(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/20/2022) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed its opposition to an attempt by Virginia’s Mathews County Board of Supervisors to preserve a Confederate monument.
A referendum held last fall on the Confederate monument located outside the Mathews County courthouse resulted in over 80 percent voting in favor of keeping the monument in its current place. However, some were reportedly worried that the monument may be moved in the future if public opinion changes. The Mathews County Board of Supervisors is considering deeding the municipal land on which the monument stands to the Sons of Confederate Veterans to protect it from future changes in public sentiment.
The NAACP, which has urged the county to remove the monument, threatened legal action if the county government decides to deed the land to the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
SEE: A Virginia county maneuvers to protect a Confederate statue at its courthouse
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/09/20/mathews-virginia-confederate-statue/
NAACP threatens legal action if Mathews County gives statue to pro-Confederacy groups
“To use public land to protect the Confederacy’s shameful legacy of white supremacy, slavery and treason is unacceptable,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “This and all other monuments honoring the defenders of systemic anti-Black racism should be removed from public spaces.”
He noted that yesterday, CAIR welcomed the dropping of lawsuits to prevent the removal of Confederate monuments in Charleston, S.C.
SEE: CAIR Welcomes Dropping of Lawsuits to Protect South Carolina Confederate Monuments
Washington, D.C., based CAIR has repeatedly called for the removal of Confederate holidays, flags, statues, and symbols nationwide.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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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 Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com