On Tuesday, September 17, the Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Palestine Legal will hold a news conference to announce the filing of a federal lawsuit challenging the University of Maryland College Park’s unlawful cancellation of an interfaith vigil organized by Muslim and Jewish student advocates for Palestine.
Both groups previously called on campus administrators to reverse an illegal decision blocking student group, including Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, from organizing a vigil on October 7th.
WHEN: Tuesday, September 17, 2 PM ET
WHERE: UMD College Park, 3841 Campus Dr, College Park, Maryland
(Campus drive entrance)
CONTACT: CAIR National Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas 720-251-0425, gabbas@cair.com; Palestine Legal Media, media@palestinelegal.org
LIVESTREAM: https://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational
BACKGROUNDER:
Campus officials had previously given Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Maryland permission to host a candlelight vigil to mourn the lives lost during Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which was going to be co-sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace. On September 1st, however, they succumbed to pressure from anti-Palestinian groups, revoked permission to host the October 7th vigil, and announced that only university-sponsored events would be allowed on campus that day.
Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Maryland challenges the decision to cancel the vigil on First Amendment grounds.
SEE: CAIR weighs legal action over UMCP’s “free-expression-black-out date” on Oct. 7 (Maryland Matters)
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is America’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
Palestine Legal’s mission is to bolster the Palestine solidarity movement by challenging efforts to threaten, harass and legally bully activists into silence and inaction.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas 720-251-0425, gabbas@cair.com; Palestine Legal Media, media@palestinelegal.org; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, zchaudry@cair.com; CAIR Maryland Outreach Coordinator Kimberly Syuardi, ksyuardi@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com