The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the nation, said it sent a letter to the State Department and the American embassy in Jerusalem requesting that they demand the immediate release of American citizen and New Orleans grandmother Samaher Esmail, who was kidnapped by Israeli forces on Monday.
SEE: Israel arrests Palestinian-American woman in the West Bank. Her relatives don’t know where she is (AP)
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert McCaw said:
“We call on the State Department to urgently demand the release of Samaher Esmail, a mother, grandmother, and American citizen, who has been subjected to violent abuse at the hands of the far-right Israeli government. The reported treatment she endured is deeply disturbing and requires immediate attention and action. As an American citizen, Samaher Esmail deserves the full protection and support of her government, and we demand that the State Department take swift and decisive measures to secure her release and ensure her safety and well-being.”
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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 Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com