The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed solidarity with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and condemned the U.S. Department of Justice’s prosecution of the organization as a “transparently political attack on the rule of law.”
Today, the Justice Department announced an indictment of the SPLC related to its past practice of paying informants who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and other extremist groups, thwarting hate crimes.
SEE: Southern Poverty Law Center indicted on federal fraud charges
VIDEO: SPLC Statement
SEE: What to know about the Southern Poverty Law Center – Associated Press
In a statement, Washington, D.C.-based CAIR said:
“CAIR stands in solidarity with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has spent decades successfully advancing civil rights and confronting hate. At a time when minority communities across our nation continue to face discrimination, extremist violence and threats to their fundamental rights, the work of civil rights organizations like the SPLC is essential to the health of our democracy, which is why it has been targeted by voices of hate for years.
“This reported federal targeting of SPLC appears to be a transparently political attack on the rule of law meant to undermine the vital role civil rights groups play in countering hate groups. This is unacceptable and must not stand.
“We encourage all Americans and elected officials to stand in solidarity with the SPLC and all other organizations dedicated to the protection of civil rights.”
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.
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | TikTok | Website | YouTube
Do you like reading CAIR press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.
You are receiving this email due to your interest selection from commercial media databases. If you would like to join CAIR’s media list, please sign up here: https://action.cair.com/a/newsletters — For more information, email: info@cair.com, CC ihooper@cair.com
END
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