Call State’s Attorney and Mayor to Urge Drop of Charges for Muslim Girl Whose Hijab was Ripped Off at an Immigrant’s Rights Protest

CAIR-Chicago is urging everyone to call the State’s Attorney and the Mayor of Arlington Heights and tell them that you support the Anti-Minutemen 5, and that the charges against them should be dropped. No one should be prosecuted for peacefully protesting. Additionally, please voice your concern over the inappropriate treatment of the only hijab-wearing Muslim at the protest. Below is the contact information of the State’s Attorney’s Office and the mayor of Arlington Heights:

State’s Attorney’s Office: 847-818-2326

Arlene Mulder
Mayor of Arlington Heights
847-368-5105
847-368-5100

We need hundreds of phone calls to go out in the next 6 days!! Please call everyday and encourage all the people you know to do the same. Information on the case is below:

CAIR-Chicago is urging everyone to respond to an egregious case of police misconduct against Rehana Khan, a Muslim girl who had her headscarf (hijab) ripped off after she and several others were arrested while protesting at a rally for immigrant rights. Rehana was also searched in the presence of a male officer and placed into lockup without her hijab.



Americans Demand Immigration Reform

Last year, the United States House of Representatives passed enforcement heavy immigration reform legislation, HR 4437, which seeks to:
  • Criminalize both undocumented individuals and those who work to give them any aid, essentially criminalizing doctors, lawyers, teachers and religious figures
  • Limit judicial review for immigration and deportation cases
  • Give low level and local law enforcement authority to enforce immigration laws
  • Permit indefinite detention of accused persons
  • And many more alarming provisions
The Senate version of the bill has been under heavy debate since it was passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the end of March. Compromises fell short of the votes needed for cloture and immigration reform remains unreformed until Congress reconvenes. The bill currently on the Senate floor contains heavy enforcement provisions and also:
  • Calls for an increase in enforcement personnel at the borders
  • Criminalizes mistakes in completing immigration forms, including I-9 forms for employment
  • Bars people who make errors from legalization
  • Includes language that would expand the range of offenses and trigger automatic deportation without other legal recourses
  • Provides local law enforcement officials with the ability to enforce immigration laws
  • Broader provisions of detentions that includes asylum-seekers and long- term legal immigrants
  • Limits who can apply for legalization and when they can get it
ACTION REQUESTED:

Call Senator Durbin and Senator Obama and encourage them to continue supporting legislation that includes a path to legalization and a realistic fix to the broken system. Ask for legislation that:
  • Allows an earned path to legalization for immigrants through working, paying taxes, and learning English
  • Measures that regulate wages and working conditions to protect workers from exploitation
  • Promotes a way to keep families together
  • Does not characterize undocumented immigrants and those that work with them as felons
  • Ensures due process by allowing people their day in court
Say NO to indefinite detentions

It is very simple! When you call, the operator will ask for:
  1. your name
  2. Zip code
  3. your comment
Senator Durbin’s office: 312 353-4952

Senator Obama’s office: 312 886-3506

For more information, contact CAIR-Chicago's Governmental Relations Coordinator Sadiya Ahmed at gov.relations@cairchicago.org or at 312-212-1520.

Copyright (C) 2006 CAIR-Chicago



In the News Media Response System [visit center]

Recent Events


RECENT CASES:

Civil Rights Update – 4/21/06

The Civil Rights Department at CAIR-Chicago currently has 400 cases documented in which 168 cases are active and are being pursued by department personnel. Below are the cases that were reported to CAIR-Chicago within the last two weeks.

Employment:

  • A man reported that he was not hired for a position despite being qualified. When the man inquired as to why he had not been hired, he was told that they did not think he would be able to “keep up with the fast pace.” The position the man was seeking was at a hospital, and the man reports having experience working the emergency room of hospitals. CAIR-Chicago will refer the case to an attorney that will look into the various discrimination claims the man can file.
  • A Muslim man reported being pushed out of a residential company he helped found. CAIR-Chicago has referred the man to an attorney that can pursue the matter.


Government:
  • A Muslim man was contacted by the FBI for an interview. CAIR-Chicago will represent the man in the interview. It is our general advice that anyone that has been contacted for an interview with local or federal authorities should always have attorney representation present at the interview.
  • A Muslim man reported misconduct by police officers after being involved in an altercation that arose out of a traffic dispute. CAIR-Chicago is assisting the man in filing a complaint with the local police department.


ONGOING PROGRESS:

View reports of ongoing progress for cases with the Civil Rights Department in the “Progress Report” section.

ACTION ALERTS:

Citizenship Delay Project - Religious Discrimination Delays Citizenship Process:

As a joint effort with the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), CAIR-Chicago is asking individuals who passed a citizenship examination and have been waiting for over 90 days, or have been waiting for a Green Card for permanent residence for over 90 days to contact us at either mennakhalil@gmail.com

Travel Free Project - Muslim Americans Detained and Questioned When Traveling Outside of the U.S.:

As part of a potential class action law suit, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and CAIR-Chicago is asking anyone who has been detained and questioned on return to the US at any border crossing (land or airport) to please contact travelfree@cairchicago.org.

