The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a ruling that an image of the Confederate flag may be removed from a Tennessee county’s seal.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR had previously called for the removal of the Confederate image from the seal.
A county chancellor ruled that Williamson County can remove the image because it is not protected under the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act, which prohibits altering or removing monuments and markers of the Civil War. In 2022, the Tennessee Historical Commission ruled unanimously that the Williamson County seal was not a memorial and therefore not protected under the act.
“No public entity or institution should ever use a symbol of slavery, racism and white supremacy,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “We welcome this ruling and hope the Confederate flag image is quickly removed from the seal.”
Hooper said Washington, D.C., based CAIR has repeatedly called for the removal of Confederate names, holidays, flags, statues, and symbols nationwide.
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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