(WASHINGTON D.C., 9/22/2021) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today renewed its call for the removal of a Confederate monument in Catawba County, N.C., and called for the removal of another Confederate monument in Jackson County, N.C.
At the past three meetings of the Catawba County Board of Commissioners, arguments in favor of keeping a Confederate monument in its original location on the lawn of the old courthouse have been made. The Catawba County Truth and Reconciliation Committee and some county residents have been requesting that the statue be removed for over a year. The Board of Commissioners has not yet made a decision.
A Confederate monument in Jackson County, N.C. has received a new plaque that reads “E Pluribus Unum” and highlights the 1996 rededication of the monument to all veterans from the county. The previous plaque featured a Confederate flag and read “Our Confederate Heroes.” County commissioners voted in August to change the previous plaque, and one commissioner said she hopes people will see the new plaque as a “respectful compromise.”
SEE: ‘The monument is not racist;’ speaker urges county commissioners to leave Confederate statue in Newton
‘E Pluribus Unum,’ Jackson County Confederate Monument Updated
https://www.bpr.org/post/e-pluribus-unum-jackson-county-confederate-monument-updated#stream/0
In a statement, CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison said:
“Monuments to racist traitors who fought to uphold white supremacy and slavery should not have places of honor in public spaces. We urge leaders throughout North Carolina to remove all remnants of the racist Confederacy. Elected officials nationwide must send a strong message that racism will not be honored or celebrated in their communities.”
Allison noted that CAIR has previously called for the removal of the Confederate monument in Catawba Co.
SEE: CAIR Welcomes N.C. City Council Vote to Remove Confederate Monument, Repeats Call for Confederate Monuments Removal in Other N.C. City
NC: CAIR Supports Removal of Confederate Statue, Condemns Feces Smeared on Black Lives Matter Sign, Both in North Carolina
Allison said the American Muslim community and CAIR stand in solidarity with all those challenging anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
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 Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com