in treatment toward students and teachers who show the slightest pro-Palestine solidarity. The NYC DOE’s plan needs to be implemented with keen attention to respecting everyone’s ability to engage in free speech and political engagement that is befitting of educational institutions.”
She further noted that in 2023, CAIR-NY saw 555 requests for legal assistance, of which, 239 were directly related to Palestinian solidarity, representing 43% of its requests. CAIR-NY’s 2022 Report “Feeling the Hate: Bias and Hate Crimes Experienced by Muslim New Yorkers” found that 34% of Bias Incidents and Hate Crimes occurred in educational institutions. Of those Muslims who knew someone who either experienced a hate crime or bias incident, 32% reported that the person they knew who experienced one or the other was a minor.
Read CAIR-NY’s full report titled “Feeling the Hate: Bias and Hate Crimes Experienced by Muslim New Yorkers”
https://www.cair-ny.org/feeling-the-hate-full-report
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CONTACT: Afaf Nasher, Esq., CAIR-NY Executive Director, 917-669-4006, anasher@cair.com; Rabea Ali, CAIR-NY Communications Coordinator, 347-651-0954, rali@cair.com