The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a ruling by a court in Tennessee that would allow cities to change Confederate-themed street names.
Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal agreed with officials in Forest Hills, Tennessee, who fought for the right to rename six streets, overruling the Tennessee Historical Commission’s decision that the street names are protected under the Heritage Protection Act.
CAIR last year supported that effort to remove the Confederate names.
“We welcome this ruling and hope it will lead to the removal of these names honoring the traitors to our nation who defended slavery and white supremacy,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “Removing remnants of the Confederacy that remain in our society will send a message of respect and inclusion to all minority communities.”
He noted that CAIR last month welcomed a decision to drop the name of a Confederate general for the highest mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in favor of the Cherokee name “Kuwohi.” In August, CAIR welcomed a ruling that an image of the Confederate flag may be removed from a Tennessee county’s seal.
Hooper said Washington, D.C., based CAIR has repeatedly called for the removal of Confederate names, holidays, flags, statues, and symbols nationwide.
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 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