The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is calling on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to extend and redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for some 500 Somalia nationals living in the United States.
TPS for Somalia nationals living in the United States expires on September 17, and DHS is expected to make its decision on extending and redesignating the status by July 19.
On Saturday, June 30th, CAIR-Columbus Public Affairs Coordinator Usjid Hameed spoke at the “Families Belong Together” action, which took place at the Ohio Statehouse.
The goal of the event was to urge policy makers to end the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy, end family detention, and to immediately reunify families that were separated at the border. The event was co-sponsored by CAIR-Columbus, the Ohio Hispanic Coalition, the Central Ohio Worker Center, and many other organizations. CAIR-Columbus played a leading role in organizing the action.
On Sunday, July 1, CAIR-Columbus Legal Director Romin Iqbal appeared on the Channel 10 show “Face the State” with Scott Light. The discussion covered the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Muslim Ban and the upcoming 2018 elections.
Other guests included Tracey Winbush, Treasurer of the Ohio Republican Party, and Dr. Suzanne Marilley, Professor of History and Political Science at Capital University.
You can watch the show here: https://www.10tv.com/article/face-state-scott-light-july-1-2018
On Wednesday, June 27, CAIR-Columbus Legal Director, Romin Iqbal, appeared on WOSU’s “All Sides with Ann Fisher” to discuss issues relating to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the Muslim ban.
On Wednesday, June 27, CAIR-Columbus Legal Director Romin Iqbal participated in a community discussion along with the ACLU of Ohio to discuss the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Muslim travel ban. Romin Iqbal and Gary Daniels of the ACLU of Ohio were the two main speakers at this event. The event was open to all members of public and was well attended.
On Tuesday, June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision in support of President Trump’s Muslim Ban. While this decision is disappointing, we will continue fighting.
CAIR-Columbus hosted a press conference offering their reactions to the decision. View the press conference here: https://www.facebook.com/caircolumbus/videos/1991377117600142/
Since December 4, 2017, the Muslim Ban has been in full effect for certain individuals from: Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. All are facing difficulty in their applications for visas to be united with family, study in the U.S., get medical treatment, or visit for tourism.
In this advisory we cover the current status of the Muslim Ban, who is impacted, as well as information about the so-called waiver process. Please note that this information is subject to change based on the various legal challenges. We will update you should changes happen.
On Saturday, June 9th, CAIR-Columbus’ Public Affairs Coordinator Usjid Hameed spoke to the Columbus Academy of Leadership (CAL) about the importance of civic engagement.
CAL is a non-profit organization that works to improve leadership skills of high school and college age-youth as well as adults through its programs. The June 9th event by CAL featured youth preparing gifts for underprivileged children in the community and then listening to speakers who discussed civic engagement related topics. Along with covering the importance of being engaged, Hameed registered voters, spoke about why it is vital to know who one’s elected representatives are, how to contact them, and how young people can get engaged in the political process.
(COLUMBUS, OH 05/26/18) – More than 200 people from different faiths and backgrounds attended CAIR-Columbus’ 22nd Annual sold out “Sharing Ramadan” Iftar, or fast-breaking meal, on Friday, May 25 in Columbus, Ohio. Ramadan is the Islamic month during which Muslims abstain from food and drink from before dawn to after sunset. During this month, Muslims also focus on spirituality, avoid vices, and renew community relationships.
(COLUMBUS, OH – May 25, 2018) CAIR-Columbus today announced the successful resolution of a lawsuit against the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem for unreasonably delaying an immigrant visa for the Palestinian wife of a U.S. citizen. The couple was married in 2015 and promptly filed the appropriate applications immediately thereafter. Once USCIS sent the application to the US Consulate in Jerusalem it sat unadjudicated for well over two years causing the couple to remain separated unnecessarily – the husband living in the United States and the wife remaining in Palestine.
CAIR-Columbus announced today the filing of a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of Ohio against the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Attorney General of the United States, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), on behalf of a Muslim legal permanent resident from Uzbekistan whose citizenship application has been pending for an unreasonable amount of time – well over seventeen months without an interview.
During this holy month, we ask Allah to accept our good deeds and forgive us for our shortcomings. Ramadan is a time we reflect on our actions and recommit to our goals and mission. Here at CAIR-Columbus, thanks to your support in these challenging times, we are committed more than ever to promote justice and empower American Muslims.
During this month of generosity and charity we hope that you will donate to sustain and grow CAIR-Columbus’ work. Your gift of $10,000, $5000, $1000, $500, $250, $100 or any amount will be used to safeguard the liberties of Muslims and all Americans. Will you become a CAIR-Columbus Champion of Justice and help us reach our goal of turning $75,000 into $150,000 by the end of Ramadan?
Please review our 2017 Annual Report, which details what your support helped us accomplish throughout 2017. Our success is the result you help make possible. Now more than ever we need you to invest and engage in CAIR’s important mission. Challenging Islamophobia and the efforts to marginalize the Muslim community is a long-term battle that we cannot afford to lose focus from. Please send your donation today to help us protect and empower Muslims and all Americans in this quest for justice.
May Allah bless you and your family with a beneficial and bountiful Ramadan.
CAIR reported today that some 400 delegates from 28 states met on Monday and Tuesday with more than 250 elected officials and congressional staffers during the record-breaking fourth annual “National Muslim Advocacy Day” on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said Muslim delegates participating in this year’s advocacy day event met with a third of the House of Representatives and almost half of the Senate. The delegation organized by CAIR-Ohio met with 14 Ohio congressional offices over the two day period.
[NOTE: Last year, delegates met with some 230 congressional offices.]
“It was amazing to see the spirit and enthusiasm of all those who traveled from across our nation to meet with their elected officials to make the voice of the American Muslim community heard on Capitol Hill,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.
CAIR-Columbus announced today the filing of two federal lawsuits in the Southern District of Ohio against the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Attorney General of the United States, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), on behalf of two Muslim legal permanent residents whose citizenship applications have been pending for an unreasonable amount of time without adjudication – sixteen and eighteen months respectively.
Neither of the Plaintiffs have any criminal history and one of the Plaintiffs is a doctor at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged the nation’s Muslim community to prepare for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan by better understanding their legal rights in the workplace and school.
WATCH: “Know Your Rights: Religious Accommodations at Work and in School”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ6zD2vdu2M
Community members are also encouraged to request free copies of CAIR-Columbus’ Employer’s Guide to Ramadan and the CAIR-Columbus Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices. These publications outline the basics of Ramadan and offer suggestions for accommodations in the workplace and for students. To order hard copies, email publications@cair-columbus.com.
From April 26th- April 28th, CAIR-Columbus Public Affairs Coordinator Usjid Hameed attended the CAIR Civil Rights Tour in Alabama, as part of a delegation of approximately 30 national leaders from CAIR chapters around the country.
The trip centered around the Equal Justice Initiative opening of its Legacy Museum, which chronicles the history of African-Americans in the United States from slavery to mass incarceration, and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which is dedicated the victims of lynching.
The museum is located on the site of a former warehouse where black people were enslaved in Montgomery, Alabama and uses interactive media, sculpture, videography and exhibits to immerse visitors in the sights and sounds of the domestic slave trade, racial terrorism, the Jim Crow South, and the world’s largest prison system. The memorial is located on a six-acre site atop a rise overlooking Montgomery and is a sacred space for truth-telling and reflection about racial terror in America and its legacy.
Attendees of the Civil Rights Tour also visited Selma and walked across the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge as well as Birmingham where they toured the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.