Religious Discrimination at Standardized Testing Centers:

As part of a potential class action law suit, CAIR-Chicago is asking for anyone who has experienced any form of religious discrimination at a testing center to please contact us at civilrights@cairchicago.org. An example of a possible form of religious discrimination includes requiring or requesting the removal of a headscarf for searches, or discriminatory remarks made by employees about Muslims or Islam.

The facts of the above case are as follows:

A Muslim student was asked to remove her headscarf on two separate occasions at a testing center before she began a standardized test required for graduate school. The supervisor and employees of the testing center refused to show her a written copy of the policy requiring Muslim women wearing a headscarf to be searched. A witness at the testing center also observed the employees making discriminatory remarks about Muslims while the victim was taking the test.

Please let us know if you or someone you know have experienced a similar incident and would like to take action to prevent such forms of religious discrimination at standardized testing centers in the future.





Earn College Credit Through a Summer Internship at CAIR-Chicago

CAIR-Chicago is currently offering 10 internship opportunities. All internships are unpaid, but students may receive college credit. Applicants need to email a resume and cover letter to Dina Rehab, Outreach Coordinator, at: outreach@cairchicago.org.

CAIR-Chicago is offering the following positions for internships:

Communications Intern
Community Service Intern
Governmental Relations Intern
Grant Research Intern
Marketing Intern
Operations Intern
Public Education Intern
Public Relations Intern
Church Project Intern
Faith Core Online Magazine Intern

Please Contact the Outreach Coordinator for more information on the tasks and duties of specific internships. Call Dina Rehab at 312-212-1520 or at outreach@cairchicago.org.

Special Thanks to Caitlin Buysse!


Thank You & Congratulations, Caitlin!

CAIR-Chicago board and staff would like to thank Caitlin Yoshiko Buysse for her exemplary services as she prepares to graduate CAIR-Chicago. "Caitlin is leaving us for an almost equally prestigious institution: Harvard University," said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director, Ahmed Rehab. This spring she graduates Northwestern University with a degree in religion, at Harvard she will pursue a graduate program in Islamic studies. "Caitlin Buysse is not an ordinary intern; she is a piece of CAIR-Chicago history. Exactly a year ago, Caitlin became CAIR-Chicago's very first intern," Rehab said, "she has seniority over 70% of our staff." Since then dozens of Chicago-area top students have followed in her footsteps.

Caitlin Buysse began interning with CAIR-Chicago in April 2005. During this time, she has worked with the Outreach and Communications departments on interfaith programming, service projects, sensitivity training, and volunteer/intern recruitment. Her academic interests include African-American Islam, Malcolm X, and the dynamics of individual faith and conversion. We look forward to witnessing Caitlin's promising career (and claiming a stake in it). We will certainly miss the professionalism, commitment, and dedication she brought to CAIR-Chicago.


CAIR-Chicago Welcomes Three New Activists to the Team


Azam Khan is a second year law student at DePaul University, College of Law. Azam currently has an article in review for publication in DePaul's Journal of Art and Entertainment Law; he will serve the journal as its Editor-in-Chief in the upcoming academic year. Azam has also studied law at the University of London and obtained his BA in International Relations from Boston University in 2003. Azam is currently working with CAIR-Chicago as a Civil Rights Extern. Azam plans to pursue a career in International Law.


Haady Taslim has joined CAIR-Chicago as a Government Relations Intern. Haady is currently pursuing a Master's degree in public policy at the University of Chicago, with a focus on international policy. Before coming to Chicago, he taught early elementary school for two years in inner-city New Orleans with Teach for America. He holds a B.A. from the George Washington University in Political Science and French Language and Literature. In his spare time, Haady sings and plays guitar, reads and listens to music.


Rima Kapitan has joined the Civil Rights Department as a Volunteer Attorney. Rima is a volunteer attorney, assisting the legal defense team on the Muhammad Salah case. She graduated from DePaul University’s College of Law in May of 2005. In addition to her education in the U.S., Rima studied abroad at the American University in Beirut, Birzeit University in the West Bank, and the American University in Cairo.










Executive Director
Ahmed Rehab

Civil Rights Coordinator
Christina Abraham

Outreach Coordinator
Dina Rehab

Governmental Relations Coordinator
Sadiya Ahmed

Operations Coordinator
Sabah Ahmed

Communications Coordinator
Sultan Muhammad

Staff Attorney
Heena Musabji, Esq.


Board of Directors
Alif Muhammad
Ahmed Rehab
Zaher Sahloul, MD
Hina Sodha, Esq.
Yaser Tabbara, Esq. - Secretary
Mazen Kudaimi, MD - Vice President
Safaa Zarzour, Esq. - President






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For more information, please contact:

CAIR-Chicago (A Chapter of The Council On American-Islamic Relations)
28 E. Jackson Blvd, Suite 1410, Chicago IL 60604
Phone: 312-212-1520, Fax: 312-212-1530
Email: info@cairchicago.org, Website: www.cairchicago.org


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